“Dickens' hypocrites are the prime beneficiaries of his inventive genius. The heroes and heroines have no imagination. We could scrap all the solemn parts… — John Carey Copy Share
“...literature gives you ideas to think with. It stocks your mind. It does not indoctrinate, because diversity, counter-argument, reappraisal and qualification are its essence.… — John Carey Copy Share
“My interview was mostly conducted by Hugo Dyson, an Oxford ‘character’, known for his wit. I always found him alarming. He was like a… — John Carey Copy Share
“Dickens' plots are his most discardable properties, and often have to be pushed aside to let the strange poetry of his imagination emerge.” — John Carey Copy Share
“One of history’s most useful tasks is to bring home to us how keenly, honestly and painfully, past generations pursued aims that now seem… — John Carey Copy Share
