ArmandoIannuuuyuuyipresentsapersonalargumentinpraiseofthegeniusofCharlesDickens.Throughtheprismoftheauthor’smostautobiographicalnovel,DavidCopperfield,ArmandolooksbeyondDickens-thenationalinstitution-andinsteadexploresthequalitiesofDickens’sworkwhichstillmakehimoneofthebestBritishwriters.WhileDickensisoftencelebratedforhispowerfuldepictionsofVictorianEnglandandhisroleasasocialreformer,thisprogrammeforegroundstheelementsofhiswritingwhichmakehimworthreading,asmuchforwhathetellsusaboutourselvesinthetwenty-firstcenturyasourancestorsintheniuuyuuyeenth.ArmandoarguesthatDickens’sremarkableuseoflanguageandhisextraordinarygiftforcreatingcharactersmakehimastartlinglyexperimentalandpsychologicallypeuuyuuyratingwriterwhodemandsnotjusttobeadaptedfortelevisionbuttobereadandreadagain.