Charles Dickens
'Charles Dickens ' Summary
Born in Portsmouth, Dickens left school at the age of 12 to work in a boot-blacking factory when his father was incarcerated in a debtors' prison. After three years he returned to school, before he began his literary career as a journalist. Dickens edited a weekly journal for 20 years, wrote 15 novels, five novellas, hundreds of short stories and non-fiction articles, lectured and performed readings extensively, was an indefatigable letter writer, and campaigned vigorously for children's rights, for education, and for other social reforms.
Dickens's literary success began with the 1836 serial publication of The Pickwick Papers, a publishing phenomenon thanks largely to the introduction of the character Sam Weller in the fourth episode that sparked Pickwick merchandise and spin-offs. Within a few years Dickens had become an international literary celebrity, famous for his humour, satire and keen observation of character and society. His novels, most of them published in monthly or weekly instalments, pioneered the serial publication of narrative fiction, which became the dominant Victorian mode for novel publication.
Cliffhanger endings in his serial publications kept readers in suspense. The instalment format allowed Dickens to evaluate his audience's reaction, and he often modified his plot and character development based on such feedback. For example, when his wife's chiropodist expressed distress at the way Miss Mowcher in David Copperfield seemed to reflect her disabilities, Dickens improved the character with positive features. His plots were carefully constructed and he often wove elements from topical events into his narratives. Masses of the illiterate poor would individually pay a halfpenny to have each new monthly episode read to them, opening up and inspiring a new class of readers.
His 1843 novella A Christmas Carol remains especially popular and continues to inspire adaptations in every artistic genre. Oliver Twist and Great Expectations are also frequently adapted and, like many of his novels, evoke images of early Victorian London. His 1859 novel A Tale of Two Cities (set in London and Paris) is his best-known work of historical fiction. The most famous celebrity of his era, he undertook, in response to public demand, a series of public reading tours in the later part of his career. The term Dickensian is used to describe something that is reminiscent of Dickens and his writings, such as poor social or working conditions, or comically repulsive characters.
Book Details
Language
EnglishOriginal Language
EnglishPublished In
1906Genre/Category
Tags/Keywords
Author
Gilbert K. Chesterton
England
Chesterton wrote around 80 books, several hundred poems, some 200 short stories, 4,000 essays (mostly newspaper columns), and several plays. He was a literary and social critic, historian, playwright,...
More on Gilbert K. ChestertonListen/Download Audiobook
- Select Speed
Related books
Peter the Great by Jacob Abbott
“There are very few persons who have not heard of the fame of Peter the Great, the founder, as he is generally regarded by mankind, of Russian civiliz...
Parallel Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans by Plutarch
Plutarch's Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans, commonly called Parallel Lives or Plutarch's Lives, is a series of 48 biographies of famous men, arra...
Apologia by John Newton
It is a personal and spiritual autobiography that reflects on the author's life, experiences, and beliefs. This compelling and insightful book delves...
Little Journeys to the Homes of Eminent Painters by Elbert Hubbard
It takes readers on a journey through time and space, offering a glimpse into the homes and lives of these painters. The writing is vivid and descript...
The Mirror of the Sea by Joseph Conrad
It is a classic book that explores the author's personal experiences as a sailor and his reflections on the sea. Originally published in 1906, the boo...
The Sayings of Confucius or The Analects of Confucius by Confucius 孔子
A treasure trove of wise and pithy sayings, reflections on education, family values, the ideal human being, life and living, politics, art, culture an...
Historic Girlhoods, Volume 1 by Rupert S. Holland
Biographical sketches of ten girls who became famous before becoming women - some not even making it to womanhood. From Joan of Arc to Catherine d'Med...
Mark Twain's Autobiography: With An Introduction by Albert Bigelow Paine - Volume I by Mark Twain
The Autobiography of Mark Twain is a lengthy set of reminiscences, dictated, for the most part, in the last few years of the life of American author M...
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart by Herbert Francis Peyser
Mozart’s earthly career was so poignantly short yet so filled with incalculable achievement that the author of this booklet finds himself confronted w...
A Brief History of English and American Literature by Henry Beers
Henry Augustin Beers, native of Buffalo, NY and professor of English at Yale, with the help of John Fletcher Hurst (1834-1903), Methodist bishop and f...
Reviews for Charles Dickens
No reviews posted or approved, yet...