【Diseasepovertyhatelove—CharlesDickens’storiesopenedhisreaderseyestothemostimportantthemesofhisage.TwohundredyearsonhisstoriesstillspeakvolumesacrosstheworldprovingthatDickens’legacy(遗产)wasf】

Diseasepovertyhatelove—CharlesDickens’storiesopenedhisreaderseyestothemostimportantthemesofhisage.TwohundredyearsonhisstoriesstillspeakvolumesacrosstheworldprovingthatDickens’legacy(遗产)wasfargreaterthanjust“greatliterature”

　February7marksthe200thanniversaryofthewriter’sbirthday.TomarkthisdateBBCwriterAlexHudsonlistedsixthingsDickensgavethemodernworld.Let’stakealookattwoofthem.

AwhiteChristmas

Dickensisdescribedas“themanwhoinventedChristmas”—notthereligiousfestivalbuttheculturalaspectsthatweassociatewiththefestiveseasontoday.Intheearly19thcenturyChristmaswasbarelyworthmentioningaccordingtocriticandwriterLeighHunt.ThecommitteewhichrantheConservativePartyevenheldordinarybusinessmeetingsonChristmasDay–unthinkableintheWestnowadayswheneveryonebutthemostnecessaryworkerstakesatleastthreedaysoff.

ManypeoplebelievethatDickens’populardescriptionsofthefestiveperiodbecameablueprintforgenerationstocome.InhisclassicnovelAChristmasCarolhenotonlyputforwardtheideaofsnowatChristmasbutalsopaintedapictureofglowingwarmth–“homeenjoymentsaffectionsandhopes”.

InhisbiographyofDickensPeterAckroydwrote:“Dickenscanbesaidtohavealmostsingle-handedlycreatedthemodernideaofChristmas.”

“Dickensian”poverty

DickenswasoneofthefirsttotakeanhonestlookattheunderclassandthepoorofVictorian(theperiodduringBritishQueenVictoria’sreignfrom1837to1901)London.

Hehelpedpopularizetheterm“redtape”todescribesituationswherepeopleinpoweruseneedlessamountsofbureaucracy（官僚作风）inawaythatparticularlyhurtstheweakerandpoorermembersofsociety.

“Dickensian”hasnowbecomeapowerfulwordfordescribinganunacceptablelevelofpoverty.In2009whenthepresidentoftheAssociationofTeachersandLecturersintheUKwantedtotalkaboutdeprivationinsomeareasofBritainshedidnotusewordslike“terrible”or“horrific”butratherdescribeditas“lifemirroringthetimesofDickens”.

60.Whatisthemainideaofthearticle?

A.AnintroductiontoCharlesDickens’classicnovels.

B.Char