Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens is well known for his great contribution to English literature. He was best-known for his epic stories, vivid characters and pure depiction of contemporary life. However, his true service to mankind was his focus on the underlying social issues of the world. He attacked these issues through his literature and his works became a voice for the inferior. He highlighted the major problems facing society such as child labor, social inequality, and exploitation of the lower classes. He attacked English government and institutions, and criticized laws, parliament, and the educational system. His target was not necessarily society, but human nature. This revolutionary style was attractive to young people who found fault with society. Part of the Cultural Revolution was restricting literature that would give society knowledge or inspiration to rebel. Dai Sijie chose Dickens’ work to use in his novel because his literature embodied the very revolutionary ideas that the government was trying so hard to repress. During this period in history, such radical ideas were found in forbidden books.
