{"title":"Charles Dickens","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"great-expectations","title":"Great Expectations","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFirst published in serial form between 1860 and 1861, Charles Dickens’s \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eGreat Expectations\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e follows the fortunes of Pip, an orphan raised in the marshes of Kent, whose encounter with an escaped convict sets in motion a chain of events that will transform his life. When he is invited to visit the mysterious, embittered Miss Havisham and meets her beautiful ward, Estella, Pip becomes painfully conscious of his humble origins and begins to dream of becoming a gentleman. An unexpected fortune soon carries him from the provincial world of his childhood to London, where wealth and social ambition complicate his understanding of loyalty, love and self-worth.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAmong Dickens’s most finely constructed novels, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eGreat Expectations\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e combines the suspense of a mystery with a searching portrait of Victorian class society and the moral cost of aspiring to respectability. Its unforgettable figures—from the formidable Miss Havisham to the loyal blacksmith Joe Gargery—inhabit a world shaped by guilt, generosity, revenge and the possibility of redemption. Told through Pip’s retrospective voice, the novel traces the uneasy passage from youthful illusion to self-knowledge, confirming Dickens’s extraordinary ability to unite social criticism with psychological depth and enduring narrative drama.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFrom the book\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-pm-slice=\"1 1 []\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“Heaven knows we need never be ashamed of our tears, for they are rain upon the blinding dust of earth, overlying our hard hearts.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e— Charles Dickens, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eGreat Expectations\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOn \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eGreat Expectations\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“Dickens’s most compactly perfect book.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e— George Bernard Shaw\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardner's EU","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":64150530752842,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":false}]},{"product_id":"a-tale-of-two-cities","title":"A Tale of Two Cities","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFirst published in serial form in 1859, Charles Dickens’s \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA Tale of Two Cities\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e unfolds between London and Paris in the turbulent years surrounding the French Revolution. When Dr Manette is released after eighteen years of imprisonment in the Bastille, he is reunited with his daughter, Lucie, whose life becomes entwined with that of Charles Darnay, a French aristocrat, and Sydney Carton, a brilliant but disillusioned English lawyer. As revolutionary fervour sweeps through France, private loyalties and inherited privilege are tested against the demands of a society in upheaval.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAmong Dickens’s most powerful historical novels, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA Tale of Two Cities\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e moves between intimate domestic tenderness and the terrifying momentum of collective violence. Its exploration of injustice, vengeance, sacrifice and redemption is sharpened by Dickens’s vivid contrasts between the two cities, where the promise of liberty can become an appetite for retribution. Both an absorbing story of personal transformation and a searching portrait of revolution, the novel remains one of the defining works of Victorian literature.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFrom the book\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“A wonderful fact to reflect upon, that every human creature is constituted to be that profound secret and mystery to every other.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e— Charles Dickens, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA Tale of Two Cities\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOn \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA Tale of Two Cities\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“Dickens’s tale of love and revolution is among his finest, both intimate and epic in scale.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e— Anita Sethi, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Guardian\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardner's EU","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":64150613688650,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":false}]},{"product_id":"a-christmas-carol","title":"A Christmas Carol","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFirst published on 19 December 1843, Charles Dickens’s \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA Christmas Carol\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e follows Ebenezer Scrooge, a miserly London businessman whose contempt for Christmas seems inseparable from his indifference to the suffering of others. On Christmas Eve, the ghost of his former partner, Jacob Marley, appears to warn him of the fate that awaits him, followed by three spirits who lead him through memories of the past, the realities of the present and the consequences of a future left unchanged. Among the scenes of Victorian London, the warmth of the Cratchit household and the fragile figure of Tiny Tim, Scrooge is forced to confront the life he has made for himself.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePart ghost story, part moral fable, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA Christmas Carol\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e is one of Dickens’s most enduring works, combining supernatural suspense with a fierce indictment of poverty, greed and social indifference. Its vision of redemption rests not simply on festive goodwill, but on the possibility that a person might still change—and that compassion carries responsibilities beyond the private household. First published as an illustrated book, this compact novella helped shape the modern cultural imagination of Christmas while retaining the darker edges of Dickens’s social conscience.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFrom the book\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humour.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e— Charles Dickens, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA Christmas Carol\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOn \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA Christmas Carol\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-pm-slice=\"1 1 []\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“Very few stories embody a human truth so definitively that we cannot think of the truth without remembering the story.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e— Michel Faber, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Guardian\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardner's EU","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":64150685057354,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":false}]},{"product_id":"david-copperfield","title":"David Copperfield","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFirst published in monthly instalments between 1849 and 1850, Charles Dickens’s \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDavid Copperfield\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e traces the life of its eponymous hero from a difficult childhood to the uncertainties of adulthood. After the death of his mother and the cruelty of his stepfather, David escapes into a wider world populated by unforgettable figures, from the irrepressible Mr Micawber and formidable Betsey Trotwood to the calculating Uriah Heep and the charming, unreliable Steerforth. Drawing on Dickens’s own early experiences, the novel moves through schools, workplaces, boarding houses and the streets of Victorian England, charting the making of a writer and the gradual discovery of his place in the world.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDickens considered \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDavid Copperfield\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e his favourite among his novels, and its first-person narrative gives it an intimacy that distinguishes it from much of his other work. Beneath its humour and exuberant cast of characters lie serious reflections on childhood, class, memory, ambition and the lasting effects of neglect. Both a richly observed portrait of Victorian society and a landmark of the coming-of-age novel, it remains one of Dickens’s most personal and enduring works.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFrom the book\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-pm-slice=\"1 1 []\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e— Charles Dickens, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDavid Copperfield\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOn \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDavid Copperfield\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“Of all my books, I like this the best.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e— Charles Dickens, Preface to \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDavid Copperfield\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardner's EU","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":64150816883018,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":false}]},{"product_id":"bleak-house","title":"Bleak House","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFirst published in monthly instalments between 1852 and 1853, Charles Dickens’s \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBleak House\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e is a sweeping portrait of Victorian England, where fog settles over London and justice disappears into the labyrinth of the Court of Chancery. At the heart of the novel lies the interminable case of Jarndyce and Jarndyce, a legal dispute that consumes fortunes, ambitions and lives, while the stories of Esther Summerson, the proud Lady Dedlock and the troubled Richard Carstone unfold around it. Through crowded streets, fashionable drawing rooms and the desperate lives of the urban poor, Dickens reveals a society whose institutions often perpetuate the very suffering they claim to remedy.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCombining Esther’s intimate first-person narrative with a panoramic, satirical voice, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBleak House\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e is among Dickens’s most ambitious achievements. Its indictment of legal corruption, class inequality and misplaced philanthropy is balanced by a profound attention to human vulnerability, while its atmosphere of secrecy and investigation helped shape the development of detective fiction. Darkly comic, intricate and unsparing, the novel offers a vision of a whole society caught in its own machinery, and remains one of the great works of Victorian literature.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFrom the book\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“The one great principle of the English law is, to make business for itself.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e— Charles Dickens, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBleak House\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOn \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBleak House\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“Bleak House is not certainly Dickens’s best book; but perhaps it is his best novel.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e— G. K. Chesterton, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAppreciations and Criticisms of the Works of Charles Dickens\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardner's EU","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":64150868427082,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":false}]}],"url":"https:\/\/thelamppostparis.com\/fr\/collections\/charles-dickens.oembed","provider":"The Lamp-Post Library \u0026 Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}