Dickens, Novel Reading, and the Victorian Popular Theatre

Texte du rabat

A study of theatrical sources for many of Dickens??? characters and plots.

Résumé
This 1998 study shows that many of Dickens' characters and plots can be traced to the Victorian stage. Exploring accounts of actors, actresses, and popular onstage characters, Deborah Vlock uncovers unexpected sources for some Dickensian characters, and throws new light on the conditions in which Dickens' novels were initially received.

Contenu
List of illustrations; Acknowledgments; 1. Introduction; 2. Dickens and the 'imaginary text'; 3. Theatrical attitudes: performance and the English imagination; 4. Patter and the politics of standard speech in Victorian England; 5. Charles Mathews, Charles Dickens, and the comic female voice; 6. Patter and the problem of redundancy: odd women and Little Dorrit; 7. Conclusion; Notes; Bibliography; Index.