Charles dickens

Who is Charles Dickens?

What is a biography?

A biography

is a story about a real person

In this project…you have to do a biography about a real person

and another about an important fiction character.

You have to find the most important information about them.

A good biographyDescribes the person’s environment:

WhereWhen they livedHow

Gives important details about his/her life

Remember to use the past tense!

An example:

Charles dickens.

overviewBirth

Early years

Education

Career

work

BIRTH

He was born On 7th February 1812At Portsea in EnglandHe was the son of John Dickens and ElizabethHe was the second of eight children

Early Years

His father ended up in prison because he had a lot of debts

Charles left school and had to work when he was a child

His family moved first to London in 1823, then to Chatham and back to London

Dickens house in London at 48 Doughty Street.

Now is Charles Dickens’ museum.

A good reader

He read a lot of novels of important authors: Smollette, Fielding, Le Sage

These readings had an important influence on his works

Early Career

He became a junior clerk in a solicitor’s office in 1827

He learnt shorthand and became a reporter in 1829

Marriage

He married Catherine Thomson in 1836They had 10 childrenTheir marriage ended in separation in 1858

Writing CareerPublished Sketches by Boz in The Monthly

MagazineThey were a success.“Boz” was his pen nameHe wrote The Posthumous Papers of the

Pickwick clubfrom April 1836 to 1837It established his fame for all timeDickens became a busy and successful

novelist

Oliver Twist in 1838

About a boy named Oliver Twist who escapes from a workhouse and meets a gang of pickpockets in London

A Christmas Carol in 1843

About an old,rich and meanman

David Copperfield in 1849

•His masterpiece•Originally appeared in serial form•The most autobiographicalof all his novels

A Tale of Two Cities in 1859

Set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution.

With 200 million copies sold, it is the most printed original English book.

And more works…

Bleak House in 1852Little Dorrit in 1855Great Expectations in 1860Our Mutual Friend in 1864

Death He died from a cerebral stroke in 1870

He was buried in Westminster Abbey.

His interest in Social Reform

His novels explained the problems of his time:WorkhousesPoor childrenSchoolWork in factories…