Dickens approach

An approach to his work

Complementos para la formación disciplinar en Lengua Inglesa

Ester Gutiérrez San Pedro

The Writer…

Charles Dickens, oil painting, William Powell Frith, 1859.Victoria & Albert Museum

English writer

S. XIX (Portsmouth, 1812 – Gads Hill Place, 1870)

His childhood was marked by economichardship but full of imagination

He started to work when he was fifteen as a solicitor’s clerk)

In November 1828 he left this job for startinghis career of journalist

If there were no bad people, there would be no good lawyers (Dickens)

A young JournalistFrom Solicitor’s clerk to Journalist

Mirror of ParliamentDoctor’s Commons, Reportero (1828)True Sun, Cronista parlamentario (1832)Morning Chronicle, Periodista político (1834)…

He wrote under the pseudonym Boz

In 1836 the first volume of Sketches by Boz waspublished.

A man never knows what he is capable until he tries (Dickens)

A JournalistIn the Morning Chronicle (Five Guineas per week)September 1934, “Street Sketches”

The first volume of Sketches by Boz (1836) , published byJohn Macrone and illustrated by George Cruikshank (a renowned comic artist)

Previously publishes between 1833 and 1836:•The Morning Chronicle •The Evening Chronicle •The Monthly Magazine •The Carlton Chronicle •Bell's Life in London

The most important thing in life is to stop saying 'I wish' and start saying 'I will‘ (Dickens)

Pickwick Papers, (1836 – 1837)

Original cover of Pickwick Papers, 1836.

Edward Chapman and William Hall offered himto comment a engraving by Robert Seymour aboutthe misfortune of a group of hunters , the wagewas 14 £ per month.

He started 31 of March of 1836 (He got married the 2 of April and Seymour committed suicide 20 of April). Seymour was replaced by the young Phiz (Hablot Knight Browne).

In 1937 the hilarious adventures of Samuel Piclwick, his servant Sam Weller and his friends, became a mass phenomenon and its monthly installements were followed for more than 40.000 readers.

Popularity is here.

The school is not quite deserted," said the Ghost. "A solitary child, neglected by his friends, is left there still (Dickens, Pickwick Papers)

Oliver Twist (1837 – 1839)

Original cover, design by George Cruikshank, of The Adventures of Oliver Twist" , 1846.

… or The Parish Boy’s Progress

Original Publishing: Monthly installments in Bentley’s Miscellany (1837 – 1838).

During the first ten deliveries the work coincides with the end of the publication of Pickwick Papers.

The novel , with the idea of satirizing the new poor law of 1834, became a critic towards thesocial hypocrisy and the first novel in havinga child as a main character (a orphan).

There are books of which the backs and covers are by far the best parts (Dickens, Oliver Twist)

Nicholas Nickleby (1838 – 1839)Full Title: The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby

Original Publishing: Monthly installments(1838 – 1839).

Dickens started to write Nickleby while he iswriting Olver Twist. A drama in which, afterthe death of his father, Nicholas has to supporthis mother and sisters, under the eyes of hisuncle Ralph, who hates him.

Dickens used as scenarios, his native town, Porstmoust

There are people enough in the world, Heaven knows! and even in London (Dickens, Nicholas Nickleby)

Old Curiosity Shop (1840 – 1841)Original Publishing: Monthly installmentsMaster Humphrey's Clock (1843 – 1844).

Sentimental genre, tells the story of anorphan(Nell Trent) and her grandfather, owner of an antique shop.

Night is generally my time for walking(Dickens, starting of Old Curiosity Shop)

Barbany Rudge (1841)Original Publishing: Monthly installmentsMaster Humphrey's Clock (1843 – 1844).

It is an historical novel set during the Gordon Riots (A Tale of the Riots of Eighty),los disturbios anticatólicos acaecidos en 1780.

The main character is an insane young and through his eyes we will see what ishappening in London.

Edward Allan Poe wrote about the novel and got inspiration for his famous poem Theraven.

The Maypole was an old building, with more gableends than a lazy man would care to count on a sunny day (Dickens, Barbany Rudge)

Cover of Master Humprey’s Clock, 1841.

Martin Chuzzlewit (1843 – 1844)

Cover of Martin Chuzzlewit, 1843.

Full Title: The Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit

Original Publishing: Monthly installments (1843 – 1844).

It is a satirical novel, portraying the life of theChuzzlewit family and their selfishness.

“…Early sales of the monthly parts were disappointing, compared to previous works, so Dickens changed the plot to send the title character to America”.

The first rule of business is: Do other men for they would do you (Dickens)

A Christmas Carol (1843)

Original cover A Christmas Carol, 1843

Subtitle: A Ghost Story Of Christmas…

Publishing by Chapman & Hall 19Th December 1843…

… and signed with his real name

What to say about Ebenezer Scrooge!

Darkness is cheap, and Scrooge liked it (Dickens)

Dombey and Son (1846 – 1848)

Cover of Martin Chuzzlewit, 1843.

Full title: Dealings with the Firm of Dombey and Son: Wholesale, Retail and for Exportation.

Original Publishing: Monthly installments (1856 – 1848).

Another critic novel, about Paul Dombey´sfamily, Paul Dombey wants to have a son to continue his business.

Well!" observed R. Wilfer, cheerfully, "money and goods are certainly the best of references (Dickens, Our Mutual Friends)

David Copperfield (1849)

Cover of first edition, 1849

Full title: The Personal History, Adventures, Experience and Observation of David Copperfield the Younger of BlunderstoneRookery (Which He Never Meant to Publish on Any Account).

Original Publishing: Monthly installments (1849).

Characteristics: With many autobiographical elements and told in first person

Subject: Discipline and pulses

“Like many fond parents, I have in my heart of hearts a favourite child. And his name is David Copperfield (Dickens, Preface 1867 edition).

Bleak House (1852 – 1853)

Cover of first edition, 1852

If there were no bad people, there would be no good lawyers (Dickens)

Original Publishing: Monthly installments (1852 - 1853).

Characteristics: Told, part in first person (Esther Summerson) and part by a omniscient narrator

Subject: Jarndyce versus Jarndyce, a very long – running litigation

At the core of this novel, we find a hard critic to the British judicial system. The novel is based in his own experiences as a solicitor’s clerk.

Hard Times (1854)

Househol Words , 1st April 1854 edition. Hardtimes has neither a preface nor illustrations.

"Some persons hold," he pursued, still hesitating, "that there is a wisdom of the Head, and that there is a wisdom of the Heart. . . .(Dickens, Hard Times)

Full title: Hard Times – For These Times

Original Publishing: Weekly installments in Household Words, conducted by Dickens himself, between 1 April and 12 August 1854.

Characteristics: The story takes place in an ficticional city in the north of England, Coketown(Preston?). It is his only novel in which we cannot find London.

Subject: Social critic, clash between working class and bourgeoisie.

Little Dorrit (1855 – 1857)

Original cover, 1856

Whatever was required to be done, the Circumlocution Office was beforehand with all the public departments in the art of perceiving—HOW NOT TO DO IT (Dickens, Little Dorrit)



In this novel Dickens focuses his ire upon the instituitons of debtors´prisons: His father had been in one of them.

Prisons are a recurrent topic in his work.(Oliver Twist, A Tale of Two Cities, Barnaby Rudge, Great Expectations…

A Tale of Two Cities (1859)

Original cover, 1859

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair… (Dickens, starting of A Tale of twoCities).

Original Publishing: Weekly installments in All the Year Round (1859).

Historical novel, set in two cities, London & Paris, before and durig the French Revolution

A comparison: Peace and order (London) against chaos and revolution (Paris).

Great Expectations (1860 – 1861)

A handwritten manuscript by Charles Dickens of Great Expectations, Museum of London

So now, as an infallible way of making little ease great ease, I began to contract a quantity of debt (Dickens)

Original Publishing: Weekly installments in All the Year Round (1860 - 1861).

Characteristics: An orphan(Pip) and afugitive, poverty, children abuse,based on his own experiences.Settle in the countryside(Kent) and in London.

Our Mutual Friends (1864 – 1865)

Original cover, 1864“Money, money, money, and what money can make of life“ (Dickens, Bella in Our Mutual Friends)



Subject: Money, money, money… and human values.

A will, the heir has to married to a woman(Bella Wilfer) whom he does not know, but he died before arriving to London and the fortune passes to an illiterate laborer

This is the last novel finished by Dickens…

Edwin Drood (1870)

Original cover of last number, 6Th September 1870

Stranger, pause and ask thyself the question, canst thou do likewise? If not, with a blush retire (Dickens, Edwin Drood)

Full title: The Mistery of Edwin Drood

Original Publishing: Monthly installmets… but only six were published.

Characteristics: detective story… in a fictitious city ¿Rocherster, Kent?)orphans, a killer…

… Dickens’ death prevent to know the end. Even nowadays is a matter of debate. Who was the killer?

Travel books

The two pound sterling coin with the image of Charles Dickens (reverse), made up from some of the titles of his most famous novels, which has been created to celebrate the 200th anniversary of his birth on 7 February 1812.

Charles Dickens: The First Great Travel Writer?http://www.worldhum.com/features/travel-books/charles-dickens-the-first-great-travel-writer-20100330/

•American Notes for General Circulation (1842)

•Pictures from Italy

•Dickens's Dictionary of the Thames

•A Journey Through Italy: In the Company of Dickens, Hazlitt, Twain, and Other Travellers

•Dickens' Dictionary of London 1888

•Early Travellers in North America - Eyewitness Reports from the first Visitors to the New World

•Dickens' Journalism: Uncommercial Traveller v.4 (Vol 4)

… and Poems

Popular poems…

•A Child's Hymn

•Lucy's Song

•The Song Of The Wreck

•The Ivy Green

•Gabriel's Grub Song

•A fine Old English Gentleman

•Little Nell's Funeral

•George Edmunds' Song

•The Hymn Of The Wiltshire Laborers

•Squire Norton's Song

… and A Child’s History of England

Publishing from 1851 to 1853 inHousehold Words…

If you look at a Map of the World, you willsee, in the left-hand upper corner of theEastern Hemisphere, two Islands lying in thesea. They are England and Scotland, andIreland. England and Scotland form thegreater part of these Islands. Ireland is thenext in size. The little neighbouring islands,which are so small upon the Map as to bemere dots, are chiefly little bits of Scotland,— broken off, I dare say, in the course of agreat length of time, by the power of therestless water.

Resumen: Work, homes and familiy

Fuente: http://charlesdickenspage.com/timeline.html

SourcesJordan, J. O. The Cambridge Companion to Charles Dickens (Cambridge Companions to

Literature). Cambridge University Press. 2001

Slater, M. Dickens, Charles John Huffam (181 – 1870). Oxford Dictionary of NationalBiography, Oxford Universty Press. 2014 – 2015

https://www.gutenberg.org/

http://dickens.stanford.edu/index.html

Charlesdicknespage.com

Charlesdickensinfo.com

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturepicturegalleries/10586114/Charles-Dickens-best-characters-in-pictures.html (7 February 2015)

http://es.slideshare.net/aumatell/power-point-charles-dickens

http://literature.pppst.com/DEF/charles-dickens.html

Dickens approach

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