Charles Dickens by Michela Guerra

giada_frassica — 2015-02-03 17:04:13 UTC

His life

michela_guerra — 2015-02-03 17:46:51 UTC

Charles Dickens was born on February 7, 1812 at Portsmouth , the second of eight children . His father John was taken to the office of the Navy and mother Elizabeth Barrow was the daughter of a civil servant The young Charles Dickens John Huffman (his full name ) spent the first four years in different places following the family and the various transfers of the father and developing already in early adolescence a deep passion for lettura. In1824 his father was arrested for debt : locked up in prison , will remain until a few months thanks to a small inheritance family can finally appianarne debts . In those dark months the twelve year old Charles know the hard work of the laborer, the exploitation of minors ( real scandal of England at the time) and the brutality of some representatives of the lower classes . The working conditions were appalling : thrown in a factory like a dirty shack infested by rats , along with some peers slum pasted labels on bottles of shoe polish. Once released from prison the father was against that Charles left the job, until fortunately after about a year other than the will of the mother required. Since 1825 Charles can resume their studies; this time not so casual but at the Wellington Academy of Hampstead Road; But two years after the leave because the father can no longer afford the registration fee. In May, then begins to work as a messenger at a law firm to pass the following year the activity of parliamentary reporter, until in 1829 the job of a journalist at the Law Courts of Doctors in company with his cousin Thomas Charlton. The following year, the nineteen year old Charles falls in love with a young daughter of a banker, but also for reasons of social inequality and the opposition of her parents, the engagement is dissolved three years later with a break that will leave more of a mark in the mind of Charles. In 1835 he meets Catherine Hogarth, married in a hurry the next year; significant is the relationship established between the writer and the two-in-law, Mary (whose death at the age of 16 in 1837 in Charles triggers an infinite pain and a severe psychological crisis) and Georgina, 12 years younger than Catherine, who came later in the family of the writer gradually replacing the older sister in the administration of the house and that he did not leave even when the couple obtained a legal separation, tolerating later also the new love and new relationship with Charles Ellen Ternan.His fame eventually spread both in Europe and in America so much that in 1842 makes a long trip to the US, where among other things will affect you in the prison system.In May 1855 his life undergoes an abrupt change because of the meeting with Ellen Ternan, a love that will push him to leave the marital home to start a new life with her. Despite the still young age Charles Dickens is almost a national glory: it is responsible for a real fever mass engagement in public readings of his works both at home and abroad. She is docile and follows him with deference even though hides a steely character and maternal, able to guide him in the toughest moments. At the end of 1867 Dickens embarks on a new journey to America for a tour of readings in December but will get sick seriously, much to recover with great difficulty. In 1869 he began to write his latest work, "The Mystery of Edwin Drood", unfortunately remained unfinished.

His works

michela_guerra — 2015-02-04 18:10:43 UTC

During his life, Charles Dickens wrote a lot of novels and short stories that continue to be famous, such as A Christmas Carol, David Copperfield, Oliver Twist, Great Expectations, Hard Times and Bleak House; in particular Oliver Twist, Great Expectations and A Christmas Carol are also frequently adapted in every artistic genre.

David Copperfield

michela_guerra — 2015-02-04 18:28:42 UTC

"David Copperfield" was published in 1850 and many elements of the novel are inspired by real events happened in Dickens' own life, so this novel is probably the most autobiographical of his novels.

A Christmas Carol

michela_guerra — 2015-02-04 20:07:22 UTC

"A Christmas Carol" is a novella published in 1843; it met with instant success and critical acclaim and it is still popular. The novella tells the story of a bitter old miser man called Ebenezer Scrooge and his transformation into a gentler, kindlier man after he had been visited by the ghost of his business partner Marley and the Ghosts of Christmases Past, Present and Yet to come during the Christmas Eve night. Charles Dickens managed with bringing to the reader images of light, joy, warmth and life, but also unforgettable images of darkness, coldness, sadness, despair and death.

Bleak House

giada_frassica — 2015-02-04 21:02:30 UTC

Bleak House, Bleak House, formerly known as Fort House, is a large house on the cliff overlooking the North Foreland and Viking Bay in Broadstairs, Kent.

It was built around 1801 and then substantially extended, doubling in size, in 1901.

The house was the site of the North Cliff Battery and was used as a coastal station for observing marine activity.

Fort House was dubbed Bleak House in the early part of the 20th Century infact the house was not called Bleak House when Dickens was alive. It was only after the author’s death in 1870, did the house acquire its present name and the name came from his novel, Bleak House.

It is believed that Dickens wrote several of his best sellers from this house when he lived in it during the 1850 – 1870 period.

It was a house that the author held very close to his heart and he spent almost all his summer months there.

The house was so popular that the novelist Wilkie Collins and Prime Minister William Gladstone had actually visited it.

in the Bleak House there is now a suit called the David Copperfield suite and in it you can see the study used by Dickens when he sat down to pen his novels.

You can actually sit by his desk and observe the same picturesque scene that Dickens had enjoyed in his time.

It is believed that this house is the only place in the whole of Broadstairs that offers such a mesmerizing view of the bay.

Now you know where he got his inspiration from. Just by sitting at his desk you will get transported you into a different world altogether.

The life of Charles Dickens

michela_guerra — 2015-02-08 18:32:30 UTC

Dickens House Museum

michela_guerra — 2015-02-08 18:37:51 UTC

Dickens House Museum celebrates Charles Dickens' long connection with Broadstairs from 1837 to 1851.

Visitors will see items that once belonged to Charles Dickens including letters written about Broadstairs, his writing box and mahogany sideboard. There are also displays of Dickensian memorabilia and Victorian costumes. The museum has a gift shop and is staffed by volunteers who are passionate about Charles Dickens and are happy to guide visitors around the house.

Quiz!!

michela_guerra — 2015-02-08 18:53:49 UTC

1) Why is Bleak House called with this name?

a- Because of one of Dickens' novels

b- Because of the marine activity

c- Because of the cliff on which the house is situated

2) What can you see in Bleak House?

a- Dickens' letters

b- Dickens' study

c- A picture of Dickens

3 )What does Dickens House Museum celebrate?

a- Dickens' wife

b- Dickens' works

c- Dickens' long connection with Broadstairs

4) The museum has:

a- A Library

b- A gift shop

c- A wonderful view of the bay

5) By who is the gift shop run?

a- By students

b- By Broadstairs' citizens

c- By volunteers fond of Dickens

6) In which work did Charles manage with bringing images of light and darkness at the same time ?

a- A Christmas Carol

b- Oliver Twist

c- David Copperfield

7) Why was Charles's father in prison ?

a-because he stole some bread

b-because he had many debts

c-because he ate a lot of candies