Christmas Books: A Christmas Carol, The Chimes, The Cricket on the Hearth, The Battle of Life, The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain by Charles Dickens — Reviews, Discussion, Bookclubs, Lists About Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era. His works enjoyed unprecedented popularity during his lifetime, and by the twentieth century critics and scholars had recognised him as a literary genius. His novels and sho Charles John Huffam Dickens (7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era. His works enjoyed unprecedented popularity during his lifetime, and by the twentieth century critics and scholars had recognised him as a literary genius. His novels and short stories enjoy lasting popularity. Born in Portsmouth, Dickens left school to work in a factory when his father was incarcerated in a debtors' prison.

Despite his lack of formal education, he edited a weekly journal for 20 years, wrote 15 novels, five novellas, hundreds of short stories and non-fiction articles, lectured and performed extensively, was an indefatigable letter writer, and campaigned vigorously for children's rights, education, and other social reforms. Dickens was regarded as the literary colossus of his age. His 1843 novella, A Christmas Carol, remains popular and continues to inspire adaptations in every artistic genre. Oliver Twist and Great Expectations are also frequently adapted, and, like many of his novels, evoke images of early Victorian London. His 1859 novel, A Tale of Two Cities, set in London and Paris, is his best-known work of historical fiction. Dickens's creative genius has been praised by fellow writers—from Leo Tolstoy to George Orwell and G. K. Chesterton—for its realism, comedy, prose style, unique characterisations, and social criticism. On the other hand, Oscar Wilde, Henry James, and Virginia Woolf complained of a lack of psychological depth, loose writing, and a vein of saccharine sentimentalism.

The term Dickensian is used to describe something that is reminiscent of Dickens and his writings, such as poor social conditions or comically repulsive characters. On 8 June 1870, Dickens suffered another stroke at his home after a full day's work on Edwin Drood. He never regained consciousness, and the next day, five years to the day after the Staplehurst rail crash, he died at Gad's Hill Place. Contrary to his wish to be buried at Rochester Cathedral "in an inexpensive, unostentatious, and strictly private manner," he was laid to rest in the Poets' Corner of Westminster Abbey. A printed epitaph circulated at the time of the funeral reads: "To the Memory of Charles Dickens (England's most popular author) who died at his residence, Higham, near Rochester, Kent, 9 June 1870, aged 58 years. He was a sympathiser with the poor, the suffering, and the oppressed; and by his death, one of England's greatest writers is lost to the world." His last words were: "On the ground", in response to his sister-in-law Georgina's request that he lie down.

5 Christmas Books by Charles Dickens · OverDrive: eBooks, audiobooks and videos for libraries Fantasy Fiction This carefully crafted ebook: "5 Christmas Books (Unabridged and Fully Illustrated: A Christmas Carol; The Chimes; The Cricket on the Hearth; The Battle of Life; The Haunted Man)" is formatted for your eReader with a functional and detailed table of contents.A Christmas CarolThe tale has been viewed by critics as an indictment of 19th-century industrial capitalism. It has been credited with restoring the holiday to one of merriment and festivity in Britain and America after a period of sobriety and sombreness.The ChimesThe story of Trotty Veck, a poor ticket porter, whose outlook is changed from despair to hope by the spirits of the chimes on New Year's Eve. The Cricket on the HearthShort tale written by Charles Dickens as a Christmas book for 1845 but published in 1846. The title creature is a sort of barometer of life at the home of John Peerybingle and his much younger wife Dot. When things go well, the cricket on the hearth chirps; it is silent when there is sorrow.

Tackleton, a jealous old man, poisons John's mind about Dot, but the cricket through its supernatural powers restores John's confidence and all ends happily.The Battle of LifeIn this tale, the main characters live in a rural English village that was the site of an historic battle. The battle comes to symbolize the struggles these characters face in their daily lives.The Haunted ManIs a novella by Charles Dickens first published in 1848. It is the fifth and last of Dickens' Christmas novellas. The story is more about the spirit of the holidays than about the holidays themselves, harking back to the first of the series, A Christmas Carol. The tale centers around a Professor Redlaw and those close to him.Charles John Huffam Dickens (7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's most memorable fictional characters and is generally regarded as the greatest novelist of the Victorian period. During his life, his works enjoyed unprecedented fame, and by the twentieth century his literary genius was broadly acknowledged by critics and scholars. His novels and short stories continue to be widely popular.

The Cricket on the Hearth | Children's Books Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia The Cricket on the Hearth 1,473pages on The Cricket on the Hearth Author: Daniel Maclise, John Leech, Richard Doyle, Clarkson Stanfield and Edward Landseer Published: [ show ] Description The Cricket on the Hearth (full title: The Cricket on the Hearth. A Fairy Tale of Home) is a novella by Charles Dickens, written in 1845. It is the third of Dickens' five Christmas books, the others being A Christmas Carol (1843), The Chimes (1844), The Battle of Life (1846), and The Haunted Man (1847). The original illustrations were by Daniel Maclise, John Leech, Richard Doyle, Clarkson Stanfield and Edward Landseer. Dickens began writing the book around October 17 and had finished it by December 1. Like all of Dickens' Christmas books, it was immediately published in book form, not as a serial. It was first published on December 20 by Bradbury and Evans. [1] Dickens described the novel as "quiet and domestic ..

innocent and pretty." [1] John Peerybingle, a carrier, lives with his wife Dot (who is much younger than he), their baby, their nanny Tilly Slowboy, and a mysterious old stranger with a long white beard. A cricket constantly chirps on the hearth and acts as a guardian angel to the family. But what will happen when John thinks that Dot is having an affair with their lodger? 1967 Christmas Special In 1967, Rankin-Bass (the team who brought you "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" and "Frosty the Snowman") adapted this Dickens' Christmas Tale into an animated hour-long holiday special. Featuring the voices of Danny and Marlo Thomas, Ed Ames, Abbe Lane, Hans Conried, The Norman Luboff Choir and Roddy McDowall as the Cricket. Reader's Reviews 1 Well, I didn't much enjoy this, and didn't think it was very good. Certainly, it was nowhere near as good as A Christmas Carol , and just didn't hit the mark with me.

I don't think it is quite as bad as The Times review, which said that it was, "a twaddling manifestation of silliness almost from the first page to the last", but it wasn't far off! 2 Please add your review here. Parental Guidance The Battle of Life - Charles Dickens | Feedbooks The Battle of Life Download in EPUB format, also available for Kindle or in PDF The Battle of Life: A Love Story is a novel by Charles Dickens, first published in 1846. It is the fourth of his five "Christmas Books", coming after The Cricket on the Hearth and followed by The Haunted Man. It is noteworthy in that it is the only one out of the five books that does not have any use of supernatural elements. It bears the greatest resemblance to The Cricket on the Hearth in two aspects: that it is not a social novel and that it is resolved with a… (more) The Battle of Life: A Love Story is a novel by Charles Dickens, first published in 1846. It is the fourth of his five "Christmas Books", coming after The Cricket on the Hearth and followed by The Haunted Man.

It is noteworthy in that it is the only one out of the five books that does not have any use of supernatural elements. It bears the greatest resemblance to The Cricket on the Hearth in two aspects: that it is not a social novel and that it is resolved with a romantic twist. As is typical with Dickens, the ending is a happy one, and some might argue an overly happy one. The Battle Of Life by Charles Dickens — Reviews, Discussion, Bookclubs, Lists Shelves: classics , art , charles-dickens , 19th-century-ish , antiquarian-books , glass-fronted-bookcase The Battle of Life: A Love Story is a novella by Charles Dickens, which was first published for the Christmas season in 1846. It is one of his most uplifting Christmas tales. The first Christmas book, “A Christmas Carol” had been enormously successful when he published it in 1843, and continues to be so. All his subsequent Christmas books also sold well at the time they were first published, but none has enjoyed the staying power of “A Christmas Carol”.

This one, for instance, has never since at The Battle of Life: A Love Story is a novella by Charles Dickens, which was first published for the Christmas season in 1846. It is one of his most uplifting Christmas tales. The first Christmas book, “A Christmas Carol” had been enormously successful when he published it in 1843, and continues to be so. All his subsequent Christmas books also sold well at the time they were first published, but none has enjoyed the staying power of “A Christmas Carol”. This one, for instance, has never since attained any high level of popularity, and is now comparatively unknown. Only the first three continue to be popular. Yet Dickens’s name had become so synonymous with Christmas, that when he died in 1870 a costermonger’s little girl in London asked, “Mr. Dickens dead? Then will Father Christmas die too?” Throughout the rest of the 1840s, Dickens continued to produce a “Christmas Book” each year. The Battle of Life was published in time for the Christmas of 1846, a year which had seen Dickens and his family travel to Switzerland.

In this year he had also published his autobiographical writings, “Pictures From Italy”, but perhaps uppermost in his mind at this point, was working on his great novel “Dombey and Son”. Dickens was partway into the serialisation of this novel, which he would not finish writing and publishing for another two years. The Battle of Life: A Love Story is the fourth annual Christmas Story out of a total of five. It was preceded by “The Cricket on the Hearth” and followed by “The Haunted Man and the Ghost’s Bargain”. All are speculative fiction, designed to entertain as many people as possible, and repeating what he called “the Carol philosophy” striking “a sledgehammer blow” for the poor, uneducated, and repressed. All five stories have a strong underlying message, which is presented in various moods and tableaux. It has been said that “when he had a pill to offer he confected it expertly with spice and sugar”, and we see much evidence of this here. In The Battle of Life we see Dickens’s typical style, a mixture of humour and good cheer, interwoven with an intriguing mystery. The start of the story surprises us, with a dark description of a battlefield.

The blood shed had stained all Nature red, and people were to remember the savagery of such a futile massacre for many years hence, though “not a hundred people in that battle, knew what they fought for, or why”. This is portentous writing, which we will see developed in a future novel, “A Tale of Two Cities”. It fills us with foreboding, and we are not sure what its place is here, especially since “it matters little when, and ... it matters little where”. It seems to have a been a senseless atrocity. But we remember the subheading to The Battle of Life as simply, A Love Story, and the very first words have also reassured us that this is “Once upon a time”. This is Dickens, after all, with his optimism and happy endings, so we settle down to enjoy the story. And indeed, the action soon shifts, and we see Dickens in his familiar lighthearted and whimsical mood. We are transported to an orchard “where, on a bright autumn morning, there were sounds of music and laughter”, and two girls, sisters Grace and Marion, dancing without, apparently a care in the world.

We then meet a good-natured widower, Dr. Jeddler, who is their father. In fact so jovial is Dr. Jeddler, that his entire philosophy of life seem to be to treat life as a farce, as nothing is worth taking seriously, but, “to look upon the world as a gigantic practical joke; as something too absurd to be considered seriously, by any rational man” “The same contradictions prevail in everything. One must either laugh or cry at such stupendous inconsistencies; and I prefer to laugh.” (Apparently Dickens was rather aggrieved when his publisher inadvertently called this character “Dr. Taddler”, although either name seems to fit!) Dr. Jeddler clearly adores both his daughters, and they are both devoted to him - and love each other dearly too - all three living happily together in this unnamed English village. This happy trio have two servants, Clemency Newcome and Ben Britain.

Dickens’s portrayal of Clemency is a joy, “To say that she had two left legs, and somebody else’s arms, and that all four limbs seemed to be out of joint, and to start from perfectly wrong places when they were set in motion, is to offer the mildest outline of the reality” and provides much of the humour in these early chapters. Clemency’s continuous repeated readings of the nutmeg grater and thimble, provide her with much to reflect on, and Dickens’s recurring references to Clemency’s elbows, which seem to be imbued with a life of their own, had me chortling out loud. Benjamin Britain (which surely also has to be a significant name) is a boastful sort, inclined to view himself as a great philosophiser on life, rather in the mould of the pub landlord John Willet in the earlier novel “Barnaby Rudge”. He is rather disdainful and condescending toward the good-natured Clemency, but she takes it in good part. In many way she seems an early template or working out of the character of Clara Peggotty, in “David Copperfield”, which Dickens was to write three years later.

The book is divided into three chapters, and in “Part the First”, we meet another character, Alfred Heathfield. Arthur is Dr. Jeddler’s ward, and is not only celebrating his birthday on this day, but also his coming of age. Also at the Jeddler’s party are two crabbed old lawyers, Snitchey and Craggs, who both seem to be either devious or untrustworthy in some way, as so often in Dickens’s tales. They are not as malevolently evil as Uriah Heep in “David Copperfield” but easily a match for Mr. Vholes - or perhaps early incarnations of Tulkinghorn - both in the later “Bleak House”. Snitchey continually refers to himself as “Self”, but this does not come across as modesty, but more as a detachment from any human feeling; not self-effacing but setting himself above people. Nor do other lawyers in Dickens, such as the barristers Stryver (in “A Tale of Two Cities”) and the lawyer Jaggers, (in “Great Expectations”) have many admirable qualities, but seem to be full of deviousness.

Dickens had no love of, and little respect for lawyers, and his portraits are drawn from life. At the age of 15. Dickens was studying law as an attorney’s apprentice. He worked hard to master shorthand, reading lengthy legal texts, and becoming very bored. Dickens loved language, and yearned to use it somehow. In 1829 he became a court reporter for the Court of Chancery, and what he learned there fuelled much of his writing, even to such minor characters as these two, Snitchey and Craggs, only ostensibly here at this point in the story to transfer the Trust Fund. We learn that this celebratory dinner for Alfred is also a farewell meal for him. He is about to leave both Dr. Jeddler’s house and the village, in order to complete his studies. Alfred is apprenticed to the Doctor, but he also hopes to seek his fortune in the world, so that he will be able to propose to the younger sister, Marion. Marion also seems to be drawn to Alfred romantically, and Alfred leaves in the hope that although not officially betrothed, they have an understanding.

He entrusts Marion to her older sister Grace’s care, promising to return to win Marion’s hand in marriage. The end of the first chapter sees Alfred setting off to leave the village by stagecoach. We have come a long way from the initial darkness of the blood spilled on the battlefield. We realise that that such a battle must be a metaphor. “The Battle of Life” in another sense, then. A battle involves sacrifice and loss. We sense a shadow of gloom, and are apprehensive. What could destroy the idyllic peace and harmony we have witnessed in this little family? What difficulties are to befall this small group of characters, for whom we already have such an affection (although maybe not so much for the shifty lawyers)? We have learned that Marion’s own birthday is the same day as the great waste of life, the battle of long ago, and wonder if this is significant. Is it then Marion’s “Battle of life” we are to follow? And what part is Grace to play in this? She plays a maternal role, seeming almost to be a mother to Marion, despite only being four years her elder.

We have had much description of her kindness and fortitude; her character seems to be aptly named as so often with Dickens. What is the mystery, the subtext here? There is bound to be one. In Part Two we learn more of these slightly unpleasant, yet aptly named lawyers, Snitchey and Craggs. Their offices are “on the old Battle Grounds”. We also meet their delightfully warring wives who are always warning their respective husbands not to allow themselves to be taken in by their business partner. All these four seem to thoroughly deserve each other, and provide much amusement for the reader. We also become aware through these little spats, that nobody here is truly malicious, just life-long complainers. A subplot is developing with a dislikeable scoundrel of a new character, Michael Warden, whose affairs are in a bad way. Or is this merely a subplot? Dickens has a well-known habit of introducing little asides which seem to be inconsequential, only to thrust them straight under the spotlight, whereupon we find they were essential to the main story all along.

(view spoiler) [Snitchey and Craggs assure Michael that with their aid, and in due process of time, six or seven years perhaps, they can turn his fortunes around. But he will need to go abroad to live, and forget his love for Marion Jeddler, (whom we know anyway, is otherwise inclined. Or is she? There are many indications that Marion doesn’t love Alfred, and we also strongly suspect that Grace herself is in love with him.) (hide spoiler) ] We have two surprises which are the cause of much merriment in this section. (view spoiler) [Alfred is coming home at long last, which should make Marion, his beau, very happy. And Clemency is to marry Benjamin Britain. (hide spoiler) ] The snow falls thick and fast, just as it should in a Christmas story, and both characters and readers wait in eager anticipation. (view spoiler) [ But tragedy ensues, and the section ends with Marion’s mysterious and unaccountable disappearance. We do not know how, why, or where. Has she perhaps eloped? But with whom?

Michael was certainly pushing her to elope with him, but he is such a disreputable character with no attractive qualities and few prospects. And doesn’t she love Alfred anyway? We are beginning to rethink Marion’s character, and wondering if she loves anyone at all, save her sister and her father. (hide spoiler) ] Despite catastrophic events, we hope for a good resolution, and Dickens seem to promise this at the beginning of the “Part the Third” section, which takes place six years later, “The sun burst suddenly from among the clouds; and the old battleground, sparking brilliantly and cheerfully at sight of it in one green place, flashed a responsive welcome there, which spread along the country side as if a joyful beacon had been lighted up, and answered from a thousand stations.” The day is Marion’s birthday and also happens to be the day of someone’s marriage. (view spoiler) [ Grace and Alfred chose it as their wedding day (hide spoiler) ]. A strange visitor in mourning arrives at “The Nutmeg Grater” Inn, one who seems uncannily familiar.

(view spoiler) [ Clemency Newcome had lost her job at Doctor Jeddler’s after Marion’s disappearance, because he blamed her for never telling him that Marion had a secret suitor. But Clemency is now married to Benjamin Britain, and they have children. They are the owners of the inn. The stranger turns out to be Michael Warden, who has come back in order to prepare the sale of his goods before leaving the country for ever. He is ostensibly in mourning for Marion. However, in a neat little twist we learn that Marion never did marry Michael, but fled to live with her aunt Martha, who had been estranged from her brother Doctor Jeddler. This was in order to give time for Alfred and Grace to become closer, and become sweethearts. Michael knew of this plan from the start, and by the end of the story, the sisters are reunited at last, and the whole family are in on the secret. (hide spoiler) ] The Battle of Life: A Love Story is a “Christmas Book” only in a broadly thematic sense, and sometimes by indications of the time of year. It is not directly concerned with Christmas events.

The setting of an English village standing on the site of an historic battle is drawn attention to by the characters themselves, who refer to the battle as a metaphor for the struggles of life, and we are aware of this fact right from the start, but not the details of how the lives depicted will be played out. In a letter to his friend and mentor, John Forster, Dickens hoped, “to express both a love story in the common acceptation of the phrase, and also a story of love; with one or two other things of that sort” and certainly the major events of this story comprise Dickens’s idea of the real battle of life: that of finding and winning the right partner, so that life will go ever onwards to the next generation. The story is similar to the previous one, “The Cricket on the Hearth” in its domestic rural setting, and also like this earlier one has a satisfying romantic twist at the end, though it is less of a social novel in its underlying theme. The Jeddler family and their acquaintances are all rather confused in their affections and intentions, and we are never quite sure who should end up with whom.

There are sacrifices in love made, and “kindly cynical” Doctor Jeddler’s view of life is no longer that of a jester. We are drawn into the “battle” to make things all work towards the resolution; to the happy ending we expect from Dickens. Unlike all Dickens’s other Christmas stories, there is no explicitly religious element, nor is there any supernatural content which so often aids the character’s change of heart. All Dickens’s Christmas books involve at least one character having a life-affirming change of heart, but this time it is without the aid of supernatural beings. There are no ghosts or spirits, although he does manage to create an ominous Gothic feel. There are many references to darkness, gloom and glimmers of light; mysterious strangers lurk in the shadows, things are not what they appear to be. Churchyards with phantoms and apparitions are in the mind of the characters, and much of the action seems to take place after dark. There is a sense of other-worldliness; a sense that one must not step over the threshold. There are unexplained noises, and disappearances, and questions which remain unresolved for many a year.

Dickens referred to his new story as, “a pretty idea; and it is unlike the others ...” and we see how a battlefield and site of hopeless brutality can be transformed over the years, becoming a place of healing and care; a place of families, and many different forms of love. Some parts of this piece do now seem unfashionably melodramatic. Dickens loved his set pieces, and outright theatricality. These overly frantic histrionics seem a little self-indulgent for modern tastes, but were very popular with Victorian readers. Dickens had no reason at all to rein in his emotions at that time, and probably gave vent to quite a lot of inner impulses. It is perhaps not too much of a stretch to speculate on the significance of the initial “G” for Grace, which is also the initial letter of “Georgina” Hogarth, the sister-in-law who died so tragically young, and whom he so idolised. By the same token, “M” could well represent Mary, the other young sister, who was a much-loved and valued member of the Dickens household, and looked after his children.

The ending is a beautiful piece of writing, as Dickens steps back out of his picture, commenting that, “Time—from whom I had the latter portion of this story, and with whom I have the pleasure of a personal acquaintance of some five-and-thirty years’ duration—informed me, leaning easily upon his scythe, that (view spoiler) [Michael Warden never went away again, and never sold his house, but opened it afresh, maintained a golden means of hospitality, and had a wife, the pride and honour of that countryside, whose name was Marion. (hide spoiler) ] But, as I have observed that Time confuses facts occasionally, I hardly know what weight to give to his authority.” An ending such as this is sure to make me smile. The Battle of Life; A Love Story may be the least popular of the Christmas books, and does not tackle any great Victorian social issues such as “The Chimes”. But it is a charming little story nevertheless.

It has been said to be flawed, and Dickens himself felt frustrated that he was not able to develop it properly under the constraints of the Christmas book format, writing to a friend two years later, “I was thoroughly wretched at having to use the idea for so short a story. I did not see its full capacity until it was too late to think of another subject; and I have always felt that I might have done a great deal with it, if I had taken it for the groundwork of a more extended book.” But is seems to epitomise what Dickens described for the rest of his life as “the Carol Philosophy”. This philosophy continues to be relevant, cutting through the materialism of modern Christmas celebrations to get to the heart of Dickens’s message.

For Dickens this time of year is, “a good time: a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time: the only time I know of in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of other people below them as if they really were fellow-passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys.” Surprisingly for such a short piece, Dickens commissioned four different illustrators for the first edition of The Battle of Life: A Love Story. They were Daniel Maclise, Richard Doyle, John Leech, and Clarkson Stanfield. All four artists engraved their illustrations on wood, and all four worked more in the caricatured style of Phiz than later editions of Dickens’s works. My review here is of the “Pears Anniversary Edition of the Christmas Stories” from 1912; the set comprising one cloth-bound volume for each of his five Christmas Books. They are a matching set, with different coloured bindings, but each with gold-tooled lettering and the Pears cameo inset on the cover. The Battle of Life: A Love Story has illustrations by Charles Green, which are monochromatic and surprisingly very naturalistic.

In fact they almost look like photographs. It is certainly not quite how we usually envisage Dickens’s characters whether comic, grotesque or romantic. Phiz is a hard act to follow! What is so delightful about this particular edition, apart from the fact that the book is over 100 years old, and still lovely to hold with no page discoloration, is the sheer number of illustrations. It is interesting to speculate, given the shortness of these novellas, and the plethora of illustrations, whether he intended them as family reading, perhaps spoken or even acted out loud, around the cosy hearth of a family home. My favourite quotation from this book? There are so many wonderful comic quips, but here is Dickens in a sage frame of mind, “We count by changes and events within us. Not by years.” ...more Why do I continue to write reviews for everything I read when nobody reads the bloody things? "Just because there's nobody there is no reason not to carry on the conversation." Well, I suppose you're right, Miss Emily. Thank you. This was read in this compilation: A Christmas Carol and Other Christmas Classics This is not Dickens' best work.

It's the fourth of his Christmas books, and doesn't live up to the expectations I set after reading the first three. It's considered a Christmas book because Why do I continue to write reviews for everything I read when nobody reads the bloody things? "Just because there's nobody there is no reason not to carry on the conversation." Well, I suppose you're right, Miss Emily. Thank you. This was read in this compilation: A Christmas Carol and Other Christmas Classics This is not Dickens' best work. It's the fourth of his Christmas books, and doesn't live up to the expectations I set after reading the first three. It's considered a Christmas book because it came out at Christmastime, and not because there's a Christmas theme involved, though one small scene in the middle occurs during a Christmas gathering. It felt very loosely cobbled together, then chucked to the public. The battle of life part is a metaphor I didn't fully understand. Everything takes place on an ancient battleground that's long since grown over, and is nearly forgotten. Connections to it later in the story felt really forced. In fact, the first third of the book had me wondering what was going on, and where Dickens was going with it? I never really found out.

I think he was just using the platform for a bit of social commentary that didn't have much to do with the rest of the story, but I could be missing something. I'm not going to reread it to find out. Also, it's a love story, and a sappy one at that. (view spoiler) [A woman realizes that the man she loves and who loves her back actually loves her sister, so she sacrifices her love for him by faking an elopement with another man, and hides at her aunt's house for six years just so the man will be free, and realize for himself that he loves the sister and can marry her instead, which he eventually does. (hide spoiler) ] "Awwwwwww!" Gag me. You would think this was made for the Hallmark movie channel were it not for the fact that it was over a century ahead of its time. I can't even say I enjoyed reading this one. Even Dickens' customary style of prose wasn't up to par.

There were comic bits, and I liked the silly names of the lawyers (Snitchey and Craggs), and their pretentious mannerisms, and Clemency the simple housekeeper was silly enough, but all of it felt a little lacking. Most of his usual elements were there, but they didn't pack their usual punch. Also, I don't recall any coincidences in this book. Is it possible it was written by someone else? A doppeldickens, maybe? I'd suggest skipping this one unless you like sappy romance, and that's been ruined for you if you clicked on my spoiler. ...more Shelves: e-books , novellas , christmas-books , fiction-19th-century , british-literature , read-2013 , mtbr-challenge-2013 Opening lines: Once upon a time, it matters little when, and in stalwart England, it matters little where, a fierce battle was fought. It was fought upon a long summer day when the waving grass was green. Many a wild flower formed by the Almighty Hand to be a perfumed goblet for the dew, felt its enamelled cup filled high with blood that day, and shrinking dropped.

Many an insect deriving its delicate colour from harmless leaves and herbs, was stained anew that day by dying men, and marked its fr Opening lines: Once upon a time, it matters little when, and in stalwart England, it matters little where, a fierce battle was fought. It was fought upon a long summer day when the waving grass was green. Many a wild flower formed by the Almighty Hand to be a perfumed goblet for the dew, felt its enamelled cup filled high with blood that day, and shrinking dropped. Many an insect deriving its delicate colour from harmless leaves and herbs, was stained anew that day by dying men, and marked its frightened way with an unnatural track. The painted butterfly took blood into the air upon the edges of its wings. The stream ran red. The trodden ground became a quagmire, whence, from sullen pools collected in the prints of human feet and horses' hoofs, the one prevailing hue still lowered and glimmered at the sun. Jun 15, 2012 Thom Swennes rated it liked it Size is a question of perception. Published as a novella in 1846, The Battle of Life by Charles Dickens came into the world boasting a mere three chapters.

One may think, after hearing this that such a short book could hardly be worth the paper and ink. The fact that the chapters are of hefty dimensions should hardly play a role. What should, however, influence a potential reader is quality. The three pregnant chapters of The Battle of Life are brimming with quality. Any author would be proud an Size is a question of perception. Published as a novella in 1846, The Battle of Life by Charles Dickens came into the world boasting a mere three chapters. One may think, after hearing this that such a short book could hardly be worth the paper and ink. The fact that the chapters are of hefty dimensions should hardly play a role. What should, however, influence a potential reader is quality. The three pregnant chapters of The Battle of Life are brimming with quality. Any author would be proud and swollen with pride to have fathered such an extraordinary and noteworthy child (as I feel sure Dickens was). The old axiom: “Less is more” would fit this narrative admirably. This is a love story to rival any written by Jane Austin or any of the Bronté sisters, with considerably less verbal baggage.

I can’t see how anyone can fail to love Dickens and this short volume (word for word) his best. ...more Shelves: classics This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Onestamente l'ho trovato abbastanza insulso. Quale sarebbe questa "battaglia della vita"? Quanto possono essere credibili le vicende di Marion e Grace? Per me, zero. Tutta questa enfasi sui buoni sentimenti e sul sacrificio (ok, fa parte dei racconti di Natale, ma a tutto c'è un limite!) ha creato dei personaggi assolutamente piatti, prevedibili e inverosimili. Inoltre nei panni di Grace, io avrei trovato offensivo il comportamento prima di Marion e poi di tutti gli altri: solo in un romanzo una Onestamente l'ho trovato abbastanza insulso. Quale sarebbe questa "battaglia della vita"? Quanto possono essere credibili le vicende di Marion e Grace? Per me, zero.

Tutta questa enfasi sui buoni sentimenti e sul sacrificio (ok, fa parte dei racconti di Natale, ma a tutto c'è un limite!) ha creato dei personaggi assolutamente piatti, prevedibili e inverosimili. Inoltre nei panni di Grace, io avrei trovato offensivo il comportamento prima di Marion e poi di tutti gli altri: solo in un romanzo una persona può essere felice di essere stata ingannata, per un periodo anche relativamente lungo, dalle persone a lei più care (ma solo e soltanto per il suo bene, eh!). A Dickens questa trovata deve essere piaciuta particolarmente perché la ripropone in Our Mutual Friend a spese di Bella. Boh, davvero mi chiedo cosa passasse per la testa di Dickens quando si è seduto alla scrivania per scrivere questo racconto. Clem e Bretagna mi sono sembrati la bella copia di Jeremiah Flintwinch e sua moglie Affery di Little Dorrit. ;) O forse sono la brutta copia visto che questo racconto è precedente!

:D ...more Shelves: audio-books I thought I had read all of Dickens' novels, but then learned of this and the other Christmas books (besides Cricket on the Hearth, which I was familiar with), so I downloaded the audio of this short novel and will proceed on to the others as well. This little romantic story is a bit corny, and actually sort of predictable in some ways, and has only a couple of really interesting characters, while the others are rather flat and not well-developed. If it wasn't for the fact that I am determined t I thought I had read all of Dickens' novels, but then learned of this and the other Christmas books (besides Cricket on the Hearth, which I was familiar with), so I downloaded the audio of this short novel and will proceed on to the others as well. This little romantic story is a bit corny, and actually sort of predictable in some ways, and has only a couple of really interesting characters, while the others are rather flat and not well-developed.

If it wasn't for the fact that I am determined to read all of Dickens' novels, I might not have bothered to pick this one up, but it's so short that it took little effort to get it checked off my list. ...more Apr 01, 2012 Laura rated it it was ok This book wasn't terrible. There were absolutely beautiful passages and nice scenes; however, I would never recommend this book unless nothing else to read and you needed a few hours to kill. There were parts in the beginning when I wanted to stop reading, but it started to flow better and was then a quick read. Shelves: classic-english-literature ”It's a World Full of Hearts”! With these words, Doctor Jeddler, a father of two daughters, who is given to the frivolous philosophy of regarding the world as a comédie humaine in which nothing really matters, finally rejects his superficial notions by realizing that even though the battles people fight do not seem to make a whole lot of sense when viewed from a distance, with a mere onlooker’s eyes, people themselves do have a heart and their feelings do matter to them and to those they love. Wh ”It's a World Full of Hearts”!

With these words, Doctor Jeddler, a father of two daughters, who is given to the frivolous philosophy of regarding the world as a comédie humaine in which nothing really matters, finally rejects his superficial notions by realizing that even though the battles people fight do not seem to make a whole lot of sense when viewed from a distance, with a mere onlooker’s eyes, people themselves do have a heart and their feelings do matter to them and to those they love. What it took to make him change his view as to the seriousness and sacredness of life, is told in Dickens’s fourth Christmas Tale, The Battle of Life, which was written in 1846. Unlike the well-known A Christmas Carol and the two Christmas novellas following in its wake, The Battle of Life has never achieved a high degree of popularity, which I find quite deplorable because it is a more adult tale than, for example, The Cricket on the Hearth with its excursions into silliness. Apart from that, it is more balanced than The Chimes, which left me with the impression that Dickens just wanted to cram too much social criticism into too short a story.

It may well be that The Battle of Life fell short of popularity because Christmas does not play a major role in the plot – with only one fateful plot event coinciding with a Christmas party -, and neither are there any ghosts or supernatural entities at work. Even though this may be the case, we still have impressively poetic passages in this tale, as for instance the description of the aftermath of a battle that took place “[o]nce upon a time, it matters little when”: ”It was fought upon a long summer day when the waving grass was green. Many a wild flower formed by the Almighty Hand to be a perfumed goblet for the dew, felt its enamelled cup filled high with blood that day, and shrinking dropped. Many an insect deriving its delicate colour from harmless leaves and herbs, was stained anew that day by dying men, and marked its frightened way with an unnatural track. The painted butterfly took blood into the air upon the edges of its wings. The stream ran red.

The trodden ground became a quagmire, whence, from sullen pools collected in the prints of human feet and horses' hoofs, the one prevailing hue still lowered and glimmered at the sun.” Despite such a grim beginning, The Battle of Life is an optimistic story and also contains a lot of humour, e.g. when it comes to the two lawyers Snitchey and Craggs and their nagging wives, or the good-humoured Clemency Newcome and the somewhat grumpy Benjamin Britain. If there is any criticism voiced by the narrator, it is apparently directed at people who think themselves so learned and endowed with reason that they fail to appreciate life for what it is worth.

Not only Doctor Jeddler is an example of philosophy gone awry – ”A kind and generous man by nature, he had stumbled, by chance, over that common Philosopher's stone (much more easily discovered than the object of the alchemist’s researches), which sometimes trips up kind and generous men, and has the fatal property of turning gold to dross and every precious thing to poor account.” – but also Ben Britain preens himself on his astuteness and patronizes Clemency Newcome as someone who has not one genuine thought of her own in her head, which is quite ironic in that it is Clemency whose common sense will later on ensure his material success in life and his happiness as a family man. The Battle of Life is also a story of self-sacrifice to an extent which seems unbelievable and pointless. (view spoiler) [Why should Marion leave her family for six years and live with her aunt just to make her sister and her former suitor fall in love with each other? Would not there have been an easier way? A frank word betimes, for instance?

(hide spoiler) ] So while the plot of The Battle of Life is not especially original and would not even stand a plausibility test (if there were such a thing), there is still the atmosphere, some of the characters (especially the comic relief ones) and the language that make Dickens’s fourth Christmas story worth reading and place it, in my humble opinion, above the Chimes and the Cricket. Dec 29, 2016 Mary Lou rated it liked it I just didn't buy into this story. Dickens gets points for the delightful Clemency and Britain (and the Nutmeg Grinder and Thimble!), and his brilliant description of the impact of the battlefield on the generations of people living on it. But these wonderful characters and that amazing bit of prose aren't enough to save this story. The mystery was weak, the premise unbelievable, the ending too quick and easy. BoL was billed as a Christmas story. While one scene took place during the holiday sea I just didn't buy into this story. Dickens gets points for the delightful Clemency and Britain (and the Nutmeg Grinder and Thimble!), and his brilliant description of the impact of the battlefield on the generations of people living on it.

But these wonderful characters and that amazing bit of prose aren't enough to save this story. The mystery was weak, the premise unbelievable, the ending too quick and easy. BoL was billed as a Christmas story. While one scene took place during the holiday season, the story itself had nothing to do with Christmas. Perhaps I could have bought the ending if it had come together at a Christmas ball or something. Ah, well.... Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol -- he has nothing else to prove to anyone. ...more Nov 07, 2016 Robert rated it really liked it Hard to get into at first... I came onto this right after Barnaby Rudge and was expecting another war story, but instead we start with a war story that becomes the metaphor for the rest of the story. I had to start over about halfway into the first chapter and then it all made sense. it's not clear to me why this is lumped in with the Christmas stories. Jan 01, 2017 David rated it it was ok Classic strong opening paragraph, but the other 97% of the book was lacking.

Some interesting bits: I liked seeing the Doctors philosophy of nothing being serious in life clashing with his emotions when things became unpleasant. Mr Craggs philosophy that life is becoming too easy. I've never really associated 19th century England with easy. Dec 29, 2016 Jeremy rated it really liked it This is a story with some very interesting characters, however, the story is so short, that it seems to lack something that one of Dickens's longer stories might have. It is still very much worth the read. First sentence: "Once upon a time, it matters little when, and in stalwart England, it matters little where, a fierce battle was fought." Last sentence: "I hardly know what weight to give to his authority." After reading 'A Christmas Carol' and the disappointing 'A Christmas Tree' I wanted to stay a bit longer in the Christmas atmosphere, so I looked in my (extensive) e-book list to see if Dickens had some more stories set in this period of time. And of course he did.

There were mentioned 5 so-cal First sentence: "Once upon a time, it matters little when, and in stalwart England, it matters little where, a fierce battle was fought." Last sentence: "I hardly know what weight to give to his authority." After reading 'A Christmas Carol' and the disappointing 'A Christmas Tree' I wanted to stay a bit longer in the Christmas atmosphere, so I looked in my (extensive) e-book list to see if Dickens had some more stories set in this period of time. And of course he did. There were mentioned 5 so-called Christmas novels (A Christmas Carol, The Chimes, The Cricket on the Hearth , The Battle of Life and The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain) among his works and some short stories. So I choose The Battle of Life, a short novella (78 pages) about the love between two sisters, Grace and Marion, and the sacrifice that one brings for the other. But why this story is called a Christmas book... I wouldn't know. The books begins on a warm summer day, twice the story enfolds in autumn and there is only one scene that takes place on a cold snowy winter night.

All in all, a heart-warming but rather simple read ...more Shelves: literature Hmmm. The Battle of Life is the fourth of Dickens' five Christmas novellas (and 13th of his 24 major works overall), but it certainly is one of my least favourite. Published at the same time as his underwhelming Pictures from Italy, the book strikes me as exactly what it is: a jobbing writer working on a piece of writing to fulfil a contract. It's a sentimental love story, really, about two sisters and a confused father-figure. It's quite gloopy, never really shows any purpose, and seems very co Hmmm. The Battle of Life is the fourth of Dickens' five Christmas novellas (and 13th of his 24 major works overall), but it certainly is one of my least favourite. Published at the same time as his underwhelming Pictures from Italy, the book strikes me as exactly what it is: a jobbing writer working on a piece of writing to fulfil a contract. It's a sentimental love story, really, about two sisters and a confused father-figure.

It's quite gloopy, never really shows any purpose, and seems very confused - the eponymous Battle of Life sticks out as a strange piece of moralising without any tie to the story, given the battles in this novel are few, if any. Definitely one of the least of Dickens' canon, but I can't fault a man for earning money doing what he's talented at - there's still some beauty here, after all. ...more Aug 28, 2013 Katherine Holmes rated it it was amazing · review of another edition A novella by Dickens and I like reading minor works of authors. The book brought me in with the quintessential Dickens qualities, going into a scene with Dr. Jeddler, his two daughters, the intended of the younger one, odd servants, and two lawyers. Their outdoor luncheon was almost like a Mad Hatter scene. The hint that the younger daughter doesn't return her lover's exuberance is developed through other characters until she disappears. Dickens was economical in resolving all this, except for t A novella by Dickens and I like reading minor works of authors. The book brought me in with the quintessential Dickens qualities, going into a scene with Dr.

Jeddler, his two daughters, the intended of the younger one, odd servants, and two lawyers. Their outdoor luncheon was almost like a Mad Hatter scene. The hint that the younger daughter doesn't return her lover's exuberance is developed through other characters until she disappears. Dickens was economical in resolving all this, except for the funny relationships of the lawyer wives. I don't know the history of it, whether he might have fleshed the story into subplots the way he usually did, but it was straightforward in its intention and enjoyable. ...more Shelves: re-read To have loved and lost it only to find love again; in someone else is the main theme of this novella by the master of characterizations, Charles Dickens. While I read this book I had to constantly remind myself that it wasn’t a work of Thomas Hardy. I am always happy to read Victorian love stories as they take such a round-about way of approaching the subject. This short story is generally grouped with Dickens’ Christmas stories but I have never considered it so and that this categorization is a To have loved and lost it only to find love again; in someone else is the main theme of this novella by the master of characterizations, Charles Dickens.

While I read this book I had to constantly remind myself that it wasn’t a work of Thomas Hardy. I am always happy to read Victorian love stories as they take such a round-about way of approaching the subject. This short story is generally grouped with Dickens’ Christmas stories but I have never considered it so and that this categorization is a fallacy; probably caused by a lack of a better one. Of one thing you can be sure…. It is a love story to remember. Although the story is short, it shines as brightly as his novels. I recommend it to everyone. ...more Jun 16, 2012 CadyCan rated it liked it Read as part of the entire works of Charles Dickens. Managed to read this one quite quickly as it was a short story. It was also faster paced in the telling than Barnaby Rudge was which made it an altogether better tale. I can't decide if the story is lame or quite beautiful. Hmmm, I think the unselfish sacrifices of the sisters, one in particular, that the entire tale centres upon, is the beautiful part, the over dramatisation of it, is the lame part, but then perhaps the two go hand in hand....

Read as part of the entire works of Charles Dickens. Managed to read this one quite quickly as it was a short story. It was also faster paced in the telling than Barnaby Rudge was which made it an altogether better tale. I can't decide if the story is lame or quite beautiful. Hmmm, I think the unselfish sacrifices of the sisters, one in particular, that the entire tale centres upon, is the beautiful part, the over dramatisation of it, is the lame part, but then perhaps the two go hand in hand....its essentially a love story, the one sister is promised to a chap who is clearly loved by/more suited to the other sister and so the one he is promised to disappears. ...more Jan 30, 2013 Atlantis rated it it was ok This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. The story here is a bit disjointed and I didn't really understand why Marion had to "go away" for years although it was a personal sacrifice for her in what was seeminly for the sake of her beloved sister. It seemed like a heart to heart conversation and little more open communication would have served everyone better.

I did enjoy and appreciate the description about the land and where the village was located and how everything is connected but we don't always know how or why-nor sometimes do we The story here is a bit disjointed and I didn't really understand why Marion had to "go away" for years although it was a personal sacrifice for her in what was seeminly for the sake of her beloved sister. It seemed like a heart to heart conversation and little more open communication would have served everyone better. I did enjoy and appreciate the description about the land and where the village was located and how everything is connected but we don't always know how or why-nor sometimes do we care. ...more Jun 26, 2012 Karen Chung rated it liked it I downloaded the (very well done) Librivox audio reading of this work after skimming a few reviews of it on Goodreads. This is probably my least favorite Dickens so far. A convoluted plot full of confusion and contrived surprise. I found the first chapter really dull and hard to get through, and almost gave up, but fortunately things picked up in chapter two.

On the whole, corny, maudlin, and peppered with baroque Dickensian prose, but if you want another view of Dickens, or to get through all h I downloaded the (very well done) Librivox audio reading of this work after skimming a few reviews of it on Goodreads. This is probably my least favorite Dickens so far. A convoluted plot full of confusion and contrived surprise. I found the first chapter really dull and hard to get through, and almost gave up, but fortunately things picked up in chapter two. On the whole, corny, maudlin, and peppered with baroque Dickensian prose, but if you want another view of Dickens, or to get through all his works, you might consider this. ...more Dec 21, 2015 Veronica rated it it was ok This book didn't really satisfy me. Although not all the Christmas books by Dickens actually happen or talk about Christmas, this one seems to be particularly far away from the sense of holidays or of that familiar feeling that Dickens is so good at portraying. Moreover, the story is not very engaging.

There is a sort of mystery which is not a mystery, a love story which is not a love story and the tempo is rather slow. It is Dickens, hence the writing style is sufficient to get the reader throu This book didn't really satisfy me. Although not all the Christmas books by Dickens actually happen or talk about Christmas, this one seems to be particularly far away from the sense of holidays or of that familiar feeling that Dickens is so good at portraying. Moreover, the story is not very engaging. There is a sort of mystery which is not a mystery, a love story which is not a love story and the tempo is rather slow. It is Dickens, hence the writing style is sufficient to get the reader through the book, but I did not find much more than that in the book. ...more Shelves: 2015-read , 2015-firsts , reviewed-in-english , dickens I didn't like the beginning much. The battle field, the people dying in battle... many years before the actual story takes place... Although all of that might have an important symbolic value, it just doesn't really fit in my opinion. However, I liked the course of events, and I loved getting to know more Dickens characters.

So, all in all, it's a lovely little story. Oh, and since it's not very Christmassy, you could read it throughout the year. Jul 30, 2015 Ronan Doyle rated it liked it Such a fine conceptual conceit, and so very little of any great note done with it. Reading the Christmas books in sequence, I think, was not a very good idea. They're ill-distinguished in such close proximity. Can't say much more than I've said already: sweet and simple sentiments that likely meant much more to a contemporary audience than they ever really could to us now. Not hanging around here for anything but the language. Dec 17, 2015 Polly Clarke rated it it was ok · review of another edition I have mixed views on this, the fourth Christmas story. Difficult to read in parts but beautifully written in others. A peculiar plot with characters acting pretty peculiar too. My favourite character was Clemence and I especially liked Dickens description in the way that she moves. The ending was unsatisfactory leaving us with the notion that the couple may or may not have married and settled. All in all it was ok hence the two star. Charles Dickens - Biography and Works.

Search Texts, Read Online. Discuss. Charles Dickens Biography of Charles Dickens Charles Dickens (1812-1870), English Victorian era author wrote numerous highly acclaimed novels including his most autobiographical David Copperfield (1848-1850); ï¿½Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show. To begin my life with the beginning of my life, I record that I was born (as I have been informed and believe) on a Friday, at twelve o'clock at night. It was remarked that the clock began to strike, and I began to cry, simultaneously.ï¿½ As a prolific 19th Century author of short stories, plays, novellas, novels, fiction and non, during his lifetime Dickens became known the world over for his remarkable characters, his mastery of prose in the telling of their lives, and his depictions of the social classes, mores and values of his times. Some considered him the spokesman for the poor, for he definitely brought much awareness to their plight, the downtrodden and the have-nots.

He had his share of critics like Virginia Woolf and Henry James , but also many admirers, even into the 21st Century. Gilbert Keith Chesterton wrote numerous introductions to his works, collected in his Appreciations and Criticisms of the works of Charles Dickens (1911) and in his highly acclaimed biography Charles Dickens (1906) he writes: He was the voice in England of this humane intoxication and expansion, this encouraging of anybody to be anything. Critic John Forster (1812-1876) became his best friend, editor of many of his serialisations, and official biographer after his death, publishing The Life of Charles Dickens in 1874. Scottish poet and author Andrew Lang (1844-1912) included a letter to Dickens in his Letters to Dead Authors (1886). Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915) in his Little Journeys (1916) series follows in the footsteps of Dickens through his old haunts in London.

George Gissing (1857-1903) also respected his works and wrote several introductions for them, as well as his Charles Dickens: A Critical Study (1898) in which he writes: Humour is the soul of his work. Like the soul of man, it permeates a living fabric which, but for its creative breath, could never have existed. While George Orwell (1903-1950) was at times a critic of Dickens, in his 1939 essay Charles Dickens he, like many others before, again brought to light the author still relevant today and worthy of continued study: Nearly everyone, whatever his actual conduct may be, responds emotionally to the idea of human brotherhood. Dickens voiced a code which was and on the whole still is believed in, even by people who violate it. It is difficult otherwise to explain why he could be both read by working people (a thing that has happened to no other novelist of his stature) and buried in Westminster Abbey.

Charles John Huffman Dickens was born on 7 February, 1812 in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England (now the Dickens Birthplace Museum) the son of Elizabeth nï¿½e Barrow (1789-1863) and John Dickens (c.1785-1851) a clerk in the Navy Pay Office. John was a congenial man, hospitable and generous to a fault which caused him financial difficulties throughout his life. He inspired the character Mr. Micawber in David Copperfield (1849-1850). Charles had an older brother Frances, known as Fanny, and younger siblings Alfred Allen, Letitia Mary, Harriet, Frederick William known as Fred, Alfred Lamert, and Augustus Newnham. When Dickensï¿½ father was transferred to Chatham in Kent County, the family settled into the genteel surroundings of a larger home with two live-in servantsï¿½one being Mary Weller who was young Charlesï¿½ nursemaid. Dickens was a voracious reader of such authors as Henry Fielding, Daniel Defoe , and Oliver Goldsmith .

When he was not attending the school of William Giles where he was an apt pupil, he and his siblings played games of make-believe, gave recitations of poetry, sang songs, and created theatrical productions that would spark a lifelong love of the theatre in Dickens. But household expenses were rising and in 1824, John Dickens was imprisoned for debt in the Marshalsea Prison. All of the family went with him except for Charles who, at the age of twelve, was sent off to work at Warrenï¿½s Shoe Blacking Factory to help support the family, pasting labels on boxes. He lived in a boarding house in Camden Town and walked to work everyday and visited his father on Sundays. It was one of the pivotal points in Dickensï¿½ education from the University of Hard Knocks and would stay with him forever. The idyllic days of his childhood were over and he was rudely introduced to the world of the working poor, where child labour was rampant and few if any adults spared a kind word for many abandoned or orphaned children. Many of his future characters like Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, and Philip Pirrip would be based on his own experiences.

The appalling working conditions, long hours and poor pay typical of the time were harsh, but the worst part of the experience was that when his father was released his mother insisted he continue to work there. While he felt betrayed by and resented her for many years to come, his father arranged for him to attend the Wellington House Academy in London as a day pupil from 1824-1827, perhaps saving him from a life of factory work and setting him on the road to becoming a writer. In 1827 the Dickens were evicted from their home in Somers Town for unpaid rent dues and Charles had to leave school. He obtained a job as a clerk in the law firm of Ellis and Blackmore. He soon learned shorthand and became a court reporter for the Doctors Commons. He spent much of his spare time reading in the British Museumï¿½s library and studying acting. In 1830 he met and fell in love with Maria Beadnell, though her father sent her to finishing school in Paris a few years later. In 1833, his first story of many, ï¿½A Dinner at Poplar Walkï¿½ was published in the Monthly Magazine.

He also had some sketches published in the Morning Chronicle which in 1834 he began reporting for and adopted the pseudonym ï¿½Bozï¿½. At this time Dickens moved out on his own to live as a bachelor at Furnivalï¿½s Inn, Holborn. His father was arrested again for debts and Charles bailed him out, and for many years later both his parents and some of his siblings turned to him for financial assistance. Dickensï¿½ first book, a collection of stories titled Sketches by Boz was published in 1836, a fruitful year for him. He married Catherine Hogarth, daughter of the editor of the Evening Chronicle on 2 April, 1836, at St. Lukeï¿½s in Chelsea. A year later they moved into 48 Doughty Street, London, now a museum.

The couple would have ten children: Charles Culliford Boz (b.1837), Mary (Mamie) (1838-1838), Kate Macready (b.1839), Walter Landor (b.1841), Francis (Frank) Jeffrey (b.1844), Alfred Tennyson (b.1845), Sydney Smith (b.1847), Henry Fielding (b.1849), Dora Annie (1850-1851), Edward Bulwer Lytton (b.1852). Also in the same year, 1836, Dickens became editor for Bentleyï¿½s Miscellany of which Pickwick Papers (1836-1837) was first serialised. Thus began a prolific and commercially successful period of Dickensï¿½ life as a writer. Most of his novels were first serialised in monthly magazines as was a common practice of the time.

Oliver Twist between 1837 and 1839 was followed by Nicholas Nickleby (1838-1839), The Old Curiosity Shop (1840-1841), and Barnaby Rudge (1841). Dickensï¿½ series of five Christmas Books were soon to follow; A Christmas Carol (1843), The Chimes (1844), The Cricket on the Hearth (1845), The Battle of Life (1846), and The Haunted Man (1848). Dickens had found a readership who eagerly anticipated his next installments. After the death of Catherineï¿½s sister Mary in 1837 the couple holidayed in various parts of England. After Dickens resigned from Bentleyï¿½s in 1839, they moved to 1 Devonshire Terrace, Regentï¿½s Park. Further travels to the United States and Canada in 1842 led to his controversial American Notes (1842). Martin Chuzzlewit was first serialised in 1843.

The next year the Dickens traveled through Italy and settled in Genoa for a year of which his Pictures From Italy (1846) was written. Dombey and Son (1846) was his next publication, followed by David Copperfield (1849). In 1850 he started his own weekly journal Household Words which would be in circulation for the next nine years. From 1851 to 1860 the Dickens lived at Tavistock House where Charles became heavily involved in amateur theatre. He wrote, directed, and acted in many productions at home with his children and friends, often donating the money raised from ticket sales to those in need. He collaborated with Wilkie Collins on the drama No Thoroughfare (1867). Novels to follow were Bleak House (1852-1853), Hard Times (1854), and Little Dorrit (1855-1857). In 1856 Dickens purchased Gadï¿½s Hill, his last place of residence near Rochester in Kent County.

He continued in the theatre as well, acting in Wilkie Collins ï¿½ The Frozen Deep in 1857 with actress Ellen Ternan (1839-1914) playing opposite him. The two fell in love and Dickens would leave Catherine a year later. By now Dickens was widely read in Europe and in 1858 he set off on a tour of public readings. A year later he founded his second weekly journal All the Year Round, the same year A Tale of Two Cities (1859) was first serialised. Great Expectations (1860-1861) was followed by Our Mutual Friend (1864-1865). In 1865, traveling back from Paris with Ellen and her mother, they were involved in the disastrous Staplehurst train crash, of which Dickens sustained minor injuries, but never fully recovered from the post-traumatic shock of it. Two years later he traveled to America for a reading tour. His ï¿½farewell readingsï¿½ took place in Londonï¿½s St. James Hall.

Charles Dickens died from a cerebral hemorrhage on 9 June 1870 at his home, Gadï¿½s Hill. He is buried in Poetï¿½s Corner of Westminster Abbey, London, his tomb inscribed thus: ï¿½He was a sympathiser to the poor, the suffering, and the oppressed; and by his death, one of Englandï¿½s greatest writers is lost to the world.ï¿½ Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881), Scottish historian and author, upon hearing of his death said: The good, the gentle, high-gifted, ever-friendly, noble Dickensï¿½every inch of him an honest man. Unfinished at his death, The Mystery of Edwin Drood was published in 1870. My father had left a small collection of books in a little room upstairs, to which I had access (for it adjoined my own) and which nobody else in our house ever troubled.

From that blessed little room, Roderick Random, Peregrine Pickle, Humphrey Clinker, Tom Jones, the Vicar of Wakefield, Don Quixote, Gil Blas, and Robinson Crusoe, came out, a glorious host, to keep me company. They kept alive my fancy, and my hope of something beyond that place and time, - they, and the Arabian Nights, and the Tales of the Genii, - and did me no harm; for whatever harm was in some of them was not there for me; I knew nothing of it. It is astonishing to me now, how I found time, in the midst of my porings and blunderings over heavier themes, to read those books as I did.ï¿½Ch. 4, David Copperfield Biography written by C.D. Merriman for Jalic Inc. Copyright Jalic Inc. 2006. All Rights Reserved. The above biography is copyrighted. Do not republish it without permission.

Forum Discussions on Charles Dickens Recent Forum Posts on Charles Dickens The Cricket on the Hearth: A Fairy Tale of Home eBook by Charles Dickens - 9781508021254 | Kobo Show more Show less Dodo Collections brings you another classic from Charles Dickens, ‘The Cricket on the Hearth: A Fairy Tale of Home.’ Dickens gave his first formal expression to his Christmas thoughts in his series of small books, the first of which was the famous “Christmas Carol.” There followed four others: “The Chimes,” “The Cricket on the Hearth,” “The Battle of Life,” and “The Haunted Man.” The five are known today as the “Christmas Books.” Of them all the “Carol” is the best known and loved, and “The Cricket on the Hearth,” although third in the series, is perhaps next in popularity, and is especially familiar to Americans through Joseph Jefferson’s characterisation of Caleb Plummer. The title creature is a sort of barometer of life at the home of John Peerybingle and his much younger wife Dot. When things go well, the cricket on the hearth chirps; it is silent when there is sorrow.

Tackleton, a jealous old man, poisons John’s mind about Dot, but the cricket through its supernatural powers restores John’s confidence and all ends happily. Charles Dickens was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world’s best-known fictional characters and is regarded as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era. His works enjoyed unprecedented popularity during his lifetime, and by the twentieth century critics and scholars had recognised him as a literary genius. His novels and short stories enjoy lasting popularity. Born in Portsmouth, Dickens left school to work in a factory when his father was incarcerated in a debtors’ prison. Despite his lack of formal education, he edited a weekly journal for 20 years, wrote 15 novels, five novellas, hundreds of short stories and non-fiction articles, lectured and performed extensively, was an indefatigable letter writer, and campaigned vigorously for children’s rights, education, and other social reforms. A prolific 19th Century author of short stories, plays, novellas, novels, fiction and non-fiction; during his lifetime Dickens became known the world over for his remarkable characters, his mastery of prose in the telling of their lives, and his depictions of the social classes, morals and values of his times.

Some considered him the spokesman for the poor, for he definitely brought much awareness to their plight, the downtrodden and the have-nots. He had his share of critics, like Virginia Woolf and Henry James, but also many admirers, even into the 21st Century. Buy the eBook

Question: Who wrote the novellas 'The Cricket On The Hearth' and 'The Battle Of Life'?
Answer: CHARLES DICKENS