About the Book

Wish you had time to re-read and enjoy that daunting stack of Charles Dickens novels?

Take heart: Dickens enthusiast Gina Dalfonzo has done the heavy lifting for you. In short, readable excerpts she presents the essence of the great novelist’s prodigious output, teasing out dozens of the most memorable scenes to reveal the Christian vision and values that suffuse all his work.

Dickens can certainly entertain, but his legacy endures because of his power to stir consciences with the humanity of his characters and their predicaments. While he could be ruthless in his characterization of greed, injustice, and religious hypocrisy, again and again the hope of redemption shines through.

In spite of – or perhaps because of – his own failings, Dickens never stopped exploring the themes of sin, guilt, repentance, redemption, and restoration found in the gospel. In some passages the Christian elements are explicit, in others implicit, but, as Dickens himself said, they all reflect his understanding of and reverence for the gospel.

The Gospel in Dickens includes selections from Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, A Tale of Two Cities, Great Expectations, A Christmas Carol, Nicholas Nickleby, The Old Curiosity Shop, Martin Chuzzlewit, Dombey and Son, Bleak House, Hard Times, Little Dorrit, Our Mutual Friend, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, and Sketches by Boz – with a cast of unforgettable characters such as Ebenezer Scrooge, Sydney Carton, Jenny Wren, Fagin, Pip, Joe Gargery, Mr. Bumble, Miss Havisham, Betsey Trotwood, and Madame Defarge.

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Praise

Gina Dalfonzo’s The Gospel in Dickens is a collection of well-chosen excerpts from Dickens’s writings illustrating his persistent interest in Christian themes. . . . This is an affordable, attractive, well-made book that fits comfortably in the hand. It offers a highly readable look into both the nature of Dickens’s religious views and the evolution of his art.

Brian Murray, author, The Bedside, Bathtub & Armchair Companion to Dickens

Though students of Dickens continue to debate whether he was a Christian, no one can debate that he relies upon Jesus Christ as the standard for humanity. Less an evangelist than a prophet, Dickens painted word pictures of common behavior with which the Victorian world would have been familiar to portray what it means to fall short of the glory of God. As these passages from his many novels make clear, Dickens never confused social and financial respectability with faithfulness to Christ. These passages reveal how closely Dickens had read the Gospels.

Dr. Harry Lee Poe, Charles Colson Professor of Faith and Culture, Union University

In her The Gospel in Dickens, Gina Dalfonzo has given us a marvelous glimpse into the mind and soul of Charles Dickens. Smartly conceived and engagingly written, this volume follows Dickens’s Christian thought through his oeuvre like no other book available. Dalfonzo’s observations and assessments of the varied selections, based on her careful contextual reading, are astute and right on target – because she has a great sense of how Dickens thought, especially about his faith and how his faith came to bear on his life. Whether you’ve walked with Dickens for some time or you are just beginning to get to know him, you will want to own this delightful volume.

Gary Colledge, PhD, author of God and Charles Dickens and Dickens, Christianity and The Life of Our Lord

George Orwell, the great English writer, observed that Charles Dickens was always preaching a sermon. The Gospel in Dickens provides an excellent framework for identifying the nature and content of these “sermons.” Focusing on the key areas of repentance, grace, sin, redemption, and salvation, Gina Dalfonzo has provided a clear, insightful introduction to her selections. For those who are familiar with the works of Dickens, and for those who are keen to find out more, this book casts valuable light on an important aspect of the writer’s life and work.

Dr. Keith Hooper, author, Charles Dickens: Faith, Angels and The Poor

Tablet of Contents

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Literature