Charles Dickens: The Man Who Charles Dickens: The Man Who Charles Dickens: The Man Who Charles Dickens: The Man Who Had Great ExpectationsHad Great ExpectationsHad Great ExpectationsHad Great Expectationsby Diane Stanley and Peter Vennema

GadGadGadGad’’’’ssss Hill PlaceHill PlaceHill PlaceHill Place

ChildhoodChildhoodChildhoodChildhood• born on February 7, 1812

• grew up in Chatham, east of London

• lived there until he was ten

• had a happy childhood

• liked to read and pretend to be the

heroes in his story books

• older sister named Fanny

• went to a respectable school

CharlesCharlesCharlesCharles’’’’ Mother and FatherMother and FatherMother and FatherMother and Father

Mother Mother Mother Mother ––––Elizabeth Elizabeth Elizabeth Elizabeth DickensDickensDickensDickens

Father Father Father Father ––––John John John John

DickensDickensDickensDickens

ChildhoodChildhoodChildhoodChildhood• father (John Dickens) worked hard but

was always in debt

• had to move family of eight to London

• Charles couldn’t go to school anymore

because the family couldn’t afford it

• stayed home and help with the house

and children

• sold belongings to buy food

WarrenWarrenWarrenWarren’’’’s Blacking Factorys Blacking Factorys Blacking Factorys Blacking Factory

ChildhoodChildhoodChildhoodChildhood

• at age twelve, Charles was forced to

work in the factory

• worked from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Marshalsea PrisonMarshalsea PrisonMarshalsea PrisonMarshalsea Prison

ChildhoodChildhoodChildhoodChildhood

• father was arrested for debt and sent

to Marshalsea Prison

• the whole family was there except for

Charles

• he lived alone in a boarding house

• wandered the city at night; felt lonely

• this experience affected him deeply

Wellington House AcademyWellington House AcademyWellington House AcademyWellington House Academy

ChildhoodChildhoodChildhoodChildhood

• father received an inheritance

• paid off his debts

• was released from prison

• Charles was finally allowed to leave

the factory and go back to school

Charles Dickens as a Young ManCharles Dickens as a Young ManCharles Dickens as a Young ManCharles Dickens as a Young Man

Young AdulthoodYoung AdulthoodYoung AdulthoodYoung Adulthood

• quit school at 15

• worked in various jobs

Maria Maria Maria Maria BeadnellBeadnellBeadnellBeadnell

Young AdulthoodYoung AdulthoodYoung AdulthoodYoung Adulthood

• fell in love with Maria Beadnell, a

banker’s daughter

• did anything to gain her affection

• Maria’s parents didn’t approve of

Charles

• sent Maria to Paris

• Charles was heartbroken

DickensDickensDickensDickens’’’’ LondonLondonLondonLondon

Young AdulthoodYoung AdulthoodYoung AdulthoodYoung Adulthood

• Dickens would wander the streets of

London and watch the people

• he began to write stories about the

people he saw

Depositing the Manuscript:Depositing the Manuscript:Depositing the Manuscript:Depositing the Manuscript:““““A Dinner at Poplar WalkA Dinner at Poplar WalkA Dinner at Poplar WalkA Dinner at Poplar Walk””””

Sketches by Sketches by Sketches by Sketches by BozBozBozBoz

Young AdulthoodYoung AdulthoodYoung AdulthoodYoung Adulthood

• submitted his first story to the Monthly

Magazine

• the magazine published his first story “A

Dinner at Poplar Walk”

• he started to write more stories for them

• took the pen name Boz

• published his first book – Sketches by

Boz

Catherine Catherine Catherine Catherine HogarthHogarthHogarthHogarth

Young AdulthoodYoung AdulthoodYoung AdulthoodYoung Adulthood

• Dickens married Catherine Hogarth

• they did not have a happy marriage

• they lived together for over twenty-two

years; stayed married until Dickens’

death

The Pickwick PapersThe Pickwick PapersThe Pickwick PapersThe Pickwick Papers

Young AdulthoodYoung AdulthoodYoung AdulthoodYoung Adulthood

• at age 25, Charles became extremely

popular with the publication of The

Pickwick Papers

• people were crazy about him and his

stories

Mary Mary Mary Mary HogarthHogarthHogarthHogarth

Nell from The Old Curiosity Shop

Lucy Manettefrom A Tale of Two Cities

Agnes Heepfrom David Copperfield

Young AdulthoodYoung AdulthoodYoung AdulthoodYoung Adulthood

• Catherine’s sister, Mary, came to live

with them

• Charles had strong feelings for her

• when she died, he was very upset

• based many of his sympathetic female

story characters on her

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ofofofofOliver TwistOliver TwistOliver TwistOliver Twist

Young AdulthoodYoung AdulthoodYoung AdulthoodYoung Adulthood

• Charles wrote the book Oliver Twist

• showed people the darker side of life in

London – the poverty, illness, and

dangerous living and working conditions

• his writing influenced people and society

• laws to help the poor and to provide

schools were passed

Fagin fromFagin fromFagin fromFagin fromOliver TwistOliver TwistOliver TwistOliver Twist

UriahUriahUriahUriah HeepHeepHeepHeep from from from from David David David David CopperfieldCopperfieldCopperfieldCopperfield

Ebenezer Ebenezer Ebenezer Ebenezer Scrooge Scrooge Scrooge Scrooge from from from from A A A A Christmas Christmas Christmas Christmas CarolCarolCarolCarol

Miss Miss Miss Miss HavishamHavishamHavishamHavishamfrom from from from Great ExpectationsGreat ExpectationsGreat ExpectationsGreat Expectations

Little Nell and her grandfather from Little Nell and her grandfather from Little Nell and her grandfather from Little Nell and her grandfather from The Old Curiosity ShopThe Old Curiosity ShopThe Old Curiosity ShopThe Old Curiosity Shop

Little Nell on her deathbedLittle Nell on her deathbedLittle Nell on her deathbedLittle Nell on her deathbed

Charles Dickens Before His Charles Dickens Before His Charles Dickens Before His Charles Dickens Before His First Trip to AmericaFirst Trip to AmericaFirst Trip to AmericaFirst Trip to America

Older ManOlder ManOlder ManOlder Man

• Dickens popular in America

• visited when he was thirty

• left on January 4, 1842

• he was mobbed by fans everywhere he

went

Dickens in AmericaDickens in AmericaDickens in AmericaDickens in AmericaPortrait Done in BostonPortrait Done in BostonPortrait Done in BostonPortrait Done in Boston

Dickens in AmericaDickens in AmericaDickens in AmericaDickens in America

Older ManOlder ManOlder ManOlder Man

• he liked Boston

• disliked spitting

• resented that people were publishing his

stories without paying him

• despised slavery

• became very disappointed with the U.S.

DickensDickensDickensDickens’’’’Former Former Former Former HomeHomeHomeHome

Decorated Decorated Decorated Decorated for the for the for the for the HolidaysHolidaysHolidaysHolidays

““““The The The The Sparkler of Sparkler of Sparkler of Sparkler of AlbionAlbionAlbionAlbion””””

A Christmas Carol

Older ManOlder ManOlder ManOlder Man

• Dickens loved to throw big parties

• would do magic tricks for his guests

• loved entertaining at Christmas

• wrote A Christmas Carol in 1843

• became his most popular work

Maria Maria Maria Maria BeadnellBeadnellBeadnellBeadnell ... again... again... again... again

Dickens Moves into Dickens Moves into Dickens Moves into Dickens Moves into GadGadGadGad’’’’ssss Hill PlaceHill PlaceHill PlaceHill Place

Dickens was finally was able to buy Gad’s Hill

Place on March 14, 1856.

Dickens in 1867Dickens in 1867Dickens in 1867Dickens in 1867

Charles Dickens Visits Charles Dickens Visits Charles Dickens Visits Charles Dickens Visits America a Second TimeAmerica a Second TimeAmerica a Second TimeAmerica a Second Time

Older ManOlder ManOlder ManOlder Man

• he began to do dramatic public readings

of his work

• decided to go back to the U.S. even

though he was ill

• the people were still excited to see him

• he liked the U.S. much better this time—

slavery had been abolished; the towns

were more civilized

The Swiss Chalet at Gad’s Hill

The Couch Dickens Died on at The Couch Dickens Died on at The Couch Dickens Died on at The Couch Dickens Died on at GadGadGadGad’’’’ssss HillHillHillHill

Older ManOlder ManOlder ManOlder Man

• he had a stroke which weakened him

• stopped doing public performances

• retired to Gad’s Hill to write and get his

health back

• was working on a new novel

• had a massive stroke

• died on June 9, 1870

• age fifty-eight

DickensDickensDickensDickens’’’’ Characters Characters Characters Characters Filled his MindFilled his MindFilled his MindFilled his Mind

Notebook Entry #30Notebook Entry #30Notebook Entry #30Notebook Entry #30

1) Write the following sentence: In the biography Charles Dickens: The Man Who Had Great Expectations by Diane Stanley and Peter Vennema, we learn that Charles Dickens was a very ______(insert character trait word here) man.

2) Now, without giving specific details or facts, write a paragraph that summarizes your impressions and generalizations about what kind of man Dickens was based on what you learned in the book. How would you introduce his life?