Charles Dickens / G. K. Chesterton
Considered to be the last picaresque novel he wrote, Charles Dickens’s “The Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit” was originally published as a serial between 1842 and 1844. One of his lesser-known literary works, it follows the story of two brothers, Martin and Jonas Chuzzlewit, who are driven to a life of crime and degeneracy thanks to a seemingly inherited selfishness and stubbornness. “The Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit” is a classic of English literature that features some of the most memorable Dickensian villains. Charles John Huffam Dickens (1812–1870) was an English writer and social critic famous for having created some of the world’s most well-known fictional characters. His works became unprecedentedly popular during his life, and today he is commonly regarded as the greatest Victorian-era novelist. Although perhaps better known for such works as “Great Expectations” or “A Christmas Carol”, Dickens first gained success with the 1836 serial publication of “The Pickwick Papers”, which turned him almost overnight into an international literary celebrity thanks to his humour, satire, and astute observations concerning society and character. This classic work is being republished now in a new edition complete with an introductory chapter from “Appreciations and Criticisms of the Works of Charles Dickens” by G. K. Chesterton.
