a Charles Dickens' Novels presentation

1. CHARLES DICKENS’ NOVELS
UD 3 - COMPLEMENTOS PARA LA FORMACIÓN
DISCIPLINARIA EN LENGUA INGLESA
Chiara Mastrorocco

2. CHARLES DICKENS
 Portsmouth 1812 – Kent 1870
 Born in a poor family he was second of eight
children.
 He had a difficult childhood, his father was jailed
and he was forced to leave school and work in a
factory.

3. CHARLES DICKENS’ CAREER
 started in 1833 as a journalist
 few years later - worked for the two major London newspapers
 the connections to various magazines and newspapers gave him
the opportunity to begin publishing his own works.
 he was regarded as one of the most successful authors of the
Victorian period.
 today he is considered one of the greatest British novelist and his
numerous works are now considered classics.

4. CHARLES DICKENS’ NOVELS
 The Pickwick Papers – 1836
 Oliver Twist – 1837
 Nicholas Nickleby – 1838
 The Old Curiosity Shop – 1840
 Barnaby Rudge – 1841
 A Christmas Carol - 1843
 Martin Chuzzlewit – 1843
 Dombey and Son – 1846
 David Copperfield – 1849
 Bleak House – 1852
 Hard Times – 1854
 Little Dorrit – 1855
 A Tale of Two Cities – 1859
 Great Expectations – 1860
 Our Mutual Friend – 1864
 The Mystery of Edwin Drood –
1870

5. THE PICKWICK PAPERS – 1836
 Charles Dickens’ first novel.
 It was initially published in
monthly instalments from
March of 1836 until
November 1837.
 The subject is the injustice
of the justice system.
 This is a comic novel, full
of humorous quotes dealing
with the legal system.
“Why, I don’t exactly know
about perjury, my dear sir,”
replied the little gentleman.
“Harsh word, my dear sir, very
harsh word indeed. It’s a legal
fiction, my dear sir, nothing
more.”

6. OLIVER TWIST – 1837
 The book's subtitle is “The
Parish Boy's Progress”
 It is the story of an orphan
boy, Oliver Twist, who runs
away from a workhouse and
meets a pickpocket on the
streets of London and his
miserable adventures.
 The main subjects are social
oppression, criminality and
the cruel treatment of the
many orphans in London
during the Dickens’ Era.
 In 1999 Tv – mini series
 In 2005 – film by Roman
Polanski
“Come, -said Mr. Bumble- ,
somewhat less pompously, for it was
gratifying to his feelings to observe
the effect his eloquence had
produced; 'Come, Oliver! Wipe your
eyes with the cuffs of your jacket,
and don't cry into your gruel; that's
a very foolish action, Oliver.”
- Chapter 2 –

7. NICHOLAS NICKLEBY – 1838
 First published on March 31 1838, last
instalment was published on October 1,
1839.
 Nicholas is sent to teach at Dotheboys Hall,
a school where there are no holidays, no trips
home for the abused and neglected pupils of
Mr. Wackford Squeers.
 The main goal is to denounce the ugly truth
about Yorkshire boarding schools.
 In early 1838 Dickens and Hablot Browne
(illustrator for Nickleby), travelled to
Yorkshire to see the boarding schools for
themselves and discovered a terrible reality:
pupils became blind because of beatings and
poor nutrition, it was common for one pupil
to die every year.
 Dickens’s mother, Elizabeth Dickens, was the
model for the always confused, comic Mrs.
Nickleby. Luckily for Charles she didn’t
recognize herself in the character.
“I'm pretty well. So's the family, and so's the
boys, except for a sort of rash as is a running
through the school, and rather puts 'em off
their feed.[...] and if a boy repines at a
visitation and makes you uncomfortable with
his noise, he must have his head punched.
That's going according to the Scripter, that
is.”
― Charles Dickens,” Nicholas Nickleby”

8. THE OLD CURIOSITY SHOP - 1840
 The novel was published in
instalments in the periodical
“Master Humphrey’s Clock”.
 It is about the life of Nell Trent (an
orphan girl) and her grandfather,
both residents of The Old Curiosity
Shop in London.
 At the time of its writing it’s
rumoured that people waited on the
docks of New York for the last
instalments of “The Old Curiosity
Shop”. When the ship carrying the
magazines arrived people in the
crowd asked, “Is Little Nell dead?”
 While writing it, Dickens brought
back painful memories of the death
of his sister-in-law, Mary Hogarth.
“Because the memory of those who lie
below, passes away so soon. At first
they tend them, morning, noon, and
night; they soon begin to come less
frequently; from once a day, to once a
week; from once a week to once a
month […]” - Charles Dickens, The Old
Curiosity Shop

9. A CHRISTMAS CAROL - 1843
 The most successful book of the
1843 holiday season.
 By Christmas it sold six thousand
copies and it continued to be
popular into the new year.
 Dickens was very concerned with
impoverished children who
turned to crime and delinquency
in order to survive.
 The story is about Scrooge’s
legendary transformation, a
greedy, selfish person who
changes after a ghostly night and
sees life in a whole new way.
 The book is as popular today as it
was over 150 years ago.
«I’m the Ghost of Christmas
Present» said the spirit «look
upon me»

10. DOMBEY AND SON - 1848
 Published in monthly parts Oct 1846 -
Apr 1848.
 The novel tells the story of Paul
Dombey, powerful head of the House of
Dombey, who wants a son but when a
daughter (Florence) is born he despises
her, his second child (Paul) dies for
sickness and her wife dies giving birth
to him. He gets married again but his
second wife doesn’t love him and runs
away with Carker, a manager at the
firm. At the end he reconciled with his
daughter, living with her family.
 It is considered Dickens first artistically
mature work.
 After “Dombey and Son” Dickens'
reputation as a world class author was
established.
“Where is Florence?' 'I am here, Papa, I am
here.' 'I don't know her!' he would cry. 'We
have been parted so long, that I don't know
her!' and then a staring dread would he upon
him, until she could soothe his perturbation;
and recall the tears she tried so hard, at
other times, to dry.“
Charles Dickens -“Dombey and Son” –
Chapter 61

11. DAVID COPPERFIELD – 1849
 Pseudo-autobiographical novel.
 Also considered an industrial novel, it reflects
the misery experienced during the industrial
revolution.
AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL ELEMENTS:
 The name of the main character, David
Copperfield, has the inverted initials of its
author, Charles Dickens.
 David’s pretty young mother, was inspired by
Dickens’s mother, who attended a ball on the
night she gave birth to her son Charles.
 Both his father and Mr. Micawber were
imprisoned for debt.
 David’s employment at Murdstone and
Grinby’s is drawn from Dickens’s own painful
experiences at Warren’s Blacking Factory.
“…like many fond parents, I have in my
heart of hearts a favourite child. And his
name is David Copperfield.“ – Preface
1867 edition.

12. BLEAK HOUSE – 1852
 The title refers to the social ills and
hypocrisy.
 One character, Krook, dies via an
unusual method: a spontaneous
combustion.
 The idea is to demonstrate that
passionate forces can lie within us and
the flaws in the British Court of
Chancery (handled items like property
disputes) are considered an ineffective,
expensive and technically difficult
system.
 Dickens was very familiar with the
court system (time spent as a law
clerk). He also had a bad experience
with the court in 1844.
“But injustice breeds injustice; the
fighting with shadows and being
defeated by them necessitates the setting
up of substances to combat.”
Charles Dickens - Bleak House

13. HARD TIMES – 1854
 Published in weekly parts Apr 1854 - Aug
1854, without illustrations.
 Novel of denunciation
 It describes the appalling conditions of life
in factory towns, hypocrisy of the rich, and
their indifference to the problems of the
poor.
 Dickens again flies the banner of social
reform, touching on themes of
industrialization, education, and
utilitarianism during the Industrial
Revolution of the 1850's.
 Considered one of his masterpiece and "his
only serious work of art“ (Levis).
 Taught in schools (it is Dickens' shortest
major work).
”Now, what I want is Facts. Teach these
boys and girls nothing but Facts. Facts
alone are wanted in life. Plant nothing
else, and root out everything else. You
can only form the mind of reasoning
animals upon Facts: nothing else will
ever be of any service to them.”
Charles Dickens - Hard Times –

14. LITTLE DORRIT (1855-1857)
 A work of satire on the
shortcomings of the
government and society of the
period.
 The principal theme is
imprisonment.
 He focuses upon the
institutions of debtors' prisons.
 Clear reference to his own
experience as a boy of visiting
his father in that prison.
 “Little Dorrit” is about a girl
who daily visits her father,
William Dorrit, locked up for
years in prison.
“Her look at her father, half
admiring him and proud of him,
half ashamed for him, all devoted
and loving, went to his inmost
heart. “
Charles Dickens - Little Dorrit

15. A TALE OF TWO CITIES – 1859
 The novel takes place during the
French Revolution.
 It is an exploration of London and Paris
as a weird comparative case study.
 In 1857 Dickens acted in the play “The
Frozen Deep“ as the character of
Richard Wardour.
 Wardour wants to kill Frank Aldersley
because he stole his true love, Clara,
but instead Wardour ends up saving
Aldersley’s life at the cost of his own.
Wardour dies in Clara’s arms and earns
her eternal gratitude for saving the life
of the man that she loves.
 The play gave him the idea for “A Tale
of Two Cites,” and brought lasting
changes to Dickens’s life (was not
happy in his marriage).
“I see a beautiful city and a brilliant people
rising from this abyss, and, in their struggles
to be truly free, in their triumphs and defeats,
through long years to come, I see the evil of
this time and of the previous time of which
this is the natural birth, gradually making
expiation for itself and wearing out…”

16. GREAT EXPECTATIONS – 1860
 It is a grotesque-tragicomic novel
because of the mix of comedy and
tragedy.
 The major themes in the novel are
all related to ambition (great
expectation).
 It is about Pip, his dream to
become a gentleman and his
interior transformations.
 The aim is to demonstrate that
affection, loyalty and conscience
are more important than social
advancement, wealth, and class.
 A different ending was planned,
then Dickens was persuaded by
his friend, Bulwer-Lytton to
change the ending to a happier
one.
”...suffering has been stronger than all
other teaching, and has taught me to
understand what your heart used to be. I
have been bent and broken, but – I hope –
into a better shape.”
Charles Dickens - Great Expectations

17. OUR MUTUAL FRIEND – 1864
 Dickens’ last completed
work.
 The story centres on the
effects of greed and the
corruption that money
brings.
 The writing was slow and
the monthly instalments
were not selling well.
 Dickens was beginning to
feel the effects of illness
that would plague him the
rest of his life.
“O Mr. Rokesmith, before you go, if you
could but make me poor again! O! Make me
poor again, Somebody, I beg and pray, or
my heart will break if this goes on! Pa, dear,
make me poor again and take me home! I
was bad enough there, but I have been so
much worse here. Don’t give me money, Mr.
Boffin, I won’t have money. Keep it away
from me…”

18. THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD – 1870
 His last and never completed
novel.
 The story is about a murder
mystery, in which Edwin Drood
is supposedly murdered and
suspicion is cast on his uncle.
 It is set in the Cathedral town of
Cloisterham.
 Dickens left exactly half of the
monthly instalments unfinished.
 After a day of working on the
completion of chapter 22,
Dickens suffered a stroke on
June 8, 1870 and died.
 “The Mystery of Edwin Drood”
remains a mystery to this day.
“He was simply and staunchly true
to his duty alike in the large case
and in the small. So all true souls
ever are. So every true soul ever
was, ever is, and ever will be. There
is nothing little to the really great in
spirit.”

19. CHARLES DICKENS' LESS POPULAR NOVELS
BORNABY RUDGE MARTIN CHUZZLEWIT
 Published in weekly instalments
Feb 1841 - Nov 1841.
 When the novel was eventually
published it wasn’t very well
received.
 John Forrester, a good friend of
Dickens, said the novel was
structurally flawed.
 Norrie Espstein, author of “The
Friendly Dickens”, states:
“Barnaby Rudge must be the
least-read — and least-attractive
novel in the Dickens canon.”
 Written after Dickens travelled to
America in 1842.
 The U.S. left a very unfavourable
impression on Dickens.
 He was horrified by slavery,
appalled by the common use of
spitting tobacco and indignant
about his treatment by the press.
 The overriding theme of “Martin
Chuzzlewit” is selfishness.
 The protagonist, Martin
Chuzzlewit, is arrogant and
oblivious to the feelings of
others.

20. BIBLIOGRAPHY
 http://www.biography.com/people/charles-dickens-9274087
 http://www.charlesdickensinfo.com/novels/complete-works/
 http://global.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/162141/Charles-Dickens
 http://www.gradesaver.com/author/charles-dickens
 http://charlesdickenspage.com/dombey.html
 http://www.charlesdickens.co.uk/
 http://www.dickensfellowship.org/dickens-fiction-writer
 http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/dec/30/david-copperfield-dickens-
100-best-novels
 Charles Dickens -“Dombey and Son” – Chapter 61