Dickens Biography

Basic stuff “Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show. To begin my life with the beginning of my life, I record that was born (as I have been informed and believe) on a Friday, at twelve o’clock at night. It was remarked that the clock began to strike and I began to cry, simultaneously.” – From David Copperfield – said to be autobiographical

Information Born 1812 in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England. Father – John Dickens – a clerk in the Navy Pay Office – very generous man which got him into financial trouble. Mother – Elizabeth – Charles had seven siblings.

Financial Troubles In 1824 John Dickens was imprisoned for rising debts in Marshalsea Prison The whole family went with him except Charles Charles was sent to a workhouse at Warren’s Shoe Blacking Factory – he pasted labels on boxes, lived in a boarding house, walked to work everyday, and visited his family on Sundays. – This was a rude introduction to the working poor.

Working poor Child labor was rampant Many orphaned or abandoned children Adults were cruel and abusive Long hours Poor pay Many of his future characters – Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, and Pip are based on these experiences

Hatred of his mother Before 1824 Charles had attended school and was an apt pupil After his father was released from prison, Dickens’ mother insisted he stay at the work house to provide for the family His father however enrolled Dickens in Wellington House Academy in London – saving him from factory work

1827 Charles had to leave school – the family was in debt again Charles became a clerk in a law firm He then became a court recorder

1833 His first story was published in a monthly magazine His father was arrested again for debt and Charles bailed him out

Debtor’s prison

1836 Married Catherine Hogarth They had ten children Published Pickwick Papers in a serialized form in Bentley’s Miscellany a magazine of which he was the editor.

Novels to follow All published as serials – Oliver Twist – – Nicholas Nickleby – – The Old Curiosity Shop – – Barnaby Rudge – 1841 – A Christmas Carol – 1843 – Martin Chuzzlewit – 1843 – Dombey and Son – 1846

David Copperfield – 1849 Bleak House – Hard Times – 1854 Little Dorritt – A Tale of Two Cities – 1859 Great Expectations –

In between the novels Dickens was the editor of a few periodicals – owning two of them He wrote non fiction, essays, and plays He traveled and lectured He left his wife in 1858 after starting a relationship with an actress named Ellen Ternan ( )

Death Died of a cerebral hemorrhage on June 9, 1870 at his home. Unfinished at his death his last novel The Mystery of Edwin Drood was published in 1870.

Legacy Dickens became known the world over for his characters His mastery of prose His depictions of social classes, mores, and values of the time Some consider him a spokesman for the poor, for he brought awareness to their plight, the down-trodden and the have-nots.

Characters Often based on people he knew In a few cases he based the characters too closely to someone he knew and got into trouble Characters like Scrooge became defining terms in everyday vernacular – miserly Created over 989 named characters during his career.

Names The names of Dickens’ characters are some of the most memorable in fiction – Sweedlepipe – Honeythunder – Bumble – Pumblechook – M’Choakumchild

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Miss Havisham

Characterization How do we discover who the characters are? Look at the difference between the main characters and the others.