Charles Dickens
F05
Doug Bauer
Dickens’ novels are, perhaps singularly in English, fictions of approachable brilliance, his genius through its comedy, its pulsing energy, and relentless life one uniquely available to readers. His work fuses entertainment with gravity to a degree virtually unmatched since Shakespeare. Through close readings (with perhaps some biographical unmatched readings) of his work, including David Copperfield, Great Expectations, and Bleak House, we will attempt to gain understanding of Dickens’ themes, his metaphorical emphases, and his timeless appeal.