Charles Dickens

Dickens

Charles

By: Alexandra and Kaye

Index

3. critique of the industrialisation

2. important works

1. Life of Charles Dickens

• in 1816, family moved to Chantham
• in 1822 moved to Camden Town

--> John had a habit to spend more than he had to offer, which led to him being sent to prison for debt in 1824 (Charles was 12).

• Born: 7th February, 1812 in Portsmouth, England
• the second of eight children

• Family:

John Dickens, father, naval clerk who dreamed of being richElizabeth Barrow, mother--> family remained poor, despite parents' efforts, though they were not unhappy

His life

• ~1828 freelance reporting at the law courts of London

--> few years later reporting for two major London newspapers

• 1833 publishing his first book
• 1833 married Catherine Hogarth, with whom he had 10 children
• during the 1850s suffered the loss of his daughter and father, and divorced Catherine
• Died: 9th June, 1870, in Gads Hill Place, England

• following his father's imprisonment, Charles had to leave school and worked at a boot-blackening factory, until his father received a family inheritance and used it to pay off debts, letting Charles go to school again
• age 15: left school again, working as an office boy to contribute to his family's income

--> the very launching point for his writing career, felt abandoned by the people who should have helped him --> became a recurring theme in his writing

Charles Dickensthinking back to the moment he said goodbye to his youthful innocence

"How could I be so easily cast away at such a young age?"

Hard Times (1854)

He wrote about a fictional city and their living conditions, which had been reality for the working class during the 19th century. It was a place full of exploitation, desperation and appression. The workers worked for many hours and had low wages. He wanted to show people the reality of industrial cities.

A Christmas Carol (1843):

His most famous "novel" actually was a novella, which talked about poverty in the Victorian Era. He wanted people to help the poor, such as the main character in his novella did.

Oliver Twist (1836):

Charles Dickens wrote about child labour during industrial revoulution. He also mentioned three major themes of the 19th century: failure of charity, harsh realities of urban life and problems of capitalism in London.

Important Works

In summarization, Dickens wrote 15 books in the years 1836-1870. All of them had a message which critizised the industrial revolution. His first book "The Pickwick Papers" didn't have a "grim" writing style and the critique wasn't in the foreground as much as it was in his other books.

Important Works

• Charles Dickens was one of the greatest English novelistst concerned with social reformation
• industrial revolution often used as the setting of his books (along with the suffering and misery)
• showcased a society with problems of life during the machine era in "Hard Times"
• came from early experiences of issues (father's debts and imprisonment) --> shaped his attitude and was reflected in his writing
• "Oliver Twist" --> describes the issues for the children; how the children of the poor were forced by economic conditions to work
• mainly focused on the health treatment and well-being of the children

--> didn't want them to feel useless and neglectedThe verity of the industrial revolution became a typical theme in his books and novels.

Critique Of The Industrialization

Resources: www.biography.com, Wikipedia

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