Charles Dickens
Over the course of his career, Charles Dickens wrote a series of Christmas-themed short stories that were serialized in popular magazines of the era. The Holly Tree Inn, like many of these tales, reflects on the deeper meaning of the holiday, using the loneliness of the solitary traveler as a lens through which to examine society.
The last major story that Dickens completed before his death, "George Silverman's Explanation" is something of a departure for the famed master of Victorian fiction. One of the rare tales Dickens wrote in the first person, the story is a narrative account of one man's horrific start in life, the ripples of which seem to fan out and negatively impact everything else that happens to him.
Although he is now revered as the author of such long-form masterworks as Great Expectations, Charles Dickens' short stories ranked among his most popular creative endeavors during his lifetime. Like many of his Christmas-themed stories, The Seven Poor Travellers was originally serialized in a magazine. This heartwarming tale is a must-read during the holiday season, or anytime your spirit could use a boost.
Though he is best remembered today as one of the most renowned novelists of the Victorian era, British author Charles Dickens was deeply engaged with the political and social debates of his time and often wrote essays and opinion pieces staking out his position in topical debates. In the essay "Sunday Under Three Heads," which Dickens originally published under a pseudonym, the writer argues in favor of the working classes having Sundays free to
...67) Mugby Junction
Though he ranked as the most popular Victorian-era novelist by far, Charles Dickens craved creative innovation and often collaborated with other writers of the era. This clever collection of collaborative stories written by Dickens and a who's-who of Victorian literary luminaries is a series of linked tales that all relate to railway travel in some way.
73) A House to Let
This collaborative short story brings together the creative talents of four of the Victorian era's most popular fiction writers—Wilkie Collins, Charles Dickens, Elizabeth Gaskell, and Adelaide Anne Procter each contributed a section to the work. When an elderly woman notices signs of activity at a supposedly abandoned home in her neighborhood, she devises a scheme to get to the bottom of the mysterious goings-on.