Charles John Dickens: The Literary Canon

The term canon means traditional or standard. It is a collection of artworks that are considered authoritative. Canonical works should be accepted and recognized by critics, scholars and public opinion. Canon concept can be applied to many works in several fields. Each Canon has its features. Religious “canon was first used to describe a body of religious texts that were accepted as authentic within a tradition over an extended period of time of time” (Prescott, 2010, p. 6). Musical canon refers to the group of musical works including operas, symphonies; they are called masterpieces and approved by performers and audience. Literary canon, which I will be discussing it with more details in my essay, refers to the list of literary works

This novel is authoritative because it has a universal theme which is love. Also, the smart method that the writer uses. Dickens a writer and social critic who was famous for his humour and accurate social observations. He is recognized as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era. His famous and genius literary works are still adapted into movies and TV series until this day, such as A Tale of Two Cities, Oliver Twist, A Christmas Carol and Great Expectations. He uses his reader’s feedback to steer the wheel on his stories. That means his work not only includes a universal theme, but also it contains a social context which people find it interesting. The novel starts on a Christmas Eve, an orphan boy encountered a convict who scared him into bringing him food and a metal. The matter went away to be forgotten since the convict never mentioned they boy’s help. The boy went to meet the wealthy yet odd owner, and her adopted daughter. he fell madly in love with the daughter instantly although she kept looking down at him since he was poor. After a while, a lawyer approaches the boy to tell him that he has expectations from a secret benefactor to travel to London and learn the art of being a gentleman. Excited boy went to London expecting that the beneficiary was no one else but odd owner to make him a better match for her daughter, although she warned him that the girl could never love anyone. The boy then discovered that the secret benefactor was the convict he once saved, who was moved by little boy kindness and set turning the boy into a gentleman as his life purpose. The boy realized that he was never meant for girl and that no one cared to make him better suited for her. The girl, who was taught to break men’s hearts, chose to marry another man. He starts