Write what should not be forgotten

Isabel Allende

Contents :

1.Introduction

2.His early life

3.His literary success

4.Conclusion

1.Introduction

Charles John Huffam Dickens (7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was a British novelist, journalist, editor, illustrator and social commentator who wrote such beloved classic novels as Oliver Twist, A Christmas Carol, Nicholas Nickleby, David Copperfield, A Tale of Two Cities and Great Expectations. Dickens is remembered as one of the most important and influential writers of the 19th century. Among his accomplishments, he has been lauded for providing a stark portrait of the Victorian-era underclass, helping to bring about social change.

2.His early life

  Dickens was born in Portsmouth, on the southern coast of England. His father, John Dickens, was a naval clerk who dreamed of becoming rich and his mother, Elizabeth Barrow, aspired to be a teacher and school director. But the family’s financial situation had grown worse because John Dickens used to spend money dangerously beyond the family’s means.Consequently, John was sent to prison for debt in 1824, when Charles was just 12 years old.

After his father's imprisonment, Charles Dickens left school to work in a factory.

  Despite his lack of formal education, he edited a weekly journal for 20 years, wrote 15 novels, hundreds of short stories and non-fiction articles, lectured and performed extensively, was an indefatigable letter writer, and campaigned vigorously for children's rights, education, and other social reforms.

3.His literary success

Dickens's literary success began with the 1836 serial publication of The Pickwick Papers. Within a few years he had become an international literary celebrity, famous for his humor, satire, and keen observation of character and society.

His novels, most published in monthly or weekly instalments, pioneered the serial publication of narrative fiction, which became the dominant Victorian mode for novel publication.

Dickens was regarded as the literary colossus of his age. His 1843 novella, A Christmas Carol, remains 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 .

Dickens's creative genius has been praised by fellow writers-from Leo Tolstoy to George Orwell and G. K. Chesterton-for its realism, comedy, prose style, unique characterizations, and social criticism. On the other hand, Oscar Wilde, Henry James, and Virginia Woolf complained of a lack of psychological depth, loose writing, and a vein of saccharine sentimentalism. The term Dickensian is used to describe something that is reminiscent of Dickens and his writings, such as poor social conditions or comically repulsive characters.

4.Conclusion

In constructing his novels, Dickens used suspense and mystery. His plots effectively hold the reader's interest, for something is always happening, even if the something is not connected with the main plot. He gives little space to exposition background information about the characters, history, earlier events. His stories tell themselves, and what background the reader needs to know is generally revealed as the novel unfolds. Similarly, his characters typically reveal their natures through action and conversation, rather than long passages of exposition and interpretation.