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Charles Dickens was a British author who is well known for writing classics such as A Christmas Carol (1843), Bleak House (1852), A Tale of Two Cities (1859), and Great Expectations (1860). Dickens is most famous as the author of 15 novels and many short stories, critical articles, and novellas.
Fig. 1 - An artist's impression of Charles Dickens.
Born 7 February 1812 in Portsmouth as Charles John Huffam Dickens, Dickens was the second of eight children. His father, John Dickens, was a naval clerk and was temporarily stationed in Portsmouth when Dickens was born, and his mother was Elizabeth Dickens. Charles Dickens spent his formative years in Chatham, Kent, and he was an avid reader in his youth. He later used his childhood experiences in his writing.
At the age of 11, Dickens stayed in Kent to finish his schooling while the rest of his family moved to Camden Town, London, due to mounting debt caused by his father living beyond his means. John Dickens was sent to Marshalsea debtor’s prison in Southwark, London in 1824, and his wife and children (except Charles Dickens) went with him, as was customary.
This prison was later a setting Dickens used in Little Dorrit (1857). He later boarded with a family friend in Camden Town at the age of 12 whilst the rest of the family was in debtor’s prison. He also had to pause his schooling at this time to work in a shoe polish warehouse, Warren’s Blacking Warehouse, to help his family.
John Dickens and his family were released from debtor’s prison after he arranged payment with funds from his late mother’s inheritance. This was a happy period in Dickens’ childhood, and his later novel David Copperfield (1849) features autobiographical elements taken from it. The working and living conditions of the working-class is a theme that features heavily in Dickens’ novels.
At the age of 15, Charles Dickens went to work as a law clerk with the intent to become a lawyer, but he subsequently discovered his love of writing. In 1832 Dickens began a career as a political journalist, with articles on elections around Britain and parliamentary occurrences.
In 1833, his first story 'A Dinner at Poplar Walk’ was featured in a London Monthly Magazine. Dickens’ first published book was The Pickwick Papers (1836), released in monthly instalments. The novel explored the adventures of London gentlemen. His next publication was Oliver Twist (1838) which became known as a classic and put him in the spotlight.
Just prior to his publication of Oliver Twist (1838), Dickens married Catherine Thomas Hogarth, the daughter of Evening Chronicle editor George Hogarth.
Dickens died from a suspected stroke on 9 June 1870.
Dickens worked ten-hour days at a shoe polishing warehouse, Warren’s Blacking Warehouse, to help his family, who were in the debtor’s prison.
At 15, Dickens worked as a junior clerk at the law office Ellis and Blackmore to eventually become a lawyer.
Dickens worked as a reporter in the 1830s, writing articles about Parliament and British elections.
His last novel, The Mystery of Edwin Drood (1870), remains unfinished, as he died of a stroke in 1870 before a completed version could be published.
Dickens wrote and published under the pseudonym ‘Boz’ between 1833 and 1834.
Dickens’ earliest inspiration was Little Red Riding Hood.
His best-selling novel is A Christmas Carol (1843).
This section outlines Dickens’ best-selling and most popular novels. We'll get some background on the texts and have a closer look at Dickens' themes.
A Christmas Carol is the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, an old miser, during the Christmas season. He is visited by the ghost of his previous business partner, Jacob Marley, as well as the ghosts of Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and Christmas Yet to Come. The novel follows Scrooge and the ghosts as they explore his behaviours in life. They show him what his future could hold if he does not change his ways and become kinder and gentler to others.
Victorian England's Poor Laws: The Poor Law of 1834 was made to keep poor citizens in workhouses where they would have to work many hours in exchange for clothes, food, and a place to live. When children were in workhouses, they were sometimes educated.
Fig. 2 - Children caroling in festive clothing.
This novel centres around the titular orphan Oliver Twist, who is born in a workhouse and later sold into apprenticeship with an undertaker. Oliver escapes this apprenticeship, meeting the Artful Dodger and a gang of young pickpockets led by the seasoned criminal, Fagin. This novel explores the true lives of criminals and the treatment of orphans in London in the mid-19th Century.
This novel explores the life of the protagonist, David Copperfield, from childhood to maturity, starting in Suffolk, England. It is often described as an autobiographical novel, as it has elements taken from Dickens’ own life. The genre of ‘personal histories’ in 18th- and 19th-century literature was very popular, and David Copperfield roughly follows this structure.
Fig. 3 - The impacts of the Industrial Revolution are central in David Copperfield.
Bildungsroman: means a novel that explores a character's personal development or their formative years. Bildungsroman is a German word that literally translates to 'education novel' or 'novel of education'. These novels detail a character's educational and moral growth as they transition to adulthood.
A Tale of Two Cities takes place in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution. It features French Doctor Manette’s imprisonment in Bastille in Paris, and his later release to join his daughter in London, who he meets for the first time on this journey. The main themes of this novel are revolution and resurrection and explored the political and economic unrest which led to the American and French Revolutions.
Fig. 4 - A Tale of Two Cities is set before and during the French Revolution.
Great Expectations is Dickens’ penultimate completed novel. It centres on the protagonist, Pip, who is an orphan. It is a coming-of-age story and explores themes of wealth and poverty, love and rejection, and good and evil.
Famous characters in some of Dickens’ books include:
Scrooge is a famous character created by Dickens to be such a miserable, wicked man that to see his redemption arc come to completion is fulfilling for readers. As a tale set during Christmas, audiences have often considered film adaptations essential Christmas viewing. The story touches on Christian themes that are emphasised during Christmas - generosity, kindness, and forgiveness.
Ebenezer Scrooge, pixabay.com
Miss Havisham was jilted on her wedding day. As a result, she became bitter and loathed men. Miss Havisham adopts Estella and teaches her to be cold and ruthless towards men, just like she is. Her backstory is that her stepbrother, who loathed her, conspired with a conman to con Miss Havisham into giving away her fortune. Readers eventually sympathise with her story and the unfortunate events she has lived through.
Sydney Carton is a barrister and a drunkard. He is a famous character in the novel because of his redemption arc. He saves Charles St. Evremonde from execution by giving his own life in exchange for Charles' life. Carton commits this selfless sacrifice in the name of love, as St. Evremonde is Lucie Manette's husband. Manette was Sydney's unrequited love for whose happiness he sacrificed himself. These actions are endearing to readers , making him a notable character.
The Artful Dodger, known for his smarts and pickpocketing skills, is a well-known character in Oliver Twist. One of the most memorable and famous portrayals of the Artful Dodger was done by Jack Wild in the film Oliver! (1968). Wild received several nominations for his portrayal of the Artful Dodger, and many fans of the novel are appreciative of his portrayal of this unique character.
A Tale of Two Cities
‘It was the best of times, it was the worst of times [...]’
‘A day wasted on others is not wasted on one’s self.’
‘There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humour.’
Oliver Twist
‘Please sir, I want some more.’
Great Expectations
‘Suffering has been stronger than all other teaching, and has taught me to understand what your heart used to be. I have been bent and broken, but - I hope - into a better shape…’
Charles Dickens is a famous Victorian author who penned 15 novels and many short stories, critical articles, and novellas.
Dickens was born on 7 February 1812 to navy clerk John Dickins and Elizabeth Dickens.
Dickens worked ten-hour days at a shoe polishing warehouse, Warren’s Blacking Warehouse, to help his family, who were in the debtor’s prison.
A Christmas Carol (1843) is Dickens’ best-selling novel.
Dickens died from a suspected stroke on 9 June 1870.
Key themes in A Christmas Carol (1843) are past, present, and future; greed, generosity, and forgiveness; and social dissatisfaction and the Poor Laws.
Key themes in Oliver Twist (1838) are poverty, institutions, and class; fate, social forces, and free will; and crime.
Key themes in David Copperfield (1849) are social mobility and morality; personal development; and memory and nostalgia.
Key themes in A Tale of Two Cities (1859) are revolution, sacrifice, and imprisonment.
Key themes in Great Expectations (1860) are social class and personal development.
Charles Dickens was born 7th February 1912.
Charles Dickens died on 9 June 1870.
Charles Dickens is famous for being the author of 15 novels and many short stories, critical articles, and novellas.
Charles Dickens wrote 15 books, with one of them (The Mystery of Edwin Drood - published posthumously in 1870) being incomplete.
Arguably, the greatest novel Dickens ever wrote is Bleak House in terms of his use of characters, plot, the pacing of the story, its social commentary, and navigation of social justice and court case scenes.
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