Sketches of Young Couples
by Charles Dickens
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Sketches of Young Couples is Dickens at his best. Charles Dickens is considered one of the greatest English authors of all time. Dickens often used the pen name Boz. Much of his work first appeared in periodicals and magazines in serialized form. Unlike many writers of his time Dickens wrote the entire novel before serializing it. He made frequent use of the cliffhanger to keep the public interested. Dickens begins with a letter to the Queen concerning the practice of Bissextile, or Leap show more Year where a woman is allowed to propose marriage to a man and he must accept. Dickens says that Queen Victoria¿s announcement that she will marry Albert has given young ladies ideas. He claims that there is a plot in England and Ireland thus men are no longer safe. The humor in this piece is wonderful. show lessTags
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This is a collection of short "stories", describing different types of young couples. As always, Dickens' scatterings of humour help make it an enjoyable read. It's mainly an exercise in characterisation, but each little chapter reads like a story, or part of a story. This book would be a useful tool to someone wanting to learn how to write. It may have been written quite some time ago, but human nature, and the dynamics of relationships, haven't changed that much.
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2,578+ Works 313,139 Members
Charles Dickens, perhaps the best British novelist of the Victorian era, was born in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England on February 7, 1812. His happy early childhood was interrupted when his father was sent to debtors' prison, and young Dickens had to go to work in a factory at age twelve. Later, he took jobs as an office boy and journalist before show more publishing essays and stories in the 1830s. His first novel, The Pickwick Papers, made him a famous and popular author at the age of twenty-five. Subsequent works were published serially in periodicals and cemented his reputation as a master of colorful characterization, and as a harsh critic of social evils and corrupt institutions. His many books include Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, Bleak House, Great Expectations, Little Dorrit, A Christmas Carol, and A Tale of Two Cities. Dickens married Catherine Hogarth in 1836, and the couple had nine children before separating in 1858 when he began a long affair with Ellen Ternan, a young actress. Despite the scandal, Dickens remained a public figure, appearing often to read his fiction. He died in 1870, leaving his final novel, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, unfinished. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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