Charles Dickens (1812-1870)

Charles Dickens (1812-1870) was the preeminent British novelist of the 19th century. He's immensely popular: none of his published books has ever gone out of print. He's also a GRE Literature heavyweight: there is an enormous amount of Dickens material that could show up on the exam.

Associate the following facts and ideas with Dickens:

1. Vivid, often exaggerated characterization; borderline onomatopoeic names
2. Published almost exclusively in serials; cliffhanger endings
3. Many works preoccupied with poverty and attempted upward social mobility
4. A wide range of comic and serious tones

For the GRE Literature exam, associate the following works with Dickens:

1. Oliver Twist (1837-9)
2. The Pickwick Papers (1837)
3. Nicholas Nickelby (1838-9)
4. David Copperfield (1850)
5. Bleak House (1852-3)
6. Hard Times (1854)
7. Great Expectations (1860-1)

Don't fall into the trap of spending too much time on Dickens--the page to points ratio isn't good. Consider adding one Dickens novel to your list, no more. (See the links above for recommendations.)