Charles Dickens1812-1870

Loyola Academy English Department

English LiteratureMr. Simon

Family Life Father – John Dickens

Mother – Elizabeth Barrow

Father was a Navel clerk

Financially comfortable and then destitute

Parents were sent to a Debtors Prison

Dickens’ early years Family imprisoned for debt Young Charles forced to

work in shoe factory: Warrens Blacking Factory Mostly self-educated –

erratic schooling In 1827, he took a job as a

legal clerk He then worked as a

reporter in courts and in Parliament

Married Life and Family Katherine Hogarth: not a

happy woman

9 children

Mistress: Ellen Turner- London Actress

Spent much of his time in London

Not a good family man

Settled down to comfortable, married, middle class life

Early Writing Career

He wrote short humorous sketches with pictures by Boz which became known as Pickwick Papers

Became famous in a short period of time and wildly popular among devoted readers awaiting his next installment

Gave numerous public readings for $$$, worldwide

Success as a Novelist Nickolas Nickleby1839 Oliver Twist 1839 The Old Curiosity Shop

1841 Barnaby Rudge 1841 Martin Chuzzlewitt 1843 Dombey and Son 1849 David Copperfield 1850 Bleak House 1853 Hard Times 1854 Little Dorritt 1857 A Tale of Two Cities 1859 Great Expectations 1861

Major Themes in Dickens’ fiction

Loneliness of childhood Oppression of poverty Uncertainty of love and marriage Indifference of social institutions Sustaining joy of family life Perseverance and sacrifice in face of

untold hardships and injustice Many autobiographical links between life

and writings of Dickens

Themes

Docks Aristocracy- wealth, rich, land and

power Child labor- Oliver Twist Family life Lost love and unattainable women Dickens’ main characters greatly

resemble himself and his life

Most famous successful work

A Christmas Carol 1843

Enduring holiday favorite

Amusing elements of supernatural, melodrama, humor, and pathos

Extremely optimistic tale of redemption for Ebeneezer Scrooge, archetypal miser

Remains a sentimental classic

Twilight of Dickens’Career Our Mutual Friend

1865 The Mystery of Edwin

Drood unfinished when

Dickens died suddenly from a stroke in June, 1870

His death was mourned by thousands when he was buried at Westminster Abbey five days after his death

The Victorian Period Queen Victoria 1819-

1901

At the age of 18 Victoria inherited the throne, she reigned for 64 years

“The sun never sets on the Queen’s empire”

the power and influence of Britain around the world

She died a lonely ruler

The Industrial Revolution

Villagers moved to the cities = factories = jobs= smoke= pollution

= backbreaking labor= death vs. luxury side by side with poverty

“It was the best of time; it was the worst of times. Dickens – A Tale of Two Cities

London and the Times

Dickens and ChristmasThe first Christmas Card, Tree and Holiday Traditions

Dickens legacy and links He remains the foremost 19th century

British writer of fiction Amazing and detailed depiction of lifestyle

and issues of a transforming industrial and urban landscape

Vivid and dramatic dialogue Profession as court reporter enhanced

awareness of social inequities http://www.underthesun.cc/Classics/Dickens/ humwww.ucsc.edu/dickens/ http://www.literature.org/authors/dickens-charles