Bio+of+Charles+Dickens

Biography
Charles Dickens Son of - John and Elizabeth Dickens. [A.P. (6/20/07)] Born - February 17, 1812. [A.P. (6/20/07)] Died - June 9, 1870. (Age: 58) [A.P. (6/20/07)] Education

Charles Dickens was born to Elizabeth and John Dickens, a clerk at the Navy Pay Office, on February 7, 1812. At the age of twelve, Dickens’ father was thrown into a debtors prison due to fact that he constantly lived a lifestyle he could not afford. Since his father could not work to make ends meet anymore, Dickens had to leave school at the young age of twelve and work at a boot-blackening factory. Working at the factory was a traumatizing experience for a boy so young and came to be a defining moment in his life. He was able to draw from his experience and apply it to his future novels. Eventually, the debts were partially paid off and his father was released from prison. Against his mother’s wishes and with his father’s encouragement, Dickens left the job and attended school in London. However, in the brief time Dickens worked at the factory, the mental scars had already been left on the young boy and the memories followed him around the rest of his life. When Dickens was fifteen, he got a job as an office boy for an attorney and studied at night. Soon, the writer within him began to emerge as he became a freelance reporter for Doctor’s Common Courts in 1829. A few years later, he began to write reports about Parliament and started to report for an official newspaper. Even though Dickens used his experience to make a change in his life for the better, Dickens’ father’s habits remained the same. He once again landed himself in prison and needed Dickens to help him financially once again. Due to his success, Dickens’ family constantly pursued him for money. Not long after achieving success in his writing career, Dickens fell in love with Catherine Hogarth and eventually married her April 2, 1836. In total, the couple had 10 kids together. Along with getting married in 1836, Dickens also wrote two very successful series: Sketches by Boz and The Pickwick Papers. After the second successful series, Dickens officially became a novelist. He continued to write and had numerous successful novels including, //Oliver Twist// (1837-1839), //Great Expectations//, //A Christmas Carol// (1844), and //A Tale of Two Cities// (1859). He took his family along with him as he toured through numerous numbers of locations. Although his writing career was rising in fame, his marriage began to go downhill. While still married, Dickens fell in love with Ellen Ternan, a young actress. She worked with Dickens on the cast of //The Frozen Deep//, which he preformed for the Queen. The difficulties between him and his wife, including the budding relationship between Ternan and Dickens, eventually became too much and the spouses officially separated. Afterwards, he continued to write and began to do public readings for the next year. However, he habitually overworked his body and therefore was not in the greatest health. He continued to push himself by taking on editorial tasks at //All the Year Round// in addition to his tour. In 1869, he endured a small stroke causing him to cancel readings but he began //The Mystery of Edwin Drood//. His last reading took place in London before he suffered another stroke and died the next day on June 9, 1870. -Rosanna Chaoanw (8/17/07)

Charles Dickens was born on February 7, 1812 to John and Elizabeth Dickens in Portsmouth, England. They moved to London when Charles was 2 years old. Charles was able to attend school at age 9, but that didn't last long. His father, John, had to move constantly for work (he was a navy clerk) and with such a big family to hold up, he just couldn't last. John was put in Marshalsea debtor's prison in Southwark for bad debt. Sadly, Charles had to leave school at 12 years old. Charles then went to work at Warren's Blacking Factory, to help provide for his mother and 7 siblings, where he had to deal with horrid working conditions as well as being lonely. But his father received a legacy from a relative and was finally able to pay off his debt. Charles Dickens was also able to attend school again. After that, Charles worked at several reporter jobs. In 1836, he married Catherine Hogarth, who was the daughter of the editor of one of the magazines Charles worked for. Catherine and he ended up having 10 children together. The same month they were married, Charles wrote the //Pickwick Papers//, which was a huge success. From there, Charles Dickens wrote more books such as //Oliver Twist//, //Nicholas Nickleby//, //David Copperfield//, //A Tale of Two Cities//, //Great Expectations//, and //A Christmas Carol//. He even had his own magazine called //Master Humphrey's Clock//. Not only did Charles write books, but he also wrote and performed in a few plays too. In 1858, Charles and his wife, Catherine, separated. Charles was in the middle of writing //The Mystery of Edwin Drood// when he died of a stroke on June 9, 1870. He was buried in the Poet's Corner of Westminster Abbey in London. --Calvin (8/2/07)


 * References**

1. [|Dickens: A Brief Biography] 2. http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/dickens_charles.shtml 3. http://www.britainexpress.com/History/bio/dickens.htm 4. http://www.biography.com/search/article.do?id=192833