Charles Dickens

Jun. 2, 2011

Orwell on Dickens

Two quotes pulled from Orwell’s classic essay on Dickens.

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Jun. 16, 2010

A Face Behind the Page

“When one reads any strongly individual piece of writing, one has the impression of seeing a face somewhere behind the page.” — George Orwell, “Charles Dickens”

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Apr. 6, 2010

Will e-novels be shorter?

Will e-novels be shorter than p-novels — you know, books, the things made with paper and ink?

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Mar. 29, 2010

Dickens’ Outlines

Dickens’ notes are a rare opportunity for a young writer to watch a master at work.

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Feb. 12, 2010

A Lesson from Dickens

In 1839, 27-year-old Charles Dickens was already a superstar. Then he did a strange thing: he applied to law school.

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Jan. 26, 2010

“Little Dorrit”: Dickens’ Teeming World

Why modern realism just doesn’t feel like reality.

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Jan. 4, 2010

Dickens and the Blacking Factory

At the age of 12, thanks to his father’s bankruptcy, Dickens found himself working in a rat-infested warehouse that produced bottles of liquid shoe polish. The work itself probably lasted for no more than a year, but it left scars on his imagination that never properly healed. His rage at social injustice, his sensitivity to [...]

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Dec. 31, 2009

Dickens and Me

I have been reading Little Dorrit the last couple of weeks and I am engrossed, even though life has been a little chaotic. I have been working feverishly on my own new novel, cranking out the last few chapters in rough draft. At the same time, my kids are on school vacation and our house [...]

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Dec. 16, 2009

Dickens vs. the Snarks

To a reader, Dickens absorbs, the web distracts.

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