| There is something about Charles Dickens'
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| | John Forster, long afterward, that he
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| imaginative power that defies explanation
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| | felt a deep sense of abandonment at this
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| in purely biographical terms.
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| | time; the major themes of his novels can
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| Nevertheless, his biography shows the
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| | be traced to this period. His sympathy
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| source of that power and is the best
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| | for the victimized, his fascination with
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| place to begin to define it.The second
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| | prisons and money, the desire to
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| child of John and Elizabeth Dickens,
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| | vindicate his heroes' status as
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| Charles was born on February 7, 1812,
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| | gentlemen, and the idea of London as an
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| near Portsmouth on England's south coast.
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| | awesome, lively, and rather threatening
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| At that time John Dickens was stationed
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| | environment all reflect these
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| in Portsmouth as a clerk in the Navy Pay
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| | experiences. No doubt this temporary
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| Office. The family was of
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| | collapse of his parents' ability to
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| lower-middle-class origins, John having
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| | protect him made a vivid expression on
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| come from servants and Elizabeth from
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| | him. Out on his own for a time at twelve
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| minor bureaucrats. Dickens' father was
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| | years of age, Dickens acquired a lasting
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| vivacious and generous but had an
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| | self-reliance, a driving ambition, and a
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| unfortunate tendency to live beyond his
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| | boundless energy that went into
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| means. his mother was affectionate and
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| | everything he did.At thirteen Dickens
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| rather inept in practical matters.
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| | went back to school for two years and
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| Dickens later used his father as the
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| | then took a job in a lawyers office.
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| basis for Mr. Micawber and portrayed is
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| | Dissatisfied with the work, he learned
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| mother as Mrs. Nickleby in A Tale of Two
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| | shorthand and became a freelance court
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| Cities.After a transfer to London in
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| | reporter in 1828. The job was seasonal
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| 1814, the family moved to Chatham, near
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| | and allowed him to do a good deal of
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| Rochester, three years later. Dickens was
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| | reading in the British Museum. At the age
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| about five at the time, and for the next
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| | of twenty he became a full-fledged
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| five years his life was pleasant. Taught
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| | journalist, working for three papers in
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| to read by his mother, he devoured his
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| | succession. In the next four or five
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| fathers' small collection of classics,
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| | years he acquired the reputation of being
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| which included Shakespeare, Cervantes,
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| | the fastest and most accurate
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| Defoe, Smollet, Fielding, and Goldsmith.
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| | parliamentary reporter in London. The
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| These left a permanent mark on his
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| | value of this period was that Dickens
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| imagination; their effect on his art was
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| | gained a sound, firsthand knowledge of
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| quite important. dickens also went to
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| | London and the provinces.Dickens was very
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| some performances of Shakespeare and
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| | active physically. He loved taking long
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| formed a lifelong attachment to the
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| | walks, riding horses, making journeys,
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| theater. He attended school during this
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| | entertaining friends, dining well,
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| period and showed himself to be a rather
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| | playing practical jokes. He enjoyed games
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| solitary, observant, good-natured child
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| | of charades with his family, was an
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| with some talent for comic routines,
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| | excellent amateur magician, and practiced
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| which his father encouraged. In
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| | hypnotism. One tends to share Shaw's
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| retrospect Dickens looked upon these
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| | opinion that Dickens, in his social life,
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| years as a kind of golden age. His first
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| | was always on stage. He was like an
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| novel, The Pickwick Papers, is in part an
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| | eternal Master of Ceremonies, for the
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| attempt to recreate their idyllic nature:
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| | most part: flamboyant, observant, quick,
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| it rejoices in innocence and the youthful
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| | dynamic, full of zest. Yet he was also
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| spirit, and its happiest scenes take
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| | restless, subject to fits of depression,
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| place in that precise geographical
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| | and hot tempered, so that at times he
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| area.In the light of the family's move
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| | must have been nearly intolerable to live
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| back to London, where financial
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| | with, however agreeable he was as a
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| difficulties overtook the Dickens's, the
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| | companion.In view of his very strenuous
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| time in Chatham must have seemed glorious
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| | life it was not surprising that he died
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| indeed. The family moved into the shabby
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| | at fifty-eight from a stroke. At his
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| suburb of Camden Town, and Dickens was
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| | death on June 9, 1870, Dickens was
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| taken out of school and set to menial
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| | wealthy, immensely popular, and the best
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| jobs about the household. In time, to
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| | novelist the Victorian age produced. He
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| help augment the family income, Dickens
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| | was buried in the Poet's Corner of
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| was given a job in a blacking factory
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| | Westminster Abbey, and people mourned his
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| among rough companions. At the time his
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| | death the world over.You may visit and
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| father was imprisoned for debt, but was
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| | for instant access to thousands of term
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| released three months later by a small
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| | papers. Several thousand free papers are
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| legacy. Dickens related to his friend,
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| | also offered.
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