Charles John Huffam Dickens (1812-1870) was the most popular English novelist of the Victorian era, creating some of English literature"s most iconic characters. Martin Chuzzlewit is last of his picaresque novels and his favorite, although among his least popular. Its theme is selfishness, portrayed in a satirical fashion and includes two of Dickens" great villains, Seth Pecksniff and Jonas Chuzzlewit.