CHARLES DICKENS BIOGRAPHY Charles John Huffam Dickens was born in Portsmouth (England), on 7 February 1812. He was an English writer and social critic of the 19th century. He created some of the world's most memorable fictional characters and he was one of the greatest novelists of the Victorian period. His novels and short stories continue to be widely popular by the twentieth century. His novels pioneered the serial publication of narrative fiction, which became the dominant Vitorian mode for novel publication. Dickens was regarded as one of the most relevant literary writer of his age. His 1843 book, A Christmas Carol, is one of the most influential works ever written, and it remains popular and continues to inspire adaptations in every artistic genre.
LITERARY STYLE Dickens loved the style of the 18 th century picaresque novels which he found in abundance on his father's shelves. His wirting style is marked by linguistic creativity. His literary style is also a mixture of fantasism and realism. His satires of British aristocracy are often popular. Comparing orphans to stocks and shares, people to tug boats or dinnerparty guests to furniture are just some of Dickens's acclaimed comparisons. Dicken's novels were, among other things, works of social commentary. He was a fierce critic of the poverty and social stratification of Victorian society. The author worked closely with his illustrators, supplying them with a summary of the work at the outset and thus ensuring that his characters and settings were exactly how he envisioned them.
NOTABLE WORKS This author published over a dozen major novels, a large number of short stories (including a number of Christmas-themed stories), a handful of plays, and several nonfiction books. Dickens's novels were initially serialised in weekly and monthly magazines, then reprinted in standard book formats. His most important novels are: ➢ The Adventures of Oliver Twist (1838) ➢ The Christmas Books: ✔ A Christmas Carol (1843) ✔ The Chimes (1844) ✔ The Cricket on the Hearth (1845) ✔ The battle of life (1846) ✔ The haunted man and the ghost's bargain (1848) ➢ David Copperfield (1850) ➢ A tale of two cities (1859) ➢ Great expectations (1861)
“A Christmas Carol” (1843) A Christmas Carol is an allegory built on an episodic narrative structure. The book is divided into five sections with each of the middle three staves revolving around a visitation by one of the three famous spirits. The Ghost of Christmas Past represent memory; the Ghost of Christmas Present represents charity, empathy and the Christmas spirit; and the Ghost of Christmas yet to come represents the fear of death.
At the beginning Scrooge, with his attitude, embodies all that dampens Christmas spirit, greed, selfishness, indifference, and lack of consideration for everybody but after the three spirits visit him, Scrooge awakens on Christmas morning with joy and love in his heart; then spends the day with his nephew's family. Scrooge has become a different man overnight and now treats everybody with kindness, generosity and compassion, gaining a reputation as a man who embodies the spirit of Christmas. The story closes with the narrator confirming the validity, completeness, and permanence of Scrooge's transformation.
The three main characters of the story, apart from Scrooge, are the following: I. The first of the spirits, the Ghost of Christmas Past, takes Scrooge to Christmas scenes of his boyhood and youth, in which he can see a time when he was more innocent. They also show what made Scrooge the miser that he is, and why he dislikes Christmas. II. The second spirit, the Ghost of Christmas Present , takes Scrooge to several differing scenes – a market where a lot of people are buying for Christmas dinner, the celebration of Christmas in a miner's cottage, and a lighthouse. A major part of this stave is taken up with the family feast of Scrooge's poor clerk Bob Cratchit, introducing his youngest son, Tiny Tim, who is seriously ill but cannot receive treatment due to Scrooge's unwillingness to pay Cratchit a decent wage. The spirit and the miser also visit Scrooge's nephew's party. III. The third spirit, the Ghost of Christmas yet to come, disturbs Scrooge with warning visions of the future. This include Tiny Tim's death as well as scenes related to Scrooge's own death including a conversation among business associates who will only atend the funeral if lunch is provided. Scrooge's woman cleaner Mrs. Dilber, Scrooge's laundress, and the undertaker steal some of Scrooge's belongings and sell them to a fence named Old Joe. Scrooge's own neglected grave is then revealed, prompting the miser to affirm that he will change his ways in hopes of changing these “shadows of what may be”.