'Dickensian' has become our word for the grim reality behind the facade of Victorian contentment. But this reality is achieved by brilliant distortions and exaggerations. Dickens is a master of the grotesque. His descriptions of London slums or Northern industrial towns are both utterly believable and utterly fantastical. And a novelist who has schoolmasters called McChoakumschild or Wackford Squeers obviously enjoys satirical portraits.
Watch the films above to see John Mullan discussing Dickens's use of caricature; and Simon Callow reading a description of Miss Havisham from Great Expectations. Filmed at the Dickens Museum, London.
Then explore the historical and literary sources below to find out more.
Historical & Literary Sources
Pupils at Dotheboys Hall, Nicholas Nickleby
Illustration of pupils at Dotheboys Hall from Nicholas Nickleby.
