ArmandoIannuccipresentsapersonalargumentinpraiseofthegeniusofCharlesDickens.Throughtheprismoftheauthor \'smostautobiographicalnovel，大衛·科波菲爾，ArmandolooksbeyondDickens-thenationalinstitution-andinsteadexploresthequalitiesofDickens \'sworkwhichstillmakehimoneofthebestBritishwriters.WhileDickensisoftencelebratedforhispowerfuldepictionsofVictorianEnglandandhisroleasasocialreformer，thisprogrammeforegroundstheelementsofhiswritingwhichmakehimworthreading，asmuchforwhathetellsusaboutourselvesinthetwenty-firstcenturyasourancestorsinthenineteenth.ArmandoarguesthatDickens \'sremarkableuseoflanguageandhisextraordinarygiftforcreatingcharactersmakehimastartlinglyexperimentalandpsychologicallypenetratingwriterwhodemandsnotjusttobeadaptedfortelevisionbuttobereadandreadagain。