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Author : Jen Green
Publisher : Lucent Press
ISBN 13 : 9781420503722
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (37 download)
Download or read book Great Expectations written by Jen Green and published by Lucent Press. This book was released on 2010 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An adaptation in graphic novel format of Dickens' tale of an orphan growing up in Victorian England.
Author : Charles Dickens
Publisher : Forgotten Books
ISBN 13 : 9781527680098
Total Pages : 536 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (8 download)
Download or read book Great Expectations (Classic Reprint) written by Charles Dickens and published by Forgotten Books. This book was released on 2017-10-25 with total page 536 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Excerpt from Great Expectations ON the first of December, 1860, Dickens began the publica tion, in all the Year Round, of his novel. Of Great Expectations, and closed it in the number of that weekly which appeared on the third of August, His first intention, as in the case of The Old Curiosity Shop, was to write a short sketch or story for the periodical he edited. Forster had suggested to him that he should try something in his old way, - something which would recall to the public his vouthful achievements in humorous scenes and characterize tions. Dickens replied. For a little piece I have been writ ing - or am writing - for I hope to finish it to-day - such a very fine, new, and grotesque idea has opened upon me, that I begin to doubt whether I had not better cancel the little paper, md reserve the notion for a new book. You shall judge as soon as I get it printed. But it so opens out before me, that I can see the whole of a serial revolving on it, in a most singu lar and comic manner. This grotesque idea was, doubtless, the relation established between Pip and Magwitch, which might easily have been narrated in a few charming pages, such as those in which he had disposed of the genus of many other romances, in the series of essays, sketches, and portraitures of life, which he was then writing under the general title of The Uncommercial Traveller. But the idea of an innocent boy, establishing unconsciously an immense influence over the mind of a hunted felon, simply by giving him that assistance which he dared not refuse, haunted Dickens's imagination until he gathered round it a whole new world of characters and. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
Author : Charles Dickens
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781494241858
Total Pages : 582 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (418 download)
Download or read book Great Expectations - Large Print Edition written by Charles Dickens and published by . This book was released on 2013-11 with total page 582 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Great Expectations is a Victorian coming of age novel and remains one of the most popular books by Charles Dickens. The first person narrator, Pip is a down on his luck orphan who finds himself being forced to steal food for an escaped convict. He soon goes to work for a blacksmith and is given the opportunity to go to London to become a gentleman. To come from such humble beginnings and yet have the opportunity to raise his standard of living gives him great expectations. A true classic of literature. This Large Print Edition is presented in easy-to-read 16 point type.
Author : Charles Dickens
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 564 pages
Book Rating : 4.A/5 ( download)
Download or read book Great Expectations written by Charles Dickens and published by . This book was released on 1881 with total page 564 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One of the finest novels by iconic British author Charles Dickens, this Victorian tale follows the good-natured orphan Pip as he makes his way through life. As a boy, Pip crosses paths with a convict named Magwitch, a man who will heavily influence Pip’s adulthood. Meanwhile, the earnest young man falls for the beautiful Estella, the adoptive daughter of the affluent and eccentric Miss Havisham. Widely considered to be Dickens's last great book, the story is steeped in romance and features the writer's familiar themes of crime, punishment, and societal struggle.
Author : Charles Dickens
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781539527466
Total Pages : 468 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (274 download)
Download or read book Great Expectations (Oxford World's Classics) Reprint Edition by Dickens, Charles written by Charles Dickens and published by . This book was released on 2016-10-14 with total page 468 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Great Expectations is Charles Dickens's thirteenth novel. It is his second novel, after David Copperfield, to be fully narrated in the first person. Great Expectations is a bildungsroman, or a coming-of-age novel, and it is a classic work of Victorian literature. It depicts the growth and personal development of an orphan named Pip. The novel was first published in serial form in Dickens's weekly periodical All the Year Round, from 1 December 1860 to August 1861. In October 1861, Chapman and Hall published the novel in three volumes. Dickens originally intended Great Expectations to be twice as long, but constraints imposed by the management of All the Year Round limited the novel's length. The novel is collected and dense, with a conciseness unusual for Dickens. According to G. K. Chesterton, Dickens penned Great Expectations in "the afternoon of [his] life and fame." It was the penultimate novel Dickens completed, preceding Our Mutual Friend. It is set among the marshes of Kent and in London in the early to mid-1800s. The novel contains some of Dickens most memorable scenes, including its opening, in a graveyard, when the young orphan Pip is accosted by the escaped convict, Abel Magwitch. Great Expectations is a graphic book, full of extreme imagery, poverty, prison ships ("the hulks"), barriers and chains, and fights to the death. Upon its release, Thomas Carlyle spoke of "All that Pip's nonsense." Later, George Bernard Shaw praised the novel as "All of one piece and consistently truthfull." Dickens felt Great Expectations was his best work, calling it "a very fine idea," and was very sensitive to compliments from his friends: "Bulwer, who has been, as I think you know, extraordinarily taken by the book." Great Expectations has a colourful cast that has entered popular culture: the capricious Miss Havisham, the cold and beautiful Estella, Joe the kind and generous blacksmith, the dry and sycophantic Uncle Pumblechook, Mr. Jaggers, Wemmick with his dual personality, and the eloquent and wise friend, Herbert Pocket. Throughout the narrative, typical Dickensian themes emerge: wealth and poverty, love and rejection, and the eventual triumph of good over evil. Great Expectations has become very popular and is now taught as a classic in many English classes. It has been translated into many languages and adapted many times in film and other media.
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Author : Charles Dickens
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781501091391
Total Pages : 634 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (913 download)
Download or read book Great Expectations [Large Print Edition] written by Charles Dickens and published by . This book was released on 2014-09-18 with total page 634 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This premium quality unabridged large print edition features a large 7.44"x9.69" page size and is printed on heavyweight 60# bright white paper with a fully laminated cover featuring an original full color design. Page headers and modern design and page layout exemplify the attention to detail given this collector-quality volume. Also included is an original biography of Charles Dickens, discussing the life, work, and lasting influence of this literary titan. Widely regarded as Dickens' finest work and the quintessential Victorian coming-of-age tale, Great Expectations was originally published in serial form between December 1860 and August 1861. In response to contemporary literary criticism asserting that the story was "too sad", Dickens later rewrote the ending. In keeping with long-standing tradition, this volume follows the 1874 edition, published as a full-length novel with the modified ending. This is by far the most widely read and best-known edition, and the version which has become a timeless classic. The tale follows the life of an orphan, "Pip," from his childhood in the vicinity of the Kentish marshes to London and back again. Pip crosses paths with Abel Magwitch, an escaped convict and one of Dickens' most noteworthy characters, the well-off but unbalanced Miss Havisham, still wearing the wedding dress in which she was abandoned on her wedding day, and her beautiful adopted daughter Estella. Pip has a loyal friend in Joe, the brother-in-law who takes him on as an apprentice, where he is working when, Mr. Jaggers, the lawyer, informs him that he is to receive a large sum from an anonymous benefactor and must immediately travel to London. As the real relationships and identities of the characters are revealed over the course of the story, Pip discovers that things are sometimes not at all what they appear, and Dickens delves into themes of love, loyalty, honesty and revenge. Born in Portsmouth England on February 7, 1812, Charles Dickens enjoyed a comfortable childhood until his father lost his post at the Navy Pay Office, ultimately landing in debtors' prison. Young Charles endured an horrific experience pasting labels on jars of bootblack in a rat-infested slum and living in an attic. He would later teach himself shorthand and find work as a newspaper writer, covering politics and then the courts. These experiences, with his near-photographic memory, would provide him with material for the colorful characters and vivid depictions of life in England which characterized his work for decades. The publication of The Pickwick Papers in 1836, the world's first true literary phenomenon, brought Dickens success, and within a few years he was an international celebrity. Ultimately he would become the foremost novelist of the Victorian era and one of the most widely read writers in history. His books have never gone out of print, have been turned into films and plays, and are still widely read today. Known for his compelling storylines and unforgettable characters, Dickens' stories also served as vehicles for social commentary, often harshly critical of class stratification and public institutions but without the strident or didactic tone that might have alienated readers. In particular, and contrary to the prevailing views of the time, Dickens viewed the poor as wretched not because of their own weaknesses and moral failures but because of their helplessness before society's attitudes and institutions. Yet Dickens managed, even when dealing with grim and serious subject-matter, to maintain a humorous element, and satire and caricature fill the pages of his works. Dickens died on June 9, 1870, following a stroke. Given the body of work he left behind, it is striking to note that Charles Dickens was just 58 years old at his death.
Author : Charles Dickens
Publisher : Independently Published
ISBN 13 : 9781090101679
Total Pages : 454 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (16 download)
Download or read book Great Expectations: Large Print written by Charles Dickens and published by Independently Published. This book was released on 2019-03-14 with total page 454 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Great Expectations is a novel by Charles Dickens first serialised in All the Year Round from 1 December 1860 to August 1861. It is regarded as one of his greatest and most sophisticated novels, and is one of his most enduringly popular, having been adapted for stage and screen over 250 times.Great Expectations is written in a semi-autobiographical style, and is the story of the orphan Pip, writing his life from his early days of childhood until adulthood. The story can also be considered semi-autobiographical of Dickens, like much of his work, drawing on his experiences of life and people.The action of the story takes place from Christmas Eve, 1812, when the protagonist is about seven years old, to the winter of 1840.
Author : Charles Dickens
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 1108040071
Total Pages : 353 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (8 download)
Download or read book Great Expectations written by Charles Dickens and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2011-11-08 with total page 353 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A reissue of the three-volume first book edition (1861) of one of Dickens' greatest novels.
Author : Charles Dickens
Publisher : Forgotten Books
ISBN 13 : 9780483442825
Total Pages : 338 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (428 download)
Download or read book Great Expectations, Vol. 2 (Classic Reprint) written by Charles Dickens and published by Forgotten Books. This book was released on 2018-01-19 with total page 338 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Excerpt from Great Expectations, Vol. 2 After well considering the matter while I was dress ing at the Blue Boar in the morning, I resolved to tell my guardian that I doubted Orlich's being the right sort of man to fill a post of trust at Miss Havisham's. Why of course he is not the right sort of man, Pip, said my guardian, comfortably satisfied beforehand on the general head, because the man who fills the post of trust never is the right sort of man. It seemed quite to put him into spirits, to find that this particular post was not exceptionally held by the right sort of man, and he listened in a satisfied manner while I told him what knowledge I had of Orlick. Very good, Pip, he observed, when I had concluded, I'll go round presently, and pay our friend off. Rather alarmed by this summary action, I was for a little delay, and even hinted that our friend himself might be difficult to deal with. Oh no he won't, said my guardian, making his pocket-handkerchief-point with perfect confidence. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
Author : Ronald Frame
Publisher : Macmillan
ISBN 13 : 1250037271
Total Pages : 368 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (5 download)
Download or read book Havisham written by Ronald Frame and published by Macmillan. This book was released on 2013-11-05 with total page 368 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Catherine Havisham was born into privilege. Handsome, imperious, she is the daughter of a wealthy brewer, and lives in luxury in Satis House. But she is never far from the smell of hops and the arresting letters on the brewhouse wall -- Havisham. A reminder of all she owes to the family name and the family business.
Author : Kathy Acker
Publisher : Grove Press
ISBN 13 : 0802146589
Total Pages : 87 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (21 download)
Download or read book Great Expectations written by Kathy Acker and published by Grove Press. This book was released on 2018-02-27 with total page 87 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The author of Empire of the Senseless gives the Dickens classic a punk twist, setting it in 1980s New York City. Kathy Acker’s practice of literary appropriation and pastiche made her notorious—as a rebel and a groundbreaker—when Great Expectations was first published in 1982. Here, she begins rewriting Charles Dickens’s classic—splicing it with passages from Pierre Guyotat’s sexually violent Eden, Eden, Eden, among other texts—alongside Acker’s trademark pithy dialogue, as well as prank missives to the likes of Susan Sontag, Sylvère Lotringer, and God. At the center of this form-shifting narrative, Acker’s protagonist collects an inheritance following her mother’s suicide, which compels her to revisit and reinterpret traumatic scenes from the past. Switching perspectives, identities, genders, and centuries, the speaker lustily ransacks world literature to celebrate and challenge the discourse around art, love, life, and death. Praise for Great Expectations “Great Expectations in its boisterousness and strong language and sense of the injustice-of-it-all is closely related to Henry Miller.” —Carolyn See, Los Angeles Times “Acker’s most accomplished experimental work. . . . As she says in Great Expectations, “a narrative is an emotional moving.” It should be, but she’s one of the few people . . . who manage to blend that kind of warmth, gutsiness, and skill.” —Sally O’Driscoll, Village Voice “[Acker’s] most completely unified work of art. . . . One that by its formal concentration and its unified shape at every depth of reading fulfills the sort of demands that Sterne or Canetti makes of the novelist.” —Alain Robbe-Grillet “A postmodern Colette with echoes of Cleland’s Fanny Hill.” —William S. Burroughs
Author : Charles Dickens
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781544907116
Total Pages : 828 pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (71 download)
Download or read book Great Expectations: Large Print (Reader Classics) written by Charles Dickens and published by . This book was released on 2017-03-25 with total page 828 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Large Print (Reader Classics) are printed with easy-to-read fonts and feature type size which conforms to large print industry standards. Great Expectations is the thirteenth novel by Charles Dickens and his penultimate completed novel; a bildungsroman that depicts the personal growth and personal development of an orphan nicknamed Pip. It is Dickens' second novel, after David Copperfield, to be fully narrated in the first person.
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Author : Charles Dickens
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781501027925
Total Pages : 636 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (279 download)
Download or read book Great Expectations [Large Print Edition] written by Charles Dickens and published by . This book was released on 2014-09-02 with total page 636 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With a large 7.44"x9.69" page size, this premium quality Summit Classic Press unabridged large print edition is printed on hefty 60# bright white paper with a fully laminated cover featuring an original full color design. Page headers and modern design and page layout exemplify the attention to detail given this collector-quality volume. Also included is a new, original biography of Charles Dickens, discussing the life and work of this literary giant. Widely regarded as his finest work, Charles Dickens' quintessential Victorian coming-of-age tale, Great Expectations was originally published in serial form between December 1860 and August 1861. In response to contemporary literary criticism asserting that the story was "too sad", Dickens later rewrote the ending. In keeping with long-standing literary tradition, this Summit Classics volume follows the 1874 edition, published as a full-length novel with the modified ending. The tale follows the life of an orphan named Pip from childhood in and around the Kentish marshes to London and back again. Pip crosses paths with Abel Magwitch, an escaped convict, the well-off but unbalanced Miss Havisham, still wearing the wedding dress in which she was abandoned on her wedding day, and her beautiful adopted daughter Estella. Pip has a loyal friend in Joe, the brother-in-law who takes him on as an apprentice, where he is working when a lawyer, Mr. Jaggers, informs him that he is to receive a large sum from an anonymous benefactor and must immediately travel to London. As the real relationships and identities of the characters are revealed over the course of the story, Dickens delves into themes of love, loyalty, honesty and revenge. Born in Portsmouth England on February 7, 1812, Charles Dickens enjoyed a comfortable childhood until his father lost his post at the Navy Pay Office and ultimately landed in debtors' prison. Young Charles embarked upon an horrific stint pasting labels on jars of bootblack in a rat-infested slum. He would later find work as a newspaper writer, covering politics and then the courts. These experiences, with his almost photographic memory, would provide him with material for the colorful characters and vivid depictions of life in England which would characterize his work for decades. The publication of The Pickwick Papers in serial form in 1836 brought Dickens success. Within a few years he had become an international literary celebrity. Ultimately he would become the foremost novelist of the Victorian era and one of the most widely read writers in history. His books have never gone out of print, have been turned into films and plays, and are still widely read today. Along with his compelling storylines and unforgettable characters, Dickens' stories served as vehicles for social commentary, often harshly critical of class stratification and public institutions. In particular, and contrary to prevailing views, Dickens championed the poor, whom he saw as wretched not because of their own weaknesses and moral failures but because of their helplessness before society's attitudes and institutions. And yet Dickens managed throughout to maintain a humorous element, and satire and caricature fill the pages of his works. Dickens died on June 9, 1870, following a stroke. Given the body of work he left behind, it is striking to note that Charles Dickens was just 58 years old at his death.
Author : Charles Dickens
Publisher : OUP Oxford
ISBN 13 : 0191607703
Total Pages : 475 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (916 download)
Download or read book Great Expectations written by Charles Dickens and published by OUP Oxford. This book was released on 2008-06-12 with total page 475 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'you are to understand, Mr. Pip, that the name of the person who is your liberal benefactor remains a profound secret...' Young Pip lives with his sister and her husband the blacksmith, with few prospects for advancement until a mysterious benefaction takes him from the Kent marshes to London. Pip is haunted by figures from his past - the escaped convict Magwitch, the time-withered Miss Havisham and her proud and beautiful ward, Estella - and in time uncovers not just the origins of his great expectations but the mystery of his own heart. A powerful and moving novel, Great Expectations is suffused with Dickens's memories of the past and its grip on the present, and it raises disturbing questions about the extent to which individuals affect each other's lives. This edition includes a lively introduction, Dickens's working notes, the novel's original ending, and an extract from an early theatrical adaptation. It reprints the definitive Clarendon text. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.
Author : Charles Dickens
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781499590265
Total Pages : 344 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (92 download)
Download or read book Great Expectations written by Charles Dickens and published by . This book was released on 2014-05-16 with total page 344 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This edition contains the original and unabridged text of Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. Great Expectations is a coming-of-age novel, and it is a classic work of Victorian literature. It depicts the growth and personal development of an orphan named Pip. Dickens felt Great Expectations was his best work, calling it “a very fine idea”. Great Expectations has become very popular and is now taught as a classic in many English classes. Great Expectations is set among the marshes of Kent and in London in the early to mid-1800s. It is a graphic book, full of extreme imagery, poverty, prison ships, “the hulks,” barriers and chains, and fights to the death. It combines intrigue and unexpected twists of autobiographical detail. The novel reflects the events of the time, Dickens' concerns, and the relationship between society and man. Dickens originally intended Great Expectations to be twice as long. Collected and dense, with a conciseness unusual for Dickens, the novel represents Dickens' peak and maturity as an author. According to G. K. Chesterton, Dickens penned Great Expectations in "the afternoon of [his] life and fame." The novel has a colourful cast that has entered popular culture: the capricious Miss Havisham, the cold and beautiful Estella, Joe the kind and generous blacksmith, the dry and sycophantic Uncle Pumblechook, Mr. Jaggers, Wemmick with his dual personality, and the eloquent and wise friend, Herbert Pocket. Throughout the narrative, typical Dickensian themes emerge: wealth and poverty, love and rejection, and the eventual triumph of good over evil.
Author : Charles Dickens
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781436862639
Total Pages : 660 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (626 download)
Download or read book Great Expectations and Hard Times (1904) written by Charles Dickens and published by . This book was released on 2008-06 with total page 660 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.
Author : Charles Dickens
Publisher : Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN 13 : 9781726383349
Total Pages : 634 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (833 download)
Download or read book Great Expectations Unabridged Large Print Classic Edition written by Charles Dickens and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2018-09 with total page 634 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With a large 7.44" x 9.69" page size, this complete and unabridged large print edition is printed on hefty bright white paper with a fully laminated cover featuring an original full color design. Page headers and modern design and page layout exemplify the attention to detail given this premium quality volume. Great Expectations... Charles Dickens' quintessential Victorian coming-of-age tale, "Great Expectations" was originally published in serial form between December 1860 and August 1861. In response to contemporary literary criticism asserting that the story was "too sad", Dickens later rewrote the ending. In keeping with long-standing literary tradition, this Summit Classics volume follows the 1874 edition, published as a full-length novel with the modified ending. The tale follows the life of an orphan named Pip from childhood in and around the Kentish marshes to London and back again. Pip crosses paths with Abel Magwitch, an escaped convict, the well-off but unbalanced Miss Havisham, still wearing the wedding dress in which she was abandoned on her wedding day, and her beautiful adopted daughter Estella. Pip has a loyal friend in Joe, the brother-in-law who takes him on as an apprentice, where he is working when a lawyer, Mr. Jaggers, informs him that he is to receive a large sum from an anonymous benefactor and must immediately travel to London. As the real relationships and identities of the characters are revealed over the course of the story, Dickens delves into themes of love, loyalty, honesty and revenge. Charles Dickens... Born in Portsmouth England on February 7, 1812, Charles Dickens enjoyed a comfortable childhood until his father lost his post at the Navy Pay Office and ultimately landed in debtors' prison. Young Charles embarked upon an horrific stint pasting labels on jars of bootblack in a rat-infested slum. He would later find work as a newspaper writer, covering politics and then the courts. These experiences, with his almost photographic memory, would provide him with material for the colorful characters and vivid depictions of life in England which would characterize his work for decades. The publication of The Pickwick Papers in serial form in 1836 brought Dickens success, and within a few years he had become an international literary celebrity. Ultimately he would become the foremost novelist of the Victorian era and one of the most widely read writers in history. His books have never gone out of print, have been turned into films and plays, and are still widely read today. Along with his compelling storylines and unforgettable characters, Dickens' stories served as vehicles for social commentary, often harshly critical of class stratification and public institutions. In particular, and contrary to prevailing views, Dickens championed the poor, whom he saw as wretched not because of their own weaknesses and moral failures but because of their helplessness before society's attitudes and institutions. And yet Dickens managed throughout to maintain a humorous element, and satire and caricature fill the pages of his works. Dickens died on June 9, 1870, following a stroke. Given the body of work he left behind, it is striking to note that Charles Dickens was just 58 years old at his death.
