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Dickens Biography

Charles Dickens was born on February 7, 1812, and faced financial hardships in his early life due to his father's irresponsibility, leading to his experience with child labor. He became a successful author with notable works including A Christmas Carol and Great Expectations, while also navigating personal challenges, including a troubled marriage and a long-term affair. Dickens's experiences with poverty and the legal system heavily influenced his writing and social commentary.

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17 views2 pages

Dickens Biography

Charles Dickens was born on February 7, 1812, and faced financial hardships in his early life due to his father's irresponsibility, leading to his experience with child labor. He became a successful author with notable works including A Christmas Carol and Great Expectations, while also navigating personal challenges, including a troubled marriage and a long-term affair. Dickens's experiences with poverty and the legal system heavily influenced his writing and social commentary.

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thomasevie164
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Charles Dickens

Dickens was born on 7th February, 1812, the second of eight


children born to John and Elizabeth Dickens. He spent the first none
years of his life living in Kent, a county in the southeast of England.
Despite being a kind and loving man, John Dickens was financially
irresponsible and with a large family to provide for, found it very
easy to rack up large debts.

As a result of this, the family moved to Camden Town in London, in


1822. John Dickens continued to live beyond his and his family’s
means and in 1824, he was finally arrested and sent to debtor’s
prison. Shortly afterwards, and probably as a result of being unable
to provide for herself and her eight children, Elizabeth Dickens
moved the rest of the family into prison with John.

Charles, however, did not join the rest of the family and was sent to
live with a family friend, where, at 12 years old, he was sent out to
work. He joined other child labourers at a blacking factory (where
shoe polish was made), sticking labels onto bottles for 10hours a
day. This job made a lasting impression on Dickens; the conditions
and pay were poor and the employers cruel.

When John Dickens’ grandmother died and left him a sum of money,
John was able to pay off his debts and was released from prison.
Charles did not immediately leave the factory, at his mother’s
request and this only served to heighten his disregard for the poor
working and living conditions that the working classes had to
endure.

When eventually Charles returned to school, he attended The


Wellington House Academy, which he described as being
haphazard, full of poor discipline, brutality, desultory teaching and a
run-down atmosphere. Despite this, Charles did well at school,
becoming a law clerk and then a court reporter, which taught him a
great deal about the bureaucracy and shortcomings of the English
legal system.

Dickens’ first novel, The Pickwick Papers, was published in monthly


instalments in 1836, when Dickens was still only 25. Oliver Twist,
Nickolas Nickleby, The Old Curiosity Shop and Barnaby Rudge were
all published in monthly instalments between 1837 and 1841.

Dickens married Catherine Hogarth in 1836 and the subsequently


had 10 children. A Christmas Carol, one of Dickens’ most famous
and well loved works was published in 1843, reportedly under
rushed circumstances in order to meet the financial demands of his
wife’s fifth pregnancy.

In 1858, Dickens left his wife Catherine, although they did not
divorce: it was still unheard of for someone as famous as he was. It
is widely believed that Dickens had a long standing affair with an
actress named Ellen Ternan, who was with him for the last 13 years
of his life. On his death, Dickens settled an annuity (an anuual sum
of money) on Ternan, meaning she was financially secure for the
rest of her life.

Dickens travelled a great deal, visiting America twice, Switzerland


and Italy and wrote a great many novels on top of those mentioned
above: David Copperfield, Bleak House, Hard Times, A Tale of Two
Cities and Great Expectations being the most well known.

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