1812-1870

The Man,The Author,The Legacy.

The Man• Born: February 7th 1812• Died: June 9th 1870• Charles Dickens is one of the most

popular English novelists of the Victorian era.

• He was a vigorous social campaigner for the working class and poor of England.

Family Problems

• He was forced to work rather than go to school to help support his family.

• Many years later, Dickens resumed his schooling and started to write.

• Many of his novels, like Oliver Twist, address the issue of the poor working conditions of the lower class of England, specifically involving children.

• His father went to Debtors Prison when Dickens was 12.

A Married Man• Charles Dickens married Catherine

Thomson Hogarth on April 2nd 1836.

• They had 10 children.• They separated in 1858 after Dickens met

famed actress Ellen Ternan.• There is no proof that Dickens and Ternan

ever had an affair or were together after his divorce. Though there were many rumors.

• He continued to financially support his wife for the rest of his life.

A Man of the People

• Dickens was read and enjoyed by members of all classes.

• Knowing that many members of the lower class could not read, Dickens often held public readings of his work.

• Rather than publish whole novels, he wrote his novels in installments and published them in popular magazines, always leaving the reader wanting more. This was called serial writing.

The Death of Dickens• After suffering a series of strokes brought

on by over-working, Charles Dickens died on June 9, 1870.

• Contrary to his wishes, he was laid to rest in the Poets' Corner of Westminster Abbey in England.

• The inscription on his tomb reads: "He was a sympathizer to the poor, the suffering, and the oppressed; and by his death, one of England's greatest writers is lost to the world."

He Did Not Want to be Cast in Stone

• Dickens' will stipulated that no memorial be erected to honor him.

•The money spent on building statues was better spent on the poor and helpless.• Therefore the only statue of Charles Dickens is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the United States.•The statue was erected in 1891 without the permission of the Dickens Estate.

Oliver Twist“Come, let us drink tea and eat Swiss

Chocolate to show those poor people how rich I am.”

~ Charles Dickens on Oliver Twist •Oliver Twist is Charles Dickens second novel

and addresses various contemporary social evils, including the Poor Law that states that poor people should work in workhouses.•It also addresses the issues of child labor and the recruitment of children as criminals.

Poor working conditions at Apple/FoxConn drive workers to jump from the windows of the factory and dormitories. When Apple is challenged to do something about it- they

build safety nets around each building instead of improving

working conditions.

Modern Day

Sweat Shops

The Poor Laws

The Poor Law was the system for the provision of social security in England and Wales from the 16th century until the establishment

of the Welfare State in the 20th

century- a period of 400 years.

The Classification of the Poor• The impotent poor could not look after

themselves or go to work. They included the ill, the infirm, the elderly, and children with noone to properly care for them. It was generally held that they should be looked after. This is what happens to Oliver Twist when he is sent to a “Baby Farm.”

• The able-bodied poor referred to those who were unable to find work - either due to unemployment in the area or a lack of skills. These were the men, woman and children, like Oliver Twist, who were often sent to work in factories and workhouses.

• The 'vagrants' or 'beggars' or the idle poor, sometimes termed 'sturdy rogues', were those who could work but had refused to. Such people were considered potential criminals who needed punishment and were often whipped in the market place as an example to others, or sometimes sent to houses of correction or prison.

A Tale of Two Cities

• A historical novel that takes place during the French Revolution.

• It’s first line: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…” is one of the most quoted lines from any novel in history.

London and Paris• During the French Revolution the poor and

working class of France rose up against the oppression of the nobility.

• The revolution, which is started for the right reasons, soon gets out of hand and many innocent people are killed as a result.

• Dickens wants his readers to be careful that the same sort of revolution that so damaged France won't happen in Britain, which is shown to be nearly as unjust to its poor and working class as France.

The novel deals with the issue of duality, or contrasting themes

that mirror each other.•Light vs. Darkness•London vs. Paris•Charles Darnay vs. Sidney Carlton •Lucie Manett vs. Madame Defarge•Good vs. Evil•Best of Times vs. Worst of Times

• Charles Dickens’ most popular work by far is A Christmas Carol.

• Written in 6 weeks, ironically, to pay off a debt.

• The novel deals extensively with two of Dickens' recurrent themes, social injustice and poverty.

• The first time Charles Dickens held a public reading was his reading of A Christmas Carol.

• He shortened the story to make it a more enjoyable listening experience for those with a limited vocabulary.

•It became a tradition for Dickens to read A Christmas Carol publicly every Christmas. Something his fans looked forward to.

A Victorian Morality Tale

• Dickens wanted to call attention to the plight of those whom the Industrial Revolution had displaced and driven into poverty and the obligation of society to provide for them humanely.

• Failure to do so, Dickens believed will result in an unnamed "Doom" for those who, like Scrooge, believe their wealth and status qualifies them to sit in judgment on the poor rather than to assist them.

What does the Title Mean?

• The word "carol" means a joyful hymn specific to Christmas. Musical notation is written on five staves.

• Dickens makes a musical analogy by dividing the novella into five "staves" instead of chapters.

• However, "stave" or "staff" can also mean "letter." A Christmas Carol, therefore, can be said to consist not only of five musical staves, but also of five letters, namely C-A-R-O-L