Questions and Answers About Charles Dickens' Novels

An Oprah's Book Club Dickens Discussion Webcast

Oprah.com | February 18, 2011

Oprah and author Jane Smiley discussing A Tale of Two Cities and Great Expectations

It's the best of times! Oprah sat down with Pulitzer Prize-winning American novelist and Charles Dickens expert Jane Smiley to discuss her Oprah's Book Club picks, A Tale of Two Cities and Great Expectations.

Watch the complete Oprah's Book Club webcast now!

Don't have time to watch the full webcast? Watch a quick Q&A clip with from Oprah's conversation

Jane Smiley on reading (and rereading) Dickens
Was Dickens the first modern day celebrity?
An introduction to A Tale of Two Cities
The extremes of Dickens' female characters in A Tale of Two Cities
The religious beliefs of Charles Dickens
How Dickens used his writings as a vehicle for social change
The lessons that can be learned from reading Dickens
The important role that dialect plays in his writings
Are there any modern day heros like Sydney Carton in A Tale of Two Cities?
Why Madame Defarge in A Tale of Two Cities is portrayed so unsympathetically
Why Great Expectations is an ultimate example of Dickens' writings
How Dickens' own life was an inspiration for his work
The secrets of Dickens that drove the plot of Great Expectations
Authors and their connections to their characters
Which modern day authors readers might be studying 200 years from now
Why two endings were written for Great Expectations
Jane Smiley on her own writing process

Oprah announcing her 65th book club picks A Tale of Two Cities and Great Expectations

Why Oprah chose A Tale of Two Cities and Great Expectations by Charles Dickens for Oprah's Book Club

More on A Tale of Two Cities and Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
Read the excerpts, print the character guides and discuss your questions with other Dickens readers

Printed from Oprah.com on Saturday, May 25, 2013