"The Oxford Companion to Twentieth-Century Literature in English" says of "Clayhanger", "The provincial Methodist background, Darius's penniless childhood and his rescue from the workhouse, and the growing prosperity and cultural aspirations of the family are described in sharply observed cumulative detail. The novel provides a wealth of accurate documentation about the manners and industry of the region". "The Oxford Companion to Edwardian Fiction" comments, "After the critical and commercial success of "The Old Wives' Tale" (1908), "Clayhanger" set the seal on Bennett's reputation as the laureate of the commonplace". The article adds that the conflict between father and son "is also a conflict between eras: between Victorian thrift and (somewhat tentative) Edwardian pleasures".