Shakespeare and Dickens

Tracing Dickens'' interest in Shakespeare through his own reading and performance and through numerous theatrical literary and artistic sources Shakespeare and Dickens argues that imaginative transformations of Shakespeare''s words and ideas enrich all aspects of Dickens'' writing including aesthetic principles language imagery plot theme tone structure and characterization. The book proceeds to examine theoretical ideas about influence and allusion as aspects of style and analyzes ways in which Dickens typically employs references to Shakespeare. The final section catalogues approximately one thousand references to Shakespeare''s plays and poems drawn from Dickens'' fiction essays letters and speeches.