American Notes; A Journey (this is a book review essay on the American Notes: A Journey, written by Charles Dickens about his experienes in the U.S.

American Notes: A Journey

In 1842, the well established author, Charles Dickens toured the United States of America and wrote down an account of his journey within a young democratic nation. He published this account and called it American Notes: A Journey. The purpose of the book was to give an account of America to the British public. From the very start of the journey, Dickens was speaking in the voice of a traveller whose thriving for adventure gave him and indifferent perspective. Later on within the account, Dickens takes a very critical view upon the Americans. Dickens is and was very popular with many of his creative and funny works such as "Oliver Twist" and "Great Expectations" during the 1840s, so it was no surprise that "American Notes" had influenced a great number of people within North America and Britain, and even stirred the old political feud that existed between the two nations.

Copy of a Photograph of Charles Dickens

Dickens and Little Nell (1890), a statue by Franci...

Copy of Sketch of Charles Dickens

However exciting and influential Dickens's American Notes actually was for the public, the book did not serve as a clear account of facts about America for readers because Dickens wrote with a satiric, biased, and narrow point of view.

From the beginning of Dickens's journey he seemed very excited to be going on a tour to America, but as he steps on the steamboat Britannia he is not as enthusiastic. He states, "We had experienced a pretty smart shock before coming, which but that we were the most sanguine people living, might have prepared us for the worst." The living conditions on the boat and throughout his journey through America left him frustrated and unimpressed. As an established figure, Dickens believed he would have been received with the best treatment throughout his tour, but claimed so many times he was "shocked by...