Dickens and the Sentimental Tradition

'This remarkable book … is surely one of the most original and illuminating studies of Dickens’s novels to have been published in recent years'.—Michael Slater-Emeritus Professor of Victorian Literature at Birkbeck, past President of the International Dickens Fellowship, and former editor of its journal, 'The Dickensian'.

‘[A] challenging study of this vexed literary mode […] [O]ne of the many strengths of this book is [Purton’s] detailed and discriminating discussion of the genealogy of Dickens’s sentimentalism in eighteenth-century literary practices.’ —Malcom Andrews, ‘The Dickensian’

‘Purton draws upon an impressive array of eighteenth-century texts to explore how Dickens’ own definition of sentimentality was defined and informed by his readings and “mis-readings” of these works [… and] convincingly argues that while eighteenth-century sentimentalism was closely bound up with anarchic humour and earthly concerns, Dickens’ sentimentalism is an attempt to deny the physical in order to present all human experience in spiritual terms. […] Purton rattles through Dickens’ work at a swift pace. Each selected example is illuminating […] The clear and elegant prose and logical and perceptive analysis makes the book appealing and accessible to scholars and students alike.’ —Katherine Faulkner, ‘The History of Emotions Blog’

‘In “Dickens and the Sentimental Tradition”, Valerie Purton persuasively demonstrates that we read too narrowly and do a disservice to Dickens and to our own reading experience when we dismiss sentimental scenes without employing our critical faculties. […] Purton’s study offers a rich context for understanding the sentimental tradition and provides a wealth of intelligent, perceptive readings. [This is] an extremely intelligent and well-researched analysis of Dickens’s transformation of the sentimental tradition.’ —Natalie McKnight, ‘Dickens Quarterly’