Charles Dickens was born in a little house in Landport, Portsea,
England, on February 7, 1812. The second of eight children, he grew
up in a family frequently beset by financial insecurity. At age
eleven, Dickens was taken out of school and sent to work in London
backing warehouse, where his job was to paste labels on bottles for
six shillings a week. His father John Dickens, was a warmhearted
but improvident man. When he was condemned the Marshela Prison for
unpaid debts, he unwisely agreed that Charles should stay in
lodgings and continue working while the rest of the family joined
him in jail. This three-month separation caused Charles much pain;
his experiences as a child alone in a huge city-cold, isolated with
barely enough to eat-haunted him for the rest of his life.
When the family fortunes improved, Charles went back to school,
after which he became an office boy, a freelance reporter and
finally an author. With Pickwick Papers (1836-7) he achieved
immediate fame; in a few years he was easily the post popular and
respected writer of his time. It has been estimated that one out of
every ten persons in Victorian England was a Dickens reader. Oliver
Twist (1837), Nicholas Nickleby (1838-9) and The Old Curiosity Shop
(1840-41) were huge successes. Martin Chuzzlewit (1843-4) was less
so, but Dickens followed it with his unforgettable, A Christmas
Carol (1843), Bleak House (1852-3), Hard Times (1854) and Little
Dorrit (1855-7) reveal his deepening concern for the injustices of
British Society. A Tale of Two Cities (1859), Great Expectations
(1860-1) and Our Mutual Friend (1864-5) complete his major
works.
Dickens's marriage to Catherine Hoggarth produced ten children but
ended in separation in 1858. In that year he began a series of
exhausting public readings; his health gradually declined. After
putting in a full day's work at his home at Gads Hill, Kent on June
8, 1870, Dickens suffered a stroke, and he died the following day.
Dickens's classic holiday tale, like many cultural touchstones, often falls into the trap of perennial reinterpretation. First aired in 1990 but only now available on CD, NPR's presentation serves to place the familiar story back in its historical context. NPR News anchor Susan Stamberg's introduction, along with background information in the liner notes, offers valuable insights regarding both Dickens's gritty backdrop and his role in reviving Christmas traditions otherwise forgotten amid rapid urban industrialization. The script being performed is the same one Dickens used to use at readings. Comedy legend Winters, who serves as narrator while also performing all of the male roles, juggles his duties seamlessly and demonstrates remarkable dramatic range. His portrayal of Scrooge before the ghostly visitations evokes discernable pain and loss beyond the over-the-top antics of an ogre figure. Veteran actress Mimi Kennedy voices the female parts with gusto. With its quality production, attractive price and one-hour length, this release offers the perfect gift and establishes a festive new annual ritual for families to share. (Sept.) Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.
Gr 3-6-Who better than the illustrator of Lemony Snicket's Dickensian "A Series of Unfortunate Events" to present the master's timeless tale in a picture book? Helquist's composition draws readers' eyes to Scrooge on every page, often crafting the mood of the tale through the expressions on Ebenezer's oversize features. An abridged text renders the tale accessible to a younger audience. (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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