Charles Dickens

19th Century English Author

The Early Years… Born February 7, 1812 He attended school till the age of 9. He had to stop going to school because his

father went to jail for having bad debt. After three years, he was able to go back to

school.

The Early Years… He had six brothers and sisters (and it is

thought that he used his brothers and sisters as characters when he began writing).

When he was 12, he was forced to work at a factory.

The Early Years… As an adult, Dickens found work first in a

law office, then as a newspaper reporter. He realized then that he loved writing, and

wrote for the newspaper as well as stories during his personal time.

The Early Years… Dickens wrote Pickwick Papers, which was a

series. He wrote 12,000 word sections every month, and

sold it for a shilling. People loved this idea, especially the ones that

couldn’t afford to buy entire books. Every book he wrote after that was sold the same

way, until he published A Christmas Carol.

Infamous Author Dickens wrote many more stories in the

years to come.

He moved his family to Italy, Switzerland and Paris, where he wrote some of his best works.

Infamous Author Once, he returned to England, he wrote

some of his best works, such as Great Expectations and a Tale of Two Cities.

His work always drew attention to the sensitive conditions of the poor, modeled after the poor life that he had lived.

Haram…and then… Dickens had ten children. While working on his last work The Mystery

of Edwin Drood, Dickens had a stroke and died on June 9, 1870.

Haram…and then… Dickens tombstone on Westminster Abbey,

England, reads :he was a sympathizer to the

poor, the suffering, and the oppressed; and by his death, one of England's greatest writers is lost to

the world.

London Times What was it like in Dickens time?

Certain Laws in England were passed that made living conditions horrible for working and lower class people.

London was one of the first large industrial cities, it quickly became very polluted and unhealthy for people to live there.

London Times Most of London’s youth was poor and

homeless. Because of extreme living conditions,

many children were very sick and died young.

In 1839, nearly half of the funerals in London were for children under the age of 10.

London Times Many children grew up without

education and no chance to escape poverty.

Dickens believed this was wrong and became interested in the “Ragged Schools” in London: Schools for poor children that could not afford tuition for private schools.

A Christmas Carol Published in 1843. When Dickens wrote it, people had

not celebrated Christmas in England for years.

Stores and factories remained opened on December 25 and many people were forced to work.

A Christmas Carol The themes present in the story were

also common themes seen throughout society. For example, homelessness and poverty.

A Christmas Carol The story also relates to his home life

growing up with his brothers and sisters.