Functions of Charles Dickens’s prefaces to his novels

Abstract

   The article examines the famous Victorian writer Charles Dickens’s prefaces to his novels from the point of view of their functional significance and aesthetic originality. Dickens first published the majority of his novels in a serial form in periodicals; thus, upon the subsequent publication of the novels in a book form, he was already well aware of the way they were perceived by the readership, so he knew what additional information in the preface would be useful to the reader. The article identifies interpretational, biographical, socio-critical and commercial functions of Dickens’s prefaces. The author, who starts a dialogue with the reader in the preface, inevitably turns to the interpretation of his work. The interpretational function is generally characteristic of the literary preface, but Dickens uses it sporadically. The biographical function appears more often and characterizes the author’s ambition to be closer to his readers, to confide in them the personal circumstances under which or in the connection with which the novel came out. The socio-critical function permeates most of the prefaces: the author quite often outlines his own social mission, emphasizes spiritual and moral guidelines, and generates social responsibility in his readers. The commercial function, presented implicitly, seems to be equally important, since the author’s main goal was to draw additional attention to the publication. Dickens’s constant interaction with his audience was a part of a serious marketing approach, which together with his writing talent, provided a stable income and incredible popularity.