Charles Dickens and Music is James T. Lightwood’s engaging study of the role of music in the life and writings of the great novelist. Gathering the many references to songs, instruments, ballads, and musical scenes scattered through Dickens’s works, the book explores his evident love of music.
Lightwood examines the popular songs and street music of Victorian England as they appear in the novels, illuminating both Dickens’s art and the musical culture of his age. The result is a charming intersection of literature and music history. For lovers of Dickens and students of nineteenth-century English musical life alike, the book offers a delightful and unusual perspective on a familiar author.