Chesterton and Dickens: The Theatricalised "Drama" of Modernity Explored

This article addresses a central theme in the recent work of Arpad Szakolczai, particularly prominent in his two books about novels, the increasing theatricalisation of modern life. Complementing the discussion on Dickens in Novels and the Sociology of the Contemporary, it extends aspects of this analysis by looking at the work of the English “Orthodox” Christian philosopher G.K. Chesterton, both as a journalist, novelist and literary scholar, but also as participant and analyst of the theatricalised world in which he was forced to operate.