Dickens'
wrote about what he knew, the Victorian era. He created stories with vivid
characters that his readers could relate to whether with sympathy, empathy,
apathy or extreme dislike. Anyone who reads his works from the first word to
the last will never forget the images that his words conjured. Many were too
real for comfort while others were definitely unforgettable.
A literary genius is born
Charles
John Huffam Dickens was born on February 7, 1812 in Portsmouth, England. His
parents were John Dickens and Elizabeth Barrow. Charles was the second of eight
children and at a very young age he experienced a life that he would later draw
upon during his years as a writer. His father was imprisoned due to debt
causing a 9-year old Charles to stop attending school. He had to spend time
working at a blacking factory where he experienced appalling conditions which
no child should ever experience. Charles felt much despair and loneliness. But
fate smiled upon the Dickens family and once again, Charles was back in school.
He never forgot his experiences at the blacking factory. These experiences eventually
made their way into two of his works: Great Expectations and David Copperfield.
Dickens
eventually became a journalist. By 1833, he worked at The Morning Chronicle as
a parliamentary journalist. In 1834, 'Boz' was born. 'Boz' was the pseudonym he
hid behind when his series of short pieces (known as Sketches by Boz
Illustrative of Every-day Life and Every-day People) were published in The
Monthly Magazine. By 1836, he was a married man having wed Catherine Hogarth in
April. Pickwick Papers came out the same month.
Dickens
wrote weekly periodicals, novels, novellas, plays, travel books, and other
works. He also administered to a number of charitable institutions. A known
theater enthusiast, Dickens once performed before Her Majesty, Queen Victoria.
Travelling was also part of his life. Dickens travelled to such countries as
Italy and Switzerland. He also had a chance to visit the United States twice in
his lifetime.
Dickens
was blessed with 10 children. He died on June 9, 1870 at his home in Rochester,
England after suffering a stroke the day before. His remains lie in what is
called the Poets' Corner in London's Westminster Abbey. Charles Dickens was 58
years old.
Dickens' literary
offspring
Florid
(flowery) and poetic are two adjectives used to describe Dickens' literary
style. He is known to put comic touches to his works. Dickens was able to
describe in realistic detail the London of his time and the London that he
loved. In fact, some say that the city of London was the major character in
most of his works. Dickens was adept at mixing fantasy and realism thus drawing
in a wide range of readers from across cultures and countries.
Dickens
blessed the world with many literary works to choose from both of the fiction
and non-fiction sort. A number of his works seem to be autobiographical while
others were definitely social commentaries of existing conditions during his
lifetime. Dickens was known to criticize poverty, slavery and the social
structure of Victorian England. His first-ever published work was a sketch in
1833 called A Dinner at Poplar Walk, which is also referred to as Mr. Minns and
his Cousin. Soon after, more works sprung from the imagination and pen of
Dickens. Among them were novels such as:
Pickwick
Papers (1836-1837)
Oliver
Twist (1837-1839)
Nicholas
Nickelby (1838-1839)
The
Old Curiosity Shop (1840-1841)
David
Copperfield (1849-1850)
Bleak
House (1851-1853)
Little
Dorrit (1855-1857)
A Tale
of Two Cities (1859)
Great
Expectations (1860-1861)
One
novel that went unfinished was The Mystery of Edwin Drood.
Some
of Dickens' short stories included:
A
Message From the Sea
George
Silverman's Explanation
Holiday
Romance
Hunted
Down
Mrs.
Lirriper's Lodgings
Somebody's
Luggage
Some
Short Christmas Stories
The
Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain
The
Perils of Certain English Prisoners
The
Wreck of the Golden Mary
Other
works of Dickens' (some were written in collaboration with other writers) were:
A
Christmas Carol (1843)
A
House to Let
Master
Humphrey's Clock (1840-1841)
Mudfrog
and Other Sketches
Sketches
of Boz
Pictures
from Italy
The
Chimes
The
Lazy Tour of Two Idle Apprentices
Three
Ghost Stories: The Haunted House, The Signal Man and The Trial for Murder
To be
Read at Dusk
Global Dickens
Dickens
was born and raised in London, calling English his mother tongue. He spoke
using this language and conjured up all his various masterpieces in English.
But this did not stop Dickens from entering the consciousness of people who
spoke languages far different from his. Because he was brilliant at writing
about characters, locations and stories, these elements in his works are almost
tangible that his global readers could easily relate to them in some way or
another.
Thus, some
of Dickens' works have been translated into different languages such as French,
German, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, and even in Urdu,
just to name a few. Some books are bilingual or subtitled. You can also find
translated Dickens' works in audio form online.
Various
cultures are able to enjoy the fantasy, romance, melodrama, humor, action,
mystery and sentimental themes of Dickens' literary pieces because of the great
work that translators across the globe done. It is through the hard work and
perseverance of translators that Dickens continues to be relevant to many today
across continents and across cultures. It also helps that the work of Dickens
continues to influence new writers today the same way he influenced Russian
writers in the past like Dostoevsky. Edmund Wilson and George Orwell pertained
to Dickens as his time's greatest writer.
Today's
British teens have their own language. In order to bring Dickens closer to the
younger generation, writer Martin Baum came up with a unique translation of A
Tale of Two Cities. He translated the novel into youth slang or yoof-speak.
Baum initially translated several Shakespeare works into yoof-speak because he
wanted to make Shakespeare fun and accessible for the English youth. In A Tale
of Two Cities, the opening lines "It was the best of times, it was the
worst of times" has now become "It was da best of times, and not being funny or nuffing, but it
was da worst of times, to be honest." He even renamed the title "Da
Tale of Two Turfs." Baum shortened and translated 16 of Dickens' works
into one book he aptly titles: "Oi, Mate Gimme Some More!" Whether
Dickens would approve of these versions or not is the million-dollar question.
Visual Dickens
A
number of Charles Dickens' literary masterpieces have landed on the big and
small screen. Major theater companies have also had great successes in putting up
their own stage versions of various beloved Dickens' classics. Oliver Twist, Nicholas
Nickelby, A Tale of Two Cities, David Copperfield, Great Expectations are just
some of Dickens' works that were brought to life on stage, film or TV. Some of
the visual adaptations of Dickens stayed true to his works. Others were
inspired by his stories and spun new tales based on his genius.
It
may be safe to say that it is Dickens' A Christmas Carol that is the most
adapted of all his writings or at least the most well known. A Christmas Carol
is a beloved Christmas story about Ebenezer Scrooge and how Scrooge's outlook
in life was changed after his partner Jacob Marley and three convincing
supernatural beings, the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future, visited him.
This Dickens novella is well known by all ages because it has been adapted in
so many different ways and the main character, Scrooge, has been played by
countless high-profile actors from many countries and across generations.
One
of the most popular versions of A Christmas Carol is Jim Henson's The Muppet
Christmas Carol. This version was and is still is loved by both children and
adults alike. Michael Caine plays Scrooge opposite Kermit the Frog as Bob
Cratchit. Disney also created their own version of A Christmas Carol with
Donald Duck playing Scrooge and Mickey Mouse playing Bob Cratchit. A Christmas
Carol has been retold many times and many ways over and till now, the story has
not gotten old. This speaks to the genius of Dickens and his ability to whip up
enduring stories and characters that stand the test of time.
Dickens' enters the Internet
age
Dickens
could have never imagined what is going on today. Literature in all its forms
is now available for free and for a fee on the World Wide Web. A number of
Dickens' works are on the Internet. A Tale of Two Cities, A Christmas Carol,
Bleak House, David Copperfield, Great Expectations and the Pickwick Papers are
just a FEW of his works available as e-books, audio books and podcasts. Through
the Internet, Dickens' is easily available to technologically savvy book lovers
and to students who simply need to find a more creative way to get through a
long book.
Students
of Dickens are given newfound references in different forms – written, spoken,
and visual. Furthermore, new technologies are allowing people from across the
globe to connect with each other and share their thoughts, feelings and simple
musings about Dickens, his works, his characters and his life.
Last
year, experts on the works of Dickens explained how new technologies are being
used to introduce and advance the works of Dickens to audiences worldwide.
Internet sites led by Google books and YouTube are providing access not only to
many of Dickens' well-known works but also to his works that only a few
Dickens' lovers appreciate. Tablets and e-readers have made it possible to
accumulate a collection of Dickens' works without having to deal with loads of
books. You can take with you Dickens wherever you go. With a few taps on the
screen of a tablet or e-reader, you can already jump to chapter 40 of Great
Expectations. Movies, TV shows and stage plays based on Dickens' works can also
be viewed on computer screen. You can watch Patrick Stewart playing Ebenezer Scrooge
or an animated version of Oliver Twist. How cool and convenient is that?
Dickens'
works can be downloaded, uploaded, read, heard and watched online and offline
at home, in school, at work, in the mall or in a cozy coffee shop. You can read
Dickens while in a car, plane, train or even a canoe. Whether you are up in the
mountains, by the beach, in the boondocks or at the International Space
Station, you can have your fill of Dickens' literary genius. Dickens is
available 24/7! His works have been translated into many different languages
allowing people from different cultural backgrounds to enjoy and learn from his
works. Although some lines may get lost in translation, his message transcends
language barriers. Dickens' stories are universal and timeless.
Prepare
yourself for the 200th birthday of Charles Dickens on February 7 by enjoying at
least one or two of his works. If you have time, get to know more about the man
behind Great Expectations and A Tale of Two Cities. Don't let the next weeks
pass without at least getting a glimpse of this prolific literary genius known
to many as Charles Dickens.
Photocredit:
Charles
Dickens. Wikimedia Commons (Public Domain)
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