Charles Dickens, born February 7, 1812, lives in the pantheon of great literature. Memorable characters such as Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, Tiny Tim, and Pip guided readers into worlds that needed fixing. Dickens' attention to woes and conditions in his day, led to improvements. His writing entertains, enlightens, and endures.
The wisdom of Love ...the highest wisdom ever known upon this earth - The Mystery of Edwin Drood.
Trifles make the sum of life - David Copperfield
Time, consoler of affliction and softener of anger - Doombey and Son
My life is one demd horrid grind - The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby
Old Marley was as dead as a doornail - A Christmas Carol
Marley might be dead, but Charles Dickens lives on. His "career rode a wave of social, political, and scientific process" (Time 1/31/12), and the writing is relevant today. He fought for strong copyright laws and was a publicity genius. Dickens, a writer for the people, reflected the culture and transformed it.
It is a far far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far far better rest that I go to than I have ever known - Sidney Carton in A Tale of Two Cities
Happy 200th Birthday celebration, Charles Dickens
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