On the 200th anniversary of Charles Dickens's birthday

It is difficult to think of English novel without the Victorian novelist Charles Dickens. Dickens wrote at a time when fiction was the fashion. The genre received its finest bloom in the hands of this great writer who has given the world a plethora of characters which include men, women and children from different walks of life. I personally feel, after Shakespeare if anyone has given the widest range of characters to the readers is none other than Dickens. Each creation is unique and outstanding. Take the characters of David Copperfield, Oliver Twist and Pip, each one of them is so lively that the reader feels being in direct contact with them. My own liking has always been Great Expectations - the novel that comprises more than 50 chapter’s starting from Pip's unexpected encounter with the convict demanding the food and the file. Pip goes through a series of experiences - the most remarkable being his visit to Satis' house, the house of Miss Havisham. Great Expectations is a classic for any student of Literature it is an invariable companion. The character of Oliver Twist, especially his demand for some more porridge is the situation no reader can forget. The opening lines of A Tale of Two Cities are one of the best that a fiction can offer. Whenever i read these lines I get a freshness in them, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times; it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness; it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity; it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness; it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair; we had everything before us, we had nothing before us; we were all going directly to Heaven, we were all going the other way." Another character which has always fascinated me is Mr. Scrooge in A Christmas Carol. The metamorphosis in Scrooge is something that has fascinated me throughout.

Charles Dickens is unique. His language, construction of sentences, the choice of words, everything is unique. The Dickensian style of writing is worthy of emulation for every student of English language, I sincerely feel. Today when we read his works we feel every line of his novels applies to our age. Dickens was far ahead of his time. Time cannot write wrinkles on his literary output. Dickens is immortal, his literature is eternal. Readers can still relate too many of the themes in his work, such as social justice and financial troubles to our time. Probably no one has understood the small children in misery better than Dickens. His chimney sweepers not only derive sympathy from us, they are also a source of interest for the readers. If we read Hard times or Oliver Twist we get a clear picture of the children in the Victorian age, their sufferings, their poverty, their hardships. The best tribute that I can pay to this genius is to make Dickens' literature popular among the readers - MY ENDLESS ENDEAVOR.