Dimensions
165 x 248 x 38mm
You might have "studied" Charles Dicken's novels in English classes, but the Victorians read Dickens the way we watch our favourite soaps. The Friendly Dickens helps you turn the pages of a masterpiece like David Copperfield as eagerly as you switch channels. Norrie Epstein strips away the polite veneer of Victorian society to reveal Dicken's life and times in all their squalor and glory. You'll learn things about Dickens and the Victorians they never taught you in English class: why are 19th century novels so long?; what was Dicken's "evil hour"?; why the Victorians couldn't resist a deathbed scene. The Friendly Dickens includes an illuminating guide to all of Dicken's works and lively appreciations of characters both major and minor, interviews with aficionados, eye-catching illustrations, copious quotations, a filmography and informative sidebars on almost every page. Your Friendly companion to the man who called himself "The Inimitable" will have you running in delight to dust off your Dickens.