Dinah Craik, John Halifax, Gentleman

Karen Bourrier (University of Calgary)

Ed. by Grace Moore, University of Otago
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.07: English Writing and Culture of the Victorian Period, 1837-1901.
Vol. editors: Gillian Fenwick (University of Toronto), Jessica Gossling (Goldsmiths College, University of London)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1856

Places

England (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Novel

Resources

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Published in 1856,

John Halifax, Gentleman

was the most important work of Dinah Mulock Craik’s career and one of the most popular novels of the nineteenth century. Consistently in print from the time of its publication to the present, it tells a quintessentially Victorian story of rags-to-riches. Craik innovates in the narrative form of the novel, as the story of the eponymous hero’s rise from collecting raw hides in a tan yard to Captain of Industry is told through the point of view of his disabled friend and companion, Phineas Fletcher.

Historical Themes and Narrative Form

Historical Themes and Narrative Form

The historical backdrop of Craik’s novel reinforces her argument that a true gentleman is known by his actions rather than by any accident of birth. John, an orphan, is born in

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1898 words

Citation: Bourrier, Karen. "John Halifax, Gentleman". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 23 December 2021 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=16480, accessed 23 November 2024.]