Dickens Charles.docx

Dickens Charles.docx

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DickensCharles

Dickens,Charles

Dickens,Charles（1812-1870）,wasagreatEnglishnovelistandoneofthemostpopularwritersofalltime.Hisbest-knownbooksincludeAChristmasCarol,DavidCopperfield,GreatExpectations,OliverTwist,ThePickwickPapers,andATaleofTwoCities.DickenscreatedsomeofthemostfamouscharactersinEnglishliterature.Healsocreatedscenesanddescriptionsofplacesthathavelongdelightedreaders.Dickenswasakeenobserveroflifeandhadagreatunderstandingofhumanity,especiallyofyoungpeople.Hesympathizedwiththepoorandhelpless,andmockedandcriticizedtheselfish,thegreedy,andthecruel.

Dickenswasalsoawonderfullyinventivecomicartist.Thewarmthandhumorofhispersonalityappearinallhisworks.Perhapsinnootherlargebodyoffictiondoesthereaderreceivesostrongandagreeableanimpressionofthepersonbehindthestory.

Dickens'slife

CharlesJohnHuffamDickenswasborninPortsmouth,England,onFeb.7,1812.HemovedwithhisfamilytoLondonwhenhewasabouttwoyearsold.ManyoftheeventsandpeopleinDickens'sbooksarebasedoneventsandpeopleinhislife.Dickens'sfather,JohnDickens,wasapoorandeasygoingclerkwhoworkedforthenavy.JohnservedinsomerespectsasthemodelforWilkinsMicawberinDavidCopperfield.Hespenttimeinprisonfordebt,aneventthatCharlesre-createdinLittleDorrit.

EvenwhenJohnwasfree,helackedthemoneytosupporthisfamilyadequately.Attheageof12,CharlesworkedinaLondonfactorypastinglabelsonbottlesofshoepolish.Heheldthejobonlyafewmonths,butthemiseryofthatexperienceremainedwithhimallhislife.

Dickensattendedschooloffandonuntilhewas15,andthenleftforgood.Heenjoyedreadingandwasespeciallyfondofadventurestories,fairytales,andnovels.HewasinfluencedbysuchearlierEnglishwritersasWilliamShakespeare,TobiasSmollett,andHenryFielding.However,mostoftheknowledgehelaterusedasanauthorcamefromhisobservationoflifearoundhim.

Dickensbecameanewspaperreporterinthelate1820's.HespecializedincoveringdebatesinParliamentandalsowrotefeaturearticles.Hisworkasareportersharpenedhisnaturallykeenearforconversationandhelpeddevelophisskillinportrayinghischaracters'speechrealistically.Italsoincreasedhisabilitytoobserveandtowriteswiftlyandclearly.Dickens'sfirstbook,SketchesbyBoz（1836）,consistedofarticleshewrotefortheMonthlyMagazineandtheLondonEveningChronicle.Thesedescriptions,fictionalportraits,andshortstoriessurveyedmannersandconditionsofthetime.

Literarysuccess.DickenswonhisfirstliteraryfamewithThePosthumousPapersofthePickwickClub.Publishedinmonthlypartsin1836and1837,thebookdescribesthehumorousadventuresandmisadventuresofagroupofslightlyeccentriccharactersinLondonandtheEnglishcountryside.Afteraslowstart,ThePickwickPapers-asthebookisusuallycalled-gainedapopularityseldommatchedinthehistoryofliterature.At24,Dickenssuddenlyfoundhimselffamous.Heremainedsountilhisdeath.

Dickensfoundedandeditedtwohighlysuccessfulweeklymagazines.HeeditedHouseholdWordsfrom1850to1859andAlltheYearRoundfrom1859tohisdeath.Asapublicfigure,Dickenswasconstantlyinthenews,andwasrecognizedandhonoredwhereverhewent.HewasfamousinAmericaaswellasinBritain,andhetouredtheUnitedStatesin1842andin1867and1868.

Personallife.PersonalunhappinessmarredDickens'spublicsuccess.In1836,hemarriedCatherineHogarth.CatherinehadasisterMary,whodiedin1837.Dickens'sgriefatMary'sdeathhasledsomescholarstobelievethathelovedMarymorethanhiswife.Catherinewasagoodwomanbutlackedgreatintelligence.SheandDickenshad10children.Thecoupleseparatedin1858.

Dickenshadremarkablementalandphysicalenergy.Herecordedhisactivitiesinthousandsofletters,manyofwhichmakedelightfulreading.Hespentmuchofhiscrowdedsociallifewithfriendsfromtheworldsofartandliterature.Dickensenjoyeddramaandwenttothetheaterasoftenashecould.Whenhewasrichandfamous,hemadeahobbyofproducingandactinginamateurtheatricalproductions.Hehadgreatsuccessgivingpublicreadingsofhisworks.Dickens'sgiftforcreatingdramaticscenesinhisnovelscanbetracedtohisloveforthetheater.

Besideswriting,editing,andtouringasadramaticreader,Dickensbusiedhimselfwithvariouscharities.ThesecharitiesincludedschoolsforpoorchildrenandaloansocietytoenablethepoortomovetoAustralia.Dickensoftenwalkedforhourstoworkoffhisremainingenergy.HecametoknowthestreetsandalleysofLondonbetter,perhaps,thananyotherpersonofhistime.

Dickens'shealthbegantodeclineabout1865,andhediedofastrokeonJune9,1870.

Dickens'sbooks

Dickenswrote20novels（including5shortChristmasbooks）,andmanysketches,travelbooks,andothernonfictionworks.Notallofhisbookswerebestsellers,butthemostpopularonesbrokeallsalesrecordsforthetime.Mostofhisnovelswerepublishedinsections.

Thefirstphase.AfterthesuccessofThePickwickPapers,Dickensturnedtomoreseriousthemesandplots.However,healwaysintroducedenoughhumortokeephisbooksentertaining.

OliverTwist（1837-1839）describestheadventuresofapoororphanboy.ThebookwasnotedforitssensationalpresentationofLondon'scriminalworldandforitsattackonEngland'smistreatmentofthepoor.

InNicholasNickleby（1838-1839）,Dickenscriticizedgreedyproprietorsofprivateschools,whotreatedstudentsbrutallyandtaughtthemnothing.

TheOldCuriosityShop（1840-1841）islessrespectedtodaythanwhenitwasfirstpublished,largelybecausethedeathsceneofLittleNellseemssentimentaltomoderntastes.

BarnabyRudge（1841）isahistoricalnovelthatdealswithaseriesofriotsinLondonin1780.MartinChuzzlewit（1843-1844）isoneoftwobooksthatDickensbasedonhisfirsttriptoAmerica.TheotheristhetravelbookAmericanNotes（1842）.DickensintendedMartinChuzzlewittobeastudyofmanyformsofselfishness.ButitisbestknownforitsunflatteringpictureofthecrudenessofAmericanmannersandforitscomiccharacters.TwoofitsfinestcreationsarethehypocritePecksniffandthechattering,alcoholicmidwifeSaireyGamp.

Dickenswrotehisfive"Christmasbooks"duringthe1840's.Thefirst,AChristmasCarol（1843）,isoneofthemostfamousstorieseverwritten.Inthebook,threeghostsshowtheoldmiserEbenezerScroogehispast,present,andfuture.Realizingthathehasbeenlivingalifeofgreed,Scroogechangesintoawarmandunselfishperson.TheotherChristmasbooksareTheChimes（1844）,TheCricketontheHearth（1845）,TheBattleofLife（1846）,andTheHauntedMan（1848）.

Thesecondphase.Duringthe1840's,Dickens'sviewofVictoriansociety,andperhapsoftheworld,grewdarker.Hishumorbecamemorebitter,oftentakingtheformofbitingsatire.Hischaractersandplotsseemedtoemphasizetheevilsideofhumanexperience.

Atthesametime,Dickensincreasinglyrefinedhisart.Therangeofhistonewidenedandhepaidmoreattentiontostructureandarrangement.Heturnedtosymbolicthemestohelpexpressandexpandhisobservationsontopicalpoliticalandsocialissuesandonlargermattersofmoralityandvalues.TheunhealthyLondonfoginBleakHouse,forexample,symbolizestheillnessofsociety,especiallyitslackofresponsibilitytowardthedowntroddenandtheunfortunate.

DombeyandSon（1846-1848）dealsprimarilywithaselfishegotistwhosepridecutshimofffromthewarmthofhumanlove.ThebookstressestheevilsoftheVictorianadmirationformoney.Dickensbelievedthatmoneyhadbecomethemeasureofallpersonalrelationsandthegoalofallambition.

WithDavidCopperfield（1849-1850）,Dickenstemporarilylessenedtheroleofsocialcriticismtoconcentratemoreonsemiautobiography.Thenoveldescribesayoungman'sdiscoveryoftherealitiesofadultlife.David'syouthisclearlypatternedafterDickens'syouth.

BleakHouse（1852-1853）isinmanyrespectsDickens'sgreatestnovel.Ithasacomplexstructureandmanylevelsofmeaning,mixingmelodramawithsatireandsocialcommentary.Thebookdealswithmanysocialevils,chieflywastefulandcruellegalprocesses.Italsoattackstheneglectofthepoor,falsehumanitariansandclergymen,andpoorsanitation.

ThislongnovelwasfollowedbythemuchshorterandsimplerHardTimes（1854）.HardTimesattacksphilosopherJeremyBentham'sdoctrineofutilitarianism.Benthambelievedthatallhumanideas,actions,andinstitutionsshouldbejudgedbytheirusefulness.DickenswasconvincedthatBenthamreducedsocialrelationstoproblemsofcold,mechanicalself-interest.

InLittleDorrit（1855-1857）,Dickenscontinuedhiscampaignagainstmaterialismandsnobbery,whichwererepresentedbytherichMerdlefamilyandtheirsocial-climbingfriends.Healsoridiculedgovernmentinefficiencyintheformofthe"CircumlocutionOffice."Theprison,likethefoginBleakHouse,issymbolic.Itstandsforthepainfulconditionsoflifeinamaterialistic,decayingsociety.

ATaleofTwoCities（1859）wasthesecondofDickens'stwohistoricalnovels.ItissetinLondonandParisandtellsoftheheroismoffictionalSydneyCartonduringtheFrenchRevolution.

InGreatExpectations（1860-1861）,Dickensreturnedtothethemeofayouth'sdiscoveryoftherealitiesoflife.AnunknownpersonprovidestheyoungheroPipwithmoneysothatPipcanliveasagentleman.Pip'sprideisshatteredwhenhelearnsthesourceofhis"greatexpectations."Onlybypa