Charles Dickens: A Very Short Introduction

This book covers the life and work of Charles Dickens, with examples taken from all his major works and writing. It considers the key themes in Dickens's novels, and the way in which he used his writing to critique the great dehumanising structures, ideologies, and bureaucracies of nineteenth-century Britain. This book examines the potent and multiple after-lives of Dickens's novels, and their ongoing impact today. It explores Dickens's own career and life, and the influence this had on his writing. It also discusses Dickens's treatment by critics through the ages.