Focusing on three literary masterpiecesCharles Dickens'sThe great strength of these essays is that they are truly a pleasure to read: lucid, accessible, sharp, entertaining and witty, written in crisp, inviting prose.Peter Gay, the prominent cultural historian, here does a skillful turn as a literary critic....ReadingA provocative triptych of essays....Written in elegant prose, and wearing its extensive scholarship lightly...continually stimulating.A revelatory work that examines the intricate relationship between history and literature, truth and fictionwith some surprising conclusions.