Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era. His works enjoyed unprecedented popularity during his lifetime and, by the 20th century, critics and scholars had recognised him as a literary genius. His novels and short stories are widely read today.Born in Portsmouth, Dickens left school at age 12 to work in a boot-blacking factory when his father John was incarcerated in a debtors' prison. After three years, he returned to school before beginning his literary career as a journalist. Dickens edited a weekly journal for 20 years; wrote 15 novels, five novellas, hundreds of short stories and nonfiction articles; lectured and performed readings extensively; was an indefatigable letter writer; and campaigned vigorously for children's rights, education and other social reforms.
Dickens's literary success began with the 1836 serial publication of ''The Pickwick Papers'', a publishing phenomenon—thanks largely to the introduction of the character Sam Weller in the fourth episode—that sparked ''Pickwick'' merchandise and spin-offs. Within a few years, Dickens had become an international literary celebrity, famous for his humour, satire and keen observation of character and society. His novels, most of them published in monthly or weekly instalments, pioneered the serial publication of narrative fiction, which became the dominant Victorian mode for novel publication. Cliffhanger endings in his serial publications kept readers in suspense. The instalment format allowed Dickens to evaluate his audience's reaction, and he often modified his plot and character development based on such feedback. For example, when his wife's chiropodist expressed distress at the way Miss Mowcher in ''David Copperfield'' seemed to reflect her own disabilities, Dickens improved the character with positive features. His plots were carefully constructed and he often wove elements from topical events into his narratives. Masses of the illiterate poor would individually pay a halfpenny to have each new monthly episode read to them, opening up and inspiring a new class of readers.
His 1843 novella ''A Christmas Carol'' remains especially popular and continues to inspire adaptations in every creative medium. ''Oliver Twist'' and ''Great Expectations'' are also frequently adapted and, like many of his novels, evoke images of early Victorian London. His 1859 novel ''A Tale of Two Cities'' (set in London and Paris) is his best-known work of historical fiction. The most famous celebrity of his era, he undertook, in response to public demand, a series of public reading tours in the later part of his career. The term ''Dickensian'' is used to describe something that is reminiscent of Dickens and his writings, such as poor social or working conditions, or comically repulsive characters. Provided by Wikipedia
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Dickens, Charles. ALS to Collins 1859 Nov. 10 : by Dickens, Charles
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Bleak House With Illustrations by H. K. Browne by Dickens, Charles
Published 1853Call Number: Loading…CONNECT
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Dombey and Son. By Charles Dickens. With Illustrations By H. K. Browne by Dickens, Charles
Published 1848Call Number: Loading…CONNECT
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A Tale Of Two Cities By Charles Dickens. With Illustrations By H. K. Browne by Dickens, Charles
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A Christmas Carol In Prose. Being a Ghost Story Of Christmas. By Charles Dickens: With Illustrations By John Leech by Dickens, Charles
Published 1843Call Number: Loading…CONNECT
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Our Mutual Friend By Charles Dickens. With Illustrations By Marcus Stone. In Two Volumes by Dickens, Charles
Published 1865Call Number: Loading…CONNECT
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Oliver Twist Or, the Parish Boy's Progress. By "Boz". In Three Volumes by Dickens, Charles
Published 1838Call Number: Loading…CONNECT
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No Thoroughfare A Drama. In Five Acts. (Altered From the Christmas Story, For Performance On the Stage.) By Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins by Dickens, Charles
Published 1867Call Number: Loading…CONNECT
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Mr. Nightingale's Diary: a Farce In One Act By Charles Dickens by Dickens, Charles
Published 1877Call Number: Loading…CONNECT
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Master Humphrey's Clock By Charles Dickens. With Illustrations By George Cattermole and Hablot Browne: Volumes I and II by Dickens, Charles
Published 1840Call Number: Loading…CONNECT
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Little Dorrit By Charles Dickens. With Illustrations By H. K. Browne by Dickens, Charles
Published 1857Call Number: Loading…CONNECT
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Is She His Wife? Or, Something Singular A Comic Burletta In One Act. By Charles Dickens by Dickens, Charles
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Hard Times. For These Times By Charles Dickens by Dickens, Charles
Published 1854Call Number: Loading…CONNECT
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Great Expectations By Charles Dickens: In Three Volumes by Dickens, Charles
Published 1861Call Number: Loading…CONNECT
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The Village Coquettes: a Comic Opera In Two Acts. By Charles Dickens. The Music By John Hullah by Dickens, Charles
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The Posthumous Papers Of the Pickwick Club By Charles Dickens. With Forty-Three Illustrations, By R. Seymour and Phiz by Dickens, Charles
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The Plays and Poems Of Charles Dickens With a Few Miscellanies in Prose: Now First Collected Edited Prefaced and Annotated By Richard Herne Shepherd: in Two Volumes by Dickens, Charles
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The Personal History Of David Copperfield By Charles Dickens. With Illustrations By H. K. Browne by Dickens, Charles
Published 1850Call Number: Loading…CONNECT
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The Mystery Of Edwin Drood By Charles Dickens. With Twelve Illustrations By S. L. Fildes. And a Portrait by Dickens, Charles
Published 1870Call Number: Loading…CONNECT
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The Life and Adventures Of Nicholas Nickleby By Charles Dickens. With Illustrations By Phiz by Dickens, Charles
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