Speeches: Literary and Social

What it is

This is a collected edition of Speeches, Literary and Social, by Charles Dickens, published in London by Chatto and Windus in 1880, with additional chapters on Dickens as a letter writer, poet and public reader. The text used here is a transcription from this edition.

Why it matters

Public speeches let a figure address audiences directly, in their own words, on subjects they cared about. This collection brings together Dickens's speeches on literature and social matters, offering a record of his public voice beyond his novels and showing how he engaged with contemporary issues of his time.

Look closer

• Why might Dickens have chosen to speak publicly on literature and social causes, not just write novels?
• What does the fact that his speeches were collected and published after his death tell you about how he was remembered?
• How might a speech differ from a letter or novel as a way of understanding someone's views?