Charles Dickens was born in 1812 in England and had a difficult childhood, as his father was imprisoned for debt and he had to work in a factory. He later became a journalist and began writing novels professionally in the 1830s, publishing many famous works including Oliver Twist, A Christmas Carol, and A Tale of Two Cities. Dickens wrote numerous other novels that were hugely popular during his lifetime. He is now considered one of the greatest English authors and his works are regarded as classics of literature.
2. Early Years
Born Feb. 7, 1812, Portsmouth,
Hampshire, Eng.
Moved form London to a small
country home where his family
lived comfortably in the
middle class
Even though his father was
paid well with his job as a navy
office clerk, he often put the
family in debt
Debt =(
3. Early Years (Cont.)
His father ended up in prison and
he began working, ending his
schooling short
After a relative passes and leaves
the Dickens family with a great
deal of money, Charles’ father
gets out of prison and Charles
gets to go back to school
He is only an average student
however, and does not last long
there
John Dickens
4. Early Writing
Some of his early jobs had him
in the courts as a shorthand
writer and then as a journalist
for the newspaper
In 1833 he began writing short
stories and essays to be
published in newspaper which
in return, drew attention to
him
ShorthandWriting
5. Early Writing (Cont.)
As a successful journalist, he
decided to became a full time
novelist
By 1839 he had already written
Pickwick, two plays and OliverTwist
The Old Curiosity Shop (1840-1841)
Barnaby Rudge (1841)
Martin Chuzzlewit (1843-1844)
First Christmas book
A Christmas Carol
Oliver
Twist and
A
Christmas
Carol
6. Influences
His early working
experiences at age twelve at
Warren’s Blacking Factory
caused him great
psychological trauma and
influenced his feelings of
abandonment and betrayal
His mother’s decision to
keep him working after his
father’s release influenced
his negative feeling for her
7. Last Years
His death came on suddenly in
June of 1870 although his
health had stopped him from
giving many readings
He was buried in the
Westminster Abbey
Westminster
Abbey- Charles
Dickens Grave
8. Greatest Works
Greatest Works that
have not already been
mentioned
Dombey and Son (1848);
David Copperfield (1850);
Bleak House (1853); Hard
Times (1854); Little Dorrit
(1857); ATale ofTwo
Cities (1859); Great
Expectations (1861);Our
Mutual Friend (1865);The
Mystery of Edwin Drood
(1870)
ATale ofTwo
Cities and The
Mystery of
Edward Drood
9. Lasting Legacy
Noted as one of History’s
greatest poets and writers
While some would criticize
him and not even recognize
him as a writer, others
would compare his writing
to that of Shakespeare
His books are now
categorized with those of
classical literature and his
titles have become famously
known and been adapted as
movies and theatrical plays