"The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club" and G.K. Chesterton's view of Dickens' Literary Greatness.

Abstract

Charles Dickens is possibly the most discussed of all British writers, allegedly second only to William Shakespeare. Thousands of books, articles, essays, and reviews have argued in favour of the novelist’s achievements, while many others have fiercely attacked his alleged limits. The literary criticism concerning Dickens has indeed always swung rapidly from a position to another over the centuries. However, it is commonly agreed that in this changing panorama, G.K. Chesterton definitely represents one of the most authoritative voices who outspokenly celebrated the novelist’s literary greatness. Besides the publication of well-known fictions such as the "Father Brown" series and "The Man Who Was Thursday", Chesterton also published tens of writings in which he devoted himself to the celebration of Dickens’ merits, including his masterpiece "Charles Dickens". He indeed recognized that the very foundations of his view of greatness in literature are mirrored in Dickens’ novels, triumphantly in "The Pickwick Papers". It was indeed Chesterton’s opinion that this novel is decidedly Dickens’ greatest achievement. The first part of the dissertation is devoted to the discussion of both Chesterton’s special position in the tradition of Dickens’ studies, and the connection between his criticism of Dickens and his more general view of greatness in literature. The second part is mainly focused on "The Pickwick Papers", to its origin and its connection to Dickens’ life, and to the analysis of episodes and passages taken from The Pickwick Papers where the main features of Chesterton’s view of greatness in literature are richly and perfectly illustrated.