It’s very hard to write about Charles Dickens without writing thousands of words, because there’s so much to say about the man.

Who knows what sort of world we would be living in if it hadn’t been for Dickens and his focus on social reform? He didn’t make changes single-handedly, but he certainly forced people to look at the injustices of his time – and not just English people. Workhouse conditions, capital punishment, child labour, reform of the legal system, and, in America, slavery, all deeply concerned Dickens. He shocked his readers by depicting Victorian society as being industrialised, greedy and self-important.

Many consider Dickens to be the greatest figure in English literature after Shakespeare, and, like Shakespeare, appealed to both popular and sophisticated levels. His works have been translated into practically every language. His novels were written in weekly or monthly instalments in newspapers, with regular cliffhangers creating suspense and keeping the reader coming back for the next exciting episode; this pioneered the serial publication format of narrative fiction.

Dickens’ characters are some of the most memorable in fiction and he often based them on people he knew. Wilkins Micawber and William Dorrit were based on his father and Dickens’ own mother, Elizabeth Dickens, was the model for the always confused, comic Mrs Nickleby. Sometimes Dickens got into trouble, as in the case of Miss Mowcher in David Copperfield, based on his wife’s chiropodist.

Scrooge has become synonymous with ‘miser’ and may be clued in our crosswords as such. Who has never heard of poor little Oliver Twist asking for more? You may find ‘umbrella’ clued as ‘gamp’, after Mrs Gamp, the alcoholic midwife in Martin Chuzzlewit who always carried an umbrella with her, so that gamp came to mean umbrella. Bill Sykes and the Artful Dodger are well-known thieves from Oliver Twist and Uriah Heep’s name is used to describe an insincerely humble person, known even by those who have never read his novels.

For all his earnest endeavour in making the world a better place, he also had a great sense of comedy. His unique blend of humour, pathos, and humanitarianism resounds throughout all his works, which have been a huge influence in the entertainment business. Countless movies and musicals have been made based on his books, and A Christmas Carol has significantly influenced the modern celebrations of Christmas in many countries around the world.

What’s your favourite Charles Dickens work? I’d love to know. Until next time, happy puzzling!