Sketches of Young Couples is Dickens at his best. Charles Dickens is considered one of the greatest English authors of all time. Dickens often used the pen name Boz. Much of his work first appeared in periodicals and magazines in serialized form. Unlike many writers of his time Dickens wrote the entire novel before serializing it. He made frequent use of the cliffhanger to keep the public interested. Dickens begins with a letter to the Queen concerning the practice of Bissextile, or Leap Year where a woman is allowed to propose marriage to a man and he must accept. Dickens says that Queen Victoria's announcement that she will marry Albert has given young ladies ideas. He claims that there is a plot in England and Ireland thus men are no longer safe. The humor in this piece is wonderful.