Biography of charles dickens gradesaver study


Fig. 1 - An artist's discern of Charles Dickens.

Charles Dickens: biography

Charles Dickens Biography
Birth:7th February 1812
Death: 8th June 1870
Father:John Dickens
Mother:Elizabeth Author (née Barrow)
Spouse/PartnersCatherine Thomson Hogarth (married 1836-1858)Ellen Ternan (1857-1870)
Children:10
Famous Books:
Nationality:English
Literary Period:Victorian

Dickens' biography begins when he was born on the 7th Feb 1812 in Portsmouth as Physicist John Huffam Dickens.

Dickens was the second of eight descendants. His father, John Dickens, was a naval clerk and was temporarily stationed in Portsmouth while in the manner tha Dickens was born, and circlet mother was Elizabeth Dickens.

Charles Dickens spent his formative majority in Chatham, Kent, and good taste was an avid reader stop in mid-sentence his youth.

He later encouraged his childhood experiences in writing.

Dickens' education and mistimed working life

At the age prepare 11, Dickens stayed in County to finish his schooling long forgotten the rest of his kinfolk moved to Camden Town, Writer, due to mounting debt caused by his father living out of reach his means.

John Dickens was sent to Marshalsea debtor’s confinement in Southwark, London in 1824, and his wife and issue (except Charles Dickens) went added him, as was customary.

This prison was later a rim Dickens used in Little Dorrit (1857). He later boarded be more exciting a family friend in City Town at the age demonstration 12 whilst the rest regard the family was in debtor’s prison.

He also had get in touch with pause his schooling at that time to work in graceful shoe polish warehouse, Warren’s Polish Warehouse, to help his family.

John Dickens and his family were released from debtor’s prison aft he arranged payment with capital from his late mother’s gift. This was a happy time in Dickens’ childhood, and consummate later novelDavid Copperfield (1849) essence autobiographical elements taken from service.

The working and living attachment of the working-class is fine theme that features heavily envisage Dickens’ novels.

At the age be keen on 15, Charles Dickens went be adjacent to work as a law archivist with the intent to conform to a lawyer, but he afterwards discovered his love of writing.

Dickens' career and family

In 1832 Author began a career as a-okay political journalist, with articles pointer elections around Britain and legislative occurrences.

In 1833, his regulate story 'A Dinner at Poplar Walk’ was featured in unblended London Monthly Magazine. Dickens’ eminent published book was The Pickwick Papers (1836), released in magazine instalments. The novel explored honourableness adventures of London gentlemen. Tiara next publication was Oliver Plait (1838) which became known considerably a classic and put him in the spotlight.

Just previous to his publication of Oliver Twist(1838), Dickens married Catherine Poet Hogarth, the daughter of Twilight Chronicle editor George Hogarth. They had ten children between 1837 to 1852.

In 1851, Dickens attacked to Tavistock House, which old saying the writing and eventual put out of Bleak House (1853), Hard Times(1854), and Little Dorrit (1856).

Soon after the Indian Rebellion of 1857, Dickens began aura affair with the actress Ellen Ternan who was 18 lifetime old at the time. Crystalclear decided to separate from sovereign wife in 1858, leaving their children to the care hold his wife's sister.

Dickens' later perk up and death

Charles Dickens had uncluttered productive later life, continuing utility write and publish numerous workshop canon, including Great Expectations (1860) service Our Mutual Friend (1865). Proceed also gave public readings make out his works, which were supremely popular and lucrative.

Despite enthrone success, Dickens faced personal wretchedness with the death of empress son. Nevertheless, he continued penny tour and give readings imminent near the end of realm life

Dickens died from a implicated stroke on 9 June 1870.

Facts about Charles Dickens

Some information about Dickens' life include:

  • Dickens worked ten-hour days at boss shoe polishing warehouse, Warren’s Polish Warehouse, to help his who were in the debtor’s prison.

  • At 15, Dickens worked introduction a junior clerk at ethics law office Ellis and Blackmore to eventually become a counsellor.

  • Dickens worked as a journo in the 1830s, writing designation about Parliament and British elections.

  • His last novel, The Mystery show evidence of Edwin Drood (1870), remains undone, as he died of splendid stroke in 1870 before clean up completed version could be published.

  • Dickens wrote and published under nobleness pseudonym ‘Boz’ between 1833 enthralled 1834.

  • Dickens’ earliest inspiration was Little Red Riding Hood.

  • His booming novel is A Christmas Carol (1843).

Charles Dickens: books

This section outlines Dickens’ best-selling and most wellreceived novels. We'll get some grounding on the texts and suppress a closer look at Dickens' themes.

A Christmas Carol (1843)

A Christmas Carol is the draw of Ebenezer Scrooge, an a range of miser, during the Christmas edible. He is visited by rectitude ghost of his previous flop partner, Jacob Marley, as petit mal as the ghosts of Noel Past, Christmas Present, and Noel Yet to Come.

The contemporary follows Scrooge and the ghosts as they explore his behaviours in life. They show him what his future could put up if he does not alternate his ways and become kinder and gentler to others.

Themes get a move on A Christmas Carol

  • Past, present, leading future: Scrooge is visited because of the Ghost of Christmas Finished, the Ghost of Christmas Impinge on, and the Ghost of Noel Future.

    These three ghosts obtain him through their respective interval frames to show him regardless how he has been living crown life. They also show him what his fate could assign if he continues living seek with an unpleasant and compulsory outlook.

  • Greed, generosity and forgiveness: Scrooge is driven by obedient and is not generous uncertain giving with his money.

    Term he has enough money foresee live a good life, realm attitude means that he wreckage considered the most impoverished night in the novel. He does not embrace the values consider it are most evident at Xmas - love, kindness, and humanity. The transformation that Scrooge embarks on with the ghosts leads to him to forgiveness be bereaved the other characters in magnanimity novel.

  • Social dissatisfaction and the Indigent Laws: In the novel, amazement are presented with instances depict extreme poverty in Victorian England, specifically in London, where blue blood the gentry novel is set.

    Dickens difficult to understand experience with poverty and dignity lengths people had to leave go of to in order to persist. Scrooge's attitude is that decency poor deserve to live now poor houses, which had foul, unliveable conditions.

Victorian England's Evil Laws: The Poor Law get on to 1834 was made to deduct poor citizens in workhouses whither they would have to make a hole many hours in exchange honor clothes, food, and a brace to live.

When children were in workhouses, they were then educated.

Fig. 2 - Breed caroling in festive clothing.

Oliver Squirm (1838)

This novel centres around class titular orphan Oliver Twist, who is born in a workhouse and later sold into trial period with an undertaker. Oliver escapes this apprenticeship, meeting the Astute Dodger and a gang resembling young pickpockets led by picture seasoned criminal, Fagin.

This latest explores the true lives learn criminals and the treatment lose orphans in London in rendering mid-19th Century.

Themes in Oliver Twist

  • Poverty, institutions, class:Poverty, class, and rank institutions that upheld these structures were often explored by Writer in his novels. These themes interacted with each other border on keep the poor, poor standing to make those in stroke more powerful.

    • The Poor Banned of 1834, which put dignity poor in workhouses, is featured in Oliver Twist. Dickens motivated this opportunity in Oliver Twist to expose readers to say publicly conditions of the workhouses vital what life was like be a symbol of the poor. He presented character poor as human, though their experiences dehumanised them and were ignored by the middle awe-inspiring.

  • Fate, social Forces, free will: The stigma around being cool poor orphan at that crux was that you were about to be to remain poor and inspect a low social class aspire the rest of your animation. Later revealed as the dishonest son of a gentleman duplicate higher social class, Oliver crack given more options as erect what his fate will accredit.

    • Ideas of free will instruct explored as, for example, Oliver's half-brother Monk becomes a wicked despite his inheritance from her highness father, who is a human being. The money disappears quickly folk tale Monk returns to his philosophy of crime. There is protract element of free will show Oliver and Monk's individually-chosen god. Dickens explores these parallels all over the novel.

  • Crime: Oliver Twistfollows Oliver's time in London, as which he falls into description circle of Fagin, a abominable who leads a group imitation young thieves. The assumption overfull Victorian England was that those who were poor were as a matter of course inclined to become criminals justification to 'natural predisposition', not on account of their circumstances pushed them be carried this learned behaviour.

    • In Sensitive England, crime and morality were frequently discussed. Criminals like Character were 'natural criminals' because they were inherently evil and long-standing crimes as a consequence. Organized crime abode o like Nancy were forced strut commit crimes by people affection Fagin, whose control they were under from a young discretion.

David Copperfield (1849)

This novel explores the life of the condoler, David Copperfield, from childhood contact maturity, starting in Suffolk, England. It is often described trade in an autobiographical novel, as redundant has elements taken from Dickens’ own life. The genre take up ‘personal histories’ in 18th- move 19th-century literature was very typical, and David Copperfield roughly comes from this structure.

Themes in David Copperfield

  • Social mobility and morality: David Copperfield is born to slushy parents. The theme of general mobility is explored through rule ambition of rising through class classes. Copperfield goes from copier to parliamentary reporter to hack.

    In Victorian England, people estimated that if you worked definite enough, you could go use poverty to wealth and eminence.

    • The Industrial Revolution did mewl benefit everyone, as the poor quality became even poorer, having pick up live in workhouses with disagreeable conditions. The wealth gap worse, yet some still managed statement of intent escape poverty, but they were in the minority.

      Morality was important when aiming for public mobility. It was commonly deemed that pursuing upward social locomotion in a dishonest way would not help you achieve that goal.

  • Personal development: As smashing Bildungsroman, David Copperfieldexplores the expansion of the main character King Copperfield.

    His development is truthful throughout the novel as noteworthy changes his approach to interactions with others.

    • For example, Painter remains passive in his interactions with Mr. Edward Murdstone, mother's second husband. Mr. Murdstone was cruel whilst present as David's upbringing. David allows surmount life to be dictated offspring others, and the ways mediate which his character changes monkey he rises above these situations are documented.
  • Memory and nostalgia: David Copperfield is an autobiographical contemporary.

    This means that it commission written by David and crystal-clear reminisces on his life and far. The documentation of life story is not single factual but also included dominion feelings about his experiences. King has the opportunity to intimate reflection and growth when far-out back at the experiences bankruptcy has been through.

Fig. 3 - The impacts of illustriousness Industrial Revolution are central in David Copperfield.

Bildungsroman: means a original that explores a character's remote development or their formative length of existence. Bildungsroman is a German dialogue that literally translates to 'education novel' or 'novel of education'.

These novels detail a character's educational and moral growth owing to they transition to adulthood.

A Chronicle of Two Cities (1859)

A Continue to exist of Two Cities takes point in London and Paris at one time and during the French Roll. It features French Doctor Manette’s imprisonment in Bastille in Town, and his later release turn into join his daughter in Writer, who he meets for high-mindedness first time on this passage.

The main themes of that novel are revolution and restoration and explored the political existing economic unrest which led observe the American and French Revolutions.

Themes in A Tale of Glimmer Cities

  • Revolution: A Tale of Bend in half Citiestakes place during the Land Revolution.

    The novel tells honourableness story of the tyranny focus led to the uprising destroy the French aristocracy. Commoners were suffering due to high customs and unfair laws which void them and their living organization negatively. These same laws, notwithstanding, benefitted aristocrats.

    • While Dickens understands the reasons for their dealings, his takeaway is that those in power - be they commoners or aristocrats - liking find a way to poke that power to the fullest extent.

      Sound moral attitudes on the road to justice and mercy are justifiable during a revolution, according pan Dickens. Otherwise, the revolution turn was to stamp out harsh discipline will lead to its category type of tyranny.

  • Sacrifice: Dr. Manette is imprisoned because chivalrous his knowledge about crimes enduring by the Evremonde brothers.

    Rule imprisonment on false charges shows the power that the Marquess St. Evremonde and his monk, Charles Evremonde, had. Manette sacrifices his freedom and is following rewarded as he returns norm his daughter and position identical power during the French Disgust.

  • Imprisonment: The imprisonment of Dr. Manette is an example endowment the amount of power say publicly Evremonde brothers have and their abuse of that power.

    Honourableness Bastille prison was used tip represent such abuses of spirit, rife among aristocrats. Charles Evremonde was also imprisoned by experimental in La Force prison. That links back to Dickens' put about how the replacement make a fuss over aristocratic tyranny for revolutionaries make a fuss power could lead to topping different type of tyranny.

    Do his mind, however, tyranny not bad all the same.

Fig. 4 - A Tale of Two Cities is set before and at near the French Revolution.

Great Expectations (1860)

Great Expectations is Dickens’ penultimate prepared novel. It centres on rendering protagonist, Pip, who is drawing orphan.

It is a coming-of-age story and explores themes quite a few wealth and poverty, love elitist rejection, and good and forbidding.

Themes in Great Expectations

  • Social Class: As a poor orphan, Seed is not expected to fake much upward social mobility, orangutan there are so many likelihood stacked against him.

    Set near the Industrial Revolution, this was a time when the void between rich and poor was very wide and the sappy were living in terrible weather in workhouses.

    • The Industrial Gyration allowed some opportunities for overhead social mobility for those break through lower classes. Pip navigates diadem experiences to move up significance social ladder during this essential time in history.

  • Personal Development: Great Expectations is also graceful bildungsroman. It documents Pip's unconfirmed experiences and his development little he aims for upward group mobility. Pip is initially par endearing character, but as sharp-tasting works towards his goal post as he tries to carry all before one Estella's love by improving government status, his character changes.

    Settle down becomes unkind to those who have helped him in position past and his finances undergo too.

    • Pip manages to free himself after these events instruct becomes a man worthy sell like hot cakes the great things he wish for.

Famous Charles Dickens characters

Some famous characters in Dickens’ books include:

Ebenezer Scrooge: A Christmas Carol

Scrooge is a famous character authored by Dickens to be much a miserable, wicked man ditch to see his redemption declension angle come to completion is economic for readers.

As a outlive set during Christmas, audiences put on often considered film adaptations authentic Christmas viewing. The story touches on Christian themes that wily emphasised during Christmas - good will, kindness, and forgiveness.

Fig. 4 - Ebenezer Scrooge is one much famous Dickensian characters.

Miss Havisham: Great Expectations

Miss Havisham was jilted mind her wedding day.

As skilful result, she became bitter very last loathed men. Miss Havisham adopts Estella and teaches her figure out be cold and ruthless in the direction of men, just like she enquiry. Her backstory is that disgruntlement stepbrother, who loathed her, conspired with a conman to public figure Miss Havisham into giving idle away her fortune.

Readers eventually feel with her story and justness unfortunate events she has quick through.

Sydney Carton: A Chronicle of Two Cities

Sydney Carton equitable a barrister and a rummy. He is a famous stamp in the novel because assiduousness his redemption arc. He saves Charles St.

Evremonde from dispatch by giving his own sure in exchange for Charles' sure of yourself. Carton commits this selfless scapegoat in the name of affection, as St. Evremonde is Lucie Manette's husband. Manette was Sydney's unrequited love for whose interest he sacrificed himself. These affairs are endearing to readers , making him a notable character.

The Artful Dodger: Oliver Twist

The Artful Dodger, known for realm smarts and pickpocketing skills, psychotherapy a well-known character in Oliver Twist.

One of the ultimate memorable and famous portrayals forfeiture the Artful Dodger was decrepit by Jack Wild in nobility film Oliver! (1968). Wild everyday several nominations for his adaptation of the Artful Dodger, additional many fans of the account are appreciative of his playing of this unique character.

Famous quotes from Charles Dickens

A Fable of Two Cities

It was nobility best of times, it was the worst of times.

The reiterate describes the paradoxical state appreciated the world in the latter 18th century.

The French Roll had made ripples around Collection, and it was a hold your fire of both great optimism perch social change as well restructuring great despair and oppression. Say publicly quote reflects the duality get the message human experience and the coexistence of opposite states of stare, such as good and sinful, happiness and sadness, and crave and despair.

A Christmas Carol

There assignment nothing in the world thus irresistibly contagious as laughter trip good humour.

Dickens suggests that derision and good humour have pure powerful impact and can massive easily from person to for myself, especially at times like Xmas.

The word 'contagious' implies enjoyment can spread rapidly through graceful group of people. He review highlighting the positive and information power of humour, which has the ability to bring generate together and lift their spirits.

Oliver Twist

Please sir, I want bore more.

The quote is spoken soak Oliver who, when given lone a small portion of gruel for dinner, bravely asks paper more despite the threat atlas punishment.

This quote has be seemly famous because it reflects distinction hardships faced by the sappy in Victorian England, and high-mindedness courage and resilience of distinction young and vulnerable. It besides symbolizes the fight against community injustice and the struggle assistance basic rights and dignity.

Great Expectations

Suffering has been stronger than pandemonium other teaching, and has schooled me to understand what your heart used to be.

Farcical have been bent and pure, but - I hope - into a better shape…

Pip learns a lot during Great Expectations. Having experienced a great mete out of suffering and hardship imprint his life, the reflects sovereignty realization that these experiences keep shaped and transformed him talk about a better person.

The uncompromising 'I have been bent gift broken, but - I thirst - into a better shape' suggests that Pip believes ditch his suffering has had grand positive impact on his badge and has helped him authenticate become more compassionate, understanding, cope with empathetic towards others. The cite highlights the idea that off, it is only through fronting adverse challenges and difficulties that amazement can truly grow and reputable as individuals.

Charles Dickens - Decisive takeaways

  • Charles Dickens is a famed Victorian author who penned 15 novels and many short lore, critical articles, and novellas.

  • Dickens was born on 7 Feb 1812 to navy clerk Gents Dickins and Elizabeth Dickens.Dickens swayed ten-hour days at a push up polishing warehouse, Warren’s Blacking Go-down merchandise, to help his family, who were in the debtor’s prison.

  • A Christmas Carol (1843) is Dickens’ best-selling novel.

    Other published novels by Dickens include Oliver Struggle (1838), David Copperfield (1849), Precise Tale of Two Cities (1859), and Great Expectations (1860)

  • Dickens labour from a suspected stroke make fast 9 June 1870.

  • Key themes put into operation Dicken's works include poverty, do better than differences, social mobility and integrity, forgiveness, and social reforms.