Term Papers on Charles Dickens

Term Paper Title	Charles Dickens
# of Words	1048
# of Pages (250 words per page double spaced)	4.19

Charles Dickens

INTRODUCTION

This report will talk about the life of a famous author, Charles Dickens. It
will tell you about his early, middle, and later years of his life. It will also
talk about one of his great works of literature. In conclusion, this report will
show a comparison of his work to his life.

EARLY LIFE

Charles Dickens was born at Landport, in Portsea, on February 7, 1812. His
father was a clerk in the Navy Pay-Office, and was temporarily on duty in the
neighborhood when Charles was born. His name was John Dickens. He spent time in
prison for debts. But, even when he was free he lacked the money to support his
family. Then, when Charles was two they moved to London. 1

Just before he started to toddle, he stepped into the glare of footlights. He
never stepped out of it until he died. He was a good man, as men go in the
bewildering world of ours, brave, transparent, tender-hearted, and honorable.
Dickens was always a little too irritable because he was a little too happy.
Like the over-wrought child in society, he was splendidly sociable, and in and
yet sometimes quarrelsome. In all the practical relations of his life he was
what the child is at a party, genuinely delighted, delightful, affectionate and
happy, and in some strange way fundamentally sad and dangerously close to tears.
2

At the age of 12 Charles worked in a London factory pasting labels on bottles of
shoe polish. He held the job only for a few months, but the misery of the
experience remain with him all his life. 3

Dickens attended school off and on until he was 15, and then left for good. He
enjoyed reading and was especially fond of adventure stories, fairy tales, and
novels. He was influenced by such earlier English writers as William Shakespeare,
Tobias Smollet, and Henry Fielding. However, most of the knowledge he later used
as an author came from his environment around him. 4

MIDDLE LIFE

Dickens became a newspaper writer and reporter in the late 1820's. He
specialized in covering debates in Parliament, and also wrote feature articles.
His work as a reporter sharpened his naturally keen ear for conversation and
helped develop his skill in portraying his characters speach realistically. It
also increased his ability to observe and to write swiftly and clearly. Dickens'
first book, Sketches by Boz (1836) consisted of articles he wrote for the
Monthly Magazine and the London Evening Chronicles.5

On April 2, 1836 he married Catherine Hogarth. This was just a few days before
the anoucement that on the 31st he would have his first work printed in The
Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club. And this was the beginning of his career.
6

Then, at 24, Dickens became famous and was so until he died. He won his first
literary fame with The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club. Published in
monthly parts in 1836 and 1837 the book describes the humorous adventure and
misadventures of the English Countryside. After a slow start, The Pickwick
Papers as the book was usually called gained a popularity seldom matched in the
history of literature. 7

Then in 1837, Catherine's sister Mary, died. Because of her death Dickens'
suffered a lot of grief. This led some scholars to believe that Dickens loved
Mary more than Catherine. Catherine was a good woman but she lacked int...

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