Charles Dickens(1812-1870)

• He was born in Portsmouth, but soon moved to London.

• His father was sent to prison and he was forced to leave school and

start working.

• He became a journalist.

• Sketches by Boz.

• The Pickwick Papers, his first novel.

• He travelled in the United States, Italy and France.

Life and Early works

Characters: the Good and the Bad

• He was deeply conscious of social injustice.

• He had a critical attitude towards Victorian England.

• Oliver Twist (1837-38) the sufferings of an orphan brought up in a

London workhouse.

• Hard Times (1854) the factory system and the harm done by the

utilitarian philosophy.

• Bleak House (1852-53) an attack on the Court of Chancery

• David Copperfield (1849-50) the loves, pains and wonders of

childhood.

• Great Expectations (1860-61) the theme of growing up.

Themes of Dickens’ Novels

There is a variety of settings:

•the countryside and Merry England;

•provincial towns;

•industrial settlements;

•London: his most typical scenery.

The Setting of His Novels

• Dickens’ plots involve many characters and parallel stories, intrigue

and mystery.

• He is a master of the English language.

• He combines the pathetic with the comic.

• He is very good at creating dialogues.

Humour is the main strength of his style.

Melodramatic or openly didactic passages are his weak point.

Plots and Style

• He is the most popular English novelist.

• He profoundly influenced many of his contemporaries.

• Earlier critics said he was a great comic writer and entertainer.

• Contemporary critics say he combines social realism with metaphor

and symbolism.

He could explore the depths of the human psyche and represent social

conflict and evil.

Dickens’ Reputation

• It was published in instalments (1837-38).

• It combines the sentimental with social satire and realism, the

pathetic with the comic.

Dickens tackles important social issues:

the Poor Law

which sent poor people to the workhouses.

Oliver Twist

• Oliver is a foundling, leading a miserable life in a workhouse.

• He runs away and meets a young pickpocket. They go to London

where Oliver is introduced to other friends, who turn out to be a gang

of young criminals.

• He is temporarily rescued by Mr Brownlow,

but he is kidnapped by the gang.

• After many incidents, he is discovered to be a

relative of Mr Brownlow’s. Oliver has finally

found a family.

The Story

• It is set in Coketown, an industrial city in northern England.

• The novel is built around two important issues:

a. the factory system;

b. the utilitarian philosophy applied to school programmes.

Hard Times