Note 4 to Chapter 1 of the author's Dickens and the Rhetoric of Laughter which Clarendon Press published in 1972. It has been included in the Victorian Web with the kind permission of the author and of the Clarendon Press, which retains copyright.
It is not possible to avoid technique entirely; to some extent and in some cases Dickens's technique is vital in determining our laughter and is integral to his vision (see pp. 5-8). The emphasis, however, is important. Instead of studying Dickens's techniques (or style or historical influences) using the novels primarily as evidence, I mean to study the novels, using laughter as a critical tool.
Last modified: 1 May 2001