Dickens and Victorian Print Cultures

This volume places Dickens at the centre of a dynamic and expanding Victorian print world and tells the story of his career against a background of options available to him. The collection describes a world animated by outpourings of print materials: books serials newspapers periodicals libraries paintings and prints parodies and plagiarisms censorship advertising as well as theatre and other entertainment and celebrity. It also shows this period as driven by a growing and more literate population and undergirded by a general conviction that writing was a crucial component of governance and civic culture. The extensive introduction and selected articles anchor Dickens's attempts to establish better conditions for writers regarding copyright protection pay status recognition and effectiveness in altering public policy. They speak about Dickens's life as playwright journalist novelist editor magazine publisher theatrical producer actor lecturer reader of his own works supporter of charities for impoverished authors and fallen women exponent of a morality of Christian compassion and domestic affections sometimes put into question by his own actions proponent and critic of British nationalism and champion of education for all. This selection of essays and articles from previously published accounts by internationally renowned scholars is of interest to all students and professionals who are fascinated by the composition manufacture finance formats pictorializations sales advertising and influence of Dickens's writing.