Dickens, Religion and Society

Dickens's social criticism is one of the most famous and important aspects of his works. This book explores the centrality of his religious attitudes to his attacks on the social ills of his day. After discussing how deeply engaged Dickens was with his religion, the author links him to a group of political and religious campaigners who were pioneering the application of Christian moral precepts to social issues. The perspective this gave him on society is examined in detailed studies of several novels. Looking at his works from this angle sheds important new light on a number of cruxes and controversies in Dickens's oeuvre, including the portrayal of Fagin as a villainous Jew, the hostile depiction of trade unions in Hard Times, the apparent weakness of Dickens's remedy of a 'change of heart' to society's ills, and the presence of sentimentality in his novels.

Robert Butterworth was educated at Farnworth Grammar School and the University of Leeds, and works as a lecturer in North West England. In addition to numerous articles about Dickens, he has published on other Victorian writers including Anne Bronte, Charlotte Bronte, Thomas Hood and George Gissing.