By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
From detailed biographies of Dickens to ground-breaking works of literary criticism, there have been hundreds of books published about Charles Dickens&#;s life and work. Here are five of our favourites &#; five of the finest books about Dickens for the reader seeking to negotiate their way through the great novelist&#;s work.
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Peter Ackroyd, Dickens: Abridged.
This is still one of the best biographies &#; perhaps the best biography &#; of Charles Dickens out there. True, the biography written by Dickens&#;s friend John Forster and published shortly after Dickens&#;s death is a hugely important source of information about the novelist&#;s life, but Ackroyd&#;s detailed picture of Victorian England and Dickens&#;s development as, effectively, a chronicler of his time is gripping and absorbing.
The full version of Ackroyd&#;s biography runs to over 1, pages, but is also recommended for the Dickens aficionado.
John Carey, The Violent Effigy: A Study of Dickens&#; Imagination.
One of the finest critical studies of Di
Almost years ago, Charles Dickens wrote a story about a little boy who had nothing. The boy was called Oliver Twist. He had no parents and he lived in a place called a workhouse. Only poor people lived in workhouses. It was a hard life.
Dickens’ stories tell us what life was like all those years ago and he is one of the most famous writers in the English language.
Charles Dickens lived in the s, the Victorian age.
Life could be hard for children then. Many had to go out to work.
At 12, Dickens himself left school to work in a factory putting labels on pots. His dad had been sent to prison for not paying his bills, so the young Dickens worked to look after his family.
He eventually returned to school but never forgot how hard life was for poor people.
When he grew up, Dickens became a journalist and wrote for newspapers.
He also wrote stories from his own imagination, called novels.
His novels, like Oliver Twist, were often about the lives of poor people, their crowded houses and tough jobs.
Another story he wrote was ‘A Christmas Carol’, in which a miserable character called Ebenezer Scrooge hates Christmas. In the story, Scrooge meets three ghosts who teach him how to
Charles Dickens: A Literary Legacy
Charles Dickens, an English writer and social critic, achieved unparalleled popularity during his lifetime and is now revered as a literary genius. Renowned for creating some of the most iconic fictional characters and for being the preeminent novelist of the Victorian era, his works continue to captivate readers worldwide, ensuring his enduring legacy in literature.
Early Life
Born on February 7, , in Portsmouth, England, Dickens faced financial hardship from an early age. His father’s imprudent spending led to his imprisonment for debt when Charles was only 12 years old. Forced to leave school and work in a factory, Dickens’s lack of formal education did not deter him from pursuing a career in writing.
Literary Success
Dickens’s literary journey began with the serial publication of “The Pickwick Papers” in , marking the start of his meteoric rise to international acclaim. Renowned for his humor, satire, and acute observations of society, Dickens pioneered the serial publication of narrative fiction, captivating audiences with his serialized novels and engaging characters.
Notable Works
Among his many works, “A Christmas Carol,” p
Last updated
9 September
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The material for these downloads is taken from the Wayland title Extraordinary Lives: Charles Dickens, a biography that follows Dickens’s life from birth, through his life as a factory worker, to becoming a prolific author. The handouts provide historical background information on the Industrial Revolution and the social issues of the time that influenced Dickens’s writing. The teacher notes also provide suggestions on how to use the handouts in the classroom, as well as ideas for further cross-curricular activities. The poster provides an illustrated timeline of Dickens's.
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