Screening Charles Dickens

Among professional storytellers whose works have been adapted for cinematic dramatization, mid-19th century English novelist Charles Dickens stands in a class of his own. In addition to his most well-known works such as A Christmas Carol and Oliver Twist, which are unrivaled for their sheer number of film adaptations, each of Dickens’ other major works have been adapted for the screen multiple times, and many remain accessible for viewing on a variety of platforms.
This book-by-book survey highlights the most popular adaptations of each Dickens book, spanning from the films of the silent era through the 21st century. The survey also includes a critical examination that compares the adaptations to the original texts. An analysis outlines the many connections between the fictional narratives and the novelist’s own frequently misunderstood biography.

William Farina is a retired real estate consultant for the federal government, now living in Evanston, Illinois. He has written books on Arthurian legend, early Christianity, the American Civil War, Shakespeare and baseball.

William Farina
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 243
Bibliographic Info: 20 photos, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2022
pISBN: 978-1-4766-8567-0
eISBN: 978-1-4766-4786-9
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments vi
Introduction 1
1. The Pickwick Papers (1836–1837) 9
2. Oliver Twist (1837–1838) 19
3. Nicholas Nickleby (1838–1839) 30
4. The Old Curiosity Shop (1840–1841) 39
5. Barnaby Rudge (1840–1841) 48
6. A Christmas Carol (1843) 57
7. Martin Chuzzlewit (1842–1844) 69
8. Other Christmas Novellas (1844–1848) 77
9. Dombey and Son (1846–1848) 86
10. David Copperfield (1849–1850) 94
11. Bleak House (1852–1853) 104
12. Hard Times (1854) 112
13. Little Dorrit (1855–1857) 120
14. A Tale of Two Cities (1859) 129
15. Travelogues (1842–1863) 139
16. Great Expectations (1860–1861) 147
17. Our Mutual Friend (1864–1865) 157
18. Later Short Stories (1859–1866) 166
19. The Mystery of Edwin Drood (1870) 174
20. Biographical and Apocryphal 182
Summary 190
Filmography 197
Chapter Notes 203
Select Bibliography 221
Index 223