{"product_id":"9781943657063","title":"Simply Dickens","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eOliver Twist\u003c\/em\u003e. \u003cem\u003eA Christmas Carol\u003c\/em\u003e. \u003cem\u003eDavid Copperfield\u003c\/em\u003e. \u003cem\u003eBleak House\u003c\/em\u003e. \u003cem\u003eA Tale of Two Cities\u003c\/em\u003e. \u003cem\u003eGreat Expectations\u003c\/em\u003e. The novels of \u003cstrong\u003eCharles Dickens\u003c\/strong\u003e (1812–1870) read like a “Who’s Who” of canonical works. Yet, less well known is the fact that Dickens himself was something of a created character, a larger-than-life figure who lived through his art and pursued his many passions with a theatrical zeal that could have belonged to one of his famous protagonists.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLargely self-taught, with little formal education, Dickens was catapulted to fame at the age of 24 with the publication of \u003cem\u003eThe Pickwick Papers\u003c\/em\u003e in 1836. For the next 30 years, he wrote a prodigious number of novels, short stories, essays and other works, while simultaneously campaigning for a variety of social reforms. As \u003cem\u003eSimply Dickens\u003c\/em\u003ecolorfully describes, in life and in art, Dickens threw himself into everything he undertook—from taking on the personalities of his characters as he wrote, to pursuing such causes as children’s rights and universal education.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhile some authors have depicted Dickens as a tormented soul or cruel misogynist who compromised his work by pandering to a wide audience, \u003cem\u003eSimply Dickens\u003c\/em\u003econvincingly shows him as a purposeful, supremely talented, and versatile personality, whose popular appeal was central to his achievement.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Simply Charly","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47044419911920,"sku":"9781943657063","price":8.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781943657063_p0.jpg?v=1763758106","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781943657063","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}