|
Charles Dickens (1812-70)
Who?
The most popular novelist of Victorian Britain. A titan whose prodigious energy, gift for caricature, immense personality and vivid writing style put him head and shoulders above the competition.
Must reads
Pickwick Papers (1837), Oliver Twist (1837), Nicholas Nickleby (1839), The Old Curiosity Shop (1841), A Christmas Carol (1843), David Copperfield (1850), Bleak House (1853), Hard Times (1854), A Tale of Two Cities (1859) and Great Expectations (1861).
Darkest hour
When he was 12, his father was imprisoned for debt and he had to work in a blacking factory.
Greatest triumph
Touring America, reading from his own work, especially passages such as the death of Little Nell from The Old Curiosity Shop.
Essential quotes
'Oliver Twist has asked for more!' (Bumble in Oliver Twist)
'God bless us every one!' (Tiny Tim in A Christmas Carol)
'I will never desert Mr Micawber.' (Mrs Micawber in David Copperfield)
'Facts alone are wanted in life.' (Gradgrind in Hard Times)
'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.' (A Tale of Two Cities)
Gossip
Married Catherine Hogarth when he was 25, and had a large family. Then, in 1857, at a fundraising performance of The Frozen Deep by novelist Wilkie Collins, he met the young actress Ellen Ternan. A year later, he left his wife and defied Victorian society by seeing Ternan. Some rumours also linked him with his sister-in-law Georgina, who was his devoted housekeeper for many years.
Did u know?
His full name was Charles John Huffham Dickens. Later known as The Inimitable.
What to say
Dickens captured the popular imagination as no other novelist has ever done. He was admired by everyone from Queen Victoria to the Russian novelist Fedor Dostoevsky. But his work has heavy doses of sensationalism and sentimentality – and he can't portray women without making them either innocents or grotesques.
Don't say
What the Dickens?
Copies of the featured books can be purchased from various suppliers including Amazon, Blackwell's and WHSmith.
Channel 4 is not responsible for the content of third party sites
top
|
