A Tale of Two Cities

Charles Dickens (1812-1870) has been remembered in history as one of the greatest authors of the Victorian era. Having received tremendous success while he was alive, Charles Dickens’ works continue to be read voraciously.. Because of his great popularity, Dickens has secured himself the position of not only being one of the greatest writers of his generation, but one of the most celebrated writers of all time. In addition to his writing, Charles Dickens was a prominent activist, dedicating much of his life to fighting for better social conditions for the poor as well as powerfully advocating for better laws to protect the rights of children. When a piece of literature refers to either unfair working and living conditions, or else portrays the state of a morally corrupt social class, the writing is thus referred to as "Dickensian." Much of literary tradition thus owes its inspiration to the writings of Charles Dickens.