“The world seems to split itself into two around Charles Dickens. There are those who have, and those who haven’t,” Guardian (UK) writer Charlotte Higgins opines in a recent blog post.

Higgins, a recent convert to the joys of reading the celebrated Victorian novelist’s works, writes that Dickens’ novels — she just finished reading David Copperfield — are “all-encompassing books vibrating with almost corporeal vividness. Like the operas of Wagner, these greedy works of art swallow you up, and make you forget that there’s anything else but them.”

Touche.

Click here to the read the rest of her post.

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Dickens is getting the royal treatment through May on PBS, which is airing new adaptations of four of his works. The productions, airing on PBS’ “Masterpiece Classic” series, kicked off last month with “Oliver Twist,” starring the reliable Timothy Spall as Fagin.

On the way:

“David Copperfield” (the sole old production, with Daniel Radcliffe, Bob Hoskins, Maggie Smith, and Ian McKellen), in March.

“Little Dorrit” (photo, right), in five episodes, March 29 to April 26

“The Old Curiosity Shop” (photo, below), May 3

For more details, check out Bill Keveney’s piece in USA Today.