Introduction


Charles Dickens

G. K. Chesterton described Charles Dickens as a man who possessed the qualities of a young boy with no boundaries—mischievous and irresponsible, yet passionately alive and relentlessly hopeful. Indeed, this prolific (he wrote novels, novellas, plays, short stories, fiction, and nonfiction) and popular (he was the most requested after-dinner speaker of his time) nineteenth-century author transformed his own life into vibrant, imaginative fiction; he wrote about everything he saw, and because his experiences led him from the depths of the poorhouse to the heights of popularity, his writing established universal appeal. By championing social causes in his works, creating vivid, unforgettable characters, and caring for his audience as much as he did for his pen, Dickens established himself as the immortal author of Victorian England.

Essential Facts

  1. Dickens’ father would make young Charles stand upon a tall stool, sing songs, and create stories for the entertainment of other clerks in the office.
  2. Dickens admitted that David Copperfield was his favorite work. It was also his most autobiographical.
  3. In Boston, 4,000 people gathered at the dock to await the ship that carried chapter 71 of Dickens’ The Old Curiosity Shop. When the ship arrived, they asked the captain about a beloved character from the novel: “Is Nell dead?” When the affirmative response came back, a collective groan rose up from the massive crowd.
  4. At the age of ten, Dickens was forced to work at a factory to pay off his father’s debts. Although Dickens himself spoke of this traumatizing experience only twice in his life, critics and readers agree that the two years he spent there forged much of the material for his later novels.
  5. Edgar Allan Poe is said to be the only person who was ever able to predict the conclusion of the complex plots in Dickens’ novels.
 

Recommended Resources

  1. A Christmas Carol eText
  2. A Tale of Two Cities Study Guide (eNotes)
  3. Charles Dickens - Censorship
  4. Charles Dickens - Cyclopedia of World Authors
  5. Great Expectations Lesson Plan

All Resources

Display as: Categories, List
  1. A Christmas Carol (1938)
  2. A Christmas Carol (1951)
  3. A Christmas Carol (1954)
  4. A Christmas Carol (1984)
  5. A Christmas Carol (1999)
  6. A Christmas Carol - Book Review
  7. A Christmas Carol - Literary Characters
  8. A Christmas Carol - Literary Places
  9. A Christmas Carol Criticism
  10. A Christmas Carol eText
  11. A Christmas Carol Lesson Plan
  12. A Christmas Carol Movie Learning Guide
  13. A Christmas Carol Study Guide
  14. A Tale of Two Cities - Book Review
  15. A Tale of Two Cities - Literary Characters
  16. A Tale of Two Cities - Literary Places
  17. A Tale of Two Cities Criticism
  18. A Tale of Two Cities eText
  19. A Tale of Two Cities Lesson Plan
  20. A Tale of Two Cities Movie Learning Guide
  21. A Tale of Two Cities Study Guide (eNotes)
  22. Barnaby Rudge - Literary Characters
  23. Barnaby Rudge - Literary Places
  24. Bleak House - Book Review
  25. Bleak House - Literary Characters
  26. Bleak House - Literary Places
  27. Charles Dickens - Censorship
  28. Charles Dickens - Crime and Punishment in America Primary Sources
  29. Charles Dickens - Cyclopedia of World Authors
  30. Charles Dickens - Short Story Criticism
  31. Charles Dickens Criticism
  32. Charles Dickens Criticism
  33. Crime and Punishment in America Biographies
  34. Critical Survey of Mystery and Detective Fiction
  35. Critical Survey of Short Fiction
  36. David Copperfield - Book Review
  37. David Copperfield - Literary Characters
  38. David Copperfield - Literary Places
  39. David Copperfield eText
  40. David Copperfield quickNotes
  41. David Copperfield Study Guide (eNotes) - Charles Dickens
  42. Dictionary of World Biography: The 19th Century
  43. Dombey and Son - Literary Characters
  44. Dombey and Son - Literary Places
  45. Gothic Literature
  46. Great Ambitions: A Story of the Early Years of Charles Dickens quickNotes
  47. Great Expectations (1997)
  48. Great Expectations (1999)
  49. Great Expectations - Book Review
  50. Great Expectations - Literary Characters
  51. Great Expectations - Literary Places
  52. Great Expectations eText
  53. Great Expectations Lesson Plan
  54. Great Expectations Movie Learning Guide
  55. Great Expectations Study Guide
  56. Hard Times - Literary Characters
  57. Hard Times - Literary Places
  58. Hard Times Criticism
  59. Hard Times eText
  60. Hard Times Lesson Plan
  61. Hard Times Study Guide
  62. Little Dorrit - Literary Characters
  63. Little Dorrit - Literary Places
  64. Little Dorrit Criticism
  65. Martin Chuzzlewit
  66. Martin Chuzzlewit - Literary Characters
  67. Nicholas Nickleby - Book Review
  68. Nicholas Nickleby - Literary Characters
  69. Nicholas Nickleby - Literary Places
  70. Nineteenth-Century Literary Criticism
  71. Notable British Novelists
  72. Oliver Twist (1948)
  73. Oliver Twist (1985)
  74. Oliver Twist - Book Review
  75. Oliver Twist - Literary Characters
  76. Oliver Twist - Literary Places
  77. Oliver Twist eText
  78. Oliver Twist Lesson Plan
  79. Oliver Twist Movie Learning Guide
  80. Oliver Twist Study Guide
  81. Our Mutual Friend - Literary Characters
  82. Our Mutual Friend - Literary Places
  83. Pickwick Papers - Book Review
  84. Pickwick Papers - Literary Characters
  85. Pickwick Papers - Literary Places
  86. The Mystery of Edwin Drood - Literary Characters
  87. The Mystery of Edwin Drood - Literary Places
  88. The Old Curiosity Shop - Literary Characters
  89. The Old Curiosity Shop - Literary Places
  90. The Oxford Companion to American Literature Article on Charles Dickens
  91. The Oxford Companion to English Literature Article on A Christmas Carol
  92. The Oxford Companion to English Literature Article on Charles Dickens
  93. The Oxford Companion to Shakespeare Article on Charles Dickens
  94. What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew