Charles DickensGetty
Oliver Twist, Great Expectations, and of course A Christmas Carol are undoubted literary masterpieces still as popular today as when they were first published in the 1800s, and yet their author is still sometimes dismissed as just a writer or popular stories when in fact, Charles Dickens was an activist for social reform - writing about topics many other writers of the day just ignored.
Born on 7th February 1812 in Portsmouth, Dickens was one of eight children and was put to work at age 12 after his father was sent to prison for financial problems. Working in Warren’s Blacking Warehouse, a shoe polish factory, Dickens worked 10 hours each day fixing labels to bottles for which he was paid 6 shillings per week.
It was this experience of child labour, poverty and the direct impact of the ‘new poor law’ of 1934 that resulted in Dickens writing stories about everyday people and their experience of life - often through the eyes of a neglected child and with characters inspired by the people in his life.
Little Dorrit was inspired by his father’s time in the infamous Marshalsea prison. While the character of Mr Micawber in David Copperfield was direct reference to father John’s love of the high life which when coupled with a low tolerance for financial maturity resulted in the unpaid debt that saw Dickens senior sent to prison. However, the most famous character inspired by a real life friend is that of Fagin in Oliver Twist - inspired by Bob Fagin, an older boy who Dickens met while working in the warehouse.
It was while working in the warehouse and staying in lodgings across London, while the rest of his family moved closer to his father’s prison, that Dickens began his life long habit of roaming the streets of London in search of inspiration and to stave feelings of loneliness. Speaking about his habit, Dickens said: “I suppose myself to know this large city as well as anybody in it.”
Dickens first published work was A Dinner at Poplar Walk, in Monthly Magazine in December, 1833. This was followed by a series of sketches entitled Sketches by Boz (a pen name he used in his early days based on the nickname of his younger brother) which were edited by George Hogarth, and saw the first installment of The Pickwick Paper be released in 1836 - the same year Dickens married Hogarth’s daughter Catherine. The pair remained married for over 20 years and had 10 children together before they separated in 1858.
Their separation remains a contentious issue for Dickensian scholars. At the time, Dickens accused Catherine of being mentally unstable and an unfit wife and mother, proved by the fact that sometime during their marriage Catherine began to struggle with running a household and rearing 10 children and so sought domestic help from her sister Georgina.
In time, Georgina took control of the Dickens home and started to run it in every way while Catherine took a more subservient role. Some scholars believe that while Catherine had her struggles, their depth was fabricated by Dickens so he could start a relationship with Ellen Tiernan - a younger woman he had become infatuated with and whose existence Catherine became aware of when a bracelet bought by her husband for Tiernan was mistakenly delivered to her.
Dickens first met Tiernan when she, her sister and her mother were hired to star in a play of which he was a sponsor and co-star. The two hit it off and this chemistry, coupled with Catherine’s illness, resulted in the start of a relationship that would last until the author’s death and see the two raise nine of his 10 children.
After his separation from Catherine, Dickens took the unusual step of addressing gossip about his relationship with Tiernan by taking an ad in the London Times and Household Worlds which stated: “Some domestic trouble of mine, of long-standing, on which I will make no further remark than that it claims to be respected, as being of a sacredly private nature, has lately been brought to an arrangement, which involves no anger or ill-will of any kind, and the whole origin, progress, and surrounding circumstances of which have been, throughout, within the knowledge of my children. It is amicably composed, and its details have now to be forgotten by those concerned in it.”
While the notice shows the fame Dickens enjoyed, it also enabled him to adopt a unique approach to the publication of his work. Dickens’ most famous works, including Oliver Twist, David Copperfield and A Tale of Two Cities were serialised over a number of months - which experts believe is how Dicken was also to become such an acclaimed social commentator. In addition, this approach meant that the characters Dickens created were able to develop in an organic way, reacting to events and sharing the feelings of the Victorian Londoner.
Throughout his life, Dickens wrote over 20 novels and novellas and gained worldwide appeal, with a particularly strong following across the US - all the more surprising given his strong views on slavery. In fact, there exists only one lifesize statue of Dickens and, as per a request written in his will, it can be found in Clark Park, Philadelphia. It was this popularity in the US that resulted in Dickens spending time in later life touring both America and Europe giving readings of his most popular work.
In fact, it was during a readings tour of England, Ireland and Scotland that Dickens suffered a mild stroke. Advised to abandon the tour, Dickens ignored medical advice and instead carried out a further 12 events. After returning home and while working on his final, and unfinished, novel Edwin Drood, the author experienced another stroke and passed away the following day.
Following his death in 1870, and against his wishes for a quiet and private burial and memorial in Kent, Dickens was buried in the South Transept of Westminster Abbey, known as Poets’ Corner - where he remains one of the Abbey’s most popular residents.