Where to start with: Charles Dickens

The great Victorian chronicler of inequality and poverty was also a tremendous – and prolific – storyteller. Here are some of the best ways in to his colossal legacyArguably the greatest writer of his time, Charles Dickens shaped the way we see Victorian Britain. His distinctive, quirky characters – many of them versions of people he encountered – have not only endured, but given us brilliantly expressive ways to refer to people in the modern day, whether they’re an