The mysterious tale of an orphan who is made into a gentleman, with one of the best opening scenes you'll ever read!
Charles Dickens was a brilliant and prolific writer, probably the
most famous nineteenth-century English novelist. He was very
successful during his lifetime and his books have never been out of
print. The exciting plots and fantastic characters in his books
have meant they have all been adapted (in some cases, many times
over) for television or the big screen.
Charles Dickens was born on 7 February 1812 in Portsmouth. He was
one of eight children, and at first his family enjoyed a happy life
in the countryside of Kent. But Dickens' father was not very good
at managing his money, and when the family fell into financial
difficulties they had to move to London. In Dickens' time people
who could not pay their debts were sent to a kind of prison, and
Dickens' father eventually ended up in one of these debtor's
prisons, called the Marshalsea. Charles was forced to leave school
and go to work in a 'blacking factory' where he pasted labels on to
pots for many hours a day. Even though Charles was only twelve at
this time, he understood that without education he would never
escape the poverty that had so entrapped his family. Charles often
used his childhood experiences in his books. For instance, in David
Copperfield, the hero Davy is taken out of school by his cruel
stepfather and sent to work in a similar factory. Another novel,
Little Dorrit, is set in and around the Marshalsea prison.
Fortunately Charles was eventually sent back to school. He went to
work as a lawyer's clerk, and then as a political reporter. In 1833
he began to publish short stories and essays in newspapers and
magazines. His first book, The Pickwick Papers, was published in
instalments in a monthly magazine, and was a roaring success. Even
before this book was finished, Charles began writing another novel,
Oliver Twist. This is one of his most famous books - perhaps you've
read it, or seen the musical or one of the film adaptations? Many
other novels followed and Dickens became a celebrity in America as
well as Britain. He also set up and edited the journals Household
Words (1850-9) and All the Year Round (1859-70). Dickens used his
books to highlight the suffering of the poor, the inadequate
support provided to them, and the massive inequalities between the
different ranks of society. This social and political commentary
was very influential and it is believed Dickens' work did a great
deal to reform workhouses, prisons, and most particularly public
opinion of the working classes. Charles travelled all over Britain
and America giving public readings from his books. He was a
wonderful performer(at one point he had wanted to be an actor) and
his readings were said to be electrifying - women in the audience
would scream and faint when he read about the murder of Nancy from
Oliver Twist. His readings were therefore extremely popular, and on
some occasions Dickens only charged a penny for tickets so that
poorer people could also attend. In later years, these energetic
readings took a terrible toll on his failing health. Dickens died
after stroke on 9 June 1870, leaving his last novel, The Mystery of
Edwin Drood, unfinished. He is buried in Westminster Abbey.
I think I was 10. I was having a party. The weather was good, so my
mother was keeping us all outside, so we'd break nothing and get
sick on the grass. One of my friends handed me a present. He looked
a bit embarrassed. I knew what it was before I opened it. A book...
I thanked him and tore off the paper. Great Expectations. I
eventually read it. Pip in the graveyard, the escaped convict -
more than 40 years later, I'm still reading Dickens
*Roddy Doyle*
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