Confession time: this English major has never read any Charles Dickens.
I know -- shameful, right? We covered Trollope and Hardy in my 19th-century British Literature class, but somehow we never got around to Dickens.
But of course, the thing about Dickens is that his influence on literature was so great that you don't have to have read his stories to know something about them.
Charles Dickens was born two hundred years ago today, to parents Elizabeth and John Dickens. John was a clerk in the Naval Pay Office and, unfortunately, was somewhat terrible with matters of money. He eventually wound up imprisoned for debt. Incredibly, Elizabeth and the rest of their eight children would soon join John in Marshalsea Prison -- with the exception of Charles himself, who was put to work instead in Warren's Blacking Factory. His father was eventually released and was able to rescue 12-year-old Charles from the factory life, but the experience had already left its mark. Charles spent the next three years as a day pupil at a London school before getting another job at age 15 -- this time as an office boy at an attorney's. By age 17 he was a freelance reporter at Doctor's Commons Courts. He'd studied shorthand during his nights at the attorney's, and by 1832 he was a highly successful shorthand reporter for debates of Parliament in the House of Commons. Dickens's first published stories would begin to appear in 1833, although he'd continue on in his career as a reporter until the runaway success of the serialized novel The Pickwick Papers allowed him to become a full-time novelist. (He'd also publish short pieces under the unusual pen name of "Boz.")
Dickens would marry Catherine Hogarth in 1836 (they'd eventually have ten children), and followed up The Pickwick Papers with Oliver Twist and Nicholas Nickleby. The following two decdes would see the serialized publication of such other novels as David Copperfield, A Tale of Two Cities, and Great Expectations. He'd also tour through Canada and America in 1852 (and create a bit of buzz upon publishing his American Notes, commenting a bit unfavorably on certain American habits such as tobacco chewing).
The work that is perhaps his most famous was first published in December 1844. The short novel A Christmas Carol was the first of several Christmas-themed books that Dickens would produce, but Christmas Carol would, by far, remain his most popular. The story stars Ebenezer Scrooge, a miserly man visited by three Christmas ghosts (of Past, Present, and Future) intent on convincing Scrooge to change his ways. The simple but memorable tale was an instant hit that's been credited with bringing a sense of "Christmas cheer" back to England and America during the era. The novella has never been out of print since its original publication and remains a perennial Christmas classic. It's been brought to life in countless adaptations and variations on the stage and the screen, with the role of Scrooge being played by everyone from Reginald Owen and Basil Rathbone, to Albert Finney and Bill Murray, to Patrick Stewart and Michael Caine -- and, most recently, Jim Carrey, Kelsey Grammer, and even Batman himself.
Of course, Dickens is an author so classic that you don't have to have read any of his works to have felt his influence on literature. From such famous lines as "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times" and "Please sir, I want some more" to such characters as Scrooge, Marley, Pip, Miss Havisham, and Oliver Twist, Dickens's work has become an indelible part of popular culture. (The character of Pip has even made an appearance on the animated show South Park.)
So if, like me, you'd like to know more about Dickens -- but aren't quite ready to dive into Bleak House just yet (I've been trying to read that one for awhile) -- check out the links below for more about this literary giant.
(And, while we're making confessions: I've never read any Jane Austen either. Then again, she was born in December, so I've got some time yet!)
- Charles Dickens - the LA Times
- Dickens: A Brief Biography - VictorianWeb.org
- Five Myths About Charles Dickens - the Washington Post
- Charles Dickens Still Resonates - Christian Science Monitor
- World Celebrates 200th Anniversary of Dickens's Birth - BBC News
-- Post by Ms. B
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