I really loved this article, particularly because it made me think of our friend @amog32! How about Dickens now, eh?
Really, this editorial isn't worried about Dickens and whether he was a great writer or not; there's really no argument that his place in literature is cemented. Instead, it's worried about people using Dickens to be literature snobs--really!
I've seen a number of comments like this: "Our kids don't even read Dickens!" or "are you on twitter, or are you reading Dickens! You're so shallow."
Why must we degrade those who haven't read Dickens, or happen to spend time online? Nelson, the author of the editorial, makes a fantastic point: Dickens himself was a celebrity of sorts, and often people digested his writing through magazines or play performance. Dickens was a commercial salesman who made his works great pieces of literature, but also knew hot to drive his entertainment and marketing value. So let's not use him to complain about the death of literature--he helped!