A Holiday Romance is a collection of four short interconnected stories written from the point of view of four children. The children are on holiday and are living out their fantasies, which come from all manner of adventure and romance stories and involve everything from weddings to courts martial, to pass the time. With this work, Dickens seeks not only to entertain but to advocate for freedom of imagination and fancy.
中国小说史上一部别具一格的白话短篇小说集，题“圣水艾衲居士编”，作者的真实姓名不详。据其生活时代、籍贯、喜用化名的习惯等推断疑为范希哲，但没有实据，难下定论。《豆棚闲话》表露了清初文人的普遍心态--他们身历了明清易代的社会变革，在新朝都不由自主地陷入了理想与现实的双重困境，不得已借助各种方式寻找精神出路。《豆棚闲话》以小说特有的方式清晰地展现了作者上下求索的全过程。书中《首阳山叔齐变节》堪称“推翻历史”的构思与嬉笑怒骂的文章风格水乳交融、完整结合的典范。全部小说充满了一种调侃幽默、放诞谑浪甚至玩世不恭的情调与风格，采用的叙事语言是一种比较典雅的文人口语，有才华，有根底，如泉奔涌、汩汩不绝，却又触物有致、摇曳生姿。