Charles Dickens and social criticism. On the other hand, Oscar Wilde, Henry James, and Virginia Woolf complained of a lack of psychological depth, loose writing, and a vein of saccharine sentimentalism. The term "Dickensian" is used to describe something that is reminiscent of Dickens and his writings, such as poor social conditions or comically repulsive characters. Charles John Huffam Dickens was born on 7 February 1812, at 1 Mile End Terrace (now 393 Commercial Road), Landport in Portsea Island (Portsmouth), the second of eight children of Elizabeth Dickens (née Barrow; 1789–1863) and John Dickens (1785–1851). His father was a clerk in the
Portsmouth theatrical troupe. In Patrick O'Brian's nautical historical Aubrey-Maturin series, Portsmouth is most often the port from which Captain Jack Aubrey's ships sail. Victorian novelist and historian Sir Walter Besant documented his childhood in the town in the 1840s in "By Celia's Arbour: A Tale of Portsmouth Town". The book is notable for its precise descriptions of the town before the defensive walls were removed. Southsea features in "The History of Mr Polly" by H. G. Wells under the fictional name of "Port Burdock", which he describes as "one of the three townships that are grouped around the Port Burdock naval