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David E. J. Holt's avatar

Dickens was a social reformer who as a child spent time in a debtor's prison after his father fell on hard times. He also aimed to entertain and capture an audience. The two goals are not incompatible. But you gotta entertain...

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John Wesley Chisholm's avatar

It's true, Dickens, like so many other garret-bound Victoniran writers are proof that even the lonesome writer realizes they are performing for an audience to whom they owe the duty of entertainment if they expect any worth in their work.

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