English Literature: Who is Charles Dickens?
Subject: Reading – Literature
Reading level: B1 and above
One of the greatest novelist of the 19th century
Have you heard of the British author who was a ‘Ghostbuster’ during the Victorian era?
Charles Dickens was one of the most influential British authors of the 19th century, his popular works include novels such as Oliver Twist and A Christmas Carol. As today marks 150 years since his death, let’s learn more about the man widely regarded as one of the greatest novelists of the Victorian Era*.
Born on February 7, 1812, Dickens was the second of eight children. Throughout his education he was forced to drop out of school twice to help contribute to his family’s income; the first was when his father was imprisoned for bad debt in 1824, the second was when he was 15 years old in 1827 where he took up a job as an office boy. As it turned out, the job helped launch his writing career where he began freelance reporting at the law courts of London.
Dickens published 15 novels throughout his career, apart from novels he also edited weekly periodicals*, wrote travel books and administered charitable organisations. He was also a theatre enthusiast where he wrote plays and performed before Queen Victoria in 1851. At the time of his death, his final novel ‘The Mystery of Edwin Drood’ was unfinished.
Fun fact: Dickens together with authors like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and William Butler Yeats were part of a members-only group called the ‘Secret Society of Spirits’, which debated about how, when, and why ghosts might exist; investigating supernatural encounters and exposing frauds in the process. Talk about 19th century ghostbusting.
The Christmas that was, that is and that has yet to come…
A Christmas Carol (1843)
The book was intended to bring attention to the hardships faced by the poorer classes in England; Dickens finished it in just six weeks, beginning in October and published it a few days before Christmas on December 19, 1843.
The story revolves around Ebenezer Scrooge, a bad tempered and negative old miser*, who is well-known for his miserly* ways. On Christmas Eve, he is visited by a series of ghosts, starting with his old business partner, Jacob Marley. The three spirits; the Ghost of Christmas Past, Christmas Present and Christmas Yet to Come, show Scrooge, how his mean behaviour has affected those around him.
At the end of the story he is relieved to discover that there is still time for him to change and we see him transformed into a generous and kind-hearted human being. Selling more than 6,000 copies upon publication, the book was a roaring success*.
Many adaptations of this Dickens classic made include theatrical adaptations, live action and animated films as well as radio dramas, with the earliest being a British short silent film entitled ‘Scrooge, or Marley’s Ghost’ in 1901.
Interested to know what happens to Ebenezer in the story, click here for the pdf
Oliver Twist (1837 – 1839)
Also known as the Parish Boy’s Progress was Dickens first novel, which follows the life of a young orphan, Oliver Twist. He spent most of his childhood at a “child farm” (orphanage) and was sent away to work as an apprentice to an undertaker*,
After suffering repeated mistreatment, he runs away to London, gets involved with a criminal gang of boys where he is trained to steal and starts passing his life with criminals. At the end of the story he manages to escape and lives with his Aunt and the criminals were imprisoned.
The book, first published in instalments by a magazine, Bentley’s Miscellany between February 1837 and April 1839 was inspired by how he felt as an impoverished* child forced to get by on his wits and earn his own keep when his father was imprisoned.
By April 1839, 53 chapters of the novel had been published. Many adaptations were made which included films, television shows and also theatrical adaptations – where the first adaptation of the book was a silent film in 1909 titled ‘Oliver Twist’.
Interested to read the full story, click here for a pdf version of the story.
Whether you’re looking to read Dickens or something more contemporary, ILTI students have full access to borrow books from our library. You can also read e-books from the National Library, click here to find out more
What is that?
*Victorian Era – the period of time during Queen Victoria’s reign (1837 to 1901)
*Periodicals – Publications that are published at regular intervals. These include daily newspapers, weekly magazines, quarterly journals, newsletters.
*Miser – a person who is extremely stingy with money
*Miserly – relating to, or characteristic of a miser
*A roaring success (idiom) – which means extremely successful
*Undertaker – a person whose business is preparing dead bodies for burial or cremation and making arrangements for funerals.
*Impoverished – reduced to poverty