Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens is a renowned English novelist and social commentator who has been widely celebrated for his literary works by avid readers even today. He is one of the most iconic authors of the Victorian era. Throughout his career, he wrote 15 novels, five novellas, and over 50 short stories, and his writings have been translated into more than 40 languages.
1. Charles Dickens’ Books
1.1. Novels
The Pickwick Papers (1837)
The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, v. 1 (1837)
The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, v. 2 (1837)
Oliver Twist (1838)
Nicholas Nickleby (1839)
The Old Curiosity Shop (1841)
Barnaby Rudge: A Tale of the Riots of Eighty (1841)
A Christmas Carol in Prose; Being a Ghost Story of Christmas (1843)
A Christmas Carol (1843)
A Christmas Carol (1843)
A Christmas Carol: The original manuscript (1843)
Martin Chuzzlewit (1844)
The Chimes (1844)
The Cricket on the Hearth (1845)
The Cricket on the Hearth: A Fairy Tale of Home (1845)
The Battle of Life: A Love Story (1846)
The Haunted Man and the Ghost’s Bargain (1848)
Dombey and Son (1848)
David Copperfield (1850)
Bleak House (1853)
Hard Times (1854)
Little Dorrit (1857)
A Tale of Two Cities (1859)
Great Expectations (1861)
Our Mutual Friend (1865)
The Mystery of Edwin Drood (1870)
1.2. Short Stories
The Lamplighter (1838)
A Child’s Dream of a Star (1850)
A Christmas Tree (1850)
What Christmas is as we Grow Older (1851)
The Poor Relation’s Story (1852)
The Child’s Story (1852)
To Be Read at Dusk (1852)
The Schoolboy’s Story (1853)
Nobody’s Story (1853)
The Seven Poor Travellers (1854)
The Holly-Tree (1855)
The Wreck of the Golden Mary (1856)
The Perils of Certain English Prisoners (1857)
Going into Society (1858)
Hunted Down: The Detective Stories of Charles Dickens (1859)
The Haunted House (1859)
A Message from the Sea (1860)
Tom Tiddler’s Ground (1861)
Somebody’s Luggage (1862)
Mrs. Lirriper’s Lodgings (1863)
Mrs. Lirriper’s Legacy (1864)
Doctor Marigold (1865)
The Trial For Murder (1865)
The Signal-Man (1866)
Mugby Junction (1866)
George Silverman’s Explanation (1868)
Holiday Romance (1868)
The Trial of William Tinkling (1868, from Holiday Romance)
The Magic Fishbone (1868, from Holiday Romance)
Captain Boldheart and the Latin-Grammar Master (1868, from Holiday Romance)
1.3. Short Story Collections
Sketches by Boz: Illustrative of Every-Day Life and Every-Day People (1836)
Mudfog and Other Sketches (1837 – 1838)
Sketches of Young Gentlemen (1838)
Sketches of Young Couples (1839)
Master Humphrey’s Clock (1840 – 1841)
Reprinted Pieces (1861)
1.4. Magazine
Pearl-Fishing; Choice Stories from Dickens’ Household Words; First Series
Pearl-Fishing; Choice Stories from Dickens’ Household Words; Second Series
1.5. Play
Old Scrooge: A Christmas Carol in Five Staves
1.6. Non-fiction
Sunday Under Three Heads (1836)
American Notes (1842)
Pictures from Italy (1846)
A Child’s History of England (1853)
The Uncommercial Traveller (1860 – 1869)
Contributions to All The Year Round
1.7. Letters
The Letters of Charles Dickens. Vol. 1. 1833-1856
The Letters of Charles Dickens. Vol. 2. 1857-1870
The Letters of Charles Dickens. Vol. 3. 1836-1870
Scenes and Characters from the Works of Charles Dickens
Dickens’s Children: Ten Drawings
1.8. Poetry
The Loving Ballad of Lord Bateman
The Poems and Verses of Charles Dickens
1.9. Adaptations of Charles Dickens’ Works by Other Authors
Charles Dickens’ Children Stories
Nell and Her Grandfather Told from Charles Dickens’s “The Old Curiosity Shop”
Dickens’ Stories About Children Every Child Can Read
2. Charles Dickens Biography
2.1. Early Life of Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was born on February 7th, 1812, in Portsmouth, England, to John and Elizabeth Dickens. He was the second of eight children. His father was a clerk in the Navy Pay Office, providing enough money for Dickens to attend school as a child. However, his father went through financial troubles and was sent to a debtors’ prison in 1824. The Dickens family had to be evicted from their home, leaving Dickens and his siblings to fend for themselves. At 12, Dickens was forced to leave school and work at Warren’s Blacking Warehouse, where he earned 6 shillings per week, pasting labels onto shoe polish bottles.
This experience was incredibly difficult for young Charles, profoundly influencing his future writing, including his portrayal of poverty and children’s experiences at work. His novels, like David Copperfield and Oliver Twist, often dealt with the plight of the poor and the injustices of the social class system. He was also known for his vivid characterization, undoubtedly influenced by the people he encountered in his childhood.
Dickens eventually returned to school and was able to study for a short time. He later worked as a clerk for a law firm and later as a journalist. At this time, he also began writing under the pen name “Boz.” In 1836, Dickens started to write fiction, and his first novel, The Pickwick Papers, was published in 1837. It was an instant success, and Dickens enjoyed a successful career as a novelist and journalist.
2.2. Literary Career
Charles Dickens showcased an incredible range of talent and expertise through his novels, short stories, plays, and weekly journal entries. His works are renowned for their humor, social commentary, and pathos. His unique style of writing was often humorous and satirical, reflecting the injustices of poverty through the lens of compassion. Dickens became an icon of the Victorian period through his vivid characterizations and descriptions of 19th-century life.
He is best known for his works Oliver Twist, Great Expectations, David Copperfield, A Tale of Two Cities, The Pickwick Papers, and Nicholas Nickleby, exploring themes such as poverty, injustice, love, and redemption with vivid details and memorably-crafted characters. His literary works have been adapted into countless films, television shows, and stage productions worldwide.
Dickens also created some of the world’s best-known fictional characters, such as Ebenezer Scrooge, Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, Miss Havisham, Pip, and many more.
2.3. A Christmas Carol and Ebenezer Scrooge
His most famous work, A Christmas Carol, was published in 1843 and instantly became a holiday favorite. The story follows the cold-hearted and miserly Ebenezer Scrooge as he learns to appreciate the spirit of Christmas after being visited by three ghosts who show him past, present, and future events. This story teaches readers the importance of selflessness and generosity.
Dickens’s vivid imagery and characterization make this classic book a must-read every year around Christmas time. Since its original publication, A Christmas Carol has been adapted into numerous versions and retellings from film to theater to television programs furthering its reach across generations and cultures.
2.4. Catherine Hogarth
Dickens met his wife, Catherine Hogarth, in 1835 when he was 23, and she was 19. Catherine’s father, George Hogarth, was an editor for the magazine Dickens was writing for, The Morning Chronicle. Dickens and Catherine married the following year in April 1836, and in the following years, Catherine bore him ten children.
In 1858 Dickens and his wife separated, although they never officially divorced. Dickens ended up living with a young actress named Ellen Ternan, with whom he had a close relationship until he died in 1870.
2.5. Passing
His life and career were cut short when he died from a stroke on July 9th, 1870, in Kent, England. He was 58 years old at the time of his passing.
More information about Charles Dickens at Sevenov.