Novelist and essayist. The most popular English-language writer during his lifetime, he even today has a reputation as a classic of world literature, one of the largest prose writers of the 19th century. Dickens's work is considered to be the pinnacle of realism, but his novels reflected both sentimental and fairy-tale beginnings. Dickens's most famous novels (published in separate editions with continuations): "", "Oliver Twist", "David Copperfield", "Great Expectations", "A Tale of Two Cities".

Biography

His father was a fairly wealthy official, a very frivolous man, but cheerful and good-natured, who tasted the coziness and comfort that every wealthy family of old England treasured. Mr. Dickens surrounded his children, and in particular his pet Charlie, with care and affection.

Little Charles inherited from his father a rich imagination, ease of speech, apparently adding to this some seriousness in life inherited from his mother, on whose shoulders all the everyday concerns of preserving the well-being of the family fell.

The boy’s rich abilities delighted his parents, and the artistically inclined father literally tormented his son, forcing him to act out different scenes, tell his impressions, improvise, read poetry, etc. Dickens turned into a little actor, full of narcissism and vanity.

Soon Dickens' family was broke and could barely make ends meet. The father was abandoned long years to debtor's prison, the mother had to fight poverty.

Pampered, fragile in health, full of imagination and in love with himself, the boy ended up in a factory for the production of blacking, where he had to live in difficult conditions.

Throughout his subsequent life, Dickens considered the ruin of his family and work in a factory to be the greatest insult to himself, an undeserved and humiliating blow.

He did not like to talk about it, but here, from the depths of poverty, Dickens drew his ardent love for the downtrodden and needy, his understanding of their suffering, his understanding of the cruelty they faced, his deep knowledge of the life of the poor and such appalling social institutions as the schools of that time for poor children and orphanages, such as child labor in factories, workhouses and debtor's prisons, where he visited his father, etc.

Young Dickens had an ambitious dream of once again being among the people who enjoyed a certain amount of prosperity, outgrowing his humiliating social position, and winning financial independence and personal freedom.

Literary activity

“My faith in the people who rule is, in general, insignificant. My faith in the people they rule is, in general, boundless.”

Dickens found himself primarily as a reporter. Reborn political life in the country, the deep interest of the English public in the debates taking place in Parliament and in the events that accompanied these debates. All this led to an increase in the role of the press in society - the number and circulation of newspapers grew, and the need for newspaper workers increased. As soon as Dickens completed - as a test - several reporting assignments, he was immediately noticed by the reading public, who never ceased to be amazed by the speed professional growth aspiring journalist. More and more striking his fellow reporters with irony, liveliness of presentation, richness of language, Dickens feverishly grabbed onto any newspaper work, and everything that blossomed in him as a child and that arose in his imagination - and received a peculiar, somewhat painful bias in a later time - now poured out from under his pen.

Much in the young capitalist country seemed extravagant, fantastic, disorderly to Dickens, and he did not hesitate to tell the Yankees a lot of the truth about them. Even at the end of Dickens’s stay in America, he allowed himself “tactlessness”, which greatly darkened the attitude of Americans towards him. His novel caused violent protests from the overseas public.

However, Dickens knew how to soften and smooth out the sharp, piercing elements of his work, as has already been said. He easily succeeded in this, for he was also a subtle poet of the most fundamental features of the English petty bourgeoisie, which went far beyond the boundaries of this class.

The cult of coziness, comfort, beautiful traditional ceremonies and customs, the cult of family, as it were, resulted in a hymn for Christmas, this holiday of holidays, with amazing, exciting power was expressed in his “Christmas Stories” - in 1843 “A Christmas Carol” was published ( A Christmas Carol), followed by "Bells" ( The Chimes), "Cricket on the stove" ( The Cricket on the Hearth), "Battle of Life" ( The Battle of Life), "Obsessed" ( The Haunted Man).

Dickens did not have to prevaricate here: he himself was one of the most enthusiastic fans of this winter holiday, during which the home fire, dear faces, festive dishes and delicious drinks created some kind of idyll among the snows and winds of a merciless winter.

At the same time, Dickens became editor-in-chief of the Daily News. In this newspaper he had the opportunity to express his socio-political views.

"Dombey and Son"

Many features of Dickens's talent are clearly reflected in one of his best novels, The Trading House of Dombey and Son. Wholesale, retail and export trade" ( Dealings with the Firm of Dombey and Son: Wholesale, Retail and for Exportation, ). The endless string of figures and life positions in this work is amazing. There are few novels in world literature that, in terms of richness of color and variety of tone, can be placed on a par with Dombey and Son, not counting some of the later works of Dickens himself. He created both petty-bourgeois characters and representatives of the London poor with great love. All these people are almost entirely eccentrics, but the eccentricity that makes you laugh makes these characters even closer and more endearing. True, this friendly, this harmless laughter makes you not notice their narrowness, limitations, difficult conditions in which they have to live; but that’s Dickens... It should be noted, however, that when he turns his thunder and lightning against the oppressors, against the arrogant merchant Dombey, against scoundrels like his senior clerk Carker, he finds such striking words of indignation that they sometimes border on revolutionary pathos.

"David Copperfield"

This novel is largely autobiographical. Its theme is serious and carefully thought out. The spirit of praising the old principles of morality and family, the spirit of protest against the new capitalist England resounds loudly here too. Many connoisseurs of Dickens's work, including such literary authorities as L.N. Tolstoy, F.M. Dostoevsky, Charlotte Bronte, Henry James, Virginia Woolf, considered this novel his greatest work.

Dickens was of average height. His natural liveliness and unpretentious appearance were the reason that he gave those around him the impression of a man of short stature or, in any case, of a very miniature build. In his youth, he had a cap of brown hair that was too extravagant, even for that era, and later he wore a dark mustache and a thick, fluffy, dark goatee of such an original shape that it made him look like a foreigner.

The former transparent pallor of his face, the sparkle and expressiveness of his eyes remained; “I’ll also note the actor’s moving mouth and his extravagant manner of dressing.” Chesterton writes about this:

He wore a velvet jacket, some incredible vests, their color reminiscent of completely implausible sunsets, white hats, unprecedented at that time, of a completely unusual, eye-catching whiteness. He willingly dressed up in stunning robes; they even say that he posed for a portrait in such attire.

Behind this appearance, in which there was so much posing and nervousness, lay a great tragedy.

The needs of Dickens' family members exceeded his income. His disorderly, purely bohemian nature did not allow him to bring any kind of order into his affairs. Not only did he overwork his rich and fertile brain by over-working his creative mind, but being an extraordinarily brilliant reader, he endeavored to earn handsome fees by lecturing and reading excerpts from his novels. The impression from this purely acting reading was always colossal. Apparently, Dickens was one of the greatest reading virtuosos. But on his trips he fell into the hands of some dubious entrepreneurs and, while earning money, at the same time brought himself to exhaustion.

On April 2, 1836, Charles married eldest daughter his friend, journalist George Hogarth. Catherine Hogarth was a faithful wife and gave birth to eight children. But family life Dickens's life was not entirely successful. Disagreements with his wife began, some complex and dark relationships with her family, fear for sick children made Dickens’s family a source of constant worries and torment. In 1857, Charles met 18-year-old actress Ellen Ternan and immediately fell in love. He rented an apartment for her and visited his love for many years. Their romance lasted until the writer's death. She never went on stage again.

But all this is not as important as the melancholy thought that overwhelmed Dickens that, in essence, what is most serious in his works - his teachings, his appeals to the conscience of those in power - remains in vain, that, in reality, there is no hope for improving that the terrible situation created in the country, from which he saw no way out, even looking at life through humorous glasses that softened the sharp contours of reality in the eyes of the author and his readers. He writes at this time:

Personal oddities

Dickens often spontaneously fell into trances, was subject to visions, and from time to time experienced states of déjà vu.

Another oddity of the writer was told by George Henry Lewis, editor-in-chief of the Fortnightly Review magazine (and close friend of the writer George Eliot). Dickens once told him that every word, before going on paper, is first clearly heard by him, and his characters are constantly nearby and communicate with him.

While working on “The Antiquities Shop,” the writer could not eat or sleep peacefully: little Nell was constantly hovering under his feet, demanding attention, crying out for sympathy and being jealous when the author was distracted from her by talking to someone else.

While working on the novel Martin Chuzzlewit, Dickens was tired of Mrs. Gump with her jokes: he had to fight her off with force. “Dickens warned Mrs. Gump more than once: if she did not learn to behave decently and did not appear only when called, he would not give her another line at all!” Lewis wrote. That is why the writer loved to wander through crowded streets. “During the day you can somehow manage without people,” Dickens admitted in one of his letters, but in the evening I simply am not able to free myself from my ghosts until I get lost in the crowd from them.

“Perhaps it is only the creative nature of these hallucinatory adventures that keeps us from mentioning schizophrenia as a probable diagnosis,” notes parapsychologist Nandor Fodor, author of the essay “The Unknown Dickens” (1964, New York).

Later works

Dickens's social novel "Hard Times" is also permeated with melancholy and hopelessness. This novel was a tangible literary and artistic blow dealt to 19th-century capitalism with its idea of ​​unstoppable industrial progress. In his own way, the grandiose and terrible figure of Bounderby is written with genuine hatred. But Dickens in the novel does not spare the leader of the strike movement - the Chartist Slackbridge, who is ready to make any sacrifice to achieve his goals. In this work, the author for the first time questioned - undeniable in the past for him - the value of personal success in society.

The end of Dickens's literary activity was marked by a number of other significant works. For the novel "Little Dorrit" ( Little Dorrit,-) followed by Dickens's historical novel A Tale of Two Cities ( A Tale of Two Cities,), dedicated to the French Revolution. Recognizing the necessity of revolutionary violence, Dickens turns away from it as if it were madness. This was quite in the spirit of his worldview, and, nevertheless, he managed to create an immortal book in his own way.

"Great Expectations" dates back to the same time. Great Expectations) () - a novel with autobiographical features. His hero - Pip - rushes between the desire to preserve the petty bourgeois comfort, to remain faithful to his middle peasant position and the upward desire for splendor, luxury and wealth. Dickens put a lot of his own tossing, his own melancholy into this novel. According to the original plan, the novel was supposed to end in tears for the main character, although Dickens always avoided catastrophic endings in his works and, out of his own good nature, tried not to upset particularly impressionable readers. For the same reasons, he did not dare to lead the hero’s “great hopes” to their complete collapse. But the whole concept of the novel suggests the regularity of such an outcome.

Dickens reaches new artistic heights in his swan song - in a large multi-faceted canvas, the novel Our Mutual Friend ( Our Mutual Friend)(). In this work, Dickens's desire to take a break from tense social topics is guessed. Fascinatingly conceived, filled with the most unexpected types, all sparkling with wit - from irony to touching, gentle humor - this novel, according to the author's plan, was probably supposed to turn out to be light, sweet, and funny. His tragic characters are drawn as if in halftones and are largely present in the background, and the negative characters turn out to be either ordinary people who have put on a villainous mask, or such petty and funny personalities that we are ready to forgive them for their treachery; and sometimes such unhappy people that they can arouse in us, instead of indignation, only a feeling of bitter pity. In this novel, Dickens is noticeably turning to a new style of writing: instead of ironic verbosity, parodying the literary style of the Victorian era, there is a laconic style reminiscent of cursive writing. The novel conveys the idea of ​​the poisonous effect of money - the trash heap becomes its symbol - on social relations and the meaninglessness of the vain aspirations of members of society.

In this last completed work, Dickens demonstrated all the powers of his humor, shielding the wonderful, cheerful, pretty images of this idyll from the gloomy thoughts that took possession of him.

Apparently, gloomy thoughts were to find a way out again in Dickens’s detective novel “The Mystery of Edwin Drood” ( The Mystery of Edwin Drood). From the very beginning of the novel, a change in Dickens's creative style is visible - his desire to amaze the reader with a fascinating plot, to immerse him in an atmosphere of mystery and uncertainty. Whether he would have succeeded in this fully remains unclear, since the work remained unfinished.

After death

Dickens's fame continued to grow after his death. He was turned into a real idol of English literature. His name began to be mentioned next to the name of Shakespeare, his popularity in England in the 1890s. eclipsed Byron's fame. But critics and readers tried not to notice his angry protests, his peculiar martyrdom, his tossing and turning among the contradictions of life.

They did not understand and did not want to understand that humor was often for Dickens a shield from the excessively wounding blows of life. On the contrary, Dickens primarily gained fame as a cheerful writer of merry old England.

Memory

Translations of Dickens's works into Russian

Translations of Dickens's works appeared in Russian in the late 1830s. In 1838, excerpts from the “Posthumous Notes of the Pickwick Club” appeared in print, and later stories from the series “Sketches of Boz” were translated. All his major novels have been translated several times, and all his small works have also been translated, even those that did not belong to him, but were edited by him as an editor.

Among the pre-revolutionary translators of Dickens:

• V. A. Solonitsyn (“The life and adventures of the English gentleman Mr. Nicholas Nickleby, with a truthful and reliable description successes and failures, ups and downs, in a word, the full career of the wife, children, relatives and the entire family of the said gentleman”, “Reading Library”, ),
• O. Senkovsky (“Library for Reading”),
• A. Kroneberg (“Dickens’ Christmas Stories”, “Contemporary”, No. 3 - retelling with translation of excerpts; story “The Battle of Life”, there),
• I. I. Vvedensky (“Dombey and Son”, “The Pact with the Ghost”, “The Grave Papers of the Pickwick Club”, “David Copperfield”);
• later - Z. Zhuravskaya (“The Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit”, “No Exit”, 1897),
• V. L. Rantsov, M. A. Shishmareva (“Posthumous Notes of the Pickwick Club”, “Hard Times” and others),
• E. G. Beketova (abbreviated translation of “David Copperfield” and others).

In the 1930s new translations of Dickens were made by Gustav Shpet, Arkady Gornfeld, co-authored by Alexandra Krivtsova and Evgeniy Lann. These translations were later criticized - for example by Nora Gal - as “dry, formalistic, unreadable.” Some of Dickens's key works were in the 1950s and 60s. re-translated by Olga Kholmskaya, Natalya Volzhina, Vera Toper, Evgenia Kalashnikova, Maria Laurie.

Major works

Novels

• The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, published monthly, April 1836 - November 1837
• Oliver Twist, February 1837 - April 1839
• Nicholas Nickleby (The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby), April 1838 - October 1839
• The Old Curiosity Shop, weekly issues, April 1840 - February 1841
• Barnaby Rudge: A Tale of the Riots of "Eighty", February-November 1841
• The Christmas stories:
  • A Christmas Carol, 1843
  • The Chimes, 1844
  • The Cricket on the Hearth, 1845
  • The Battle of Life, 1846
  • The Haunted Man and the Ghost’s Bargain, 1848
• Martin Chuzzlewit (The Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit), January 1843 - July 1844
• Dombey and Son, October 1846 - April 1848
• David Copperfield, May 1849 - November 1850
• Bleak House, March 1852 - September 1853
• Hard Times: For These Times, April-August 1854
• Little Dorrit, December 1855 - June 1857
• A Tale of Two Cities, April-November 1859
• Great Expectations, December 1860 - August 1861
• Our Mutual Friend, May 1864 - November 1865
• The Mystery of Edwin Drood, April 1870 - September 1870. Only 6 of 12 issues published, the novel is not finished.

Collections of stories

• "Sketches by Boz", 1836)
• "The Mudfog Papers", 1837)
• "The Uncommercial Traveler", 1860-1869)

Bibliography of Dickens editions

• Charles Dickens. Dombey and son. - Moscow: “State Publishing House”, 1929.
• Charles Dickens. Collected works in 30 volumes.. - Moscow: “ Fiction"., 1957-60
• Charles Dickens. Collected works in ten volumes.. - Moscow.: “Fiction”., 1982-87.
• Charles Dickens. Collected works in 20 volumes.. - Moscow.: “Terra-Book Club”, 2000.
• Charles Dickens. David Copperfield.. - "Ensign", 1986
• Charles Dickens. The Mystery of Edwin Drood. - Moscow: “Kostik”, 1994 - 286 p. - ISBN 5-7234-0013-4
• Charles Dickens. Bleak House.. - "Wordsworth Editions Limited", 2001. - ISBN 978-1-85326-082-7
• Charles Dickens. David Copperfield.. - Penguin Books Ltd., 1994.

Film adaptations

• Scrooge, or Marley's Ghost, directed by Walter Boof. USA, Great Britain, 1901
• A Christmas Carol, directed by Searle Dawley. USA, 1910
• Great Expectations, directed by Robert Vignola. USA, 1917
• Great Expectations, directed by David Lean. Great Britain, 1946
• Scrooge, directed by Brian Desmond Hurst. Great Britain, 1951
• Scrooge, directed by Ronald Neame. UK, 1970
• The Mystery of Edwin Drood, directed by Alexander Orlov. USSR, 1980
• Martin Chuzzlewit, directed by David Lodge. UK, 1994
• Great Expectations, directed by Alfonso Cuaron. USA, 1998
• David Copperfield, directed by Simon Curtis. UK, USA, 1999. The role of young Copperfield is played by Daniel Radcliffe
• The Cricket Behind the Hearth, directed by Leonid Nechaev. Russia, 2001
• David Copperfield, directed by Peter Medak. USA, Ireland, 2000
• Oliver Twist, directed by Roman Polanski. Czech Republic, France, Great Britain, Italy, 2005
• Bleak House (TV series), directed by Justin Chadwick, Suzanne White. UK, 2005
• Little Dorrit, directed by Adam Smith, Darbhla Walsh, Diarmuid Lawrence. UK, 2008
• A Christmas Story, directed by Robert Zemeckis. USA, 2009
• David Copperfield, directed by Ambrogio Lo Giudice. Italy, 2009
• In 2007, French director Laurent Jaoui directed the film Dombais et fils, based on the novel Dombey and Son, starring Christophe Malavois, Deborah Francois and Denn Martinet.

Notes

Literature

• Maria Obelchenko The Double Life of Charles Dickens // Around the world. - 2007. - No. 4 (2799), April 2007.
• Hesketh Pearson Dickens. M.: Young Guard, 1963, ZhZL.
• The Mystery of Charles Dickens: Bibliographical Research / Comp. E. Yu. Genieva, B. M. Parchevskaya (section “Dickens in the Russian press”); Rep. ed., preface and entry Art. E. Yu. Genieva. - M.: Book Chamber, 1990. - 536 p.
• Angus Wilson. The world of Charles Dickens.. - Moscow.: “Progress”., 1975.
• Polikarpov Yu. Russian prototype of the Dickens character // Questions of literature. 1972. No. 3.

Links

• Dickens, Charles in the library of Maxim Moshkov
• Charles Dickens (English) on the website

Exploration of the depths of the human soul, the desire to understand the world in its contradictions and diversity, analysis of human actions - this is what Charles Dickens dedicated his work to.

Biography of the writer

Charles John Huffam Dickens was born in Portsmouth on 02/07/1812. He was the second child in the family. Sister Fanny is two years older than him. Father, John Dickens, a minor clerk in the Admiralty, the son of a maid and a footman, was a very generous and good-natured man. He loved to brag and tell jokes. All this was combined in him with a weakness for gin and whiskey.

He dreamed of becoming an actor, but he was never able to fulfill his dream. His passion for the theater and living beyond his means eventually led him to a debtor's prison. The whole family was there with him. Dickens describes the “debtor's prison” perfectly in his novel Little Dorit. At the age of 12, Charles Dickens was forced to work in a blacking factory. Memories of this period of life will be reflected in the novel “David Copperfield”, in the episode of washing bottles.

Dickens was tormented by these memories even in his mature years. The fear of poverty remained in his mind forever. For the six months that he worked at this factory, Charles felt helpless and humiliated. In one of his letters, he wrote that no one suspected how bitterly and secretly he suffered.

Family. Father

However, Charles did not hide the fact that he loved his father more than his mother. Mr. John tried not to deny the children anything and surrounded them with care and affection. In particular, Charles's favorite. For the boy, his father became a close friend. He often took him with him to the Maitre Inn, where he and his sister sang songs to the tavern regulars.

From him, Charles Dickens inherited a love of theater, a rich imagination, and ease of speech. Dickens was so interested in theater that he tried not to miss a single amateur production. Been to the Royal Theater Rochester several times. At home they enjoyed playing plays and reading poetry.

With delight, he recalls walks outside the city, rides with his father along the river and magical pictures that opened from the top of the hill. His father always asked Charles to talk about his impressions. Passing Gadshill House, he told his father how beautiful and majestic this house was. To which the father replied that it might happen that Charles could live in this house if he worked hard.

Family. Mother

Elizabeth's mother, a kind, honest woman, was superior in origin to her husband. Among her relatives there were also officials. But the gentleness of her character did not allow her to somehow influence her husband. Charles learned to read and write early, with his mother helping him. She taught him Latin. She did not have time to study with Charles; she was distracted by chores and worries about her younger children. The nanny who served in their house said that Mrs. Dickens was an excellent woman and a caring mother.

The family had eight children. Charles simply did not understand that all the concerns about the well-being of the family fell on his mother’s shoulders. He, as often happens with sick children who do not have full communication with their peers, closed in on himself. And mother's love seemed fragile and fickle to him.

Childhood

Charles showed good memory and unusual powers of observation when he was not yet two years old. As an adult, he clearly remembered everything that happened at that time: what was happening outside the window, how soldiers took him to watch, he remembered the garden through which he stomped with his little feet behind his older sister.

In 1814, Charles's father took a responsible position and the family moved to Chatham. The first few years were the happiest for Charles. He recalled these days with pleasure; his childhood left a bright mark on his soul. Together with his sister, the boy explored all the Chatham docks, climbed the cathedral and the castle, and walked all the streets and paths.

He remembered to the smallest detail everything that happened: every event, every little thing, a random word or look. Little Dickens grew up as a sickly child, and therefore could not play with children enough, but he loved, looking away from reading, to watch them. A neighbor boy, a little older than Charles, became his friend.

Dickens is already so early age noticed the habits, oddities and quirks of people. He later reflected these memories in “Sketches of Boz.”

First school

When the boy was nine years old, family affairs were so bad that the spacious, bright and cheerful house had to be replaced with a poor house. But the boy’s life took a serious turn. He entered school, where a young priest advised him to read as much English classics as possible, writes Charles Dickens in his memoirs. Books became his greatest joy and main school.

At the beginning of 1823, the family moved to London. Charles, who arrived a little later, was saddened. Leaving school was a hard blow for the boy. The Dickens couldn't afford servants, and Charles had to babysit his brothers and sisters, run errands, and shine shoes. He had no friends. The joyful feeling he experienced at school - the introduction to knowledge - also left him.

Sister Fanny was leaving to study at the Royal Academy of Music. Many years later, Charles will complain to one of his friends how painful it was for him to see his sister off and think that now no one cares about you. Things soon got really bad. To pay off creditors, the Dickens are forced to sell everything they had to a pawnshop. The family ended up in a “debt prison.”

Debt hole

In order to somehow help them, a relative of his mother takes Charles to his blacking factory. Charles experiences this period very painfully. Early in 1924, Mr. John received a small inheritance and paid off the debt. Soon the family moved to a separate house. By chance, Charles's father walked into the factory where his son worked and saw monstrous conditions. He didn't like it, the boy was immediately fired.

The mother was upset and tried to negotiate with the owner to take her son back. Resentment was deeply ingrained in the boy's soul. In his memoirs, Charles writes that he will never forget how she wanted to doom him again to endless torment for 6 shillings a week. But his father insisted that he needed to study. And Charles becomes a visiting student at a private school, where he studied for two years.

School and first job

At school, he quickly became everyone's favorite - the first student in the school, friendly, active. Charles began publishing a weekly school newspaper on notebook pages, which he wrote for himself. He gave it to read in exchange for slate pencils. All in all, he was having a great time. These were the happiest years of his life.

There was no money in the family for further education. After school, at the age of 15, Charles went to work as a lawyer. Reading books, his powers of observation and life experience did their job. He was offered a position as a reporter at a local court. At the same time, he collaborates with several London magazines and newspapers, receiving a pittance for his work. But he works hard, hoping to soon establish himself as a journalist.

Dickens knew London very well, every street, with all its slums, factories, markets and luxurious mansions. He was the first to describe the city with deep knowledge of the matter, its nightlife and criminal life. Perhaps this is where his literary activity began.

Beginning of literary activity

As a reporter, Dickens visited the London courthouse. Soon what he heard and saw there poured out onto the pages of his novels. In 1833, Charles read in the Monthly Magazine a story by an unknown author, “Dinner in the Avenue of Poplars.” This was his literary debut. Dickens created a series of essays about London and its inhabitants under the pseudonym "Woz." Readers liked them, and the publisher published them as a separate book, Sketches of Woz.

Charles Dickens entered English literature with Sketches of Woz, but established himself in it with the novel The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club. The novel was published in parts, was imbued with humor and told about the adventures of the good-natured Mr. Pickwick. At the same time, in the novel the author ridicules English justice. In terms of genre, it was close to the “sports news” that was widespread in England at that time.

It was not by chance that Dickens chose this genre, since it allowed him to introduce new themes, characters who were given greater freedom of action, and allowed him to interrupt the narrative. Thus, from the first pages of the novel, Dickens appears in images dear to his heart, affirming goodness in spite of circumstances.

The artistic world of Dickens

Dickens had a rich imagination. It was this and knowledge of the unsightly sides of London, and England in general, that helped him create a multifaceted artistic world. Charles Dickens' stories were populated by countless dramatic, comic, and tragic characters. His novels are filled with people of all classes, everyday life, customs and details, written out with reporter's precision.

From the first pages, the reader's attention is captured by funny scenes and humor in relation to their favorite characters - ordinary people. The world created by Dickens is theatrical and a mixture of realism and fantasy. It is distinguished by its brightness and hyperbolicity. For example, the images of Tricky Wack, Scrooge, and the Artful Dodger are hyperbolic, but nevertheless, despite all the exaggerations, they are quite realistic types.

The Artful Dodger is not just funny - he is a caricature. But quite typical. A boy living in a corrupt world takes revenge on him for all his misfortunes. At the trial he declares that the bench is not suitable for justice. Raised in the slums of London, the Dodger is crude and funny, but he makes you realize how terrible this world is - he created it in order to trample.

The writer's artistic world represents the eternal struggle between evil and good. The confrontation between these forces determines not only the theme of the novel, but also a unique solution to this problem. Dickens the moralist asserts his ideal in the novel - goodness. Dickens the realist cannot help but admire his heroes, both personifying evil and personifying good.

Main periods of creativity

In numerous essays, stories, notes, essays and sixteen novels by Dickens, the reader is presented with an image of 19th century England, which has embarked on the path economic development. The realistic picture of England created by the writer reflects the process of evolution of the writer-artist. At the same time, a convinced realist, he always remains a romantic. In other words, Charles Dickens closely intertwines realism and romanticism in his work. The books and stages of his creative path are divided into four periods.

First period (1833-1837)

At this time, the “Notes of the Pickwick Club” and “Sketches of Woz” were created. The satirical orientation of his work clearly emerges in them. And, of course, the ethical opposition between “good and evil”. It is expressed in a dispute between truth (an emotional perception of life based on imagination) and falsehood (a rational approach to reality based on numbers and facts).

Second period (1838-1845)

During this period, the writer acts as a reformer of the genre. He expands a niche that has not been seriously developed by anyone - children's themes. In Europe, he was the first to depict the lives of children in his works. Here, Charles Dickens directly connects two themes - “Great Expectations” and childhood. It becomes central in this period of creativity, and continues to sound in subsequent works.

• “Barnaby Rudge” (1841) - the appeal to historical themes is explained by the author’s attempt to understand the modern world through the prism of history.
• “The Antiquities Shop” (1841) is an attempt to find an alternative to evil in fairy tales.
• "American Notes" (1843) - comprehension of modern England. Charles's trip to America broadened the writer's horizons, and he had the opportunity to look at England from the “other side.”

During this period of creativity, he also created the following works, which deeply touch on the theme of children, in which the author touchingly and carefully revealed the soul of the child. Humiliation, bullying and hard work are what Charles Dickens was deeply outraged by. Oliver Twist is the hero of his novel, a sad example of the cruelty and heartlessness of the public.

• 1838 - "Oliver Twist".
• 1839 - "Nicholas Nickleby".
• 1843 - “Martin Chuzzlewit.”
• 1843-1848 - cycle “Christmas stories”.

Period three (1848-1859)

At this stage, the writer’s social pessimism deepens. The writing technique changes noticeably; it becomes more restrained and thoughtful. The author's research into child psychology deepens. A new, previously unexplored moral emptiness also appears. The following novels were published at this time:

• 1848 - “Dombey and Son.”
• 1850 - “David Copperfield.”
• 1853 - “Bleak House”.
• 1854 - "Hard Times".
• 1857 - “Little Dorrit”.
• 1859 - “A Tale of Two Cities.”

Period four (1861-1870)

You will no longer find gentle humor in the novels of this period. It gives way to ruthless irony. And Charles Dickens turns “great expectations”, in fact, into Balzac’s “lost illusions.” Only more irony, skepticism, more bitterness. Dickens subjected his last novels to a deep philosophical understanding - the face and the mask that hides it. His latest novel, Our Mutual Friend, is based on this face-mask game. Dickens's last two masterpieces:

• 1861 - “Great Expectations.”
• 1865 - “Our mutual friend.”

The novel “The Mystery of Edwin Drood” remained unfinished. He still remains a mystery to literary scholars, critics and readers.

Three most popular novels

“David Copperfield” is largely an autobiographical novel; many events here echo the life of the author. This is a memoir novel. This is what Charles Dickens himself experienced. The biography of the main character is closely intertwined with his own life. The child’s impressions and judgments are carefully conveyed to the reader by an adult who has managed to preserve the purity of childish perception in his soul. It tells the story of a boy who became a writer.

Copperfield tells the life story of heights already achieved. By the end of the story, faith in the victory of justice is replaced by fatigue - you can only remake yourself, but you cannot remake the world. Charles Dickens comes to this conclusion. Summary The novel already clearly shows how a person managed to remain good, although injustice, lies, deceit, and losses constantly stood in his way.

The hero of the novel, who grew up next to a sweet, kind, but weak mother, encounters evil for the first time when she gets married. The cruel stepfather and sister hated the boy, humiliated him in every possible way and mocked him. But the worst is yet to come. David's mother dies, his stepfather does not want to pay for his studies and sends him to work in a warehouse. The boy suffers from heavy work, but most of all from the fact that he was deprived of the opportunity to study. But, despite all the difficulties, David retained the pure soul of a child and faith in goodness.

David remembers his life and evaluates many events in it completely differently, not the way he evaluated them as a boy. The voice of a talented child, who has remembered and understood a lot, breaks through the narrative.

Dickens shows how a child learns to distinguish between good and evil, soberly assess strength, and even tries to discern something good in a negative character. The author's gentle humor saves the reader from excessive edification. And the reader doesn't just extract life lessons, but also lives life with David Copperfield.

"The Adventures of Oliver Twist"

Charles Dickens's Oliver is a boy whose life has been cruel since birth. He was born in a workhouse, his mother dies after childbirth, and he never knew his father. As soon as he was born, he immediately received the status of a criminal, and he was taken to a farm where most of the children died.

There is a sense of irony in the novel when the author talks about the kind of upbringing the boy received there: he managed to survive on the farm, “a pale, stunted child,” which means he was fit to work. Dickens denounces public trustees, showing all their cruelty. These unfortunate children had little choice. In particular, Oliver had three of them: to go as an apprentice to a chimney sweep, as a mourner to an undertaker, or to the underworld.

The author is attached to his hero with all his heart and helps him pass the tests. The novel ends happily, but the reader is given the opportunity to think about the unjust laws of existence, about the humiliation and bullying to which the bulk of the people are subjected. This is something that Charles Dickens could not come to terms with until the end of his days. "The Adventures of Oliver Twist" is a lively response to pressing issues of our time.

"A Christmas Carol"

Main character story - the stingy and ruthless old man Scrooge. Fun and joy are alien to him. He only loves money. The old man is preparing to celebrate the approaching Christmas at work. Returning home, he sees before him the ghost of a companion who died several years ago. The ghost tells him how he suffers from the severity of sins committed before. Doesn't want Scrooge to suffer the same fate. And he tells him that three spirits will visit him.

The first, the Yule Spirit of yesteryear, takes Scrooge back to childhood. The old man sees himself as a carefree young man, enjoying life, loving, and having hopes and dreams. This then takes him to a time where he focuses on accumulating wealth. Where his beloved leaves for another person. This is hard for Scrooge to see and he asks to be moved back.

The second, the Spirit of the current Christmastide, comes and shows how happy all people are about Christmas. They prepare food, buy gifts, and rush home to their loved ones to celebrate the holiday. Home, family, comfort - that’s what he gave great importance Charles Dickens.

He always associated the Christmas pre-holiday bustle with the hearth and home, where everyone was warm and safe. So the Spirit takes Scrooge to a poor house where the family is preparing for Christmas. The fun is overshadowed by the fact that youngest child very ill and may not live to see next Christmas. This is the house of the clerk who works for Scrooge.

The third, the Spirit of future Christmastide, is silent and, without saying a word, takes the old man to different places and shows a possible future. He sees the city dying a famous person, but this causes poorly concealed joy in everyone. Scrooge realizes that the same could happen to him. He prayed that the Spirit would allow him to change the present.

Scrooge becomes a different person, becomes kind and generous, and spends Christmas with his nephew. The main idea of ​​the story is the moral rebirth of Scrooge. He rethought his values, revived his once living soul, I remembered what joy and good deeds are. What happens on the eve of Christmas is a symbol of renewal and the birth of a new one.

Famous writer, caring father and husband

By the mid-thirties, Charles Dickens was a famous writer in England. The works were a huge success. Dickens's popularity was so great that he was repeatedly asked to run for parliament. The whole world was interested in his opinion, the name of Charles Dickens became so famous. When he decided to give a reading of novels and meet his readers, all of England rejoiced.

Everyone was eagerly awaiting Dickens's new novel. When the ship arrived in New York with his next masterpiece, crowds of readers were already greeting him. In America, people stormed the halls where he performed reading his own novels. People slept in severe frost in front of the cash registers. The halls were all small, and in the end the writer and his listeners were given the Brooklyn Church for reading.

Dickens was a wonderful father to his children. He and his wife Mary Hoggard raised and raised seven daughters and three sons. Charles Dickens' house literally rang with children's laughter. He paid a lot of attention to them, despite his workload. The children received a decent education and a place in society. All their lives they remembered their father with warmth and appreciated the love and kindness that surrounded them.

Charles John Huffam Dickens - English writer, novelist and essayist - born February 7, 1812 in the Portsmouth suburb of Landport.

He was the second child of eight children of John Dickens (1785-1851) and Elizabeth Dickens née Barrow (1789-1863). His father served as an official at a Royal Navy naval base; in January 1815 was transferred to London in April 1817 the family moved to Chatham. Here Charles attended the school of the Baptist minister William Gilles, even when the family moved again to London. Living beyond his means in the capital brought his father to 1824 to debtor's prison. His elder sister continued to study at the Royal Academy of Music until 1827, and Charles worked at Warren's Blacking Factory, where he received six shillings a week. But on Sunday they too were in prison with their parents.

A few months later, after the death of his paternal grandmother, John Dickens, thanks to the inheritance he received, was released from prison, received a pension from the Admiralty and a position as a parliamentary reporter in one of the newspapers. However, at the insistence of his mother, Charles was left at the factory, which influenced his attitude towards women in later life. Some time later he was assigned to Wellington House Academy, where he studied until March 1827. In May 1827 He was hired by Ellis and Blackmore as a junior clerk at 13 shillings a week. Here he worked until November 1828. Having studied shorthand according to the T. Garnier system, he began to work as a free reporter, together with his distant relative, Thomas Charlton. In 1830 Charles was invited to the Morning Chronicle. In the same year, Charles Dickens met his first love, Maria Beadnell, the daughter of a bank director. He later left her for Ellen Ternan, whom he later included in his will. Based on this story, Ralph Fiennes made the film “The Invisible Woman” (2013).

Dickens found himself primarily as a reporter. As soon as Dickens completed - on trial - several reporting assignments, he was immediately noticed by the reading public. Literature was what was most important to him now.

Dickens's first moral essays, which he called "Sketches of Boz", were published in 1836. Their spirit was quite consistent with Dickens's social position. It was, to some extent, a fictional declaration of the interests of the bankrupt petty bourgeoisie. Psychological sketches and portraits of Londoners, like all Dickens's novels, were also first published in a newspaper version and have already brought the young author enough fame.

Dizzying success awaited Dickens in the same year with the publication of the chapters of his “Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club”. In this novel, he paints old England from its most varied sides, admiring its good nature and the abundance of lively and sympathetic features inherent in the best representatives English petty bourgeoisie.

Two years later, Dickens performed Oliver Twist and Nicholas Nickleby. 1838-1839 . The novel caused a wide public response. After his release, a number of scandalous proceedings took place in the workhouses of London, which, in fact, were semi-prison institutions where child labor was mercilessly used.

Dickens's fame grew rapidly. Both liberals saw him as their ally, because they defended freedom, and conservatives, because they pointed out the cruelty of new social relationships.

After traveling to America, where the public greeted Dickens with no less enthusiasm than the British, Dickens wrote his “Martin Chuzzlewit” (The Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit, 1843 ). In addition to the unforgettable images of Pecksniff and Mrs. Gump, this novel is remarkable for its parody of Americans. The novel caused violent protests from the overseas public.

In 1843"A Christmas Carol" was released, followed by "The Chimes", "The Cricket on the Hearth", "The Battle of Life", "Obsessed" ( The Haunted Man).

At the same time, Dickens became editor-in-chief of the Daily News. In this newspaper he had the opportunity to express his socio-political views.

One of his best novels is “The Dombey and Son Trading House.” Trade wholesale, retail and for export" (Dealings with the Firm of Dombey and Son: Wholesale, Retail and for Exportation, 1848 ). The endless string of figures and life positions in this work is amazing. There are few novels in world literature that, in terms of richness of color and variety of tone, can be placed on a par with Dombey and Son, not counting some of the later works of Dickens himself.

The humor is even more weakened in Dickens's next major work, "David Copperfield" (The Personal History, Adventures, Experience and Observation of David Copperfield the Younger of Blunderstone Rookery (Which He Never Meant to Publish on Any Account), ( 1849-1850 ). This novel is largely autobiographical. Its theme is serious and carefully thought out. The spirit of praising the old principles of morality and family, the spirit of protest against the new capitalist England resounds loudly here too.

In the 1850s Dickens reached the zenith of fame. He was the darling of fate - a famous writer, a master of thoughts and a wealthy man - in a word, a person for whom fate did not skimp on gifts. Behind this appearance, in which there was so much posing and nervousness, lay a great tragedy.

The needs of Dickens' family members exceeded his income. His disorderly, purely bohemian nature did not allow him to bring any kind of order into his affairs. Not only did he overwork his rich and fertile brain by over-working his creative mind, but, being an extraordinarily brilliant reader, he endeavored to earn handsome fees by lecturing and reading excerpts from his novels. The impression from this purely acting reading was always colossal. Apparently, Dickens was one of the greatest reading virtuosos. But on his trips he fell into the hands of some dubious entrepreneurs and, while earning money, at the same time brought himself to exhaustion.

April 2, 1836 Charles married Catherine Thomson Hogarth (19 May 1815 – 22 November 1879), the eldest daughter of his friend, the journalist George Hogarth. Katherine was a faithful wife and bore him 10 children: 7 sons and three daughters. But Dickens's family life was not entirely successful. Disagreements with his wife, some complex and dark relationships with her family, fear for sick children made Dickens’s family a source of constant worries and torment. In 1857 Charles met 18-year-old actress Ellen Ternan and immediately fell in love. He rented an apartment for her and visited his love for many years. Their romance lasted until the writer's death. She never went on stage again.

Dickens's social novel "Hard Times" is also permeated with melancholy and hopelessness ( 1854 ). This novel was a tangible literary and artistic blow dealt to 19th-century capitalism with its idea of ​​unstoppable industrial progress.

The end of Dickens's literary activity was marked by a number of other significant works. For the novel Little Dorrit 1855-1857 ) was followed by Dickens's historical novel A Tale of Two Cities. 1859 ), dedicated to the French Revolution. “Great Expectations” dates back to the same time ( 1861 ) - a novel with biographical features. His hero - Pip - rushes between the desire to preserve the petty bourgeois comfort, to remain faithful to his middle peasant position and the upward desire for splendor, luxury and wealth.

Dickens reaches new artistic heights in his swan song - in a large multi-faceted canvas, the novel Our Mutual Friend. 1864 ). In this work, Dickens's desire to take a break from intense social topics is discernible. In this last completed work, Dickens demonstrated all the powers of his humor, shielding the wonderful, cheerful, pretty images of this idyll from the gloomy thoughts that took possession of him.

Apparently, gloomy thoughts were supposed to find a way out again in Dickens’s detective novel “The Mystery of Edwin Drood”. From the very beginning of the novel, a change in Dickens's creative style is visible - his desire to amaze the reader with a fascinating plot, to immerse him in an atmosphere of mystery and uncertainty. Whether he would have succeeded in this fully remains unclear, since the work remained unfinished.

June 9, 1870 Fifty-eight-year-old Charles Dickens, exhausted by colossal work, a rather chaotic life and many troubles, died of a stroke at his home Gadshill Place, located in the village of Higham (Kent).

Dickens's fame continued to grow after his death. He was turned into a real idol of English literature. His name began to be mentioned next to the name of Shakespeare, his popularity in England in the 1880-1890s. eclipsed Byron's fame.

Major works

Novels:

The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, published in monthly installments, April 1836 - November 1837
The Adventures of Oliver Twist, February 1837 - April 1839
Nicholas Nickleby (The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby), April 1838 - October 1839
The Old Curiosity Shop, weekly issues, April 1840 - February 1841
Barnaby Rudge: A Tale of the Riots of "Eighty" February- november 1841

Christmasstories(The Christmas books):

A Christmas Carol, 1843
The Chimes, 1844
The Cricket on the Hearth, 1845
The Battle of Life, 1846
The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain) 1848
Martin Chuzzlewit (The Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit), January 1843 - July 1844
Trading house Dombey and Son, wholesale, retail and export (Dombey and Son), October 1846 - April 1848
David Copperfield May 1849 - November 1850
Bleak House, March 1852 - September 1853
Hard Times: For These Times April- August 1854
Little Dorrit December 1855 - June 1857
A Tale of Two Cities, April-November 1859
Great Expectations December 1860 - August 1861
Our Mutual Friend, May 1864 - November 1865
The Mystery of Edwin Drood, April 1870 - September 1870. Only 6 of 12 issues have been published, the novel is not finished.

The works of the English writer and creator of comic characters Charles Dickens are considered classics of world literature. The work of the bright social critic belongs to the genre of realism, but his works also reflect fabulous, sentimental features.

Dickens's parents, by the will of fate, could not provide a comfortable life for their eight children. The terrible poverty and endless debts that affected the young writer were subsequently expressed in his works.

On November 7, 1812, John and Elizabeth Dickens' second child was born in Landport. During this period, the head of the family worked in the Royal Navy (naval base) and held the position of an official. Three years later, John was transferred to the capital, and soon sent to the city of Chatham (Kent). Here Charles received school education.

In 1824, the novelist’s father fell into a terrible debt trap; the family was sorely short of money. According to the government laws of Great Britain at that time, creditors sent debtors to a special prison, where John Dickens ended up. The wife and children were also held in detention every weekend, considered debt slaves.

Life circumstances forced the future writer to go to work early. At the blacking factory, the boy received a meager payment of six shillings a week, but fortune smiled on Dickens’s unfortunate family.

John inherited the property of a distant relative, which allowed him to pay off his debts. He received an admiralty pension and worked part-time as a reporter for a local newspaper.

After his father's release, Charles continued to work in the factory and study. In 1827 he graduated from Wellington Academy, and was then hired into a law office as a junior clerk (salary 13 shillings a week). Here the guy worked for a year, and, having mastered shorthand, chose the profession of a free reporter.

In 1830, the young writer’s career took off, and he was invited to the editorial office of the Morning Chronicle.

Literature

The aspiring reporter immediately attracted the attention of the public; readers appreciated the notes, which inspired Dickens to write on a large scale. Literature became the meaning of life for Charles.

In 1836, the first works of a descriptive and moral nature were published, called by the novelist “Essays of Boz.” The content of the essays turned out to be relevant for social status reporter and most of the citizens of London.

Psychological portraits of representatives of the petty bourgeoisie were published in newspapers and allowed their young author to gain fame and recognition.

- Russian writer, called Dickens a master of writing, skillfully reflecting modern reality. The debut of the 19th century prose writer was the novel “Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club” (1837). The book contains genre sketches describing the characteristics of the British, their good-natured, lively disposition. The optimism and ease of reading Charles's works attracted the interest of an increasing number of readers.

Best books

Subsequent stories, novellas, and novels by Charles Dickens were successful. With a short interval of time, masterpieces of world literature were published. Here are some of them:

• "The Adventures of Oliver Twist" (1838). In the book, the writer acted as a humanist, showing the power of goodness and honesty that confronts all life’s difficulties. The main character of the novel is an orphan boy who meets different people (decent and criminal) on his way, but ultimately remains faithful to bright principles. After the publication of this book, Dickens was subjected to a flurry of scandals and proceedings from the managers of London houses, where child labor was cruelly used.

• “Antiquities Shop” (1840-1841). The novel is one of the writer's popular works. The story of little Nell, the heroine of the book, still has a place today for those who want to improve in their vision of life. The storyline of the work is permeated with the eternal struggle between good and evil, where the first always wins. At the same time, the presentation of the material is constructed with a humorous slant, easy to understand.
• "A Christmas Carol" (1843). A magnificent story that inspired the director to make a children's video in 2009 - a cartoon fairy tale based on the work of the English classic, which amazed viewers with its animation, three-dimensional format, and bright episodes. The book makes every reader think deeply about the life they have lived. In his Christmas stories, Dickens exposes the vices of the dominant society in its relations with disadvantaged people.

• "David Copperfield" (1849-1850). In this work by the novelist, humor is seen less and less. The work can be called an autobiography of English society, where the protesting spirit of citizens against capitalism is clearly visible, and morality and family values ​​come to the fore. Many critics and literary authorities have called this novel Dickens' greatest work.
• "Bleak House" (1853). The work is Charles's ninth novel. Here the classic already has mature artistic qualities. According to the writer’s biography, all his heroes are in many ways similar to himself. The book reflects the features characteristic of his early works: injustice, lack of rights, complexities of social relations, but the ability of the characters to withstand all adversities.

• "A Tale of Two Cities" (1859). The historical novel was written by Dickens during the period of his emotional love experiences. At the same time, the author has thoughts about revolution. All these aspects are beautifully intertwined, presented to readers in the form interesting moments according to the motives of religiosity, drama and forgiveness.
• "Great Expectations" (1860). The plot of this book has been filmed and theatricalized in many countries, which indicates the popularity and success of the work. The author quite harshly and at the same time sarcastically described the life of gentlemen (noble aristocrats) against the backdrop of the generous existence of ordinary workers.

Personal life

Charles Dickens's first love was the daughter of a bank manager, Maria Beadnell. At that time (1830), the young guy was a simple reporter, which did not endear him to the wealthy Beadnell family. The damaged reputation of the father's writer (a former debt prisoner) also reinforced the negative attitude towards the groom. Maria went to study in Paris, and returned cold and alien.

In 1836, the novelist married the daughter of his journalist friend. The girl's name was Katherine Thomson Hogarth. She became a faithful wife for the classic, bore him ten children in their marriage, but quarrels and disagreements often occurred between the spouses. The family became a burden for the writer, a source of worries and constant torment.

In 1857, Dickens fell in love again. His chosen one was the young 18-year-old actress Ellen Ternan. The inspired prose writer rented an apartment for his beloved, where their tender dates took place. The romance between the couple lasted until Charles' death. The film “The Invisible Woman”, shot in 2013, is dedicated to the beautiful relationships between creative personalities. Ellen Ternan later became Dickens's main heir.

Death

Combining a stormy personal life with intensive writing, Dickens' health became unenviable. The writer did not pay attention to the ailments that bothered him and continued to work hard.

After traveling around American cities (literary tour), health problems began to arise. In 1869, the writer periodically lost his legs and arms. On June 8, 1870, during his stay at the Gadeshill estate, a terrible event occurred - Charles had a stroke, and the next morning the great classic died.

Charles Dickens, the greatest writer, is buried in Westminster Abbey. After his death, the novelist's fame and popularity continued to grow, and the people turned him into an idol of English literature.

Famous quotes and books by Dickens even today penetrate into the depths of the hearts of his readers, making them think about the “surprises” of fate.

• By nature, Dickens was a very superstitious person. He considered Friday the happiest day; he often fell into a trance and experienced déjà vu.
• After writing 50 lines of each of his works, he always drank several sips of hot water.
• In his relationship with his wife, Katherine showed rigidity and severity, pointing out to the woman her true purpose - to give birth to children and not contradict her husband, but over time he began to despise his wife.
• One of the writer’s favorite pastimes was visiting the Paris morgue.
• The novelist did not recognize the tradition of erecting monuments, and during his lifetime he forbade the erection of similar sculptures to him.

Quotes

• Children, no matter who raises them, feel nothing more painfully than injustice.
• God knows, we needlessly be ashamed of our tears - they are like rain, washing away the stifling dust that dries up our hearts.
• How sad it is to see petty envy in the great sages and mentors of this world. I already have difficulty understanding what guides people—and myself—in their actions.
• In this world, anyone who lightens the burden of another person benefits.
• A lie, outright or evasive, expressed or not, always remains a lie.

Bibliography

• Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club
• The Adventures of Oliver Twist
• Nicholas Nickleby
• Antiquities Shop
• Barnaby Raj
• Christmas stories
• Martin Chuzzlewit
• Trading house Dombey and Son, wholesale, retail and export
• David Copperfield
• Bleak House
• Hard times
• Little Dorrit
• A Tale of Two Cities
• Big hopes
• Our mutual friend
• The Mystery of Edwin Drood

(1812 - 1870) - classic of world literature. His works are read and re-read with pleasure by millions of people even today.

Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club

The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club is the first novel by Charles Dickens, first published by Chapman and Hall in 1836-1837. It was with this book (as well as its ruddy and plump main character) that the writer’s brilliant career began.

The Adventures of Oliver Twist

The Adventures of Oliver Twist is Dickens's most famous novel.

Good old England is not kind to orphans and poor children. The story of a boy left without parents and forced to wander through the dark slums of London. The vicissitudes of the little hero's fate, numerous encounters along his path and the happy ending of difficult and dangerous adventures - all this arouses genuine interest among many readers around the world.

Big hopes

The novel "Great Expectations" needs no introduction - a huge number theatrical productions and film adaptations constantly keep him in the reader's field of view.

The hero of the novel Great Expectations, the young man Philip Pirrip (or simply Pip), strives to become a “true gentleman” and achieve a position in society. But disappointments await him. Money stained with blood cannot bring happiness, and the “world of gentlemen” on which Philip had placed so many hopes turned out to be hostile and cruel.

Hard times

The action of the novel "Hard Times" takes place in the industrial city of Coketown, in which everything is impersonal: people dress the same, leave the house and return at the same hours, the soles of the same shoes click in the same way. The town has a philosophy of facts and figures, followed by the wealthy banker Bounderby. This is the system of education at Gradgrain's school - without love, warmth, imagination. The soulless world of facts is opposed by a traveling circus troupe and the little daughter of a circus performer - Sissy Jupe.

Bleak House

Bleak House was written in 1853 and is the ninth novel in Dickens's work, and also marks the beginning of the author's artistic maturity. This book provides a cross-section of all layers of British society of the Victorian era, from the highest aristocracy to the world of urban gateways. A master of creating intrigue, the writer has filled the work with secrets and intricate plot devices, which are simply impossible to tear yourself away from.

Christmas stories

A Christmas Carol was written by Dickens in the 1940s. In these stories, the main characters are fairies, elves, ghosts, spirits of the dead and... ordinary Englishmen. In them, fairy tales are intertwined with reality, and the horrors of the other world are not inferior to the cruelty of the surrounding reality. Magical, scary and moderately moral and educational reading for all times.

The Life of David Copperfield as Told by Himself

The Life of David Copperfield as Told by Himself is a largely autobiographical novel by Charles Dickens, published in five parts in 1849 and as a book in 1850.

David's father died shortly before his son was born. At first, the boy grew up surrounded by the love of his mother and nanny, but with the appearance of his stepfather, a stubborn tyrant who considers the child his burden, he had to forget about his former life. Another “mentor,” the ignorant Mr. Creakle, a former hop merchant turned school principal, continued to hammer his poor ideas of order into the young hero. But these barbaric methods of education are interrupted by the outwardly stern Betsy Trotwood, who becomes the embodiment of goodness and justice for the boy.