Charles Dickens

Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist of the Victorian era. During his lifetime Dickens was very popular, his works serialized in weekly magazines and their chapters eagerly awaited by readers. Considered one of the English language’s greatest writers, he was deeply concerned about social issues and these are major themes in his works. Some of his more popular titles include Great Expectations, A Tale of Two Cities, and A Christmas Carol. As a testament to his popularity, his works have never been out of print.

Nationality: English

Birth Date: 7 Feb 1812

Death Date: 9 June 1870

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Available Works

Oliver Twist (1838): Oliver Twist is Charles Dickens' second novel. It is about a boy named Oliver Twist, who escapes from a workhouse and meets a gang of pickpockets in London. The novel is one of Dickens's most well-known works, and has been the subject of numerous film and television adaptations.
A Christmas Carol (1843): A Christmas Carol is a Victorian morality tale that focuses on the life of the main character, Ebenezer Scrooge. First published by Charles Dickens in 1843 as a means to relieve personal debts, A Christmas Carol has become one of the most enduring Christmas stories of all time.
David Copperfield (1850): David Copperfield is a novel by Charles Dickens. Like most of his works, it originally appeared in serial form a year earlier. Many elements within the novel follow events in Dickens' own life, and it is probably the most autobiographical of all of his novels.
A Tale of Two Cities (1859): A Tale of Two Cities is a historical novel by Charles Dickens. The plot centers on the years leading up to the French Revolution and culminates in the Jacobin Reign of Terror. It tells the story of two men, Charles Darnay and Sydney Carton, who look similar but are very different in personality. Darnay is a romantic French aristocrat, while Carton is a cynical English barrister. However, the two are in love with the same woman, Lucie Manette.
Great Expectations (1861): Great Expectations follows Pip's life expectations as he attempts to fit in with upper class society, while pining for the affection of Estella.
The Mystery of Edwin Drood (1870): The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Dickens's final novel was left unfinished before his death in 1871. Edwin Drood’s uncle, John Jasper, a choirmaster, is in love with his pupil and Drood’s fiancee Rosa Bud. She has also caught the eye of high-spirited and ill-tempered Neville Landless (who came from Ceylon with his twin sister Helena). When Drood is murdered, the killer must be found...that is if Drood is really dead.

Individual Passages

The Chimes, a Goblin Story: This is a greatly abridged children's version of Dickens' 1844 Christmas novella. An old fellow named Trotty thinks the church bells are talking to him when they chime each quarter hour. When he visits the church to see why they are saying things to him he has a dream in which the bells really do speak to him, and the dream changes Trotty’s life.
A Christmas Tree: The author shares some of his Christmas experiences and memories regarding the meaning of the Christmas tree.
What Christmas is as We Grow Older: The speaker compares the feelings and hopes of youth at Christmastime with the changes that occur with age.
The Haunted House: The Mortals in the House: The narrator tells of how he came to live in the house. Servants believe in the haunting, and this leads to troubles, so the narrator and his sister decide to change their plans.
The Haunted House: The Ghost in Master B.’s Room: The narrator tells of his growing fascination with Master B, as well as the series of events following the appearance of the ghost.
“A Child’s Dream of a Star”: A folk tale about the connection between death and the afterlife, in this case, heaven.