"No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another."— Charles Dickens, The Old Curiosity Shop
Charles Dickens
The voice of Victorian England
Charles John Huffam Dickens was born in Portsmouth, England in 1812 to a middle-class family. His father, John Dickens, was a navy clerk, kind, charming, and terrible with money. Within a few years, John was in serious debt.
When Charles was 12, his father was thrown into Marshalsea Debtor's Prison. The whole family went too, except Charles. Charles was sent to work at a boot polish factory, pasting labels on bottles. He was alone, hungry, ashamed.
Quick Facts
- Born: February 7, 1812
- From: Portsmouth (then London), England
- Job: Novelist, journalist, public lecturer
- Famous for: A Christmas Carol, Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, Great Expectations
Dickens performed his books out loud on tour like a rock star. People would line up for hours, and crowds would weep when he read the sad parts. He'd often act out multiple characters with different voices.
His Famous Stories
Read Dickens's stories on Worldly
Dickens wrote massive, sprawling books, full of memorable characters, big emotions, and Victorian London. On Worldly, every page is adapted to your reading level.
1843A stingy old man is visited by three ghosts who show him his past, present, and future. The most famous Christmas story ever written.
1838An orphan boy is forced into a gang of London street kids. He has to figure out who he can trust, and who's trying to use him.
1850We follow David from babyhood through adult life, through cruel stepfathers, school, love, and finding himself as a writer.
1860Pip is a poor village boy who suddenly inherits a fortune from a mystery donor. He goes to London to become a gentleman, and finds the gift comes with strings.
His Life, Year by Year
From the factory floor to international fame
Dickens lived through one of the most rapidly changing times in British history. His novels are part of why we know what it felt like.
Born in Portsmouth
Charles John Huffam Dickens is born in Portsmouth, England. He's the second of eight children.
The family moves to London
The Dickenses move to London. His dad is in deeper and deeper debt. Charles, 10, watches the family slowly fall apart.
The boot polish factory
Charles's father is sent to Marshalsea Debtor's Prison. Charles is taken out of school and sent to work pasting labels on bottles at Warren's Blacking Warehouse. He's 12. He works ten hours a day.
He goes back to school
His grandmother dies and leaves the family a small inheritance. His father is freed from prison. Charles goes back to school, but for only a couple of years.
He's a reporter
Charles takes a job at a London newspaper as a parliamentary reporter. He's good at it. He starts publishing humorous sketches under the pen name "Boz."
The Pickwick Papers
Charles publishes The Pickwick Papers, a serialized comic novel that becomes a huge hit. The Dickens era of British fiction begins.
Oliver Twist
Dickens publishes Oliver Twist, about a poor orphan boy forced into a London street gang. The book makes the world look hard at poverty.
A Christmas Carol
Dickens writes A Christmas Carol in just six weeks, about a stingy old man named Ebenezer Scrooge who's visited by three ghosts. It becomes the most famous Christmas story ever written.
David Copperfield
Dickens publishes David Copperfield, his favorite of his own books, partly based on his own life.
Great Expectations
Dickens publishes Great Expectations about a boy named Pip with a secret benefactor. Many call it his best book.
End of an era
Dickens dies suddenly at 58 of a stroke. He's buried in Westminster Abbey, beside Geoffrey Chaucer. He left The Mystery of Edwin Drood unfinished, and the world has been guessing the ending ever since.
Dickens's Famous Characters
Three of his most-loved (and most-hated)
Dickens created hundreds of characters. Many of them are still household names.
Christmas Carol · 1843
Ebenezer Scrooge
A grumpy, greedy old man who hates Christmas. Three ghosts visit him. He changes. His name is now an English word, a scrooge is anyone who hates fun.
Oliver Twist · 1838
Oliver Twist
A skinny orphan boy who's forced to ask, "Please, sir, I want some more." The line, and Oliver, are now legend.
Great Expectations · 1860
Miss Havisham
A wealthy old woman who was jilted at the altar and has worn her wedding dress every day since. Her house is frozen in time. One of the most haunting characters in English fiction.
Wait… really?!
Six surprising things about Charles Dickens
He published novels chapter by chapter
Dickens released his books as monthly serials, kind of like TV shows. Readers waited months between chapters and would argue about what would happen next.
He invented modern Christmas
A lot of what we associate with Christmas, turkey, holly, generosity, the Christmas spirit, was made HUGELY popular by A Christmas Carol. Before Dickens, Christmas in England was a much smaller holiday.
He gave dramatic readings of his books
Dickens performed his books out loud like a one-man show, on tours around England and America. Audiences wept, fainted, and laughed. He was a Victorian celebrity.
He fought for kids' rights
Because of his own factory experience, Dickens used his fame to push for laws protecting kids from labor, for better schools, and for prison reform. His novels are partly to credit for changes in British law.
He lost a child
Dickens and his wife Catherine had 10 children. One of his daughters, Dora, died when she was 8 months old. He poured grief into stories about lost or struggling children.
He wrote a ghost story for railways
Dickens nearly died in a train crash in 1865. Afterwards he wrote a haunting ghost story called 'The Signal-Man' set on a railway. He died exactly 5 years to the day after the crash.
Good questions, answered
Charles Dickens FAQ
What's a 'Scrooge'?+
A 'scrooge' is anyone who hates Christmas or is super stingy with money. The word comes from Ebenezer Scrooge, the main character of A Christmas Carol.
Was the boot polish factory real?+
Yes! When Charles was 12, his dad was sent to debtor's prison, and Charles was put to work at Warren's Blacking Warehouse pasting labels on shoe polish bottles. He worked there for several months, and the experience haunted him for life. Many of his novels are about lost or working children.
Why did he publish books in pieces?+
In the Victorian period, novels were often serialized, released as monthly chapters in magazines. It let people who couldn't afford a whole book read along slowly. Dickens was the master of the serial, he'd end every monthly installment on a cliffhanger.
What age are Dickens books good for?+
Dickens originally wrote for adults, and his books are LONG and have hard vocabulary. The Worldly versions are adapted for ages 9 and up, shortened, simplified, and faster-paced.
What's his most famous book?+
Probably A Christmas Carol. It's been adapted into dozens of movies, TV specials, and Muppets specials. Oliver Twist and Great Expectations are also major famous ones.
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