Abstract
With nearly a full century having elapsed since the death of Charles Dickens, there is no doubt that he ranks today as one of the great novelists of the Victorian Age. However, his talents as an accomplished propagandist have received far less acclaim, and it will be the purpose of this thesis to present evidence that will lead to the conclusion that Dickens was an important propagandist whose message led to improvement in social conditions. | In order to proceed with this purpose in an orderly manner, it is proper to define the terms of the thesis title. The word "primitive" will be used in the sense of "undeveloped, unsophisticated," applicable to an "early propagandist, working with fewer tools than are available in the twentieth century." Because the meaning of the word propaganda is often misunderstood and slanted semantically, a brief history of the word and a number of divergent definitions will be presented to explain what "propaganda11 is and what it is not.