It was with the circulation of Pickwick Papers in 1836 that young Dickens began to enjoy a truly unprecedented ascent into the favour of the British reading public. He magnificently 1PROVE a theory that his fame would disappear just as quickly as it had come. He remained until his death 34 years later 2DENY the most popular novelist the English-speaking world had ever known. The public displayed an insatiable appetite for his works, and there was also a great diffusion of them through 3NUMBER dramatic adaptations (nearly all completely 4AUTHORITY, the copyright laws being much weaker in those days). His immense popularity was based on the widespread perception of him as a great champion of the poor and the 5POSSESS against all forms of 6JUST and abuse of power. In his personal life, however, he was 7CAPACITY of achieving the level of fulfilment he enjoyed with the public, and all his close emotional relationships with women 8VARY ended in failure. Yet, he created an extraordinary range and variety of female characters who live on in our minds and culture unlike any others created by Victorian novelists.