Concetti Chiave
- Charles Dickens's unhappy childhood, including his father's imprisonment and his early work in a factory, heavily influenced the themes of his novels.
- His novels, such as 'Oliver Twist' and 'David Copperfield', highlight social issues like child exploitation and the harsh conditions of the poor and working class.
- Dickens's works were influenced by various sources including the Bible and fairy tales, with London often serving as the setting, reflecting societal corruption due to industrialism.
- His characters, drawn from various social classes, often possess exaggerated traits, with children playing pivotal roles as moral teachers.
- Known for his distinct style, Dickens used carefully selected adjectives, repetition, and hyperbolic, ironic remarks to enhance his storytelling.
Childhood and Early Works
Charles Dickens was born in Portsmouth in 1812.
He had an unhappy childhood, since his father went to prison for debt and he had to work in a factory at the age of 12.
These days inspire much of the content of his novels.
He realised that he had a talent for writing and became a journalist at the Parliament and Law Courts.
He had the pen name ‘Boz’.
One of his first works was ‘The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club’, published in instalments.
Social Themes in Novels
Then he wrote some novels, such as ‘Oliver Twist’, ‘David Copperfield’ and ‘Little Dorrit’, which showed his own childhood.
He talked about the exploited lives of children in the factories.
Another novel is ‘Bleak House’.
These novels are set against the background of social issues, showing the conditions of the poor and the working class.
He died in 1870.
-The Plot of Dickens’s Novels-
Influences and Setting
His novels were influenced by the Bible, fairy tales, fables and nursery rhymes.
London was the setting of most of his novels.
At first, Dickens created middle class characters.
He was aware of the spiritual and material corruption because of industrialism and he became critical of society.
Then, Dickens showed more attention to public abuses, evils and wrongs, like misery and crime in London.
-Characters-
Characterization of Characters
Dickens created characters with exaggerated and ridiculed social characteristics; the characters come from the middle, lower and lowest classes.
-A Didactic Aim-
Children are often the most important characters in Dickens's novels.
Children are the moral teachers.
Inside the novels, the wealthier and more educated classes acquires a knowledge of their poorer neighbours, of which many were ignorant.
Dickens's task was to alleviate undeniable sufferings, to get the common intelligence of the country, in all its different classes.
-Style and Reputation-
Style and Reputation
Dickens chose carefully adjectives, uses repetition of words, hyperbolic and ironic remarks.
Domande da interrogazione
- How did Charles Dickens's early life influence his literary works?
- What social issues did Dickens address in his novels, and how did he portray them?
Charles Dickens's unhappy childhood, marked by his father's imprisonment for debt and his own work in a factory at age 12, inspired much of the content in his novels. These experiences are reflected in the themes of his works, such as the exploited lives of children and the conditions of the poor.
Dickens's novels, including 'Oliver Twist', 'David Copperfield', and 'Little Dorrit', addressed social issues like child exploitation, poverty, and the struggles of the working class. He used his characters and settings, often in London, to highlight the spiritual and material corruption caused by industrialism and to critique societal abuses and wrongs.
Accedi a tutti gli appunti
Tutor AI: studia meglio e in meno tempo
