Part 1:Introduction 5
The life of Dickens 5
The life and the novels 7
Dickens and his time 9
Dickens and his public 12
A note on the setting 13
A note on the text 14
Part 2:Summaries 15
A general summary 15
Detailed summaries 16
Part 3:Commentary 45
The plot 45
Themes 47
Style 54
Humour 56
Symbolism 58
Characterisation 59
The major characters 61
Part 4:Hints for study 70
Choosing what to study 70
Quotations 71
Planning your answers 72
Specimen questions and answers 73
Part 5:Suggestions for further reading 78
The author of these notes 80