Charles Dickens Timeline of Important Dates Dickens enrolls in classes at a school next door to his family's home. 1823 Hard Times Owing to John Dickens's numerous debts, he is unable to afford to send his son Charles back to school. His mother opens her own girls' school in an effort to earn more money for the family, but is unable to attract even a single student. Feb 9, 1824 Starts Work Two days after his twelfth birthday, Charles Dickens starts a job labeling jars of shoe polish in a factory. Feb 23, 1824 Father Imprisoned Despite a desperate attempt on behalf of his family to raise the money to keep him out of jail, John Dickens is committed to a debtor's prison for his failure to repay a debt of 40 pounds. The Dickens family pawns everything they own, Elizabeth Dickens and the four youngest children move in to John's prison cell. Charles takes a room at a boarding house, using his income from the boot-black factory to pay his room and board. May 28, 1824 Father Released from Prison After earning a small inheritance, John Dickens is able to negotiate with his creditors and secure his release from jail.

The family moves into the boarding house where Charles had been living. Jun 1824 Charles enrolls at Wellington House Academy. 1826 Financial Problems Another round of financial troubles forces Charles and his elder sister Fanny to withdraw from school. Soon after, the Dickens family is evicted from their London home. May 1827 Law Work Charles takes a job as a law clerk to bolster the family's income. He also starts spending time around London's theater – excuse us, theatre – district. Nov 1828 Launches Journalism Career Dickens leaves his job at a law office to work as a freelance reporter. Over the next few years, he writes for several London newspapers. 1830 Falls in Love Dickens falls in love with a young woman named Maria Beadnell. Her well-to-do parents disapprove of the relationship and send her to school in Paris to keep her away from Dickens. Apr 28, 1833 Stage Performances Dickens, by now a major theater buff, stars in and also stage-manages three amateur plays. His three-year romance with Maria Beadnell ends a month later.

Dec 1833 Published Dickens' first piece of writing, the short story "A Dinner at Poplar Walk," appears anonymously in Old Monthly Magazine. He publishes several more stories in the magazine over the next several months. Sep 26, 1834 Street Sketches Noticing his talent for writing, Dickens's editor at the Morning Chronicle newspaper encourages him to write more observational pieces. He publishes the first of his "Street Sketches," vignettes of life in London. Feb 1836 Sketches by Boz and The Pickwick Papers Dickens begins publishing his Sketches by Boz, a collection of written pieces. The following month, he publishes the first installment of the serial novel The Pickwick Papers, which runs until November 1937. Apr 2, 1836 Dickens marries Catherine Hogarth, the daughter of a colleague at the Morning Chronicle. 1837 The couple's first child, a son named Charles but called "Charley," is born. Feb 1837 Oliver Twist The first installment of Dickens's serial novel Oliver Twist is published in Bentley's Miscellany, which Dickens now edits. It runs in 24 installments over two years.

1838 The couple's daughter, Mamie Dickens, is born. 1839 The couple's third child, Kate, is born. Mar 1839 Dickens's serial novel highlighting the miserable conditions in schools for poor children begins publication. 1840 Dickens begins another serial novel in the magazine Master Humphrey's Clock, which he edits. 1841 Son Born The fourth Dickens child, a son named Walter, is born. Dickens leaves the editor position at Master Humphrey's Clock. 1843 Two Famous Novels Dickens publishes two novels this year: The Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit and A Christmas Carol. The latter is the well-known Christmas tale that turns out to be one of his most beloved stories. 1844 Fifth Child Born The couple's son, Francis, is born while the Dickens family is living abroad in Genoa, Italy. 1845 Sixth Child Born Catherine Dickens gives birth to the couple's sixth child, a son named Alfred Tennyson Dickens. The poet Lord Alfred Tennyson is the baby's namesake and godfather. Dickens also begins performing this year with his own theater company.

Oct 1846 Dickens begins serializing the novel Dombey and Son. 1847 The Dickens have their seventh child, son Sydney. 1849 Son Henry Fielding Dickens is born. May 1849 Dickens begins serializing David Copperfield, the most autobiographical of his novels. 1850 Catherine Dickens gives birth to a daughter, Dora. 1851 A Tragic Year The Dickens family suffers numerous hardships this year. Catherine endures a nervous breakdown. Charles's father, John, dies. Sadly, the couple's nine-month-old daughter, Dora, dies as well. 1852 Tenth Child Born The couple has their tenth (and final) child: a son named Edward. Dickens also begins writing the novel Bleak House. 1854 Hard Times Dickens' novel about the dark side of the Industrial Revolution is serialized in Household Words magazine. 1857 Meets Nelly Ternan Dickens meets the actress Ellen "Nelly" Ternan, who is working on a production of one of his plays. They begin a romantic relationship that lasts for the rest of Dickens's life. Dickens and his wife Catherine agree to separate the following year.

Dec 1857 Serialization begins of Little Dorrit, a novel about the consequences of debt. Apr 1859 A Tale of Two Cities The first installment of Dickens's novel set amid the French Revolution appears in the magazine All the Year Round. (Spoiler alert! The two cities are London and Paris.) Dickens takes over editorship of All the Year Round, a position he holds for the rest of his life. Dec 1860 The first installment of Dickens's classic novel is published. 1863 Two Losses In the same year, Dickens loses his mother, Elizabeth, as well as his fourth child, Walter, who is a soldier in Calcutta. Nov 1865 Our Mutual Friend Dickens completes work on Our Mutual Friend, the last novel he finishes before his death. He begins work on The Mystery of Edwin Drood, a mystery novel planned in twelve installments. He is only able to complete six installments. Jun 9, 1870 Charles Dickens Dies Charles Dickens dies at the age of 58 after spending the day working on his novel The Mystery of Edwin Drood. He is buried in Poet's Corner at London's Westminster Abbey.

The Pickwick Papers | Charles Dickens Info Charles Dickens Info The Pickwick Papers The Pickwick Papers The Pickwick Papers was the first novel of Charles Dickens. The novel was initially published in monthly installments from March of 1836 until November 1837. The Pickwick Papers – Dickens’ Life At The Time The first installment of The Pickwick Papers is published on March 30, 1836 On April 2, 1836 Charles Dickens marries Catherine Hogarth Their first child is born on January 6, 1837 Publication of Oliver Twist begins in Bentley’s on January 31, 1837. Dickens writes Pickwick and Twist simultaneously until November of 1837 when Pickwick ends. The First Novel of Charles Dickens The publishing firm of Chapman and Hall faced a huge decision in April of 1836. The firm had just started a series of amusing stories dealing with “Cockney sporting scenes”. The series was built around the illustrations of Robert Seymour. Publication began on March 30th and on April 20th Seymour committed suicide. Edward Chapman and William Hall had to decide if they were going to continue the series.

The author who wrote the text to accompany Seymour’s illustrations had an idea. Why not increase the text and hire a less well-known artist? The series could continue, but the focus would change from the illustrations to the story. The author’s name was Charles Dickens and the series was The Pickwick Papers. Chapman and Hall agreed with Dickens ideas and The Pickwick Papers became wildly popular. The first installment of Pickwick sold about 500 copies while the last installment sold about 40,000 copies. There were theatrical adaptations before the series was even completed. Pickwick merchandise began to appear. People could buy Pickwick cigars, song books and china figurines. Charles Dickens’ first book was a hit. Once in a Lifetime In June of 1837 something happed that only occurred once in Dickens’ career. He missed a deadline. He was writing two serialized novels at once, but there was no Pickwick that month. There was no Oliver Twist. Instead there was a funeral. In 1837 Mary Hogarth was seventeen, pretty and living with her sister Catherine and Catherine’s husband, Charles Dickens. Mary was a favorite with the couple and had become like a little sister to Charles.

On the evening of May 6th Mary went with the couple to the St. James Theatre. The group returned late in the evening and Mary retired for the night. Shortly after that Dickens heard a cry from Mary’s room. She was ill. Despite her doctor’s care Mary passed away in Dickens’ arms on May 7th. Charles was devastated. The June installments of Twist and Pickwick were not published due to “the sudden death of a very dear young relative to whom he was most affectionately attached and whose society had been for a long time the chief solace of his labours.” Sleep Apnea and Joe Obesity Hypoventilation Syndrome (OHS), a condition related to sleep apnea, was first called Pickwickian Syndrome. It’s named after Dickens’s The Pickwick Papers because the novel features a character who has all the classic symptoms of the condition. Learn more Themes of The Pickwick Papers Dickens works a very serious subject into this comic novel, that of the injustice of the justice system. Dickens had a first hand look at the legal system when he worked as a law clerk . His outrage over the inequities and incompetence of the system show up in more than one of his novels.

In a very funny scene Pickwick tries to talk his landlady, Mrs. Bardell, about Sam Weller moving into the house. She misunderstands and thinks he is proposing marriage. Later she sues for breach of promise. The novel is full of humorous quotes dealing with the legal system: “Why, I don’t exactly know about perjury, my dear sir,” replied the little gentleman. “Harsh word, my dear sir, very harsh word indeed. It’s a legal fiction, my dear sir, nothing more.” “Battledore and shuttlecock’s a wery good game, vhen you ain’t the shuttlecock and two lawyers the battledores, in which case it gets too excitin’ to be pleasant.” “Vell,” said Mr. Weller, “Now I s’pose he’ll want to call some witnesses to speak to his character, or p’raps to prove a alleybi. I’ve been a turnin’ the bis’ness over in my mind, and he may make his-self easy, Sammy. I’ve got some friends as’ll do either for him, but my adwice ‘ud be this here–never mind the character, and stick to the alleybi.

Nothing like a alleybi, Sammy, nothing.” The Pickwick Papers Information Dickens as a Fiction Writer | The Dickens Fellowship Dickens as a Fiction Writer Dicken's Dream" Dickens completed 14 novels and started another. None of them has so far vanished into obscurity. One or two are considered to be among the greatest novels of all time. Dickens wrote numerous shorter works of fiction, including five Christmas books, among which A Christmas Carol stands out as a masterpiece, regularly read and interpreted to this day. Below are some short introductions to the novels and to A Christmas Carol, in the order in which they were written. The Pickwick Papers (1836-1837) A rambling tale about the adventures of the naive good-natured Mr Pickwick and his travelling companions. The streetwise Sam Weller, recruited along the way by Pickwick, helps them to survive. Full of fun, capturing the exuberant spirit of the young Dickens, this work built on his earlier Sketches by Boz to catapult him to fame and is still one of the best loved books in English Literature.

Oliver Twist (1837-1839) With a serious theme, to expose the abuse and corruption suffered by children, this second major work is nevertheless full of humour, but of a satirical kind. The orphan Oliver Twist manages to survive the worst that the authorities and criminal fraternity put him through. The scene of Oliver's plea in the workhouse for more to eat is familiar to countless millions, even to those who have never read the book. Nicholas Nickleby (1838-1839) A tale of how the young Nicholas Nickleby and his sister make good after they and their mother are left penniless. Following a bad start working under Wackford Squeers, the cruel schoolmaster of a Yorkshire boarding school, Nicholas comes eventually to thrive, thanks in great measure to the help of Newman Noggs, clerk to his hateful uncle, and to the goodwill of the Cheeryble brothers, benevolent businessmen.

The Old Curiosity Shop (1840-1841) This story, written for the shortlived magazine Master Humphrey's Clock, has a young girl, Little Nell, fleeing with her grandfather from the clutches of the repulsive Quilp, a malicious moneylender. Their flight exposes them to a variety of experiences and characters, many having to do with the vagabonds and itinerant entertainers of the time. The death of Little Nell is among the best known scenes in the works of Dickens. Barnaby Rudge (1841) The first of Dickens's two historical novels, set in the period that led up to the Gordon Riots of 1780 against Roman Catholicism. Barnaby is a half-witted young man who becomes caught up in the mayhem, but escapes the gallows through the intervention of Gabriel Varden, a locksmith. Dolly Varden, the coquettish daughter of Gabriel, is a creation whose name was subsequently used for a style of dress and hat.

Martin Chuzzlewit (1843-1844) Selfishness, as typified by the young Martin Chuzzlewit, and hypocrisy, as typified by Mr Seth Pecksniff, who purports to be an architect, are among the themes of this work. Martin is chastened and humbled by his experiences in the USA, which Dickens portrays as a country full of vulgar, brash and boastful people. This work contains one of Dickens's great creations: the often intoxicated Mrs Sairey Gamp, a midwife, sick nurse and layer-out of the dead. A Christmas Carol (1843) The first of five Christmas books written by Dickens in the 1840s, this is one of the best known and best loved of all his works. It tells of the transformation of Ebenezer Scrooge from a tight-fisted curmudgeon to a generous and genial man. This is brought about by a haunting and visions at Christmas that remind him of happier days, demonstrate the generous spirit of others in adversity, and terrify him with dire prospects should he not change his ways.

Dombey and Son (1846-1848) Pervading this work are the pride and cold-hearted obduracy of Mr Paul Dombey Senior, a businessman. Following the death of his first wife, he invests all of his hopes in Paul, their only son, neglecting their daughter, Florence. But the fragile boy dies. Dombey marries again, but his will is thwarted by stubborn resistance and treachery, and he loses his fortune. A broken man, he is eventually reconciled to his daughter who has remained true throughout. David Copperfield (1848-1850) This story, narrated in the first person, of a man who becomes a successful author, is partially autobiographical. It is generally considered to be a masterpiece. Leo Tolstoy, who was greatly influenced by it in his early writing, accorded it the highest of rankings. The quality of writing is especially evident in the description of a storm. Among a number of memorable characters is that of Mr Wilkins Micawber, who resembles in some respects Dickens's father.

Bleak House (1851-1853) A prolonged law case concerning the distribution of an estate, which brings misery and ruin to the suitors but great profit to the lawyers, is the foundation for this story. Told in part through the eyes of the principal character, Esther Summerson, it is a complex one involving a good many secrets, a murder and a number of investigators. Among these is a professional detective, Inspector Bucket. Bleak House is the home of John Jarndyce, principal member of the family involved in the law case. Hard Times (1854) The shortest of Dickens's novels, set in a northern industrial town, this champions imagination, fun and experience against the fact-based, stern and bookish philosophies of the time, as epitomised in the outlook of Thomas Gradgrind, one of the principal characters. Faced with the effects of his rigid attitudes on the lives of his son and daughter, he comes to accept the emptiness of his pet precepts. Little Dorrit (1855-1857) Here Dickens plays on the theme of imprisonment, drawing on his own experience as a boy of visiting his father in a debtors' prison.

William Dorrit is locked up for years in that prison, attended daily by his daughter, Little Dorrit. Her unappreciated self-sacrifice comes to the attention of Arthur Clennam, recently returned from China, who helps bring about her father's release but is himself incarcerated for a time when his business speculation fails. Little Dorrit, unable to adjust to a world of plenty, eventually finds contentment caring for Clennam and, following the loss of her father and the family fortune, they marry. A Tale of Two Cities (1859) This, the second of Dickens's two historical novels, relates to the French Revolution, the two cities being London and Paris. French-born Charles Darnay, settled in London, returns to Paris to help save the life of his agent, but is eventually himself condemned to death. He is saved by the self-sacrifice of Sydney Carton, who takes his place, having previously led a debauched and wasteful life. Carton's words at the very end of the novel are widely familiar: It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known.

Great Expectations (1860-1861) Like David Copperfield, this story is narrated in the first person. The narrator, Philip Pirrip, known as Pip, looks back over his life, from his rural boyhood, under the care of a ferocious sister and her mild husband, a blacksmith, to living the life of a gentleman in London, funded by a mysterious benefactor. The mystery solved, his pretentiousness was destroyed, and he then had to cope with some harsh realities, remorseful of the way he had treated those who loved him most. Central to the story is the strange recluse, Miss Havisham, deranged by having been jilted on her wedding day. Our Mutual Friend (1864-1865) The basis of this carefully plotted story is the desire of John Harmon, an heir to the fortune of a refuse contractor, to disguise his identity till he has formed an opinion of Bella Wilfer, the woman he is supposed to marry under the terms of his father's will. From the time he finds himself assumed dead, complications abound, but all turns out well in the end.

Opinions differ widely as to the ranking of this novel, the last which Dickens completed, but it is undoubtedly a model of his outstanding craftmanship. The Mystery of Edwin Drood (1870) Dickens had completed nearly half of this story when he died. Speculation about how it would have ended has since tended to attract greater interest than any assessment of the work as it stands. The central mystery of the story arises from the disappearance of Edwin Drood. It seems likely that he has been murdered. There is evidence to suppose that this is what Dickens had had in mind, but the identity of the murderer, if there was such, has been a cause of much dispute. The episodes published were very popular and some passages are considered to be among the most sublime that Dickens wrote. Charles Dickens BBC - Primary History - Famous People - Charles Dickens Why is Charles Dickens famous? Who was Charles Dickens? Charles Dickens is a famous English writer. People all over the world enjoy his stories. One of them is Oliver Twist, the story of a poor boy in Victorian times. Books by Dickens can be funny and sad. His stories are full of interesting 'characters' (people). When did Dickens live? Dickens was born in England in 1812.

He died in 1870. His first big success was The Pickwick Papers. This was in 1837, the year Victoria became Britain's Queen. Dickens lived through the Industrial Revolution . He wrote about how life was changing, especially for poor people. Why do people read Dickens? Many of Dickens' stories came out in weekly or monthly parts, as serials. Each month people could read a new chapter in the story. Perhaps this is why Dickens' books make good films and TV serials too. Readers like a good story, with interesting characters. Dickens was very clever at making up characters. People all over the world know Oliver Twist, Scrooge and David Copperfield, even if they have not read the books in which these characters appear. Early life Where was Dickens born? On 7 February 1812, Charles Dickens was born in Portsmouth. His parents named him Charles John Huffam Dickens. Portsmouth was the home of the Royal Navy . His father, John Dickens, worked as a clerk for the Navy. His mother's name was Elizabeth Barrow. She wanted to be a teacher and run a school. Happy times The Dickens family never had much money. Charles had seven brothers and sisters.

Mr Dickens dreamed of being rich. Mrs Dickens dreamed of owning a school. Somehow things never went right. In 1816 the family moved to Chatham, in Kent. Charles was happy there. He went to school. He explored the countryside. He loved the old castle at Rochester. Hard times In 1822 the family moved to London. Now times were hard. Mr Dickens was sent to prison for six months for not paying his bills. Charles (aged 12) had to work in a dirty old factory , beside the River Thames. He could hear rats squeaking and running about. His job was to put labels on pots of 'blacking', used to clean fireplaces. Dickens never forgot this unhappy time. He wrote about it later. Growing up By 1824 Mr Dickens had enough money to send Charles back to school. At 15, Charles got a job in a lawyer's office. He hated it. In his books he makes most lawyers horrid! Charles learned shorthand . He got a job writing about Parliament . He travelled around England by stagecoach , writing for newspapers. He wrote stories about the people he met.

Dickens the writer Dickens is a success In 1833, he sold his first story. At first Dickens called himself 'Boz'. This was his pen-name . In 1836, he married Catherine Hogarth. Suddenly he became famous. His funny stories called The Pickwick Papers were a success. Oliver Twist Oliver Twist came out in 1837. It was a grim tale about an orphan boy (Oliver), who is sent to the workhouse . Oliver ends up in the London underworld, in a gang of thieves led by Fagin. The story ends happily for Oliver, but people were shocked. Were poor children really treated so badly? Life for poor children Life for poor children in Victorian times was very hard. Small children worked in coal mines and factories . Little boys were made to climb inside chimneys and clean them. Oliver Twist almost becomes a 'chimney-boy'. Instead he is made to work for an undertaker . Life in London London was a big, crowded city. Many poor people lived in slums . Homeless children slept on the streets. Many people died from diseases.

Almost half the funerals in London in the 1830s were of children under 10. London did not have a police force until 1829. Even young children were sent to prison. Dickens the celebrity A famous man Dickens became so famous people knew him as he walked about London. He was a celebrity. Dickens walked for miles around the city, watching and listening. He made notes for new stories. Dickens keeps busy In 1846 Dickens became editor of the Daily News, a newspaper. He did not like being told what to do by the owners, so in 1850 he started his own magazine, Household Words. Now he could write what he liked. Dickens was a show-off. He loved to give public readings from his books. In 1842, he visited America. Two famous books Of his many books, Dickens liked David Copperfield best. In it he wrote about Mr Micawber, who seems very like Dickens' father. In 1843, Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol. It is one of his most famous stories. In it, we meet the miser Scrooge - and three ghosts! Why did people like long books?

In Victorian times, there was no radio, no television, no internet, no cinema. People read lots of books. Readers liked long stories, to pass the time. Grown-ups read novels and magazines. Children had their own books too. Dickens was the most famous novelist in Britain. There were lots of others, such as Sir Walter Scott and Charlotte Brontë. Family life Dickens and his wife had 10 children. But their marriage was not happy. In 1858, they split up. Dickens loved acting. He had his own little theatre at home. While acting in a play in 1857, Dickens fell in love with Ellen Ternan, an actress. How was Britain changing? Dickens saw many changes during his life, made by the Industrial Revolution . In 1820 most people in England worked on farms. When Dickens died in 1870, most people worked in towns. Many poor people worked in factories and lived in slums . What made Dickens angry? Dickens was angered by the sad things he saw. In his books, he tried to show what was wrong.

In Nicholas Nickleby, he wrote about a terrible school, Dotheboys Hall, where unwanted children were cruelly treated. He wanted to make life better for people. He wanted new libraries, hospitals and schools. Pictures in Dickens Many of Dickens's books had pictures. The pictures helped readers follow the story. Two artists were famous for their Dickens drawings. They were George Cruikshank and Hablot K Browne, known as 'Phiz'. How did Dickens die? In 1864 Dickens and Ellen Ternan were in a train crash. Dickens was not badly hurt, but he was never very well after this accident. In 1868 he went on a tour of the United States. He read to large audiences, on stage. It was very tiring. He came home worn out and sick. Dickens died in June 1870, at home in Kent. He was working on a new book. It was The Mystery of Edwin Drood. Charles Dickens was buried in Westminster Abbey. Dickens's First Writings Dickens's First Writings Philip V.

Allingham , Contributing Editor, Victorian Web; Faculty of Education, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, Ontario [ Victorian Web Home —> Authors —> Charles Dickens —> Works —> Literary Relations —> Theme and Subject —> Image, Symbol, and Motif ] n Circle of Fire: Dickens' Vision and Style and the Popular Victorian Theatre (1966), William Axton notes that young Charles Dickens's first literary production was not a novel, sketch, or short story, but a tragedy entitled Misnar the Sultan of India (1820). The earliest fragment of Dickens's writings to survive is again a drama, The Stratagems of Rowena , a Venetian comedietta that he wrote at sixteen. His first published work, however, was indeed a sketch (a Victorian species of character comedy/short story), "A Dinner at Poplar Walk" (afterwards entitled "Mr.

Minns and his Cousin"), which Dickens published anonymously (and gratuitously) in the December, 1833, issue of London's The Monthly Magazine under the pseudonym "Boz." Only after the publications of The Pickwick Papers (1837) and Oliver Twist (1838) in volume form did the Victorian reading public begin to think of Boz as a novelist. Certainly, since his career as a writer of short fiction spans four decades, Dickens devoted as much of his life to writing short- as he did to full-length fiction, and it would be the height of folly to regard A Christmas Carol (1843) as the only significant piece of short fiction he produced. Indeed, although the series of Christmas Books that he produced in the mid-1840s are novellas, the majority of his short fiction would fall under the headings "character sketches," "prose farces," "domestic melodramas," and "tales of the supernatural," excepting the four-part whimsy A Holiday Romance (1868), a novella-length piece intended for both parents and children.

Finally, in the Special Christmas Numbers for Household Words and its successor, All the Year Round Dickens wrote collaboratively, often providing the openings and closings and leaving writers in his "stable" such as Elizabeth Gaskell and Wilkie Collins to do the rest. Timeline of Life Events | Charles Dickens Info 1812 – Born on February 7 to John and Elizabeth Dickens. 1824 – John Dickens arrested and sent to the Marshalsea prison. Charles Dickens worked at the Warren’s Blacking Factory. 1827 – Rejoins the workforce as the clerk of an attorney. 1830 – Dickens meets Maria Beadnell , his first love interest. 1834 – Began using the pseudonym “ Boz “. Meets his future wife, Catherine Hogarth. 1835 – Becomes engaged to Catherine. 1836 – The first chapters of The Pickwick Papers are published. Marries Catherine Hogarth . 1837 – The first of his 10 children , Charles Culliford Boz Dickens, is born. Mary Hogarth , Catherine’s sister, dies. The publication of Oliver Twist begins.

1838 – Dickens and Hablot Browne travel to Yorkshire to see the boarding schools. His daughter, Mary , is born. Publication of Nicholas Nickleby begins. 1839 – His daughter, Kate , is born. 1840 – Publication of The Old Curiosity Shop begins 1841 – Barnaby Rudge is published. Charles and Catherine tour Scotland. Their son, Walter , is born. 1842 – Charles and Catherine travel to America. Late in 1842 or early in the next year Dickens begins work on Martin Chuzzlewit . 1843 – A Christmas Carol is published. 1844 – His son Francis Jeffrey (Frank) is born. Dickens and family travel to Italy. Treated Madame de la Rue with mesmerism . 1845 – Another son, Alfred , is born. 1846 – Dickens and his family travel to Switzerland. Publication of Dombey and Son begins. 1847 – His son, Sydney , is born. 1848 – Dickens’ sister, Fanny , dies. The Haunted Man, his last Christmas book is published.

1850 – His daughter, Dora Annie Dickens , is born. 1851– Catherine Dickens suffers a nervous collapse. John Dickens, the father of Charles Dickens, dies. Dora Dickens dies when she is only eight months old. What Shall we have for Dinner? , a cookbook by Catherine Dickens is published. 1852 – The publication of Bleak House begins. His son, Edward or “Plorn”, is born. 1853 – Dickens gives his first public reading of one of his works. 1854 – Hard Times is published. 1855 – Dickens has a disappointing reunion with Maria Winter ( Maria Beadnell) . Publication of Little Dorrit begins. 1860 – Publication of Great Expectations begins in All the Year Round . His daughter, Katie , marries and ten days later his brother, Alfred, dies. Dickens burns his personal papers . 1863 – Dickens’ mother, Elizabeth, dies. Dickens begins work on Our Mutual Friend . 1864 – His son, Walter , dies in India. The first installment of Our Mutual Friend is printed.

1865 – Dickens is involved in the Staplehurst railway accident along with Ellen Ternan and her mother. 1867 – Dickens tours America for the second time. 1868 – He gives his first Murder of Nancy reading. 1869 – Dickens is ordered by doctors to discontinue readings. Dickens begins writing The Mystery of Edwin Drood . The Top 10 Charles Dickens Books The Top 10 Charles Dickens Books By Robert Gottlieb | Nov 30, 2012 Great Expectations: The Sons and Daughters of Charles Dickens is an outstanding biography of the writer with an eye toward his children, including the scandalous possible existence of an 11th child, born to Dickens's mistress. Robert Gottlieb, former Knopf editor, New Yorker editor, and lifelong Dickens reader, gives us the 10 best books from the master. For more on the book, check out our Q&A with Gottlieb . Charles Dickens left us fifteen novels, and in an ideal world everyone would read all of them.

(Well, maybe not – Barnaby Rudge is a tired and tiresome historical novel that the young Dickens kept putting off writing until contractual obligations forced him to finish it.) His first published book was Sketches by Boz – a collection of short pieces that brought him considerable attention. By the time he was finished with his second book – The Pickwick Papers, serialized between March, 1836 and October, 1837 – he was, at twenty-five, the best-known writer in England, and such he remained until his death, at fifty-eight, in 1870. The energy, the fun, the power, the compassion of his work is unmatched in English literature, with the obvious. How do you rate works of genius? Partly by personal inclination, partly by accepted wisdom, partly by popularity. Perhaps his most widely known works are A Christmas Carol and A Tale of Two Cities, and both are wonderful, but they don’t make my own top ten list. Instead: 1. Great Expectations - With its thrilling story that is also a profound look at the moral education of a boy who has been persecuted and deceived but whose essential goodness of heart eventually rescues him from snobbery and delusion.

Everything is in harmony in this almost perfect novel: the character of Pip himself, and his interaction with the immense figures of the convict Magwitch, the embittered and half-mad Miss Havisham, and the beautiful, cold Estella. This is Dickens’s most finely crafted book, and his most moving. 2. Our Mutual Friend - His final complete novel, with its vast panoply of characters, its emotional generosity, its violent drama, its rich humor – and its author’s most likeable (because imperfect) heroine, Bella Wilfer. I’ve actually read this book aloud twice, and still find it irresistible. 3. David Copperfield - Of course – the book closest to Dickens’s heart (it’s not by accident that the hero’s initials reverse Dickens’s own). The first-person narrative sweeps you along, and the characters -- from the wicked Murdstones and conniving Uriah Heep to the warm-hearted if feckless Micawbers, from Aunt Betsey Trotwood, Little Em’ly, and Steerforth, her seducer and betrayer, to the stout-hearted Peggoty and the silly lovable Dora, whom David marries – are indelibly printed on our literary consciousness.

(Among its greatest admirers: Tolstoy, Kafka, and Virginal Woolf.) 4. Bleak House - With its vastly complicated plot and its immense cast of characters swirling around the case of Jarndyce vs. Jarndyce that has been grinding away in the Court of Chancery for decades, Bleak House is for many readers Dickens’s greatest novel. An assault on the legal system, a satire on foolish philanthropy, a gripping melodrama, and an interesting use of point of view (told in both the third and first persons), it is a perpetual fascination. 5. Little Dorrit - In some ways Dickens’s most personal if not autobiographical novel, it has an autumnal quality, given its aging hero and quiet, staunch heroine. Its central characters not only prevail but mature, and its situations – even its comedy – resonate for its readers in countless affecting ways. 6. Oliver Twist - With its larger-than-life villainies and its endless excitements, is the perfect book to begin with. Who will ever forget the supremely wicked Fagin who co-opts homeless boys into a life of crime, the murderous Bill Sikes, the brave young Oliver himself, however idealized?

No wonder it had such an immense triumph as successor to the benign and lovable Pickwick! 7. Nicholas Nickleby - Perhaps the most high-spirited of all Dickens’s novels, yet also a grim, devastating attack on the Yorkshire schools to which unwanted children were dispatched. The comically radiant picaresque adventures of young Nicholas with the Crummles traveling theatrical troupe provide a wonderful contrast to the tragedy of the boy Smike, the saddest victim of the Squeers family who run the unspeakable school called Dotheboys Hall. 8. Dombey and Son - A powerful tragedy of a distant, cold businessman who comes to realize too late the value of his worthy daughter, Florence, after the death of his beloved son, Paul – Dickens’s most famous death scene after that of the famous Little Nell of The Old Curiosity Shop. 9.

The Pickwick Papers - And, yes, Pickwick itself – not quite a novel (it started out as a series of sketches to be illustrated) but filled with glorious characters – the benign, naïve Pickwick himself, his cockney valet Sam Weller (who steals the book; the Sancho Panza to Pickwick’s Don Quixote), the rascally Jingle – and hilarious episodes like Pickwick’s trial for breach of promise. The most decisive debut in English fiction. 10. The Selected Letters of Charles Dickens - Finally, not a work of fiction but the recently published The Selected Letters of Charles Dickens, edited by Jenny Hartley from the twelve volumes of the monumental Pilgrim Edition of Dickens’s correspondence. Here you find in Dickens the man, all the fun, acuity, sensitivity, and tough realism that characterize Dickens the supreme novelist. ADVERTISEMENT

Question: What was the first book to be written by Charles Dickens, completed in 1837?
Answer: PICKWICK PAPERS