‘Humming-tops’ and ‘Steampunk synergies’: Dickens’ Journalism and Nonfiction since the Turn of the Twenty-First Century

Abstract

Dickens’ nonfiction is an important component of his creative oeuvre and deserves continuing scholarly attention. This essay offers an overview of critical commentary published during a twenty-year span from the closing years of the twentieth century through 2017. Summaries of major scholarly projects – such as the publication of the four-volume Dent Uniform Edition of Dickens’ Journalism, the launch of Dickens Journals Online, and the reception of these works – are followed by brief synopses of important reference publications, monographs devoted to Dickens’ nonfiction, essays assessing authorship of journal articles, and critical commentaries. The essay concludes with a discussion of the impact of Digital Humanities on the study of Dickens’ nonfiction, and it predicts increased future study based on the relative availability and low cost of online materials that scholars may require for their work.