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Dickens's Great Expectations: Misnar's Pavilion Versus Cinderella
Contributor(s): Meckier, Jerome (Author)

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 ISBN: 0813122287     ISBN-13: 9780813122281
Publisher: University Press of Kentucky
OUR PRICE: $33.25  

Binding Type: Hardcover - See All Available Formats & Editions
Published: May 2002
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Annotation: Dickens scholar Jerome Meckier's acclaimed Hidden Rivalries in Victorian Fiction examines fierce literary competition between leading novelists who tried to establish their credentials as realists by rewriting Dickens's novels.

In his new book, Meckier argues that in Great Expectations, Dickens not only updated David Copperfield but also rewrote novels by Lever, Thackeray, Collins, Shelley, and Charlotte and Emily Bronte. He parodically revised his competitors' themes, characters, and incidents to discredit their novels as unrealistic fairytales imbued with Cinderella motifs. Dickens darkened his fairytale perspective by replacing Cinderella with the story of Misnar's collapsible pavilion from The Tales of the Genii (a popular, pseudo-oriental collection). The Misnar analogue supplied a corrective for the era's Cinderella complex, a warning to both Haves and Have-nots, and a basis for Dickens's tragicomic view of the world.
Additional Information
BISAC Categories:
- Literary Criticism | English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh
- Literary Criticism | Modern - 19th Century
- Literary Criticism | Fairy Tales, Folk Tales, Legends & Mythology
Dewey: 823.8
LCCN: 2001007149
Physical Information: 0.96" H x 6.16" W x 9.52" L (1.35 lbs) 296 pages
Themes:
- Cultural Region - British Isles
Features: Bibliography, Index
Review Citations: Choice 12/01/2002 pg. 632
 
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc.
Publisher Description:

Dickens scholar Jerome Meckier's acclaimed Hidden Rivalries in Victorian Fiction examined fierce literary competition between leading novelists who tried to establish their credentials as realists by rewriting Dickens's novels. Here, Meckier argues that in Great Expectations, Dickens not only updated David Copperfield but also rewrote novels by Lever, Thackeray, Collins, Shelley, and Charlotte and Emily Bront . He periodically revised his competitors' themes, characters, and incidents to discredit their novels as unrealistic fairy tales imbued with Cinderella motifs. Dickens darkened his fairy tale perspective by replacing Cinderella with the story of Misnar's collapsible pavilion from The Tales of the Genii (a popular, pseudo-oriental collection). The Misnar analogue supplied a corrective for the era's Cinderella complex, a warning to both Haves and Have-nots, and a basis for Dickens's tragicomic view of the world.
 
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