JoanP "Where did he learn to write? What was his educational background? I think it would be interesting to know these things. The same questions are asked about Shakespeare's plays - and his background."
In the beginning of my nook book there is a section called "The Life and Times of Charles Dickens". It gives an overview of his life and it points out that due to a father who was not reliable, committed or responsible, Charles had to work to help the family pay their debt. He was working at the age 12 while his family was in debtor's prison. It states "He stayed in school until he was fifteen." There is also a chapter "Childhood and Education" and it says, "Charles' life as a boy was fairly easy for the first ten years of his life. After leaving Portsmouth, the Dickens family spent a short time in London and then moved to Kent. Charles attended school in the town of Chatham, was taken to theatrical productions, and spent much time reading. His imagination was also fueled by a family nursemaid named Mary Weller_she told gruesome stories with dramatic flair which scared young Charles but also thrilled him. Mrs. Dickens even tried to establish a school, with Charles as her helper doing odd jobs. That was not a great success and by 1824 John Dickens was over his head in debt and he was sent to Marshalsea Prison. Charles was now twelve years old and had begun working in Warren's Blacking Factory. The hours there were long- he put in ten hour shifts each day pasting labels on boxes. Charles lived in Mrs. Roylance's boarding house in Camden Town, London and visited his parents and siblings at Marshalsea on Sundays. This period of his life would influence him a great deal- having his family in jail and his education cut short... It wasn't long before the Dicken's family was out of debtor's prison. Charle's mother wanted her eldest son to remain at Warren's. Mrs. Dickens felt the family needed his wages to make ends meet. John Dickens over ruled Elizabeth and enrolled his son at the Wellington House Academy in London. By furthering his education it is likely that Charles was able to avoid a life of factory work and poverty. He attended Wellington as a day pupil from 1824-27.
Here is a breakdown of his work background:
1827 at the age of fifteen he was forced to leave school and went to work as a clerk in the law firm of Charles Molloy. He did not stay there long and was soon working as a clerk at Ellis and Blackmore, a position he obtained through connections of his mother's. The work Dickens did at Ellis and Blackmore was not challenging and in fact, Charles did not find the actual field of law interesting. In 1828 he began freelancing as a court stenographer. He had mastered shorthand very quickly in preparation for the job. It was apparent throughout his career that Charles has a quick intelligence and excellent memory. Dicken's next career move undoubtedly encouraged his interest in public affairs. He became a shorthand reporter for the news publication the Mirror of Parliment, a London newspaper managed by his uncle, John Henry Barrow. The newspaper reported on the daily activities of the Houses of Commons and Lords. Dickens also worked for another paper, the True Sun, in this capacity. He referred to the House of Commons as being "strong on clowns". It is apparent in his spare time Dickens took to writing his own works of humorous fiction ans was soon having occasional short stories published. He was only 21 when his first story "A Dinner at Poplar Walk" was accepted for publication by Monthly Magazine (January 1834) Dickens continued to write his short stories and sketches while continuing his career in journalism. By the end of 1834 Charles was living at Furnival's Inn and was working for the newspaper The Morning Chronicle.
In 1836 Dicken's stories were published as a collection called Sketches by Boz. The success of the Sketches by Boz led to Dicken's recognition as a profitable author and his acquiring a publisher in London: Chapman and Hall. Chapman and Hall wanted Charles to create some stories to go along with some etchings of sporting life created by Robert Seymour. These stories were to be published in monthly installments and in fact were published in twenty parts, the first appearing on March 31, 1836. The stories became known as The Pickwick Papers. The collection of serialized stories was published in book form in 1837. Dickens proved he was a multi-talented writer- in 1836 he wrote a libretto for The Village Coquettes, a comic opera. Within weeks Braham had agreed to produce the play. Still only 23 years old, Dickens was definitely a star on the rise. Oliver Twist was serialized over two years. His next two novels: Nicholas Nickleby and The Old Curiosity Shop, the next Dickens novel, Barnaby Rudge, was published in 1841.
In January 1842, Charles, not yet thirty years old and now famous on both side of the Atlantic, sailed from Liverpool with is wife Catherine for a trip to North America, Dickens did not write (other than letters) and did not lecture-he and Catherine simply played tourist. When he returned home, after six months away, Dickens wrote an account of his trip to the United States titled American Notes, published in 1843. Returned to the United States in 1867-1868 for a lecture tour that was lucrative but overshadowed by his declining health. Dickens next novel Martin Chuzzlewit, a novel that had mixed reviews. Charles Dickens' next literary endeavor proved to be one of the most enduring and popular of his work- A Christmas Carol. Although not known as one of his greatest works today, Dombey and Son was Dickens' next book, published from 1846 to 1848. Following Dombey and Son, Dickens wrote David Copperfield and Bleak House; both considered to be masterpieces, the former considered to be a mix of autobiography and fiction. Into the 1850's Dickens wrote two novels of strong social commentary: Hard Times and Llittle Dorrit. During this time as well, Dickens pulished and edited two magazines (Daily News and Household Words-later called All the Year Round). Dickens was to write three more complete novels before his death- the highly regarded A Tale of Two Cities and Great Expectation, and the somewhat lesser known Our Mutual Friend. His last novel, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, was unfinished at his death in 1870 but was subsequently published. How did Dickens intend to end the story? He left no notes and secret died with him on June 9th, 1870.
Just a little extra info..."He was the father of ten children. He was a husband who left his wife after twenty four years of marriage and took up with a young actress; this did not win the hearts of Victorian England, but it may not have been widely known. Dickens' publisher stopped the author from discussing the marriage breakdown publically.
Sorry so lengthy, I think it gives us a really good overview of his literary/business life.
Ciao for now~
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