Charles Dickens (1812-1870)

One of the greatest British writers of all time, Charles Dickens was a Victorian novelist who chose the Bildungsroman format for at least two of his most famous works: Great Expectations and David Copperfield. Born in Portsmouth, England, on February 7, 1812, Dickens grew up in London. His father was a navy clerk who went to debtor's prison when Dickens was twelve. Forced to go to work in a shoe dye factory, he lived alone in fear and shame. These feelings led to the creation of his many orphan characters and his sympathy for the plight of the working class that made him the first great urban novelist. Although he was able to return to school and eventually clerked in a law firm, Dickens found his first success as a journalist and comic writer of the Pickwick Papers. However, his deep social concerns found expression in a...