ArmandoIannucci resentsa ersonalargumentin raiseofthegeniusofCharlesDickens.Throughthe rismoftheauthor’smostautobiogra hicalnovel,DavidCo erfield,ArmandolooksbeyondDickens-thenationalinstitution-andinsteadex loresthequalitiesofDickens’sworkwhichstillmakehimoneofthebestBritishwriters.WhileDickensisoftencelebratedforhis owerfulde ictionsofVictorianEnglandandhisroleasasocialreformer,this rogrammeforegroundstheelementsofhiswritingwhichmakehimworthreading,asmuchforwhathetellsusaboutourselvesinthetwenty-firstcenturyasourancestorsinthenineteenth.ArmandoarguesthatDickens’sremarkableuseoflanguageandhisextraordinarygiftforcreatingcharactersmakehimastartlinglyex erimentaland sychologically enetratingwriterwhodemandsnotjusttobeada tedfortelevisionbuttobereadandreadagain