While George Eliot focused on life in the country, Charles Dickens focused on life in the city. He's famous for providing a view of English society across a spectrum of classes, from the very poor to the very rich, especially in London.

Dickens's novels are especially well known for their critique of Victorian society. Dickens was particularly interested in portraying the terrible way Victorian society treated the poor, the orphaned, and the downtrodden.

Great Expectations

In this novel, Pip, the protagonist and narrator of Dickens's most famous work, tells of his struggles as an orphaned child growing into adulthood. Along the way, he comes across a number of different characters who help—or hinder—his progress. These include Magwitch, a scary convict who actually turns out to be Pip's benefactor, and Miss Havisham, a rich old lady who goes around wearing an old wedding dress all the time.

In Great Expectations, you'll find a detailed depiction of Victorian English society, as well as Dickens's characteristic critique of social and economic inequalities.

The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby

This novel tells the story of Nicholas Nickleby, a poor guy has to look after his mom and his sister after his father dies. He also has a nasty uncle who just doesn't want to let him get on with it.

This novel, one of Dickens's earliest, showcases many of the author's characteristic themes and concerns: urban life in London, social critique of Victorian society, wealth and class issues.

Chew on This

Class mobility is a big theme in Dickens's Great Expectations. Have a look at these quotations on class and wealth.

Dickens was big on social critique. In Bleak House, he critiques the miserable conditions that poor people lived in in Victorian England.