Full Description
"Charles Dickens, Francais naturalise, et Citoyen de Paris." This is how Dickens signed a letter from France to his friend John Forster in 1847. Behind the joke lay a fascination for French life and culture and a sense of affinity with the country that would take him back often and that would find expression in some of his finest work. "Dickens on France" brings together short stories, extracts from novels and travel writing. Among its journalistic highlights, are accounts of a train journey from London to Paris, a rough Channel crossing, the pleasures of Boulogne, and Parisian life in the 1850s and 1860s. Extracts from the travelogue Pictures from Italy, take us by coach from Paris to Marseille. The selected short stories include "His Boots", a section of "Mrs Lirriper's Legacy" and "The Boy at Mugby", and there are extracts from "A Tale of Two Cities", "Little Dorrit", "Dombey and Son", "Nicholas Nickleby", and "Our Mutual Friend". Dickens was interested primarily in the character of places he visited, the behaviour of people he observed in them, and in the sensation and psychology of travelling. These preoccupations keep the writing fresh and accessible.
It requires no leap through time to appreciate his musings on his fellow passengers, his reflections on sitting in a Paris cafe, his random exploration of city streets or small country towns, or his opposition to cultural bigotry. Infused with energy, perception and open-mindedness, this collection vividly evokes life in France and Britain in the nineteenth century and reminds us, however much progress we make, how little we change. "Dickens on France" is extensively annotated to provide historical and autobiographical contexts, and to highlight literary and other allusions. Brief chapter introductions and a general introduction to the volume, highlight key aspects of the selections and discuss the nature of Dickens's enduring relationship with France.
Contents
CONTENTS General Introduction Bibliography Note on the Texts LONDON TO PARIS BY TRAIN Introduction "A Flight" CROSSING THE CHANNEL TO CALAIS Introduction "The Calais Night Mail" Extract from Little Dorrit (Clennam in Calais) ON THE ROAD THROUGH FRANCE TO SWITZERLAND Introduction "Travelling Abroad" HOLIDAYING IN BOULOGNE Introduction "Our French Watering-Place" GOING NORTH: COUNTRY WAYS, TRAVELLING PLAYERS AND FUN AT THE FAIR Introduction "In the French-Flemish Country" AN AWAKENING IN A SLEEPY TOWN Introduction "His Boots" (from Somebody's Luggage) A FLANEUR IN PARIS: CITY LIFE (AND DEATH) Introduction "Railway Dreaming" "Some Recollections of Mortality" Extract from "New Year's Day" Extract from Pictures from Italy (Paris on Sunday morning) GOING SOUTH: LYON, THE RHONE AND AVIGNON Introduction Extract from Pictures from Italy FROM TRAVELOGUE TO FICTION Introduction Sens and Chalon-sur-Saone: Extract from Pictures from Italy Extract from Little Dorrit (Rigaud at Chalons) Extracts from Mrs Lirriper's Legacy Travelling through France by coach: Extract from Pictures from Italy Extract from Dombey and Son (Carker's flight from Dijon) Marseille: Extract from Pictures from Italy Extract from Little Dorrit THE FRENCH REVOLUTION Introduction Extracts from A Tale of Two Cities: Quartier Saint Antoine The ruling class Storming of the Bastille The Reign of Terror The Guillotine "Judicial Special Pleading" THE FRENCH DO IT BETTER: SLAUGHTERHOUSES, RAILWAY CATERING AND OTHER LESSONS Introduction "A Monument of French Folly" "Main Line. The Boy at Mugby" (from Mugby Junction) "Insularities" LANGUAGE SKILLS AND THE ENGLISH Introduction Extract from Nicholas Nickleby (Nicholas teaches French) Extract from Our Mutual Friend (Podsnap's dinner party) Notes Index
