A hit!  A palpable hit!  William Claspy, a new subscriber and
enthusiastic reader of Dickens had sent this query to the list:
        What reading would you recommend for someone who's
        just now getting his feet wet in Dickens Scholarship
        and wants to see where things stand these days?

First response from Jon Varese <[log in to unmask]>:
                        -----
Welcome to the World of Dickens...glad to have you with us!

I would certainly recommend (if someone hasn't recommended it to you
already) the marvelous Edgar Johnson biography of Dickens.  It is one of
my favorite pieces ever written on the Inimitable, both for its
eloquence and for its analyses.

If you liked BLEAK HOUSE, pick up a copy of D. A. Miller's article about
it, which can be found in his book THE NOVEL AND THE POLICE.  Miller does
a Foucauldian reading of BH, and in my opinion, has written one of the
best recent interpretations of the novel to date.  You may want to
familiarize yourself with Foucault before tackling this dense piece, in
which case I would recommend excerpts from DISCIPLINE AND PUNISH.

Happy reading.

Jon Varese
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