Charles Dickens, American Notes for General Circulation

Jonathan Taylor (The University of Leicester)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.07: English Writing and Culture of the Victorian Period, 1837-1901.
Vol. editors: Gillian Fenwick (University of Toronto), Jessica Gossling (Goldsmiths College, University of London)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1842

Places

England (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Non-Fiction
- Guidebooks / Travel writing

Resources

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Charles Dickens's

American Notes

is one of the most famous and important examples of travel-writing in the nineteenth century, documenting simultaneously a particular moment in the development of the United States and what was surely a major turning-point in Dickens's career. Along with Alexis de Tocqueville's

Democracy in America

, Dickens's

American Notes

represents one of the most significant contributions to a trend, during the 1820s, 30s and 40s, for books about the USA by prominent European visitors; these included works by Frances Trollope, Harriet Martineau, Frederick Marryat, James Silk Buckingham and Basil Hall. Of course, all these writings discuss and critique America from differing perspectives – Trollope's book is about “domestic manners”, whilst de Tocqueville's work…

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1315 words

Citation: Taylor, Jonathan. "American Notes for General Circulation". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 25 June 2002 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=6731, accessed 27 November 2024.]

Charles Dickens, American Notes for General Circulation

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