CHAPTER 2
CHARLES DICKENS : A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
Birth : Charles Dickens was born on 7 February Landport, Portsea, England. His father John Dickens worked a in the navy dockyard of Portsmouth/city. His parents children. Charles was the second. John Dickens was a man temperament. Charles has presented a picture of his lauren character of Micawber in David Copperfield. We know nothing ons mother.
Childhood and Early Life : His father was constantly in debt and
Points to Remember Dickens saw great financial hardship 1. Birth as a child. When he was only two 2. Childhood and early life years old his father was transferred to 3. Financial Crisis London and three years later to 4. As a Reporter Chatham. His early childhood was 5. Final Stage spent in Chatham and Rochester
6. Literary Career where he acquired much knowledge of seaports and sailors. Here he also developed fondness for study and read a number of books and novels. 135. Being a boy of delicate physique he had no taste even for the mildest of games; he preferred to curl himself up in a corner with a book. Dickens came to know not only hunger and lack of the necessaries of life but also the horror of the debtor’s prison and the evils of child labour. The
Financial Crisis : Charles was hardly eleven when the family faced a financial crisis. His father could not pay back his heavy debts and was arrested and imprisoned in the Marshalsea and the family moved to an apartment in the dirty London suburb Camden Town. Dickens got a menial post in Warren’s Blacking Factory where his duty was to wash bottles and put labels on them. The few shillings a that his hard labour brought him was all that the family had to live on.
As a Reporter : When his father was released from prison, he also got a legacy. This improved their lot. Charles was taken away from the factory and sent to school at Wellington House Academy where he remained for about four years. He learnt little there but laid by a store of material for future use. At fifteen he left school and was employed as a clerk with Messrs. Ellis and Blackmore, attorney’s of Gray’s Inn. Here ne acquired knowledge of the legal profession and life of solicitors but
He gave up his job, he found very little scope of development began to learn shorthand. He picked it up very soon and
House of Commons for the Mor parliamentary reporter in the House of Chronicle. He proved to be
ved to be a very successful reporter. At th twenty he became famous as a reporter and occupied the h twenty he became famous reporting but for marvellous quickness in not merely for accuracy in reporting but for marvellou
ided him an opportunity to study man and transcript” This also provided him an opportun manners and life in general.
Code : After three years as reporter, Dickens turned Final Sta literary work in 1833 when he made his first lito under the title Boz. Then followed his novels. For years he earned fame as a novelist. He was asked + of Reading in Parliament but he politely declined. H to visit America where he met with an enthusiasti made a holiday tour of France and Italy. In 1869 hes
France and Italy. In 1869 he started writing his last book, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, but it was left unfinis a day’s hard work, he was taken suddenly ill and died in his c. win June 9 1870. He was buried by Dean Stanley, in the presence
A his immediate family and a few friends, in the Poets’ Corner Westminster Abbey. Thomas Carlyle wrote to him : “The good, the gentle, high gifted, even-friendly and noble Dickens, every inch of him an honest man.” Literary Career
made his first literary contribution hon followed his novels. For the next thirty-six
mvelist. He was asked to represent the town ont but he politely declined. He was also invited he met with an enthusiastic reception. He also
ras taken suddenly ill and died in his Gads Hill
General: (1) Sketches by Boz : Dickens made his first literary contribution in 1833–a series of papers by Boz contributed to various magazines. Their collected edition, Sketches by Boz was published in 1836. These sketches dealt with life in London.
(2) Christmas Books : These works comprise many books in which Dickens has tried to foster the genial spirit of Christian time (1843-45).
(3) Pictures of Italy (1845) in which he describes his experiences of his tour to Italy.
Novels : (1) Pickwick Papers (1836) : These are humorous papers describing the adventures of Pickwick and his friends; broug. him immediate reputation. Now he turned completely to writing.
- Oliver Twist (1837-38) : Dickens’s first novel with a purple The centre of the theme is a child-poor and lonely. His suffering midst of crime and villainy are depicted in the novel which defective system of the working of poor law in Engla published in serials in a magazine. To a great extent D sufferings and hardships as a child are reflected in it.
(3) Nicholas Nickleby (1838-39), also published in instalments, deals with the sufferings of children at school, Dickens attacks the defective system of education prevailing in England. The novel has grim scenes of humour.
(4) The Old Curiosity Shop (1840) is a tale of the sufferings and hardships of Little Nell and her grandfather. It is a romantic novel coloured largely by the popular sentimentality of the times. The death scene is most pathetic.
(5) Barnaby Rudge (1841) is a historical novel dealing with the anti-Popery riots of 1780.
(6) American Notes (1842), written after his visit to America, deals with slavery in America.
(7) Martin Chuzzlewit (1843) records Dickens’s crude impressions of America, Dickens speaks courageously against the system of slavery. R (8) Dombey and Son (1849) : The last of his early novels, it deals with the artificial life of the urban people. It presents the manners and characters of society with satire.
(9) David Copperfield (1850): This novel marks the beginning of Dickens’s maturer novels. It has been described as a semi-biography of Dickens. It is regarded as his greatest novel. Dickens himself liked it the best.
(10) Bleak House (1852-53): Though full of fun and humour, it is a satire on the abuses of the old court of Chancery. There is an attack on law courts and the system of law prevailing in his times.
(11) Hard Times (1854), aims at describing the miseries of workers resulting from industrialization. The book presents the problem of capital and labour with a leaning towards labour.
(12) Little Dorrit (1857) exposes the delays of government institutions. Dismal memories of the Marshalsea prison where his father had been imprisoned are presented in this book.
(13) A Tale of Two Cities (1859) : It is a historical novel which gives a tragic picture of the French Revolution and its effects in London and Paris.
(14) Great Expectations (1860-61) is another masterpiece. It deals with Dickens’s experiences of poor and rich societies. It is the story of a boy Pip who got mixed up with bad characters.
(15) Our Mutual Friend (1864-65): In it Dickens describes the upper middle class life and the bareful effect of money. ee
(16) The Mystery of Edwin Drood, started in 1869 but remained incomplete due to his sudden death.