Summary:
Biography and events of Charles Dickens and his time.
Charles Dickens was born on February 7 1812 in Portsmouth. By the time Dickens was 12, he was psychologically scarred. His father was imprisoned for debt in 1824 and his mother and brothers were also put in the Marshalsea Prison until their family finances were somewhat secure. During the time that his family was in prison, he was employed at Warren's Blacking Factory. After this his father enrolled him in a day school in London for three years. At the mere age of 15 he was employed as an office boy for an attorney's office. While employed he also studied during the night. His job at the factory was so traumatic to him that he rarely spoke of it to anyone. In fact he only spoke of it to his wife and John Forster, which was his closest friend. These experiences brought upon David Copperfield and Great Expectations. His father was the original Mr. Micawber in David Copperfield and his mother was the querulous Mrs. Nickleby. They both had a theme of betrayal and alienation.
In 1829 he found himself employed at Doctor's Commons Courts as a free-lance reporter. In 1830 he met Maria Beadnell. She was the daughter of a wealthy banker. Their relationship did not last long because her parents did no approve of him. Soon after the tragic breakup, a version of her that was not so flattering appeared in Little Dorrit. In the same year his first short story was published and soon after many other stories and sketches began to appear.
Once again his father was arrested for debt. Charles came to his rescue. Because of this he was frequently asked for money by his parents and brothers.
In 1835 he became engaged to Catherine Hogarth and they were married on April 2. nearly two years later Catherine and Charles had a son that they named Charles. This was the first of seven sons and three daughters. Dickens dies on June 9, 1870 after he suffered from a stroke the day before. He was buried on June 9th at Westminster Abbey.
In 1812, the year of Dickens' birth, the War of 1812 erupted between Great Britain and the United States. Also in 1812, the French dictator Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Russia. In 1814 Great Britain and the United States signed the Treaty of Ghent. This ended the was of 1812. The Victorian Era began when the granddaughter of King George III, who was only 18 at the time, became queen of Great Britain. This was the longest reign of any British monarchy and lasted from 1837-1901. In 1846 the British Parliament repealed the Corn Laws which kept food prices high and worsened the Irish potato famine. This move began a period of increasing free trade and overall prosperity for the British. Three years later Harriet Beecher Stowe published Uncle Tom's Cabin, a book about American slavery. This book helped to spread the abolitionist movement that was started in the United States. In the same year gold was discovered in California and Australia. In 1867 Benjamin Disraeli forced the British Parliament to pass the Second Reform Bill. This extended the vote to many portions of the labor force and doubled the electorate.
This is the complete article, containing 535 words
(approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page).
