Food For Thought
Food For Thought
A blog that nourishes your mind by Innora Dasgupta
‘The most important thing in life, is to stop saying ‘I wish’ and start saying ‘I will’, an apt quote by the famous writer and social critic Charles Dickens that brings to fore the zeal of overcoming struggles in one’s life and focus one’s energy in creating meaningful communication.
Blogger Speaks: I am Innora Dasgupta, the writer of this blog who wishes for every reader to come away on a journey of words that promises to celebrate the great works of noteworthy authors, poets and social reformists in the world. In this particular piece, I have endeavored to highlight the significant elements that contributed to Charles Dickens’s life. As I personally enjoy delving deep into an author’s perspective, my purpose is to translate these experiences into modern life situations, making my readers think, analyze and take away more that the obvious from each read, hence my blog is called ‘Food for Thought’. Bon Appetite!
About the Blogger: Innora Dasgupta, who has just entered her teens is mesmerized by the world of books. She is a writer of this blog and she enjoys reading books of fiction, art and history while also devoting time to understanding classical music. In her free time, she enjoys debating on world politics and in particular has strong views on gender inequalities that women face in politics. English literature is her favorite subject at her school, Scindia Kanya Vidyalaya located in the beautiful fort city of Gwalior. A perfect Leo, makes her a lioness at heart and she is passionately involved in everything that she sets her heart in. Her favorite playwright is William Shakespeare and her favorite author is J.K. Rowling. Seen in the picture is Innora Dasgupta in pink with her mother, who inspires her writing and also is her 'sounding board' for all ideas.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE LIFE OF CHARLES DICKENS
Charles John Huffam Dickens was born on February 7, 1812, in Portsmouth, on the southern coast of England. Dickens was the second of eight children, out of which six survived to adulthood; his father John Dickens was a naval clerk and always spent beyond his means. His mother Elizabeth Barrow Dickens wanted to become a schoolteacher. Despite of his parents’ best efforts, the family remained poor. In 1816, they moved to Chatham, Kent, where young Dickens and his siblings could roam the countryside. In 1822, the Dickens family moved to Camden Town, a poor neighborhood in London. By then the family’s financial situation had grown worse, as John Dickens had a dangerous habit of living beyond the family’s means. Eventually, John was sent to the debtors’ prison in 1824, when Charles was just 12 years old.
FEW GLIMPSES OF CHARLES DICKENS’S FAMILY AND FRIENDS.
After his father’s imprisonment, Dickens was forced to work at a boot-blacking factory. At the run-down, rodent-ridden factory, Dickens earned six shillings a week labeling pots of “blacking,” a substance used to clean fireplaces. It was the best he could do to help support his family. He felt abandoned and betrayed by the adults who were supposed to take care of him. These sentiments later become a recurring theme in his writing.
After a few months Dickens's father was released from prison and Charles could go back to school, he was not a good scholar but, he enjoyed writing plays and enacting them for his friends. At fifteen his formal education ended, and he found employment as an office boy at an attorney's, while he studied shorthand at night. From 1830 he worked as a shorthand reporter in the courts and afterwards as a parliamentary and newspaper reporter. In 1833 Dickens began to contribute short stories and essays to journals. A Dinner at Popular Walk was Dickens's first published story. It was published in the Monthly Magazine in December 1833. In 1834, even though Dickens was still a newspaper reporter, he adopted the soon to be famous pen name Boz. Dickens's first book, a collection of stories titled Sketches by Boz, was published in 1836. In the same year he married Catherine Hogarth, she was the daughter of the editor of the Evening Chronicle. Charles and Catherine had 10 children.
During the 1850s, Dickens suffered two devastating losses: the deaths of his daughter and father. He also separated from his wife in 1858. Dickens married a young actress named Ellen "Nelly" Ternan. It is also believed that he went to great lengths to erase any documentation alluding to Ternan's presence in his life. Although Dickens's main profession was as a novelist, he continued his journalistic work until the end of his life, editing The Daily News, Household Words, and All the Year Round. His connections to various magazines and newspapers gave him the opportunity to begin publishing his own fiction at the beginning of his career.
On 8 June 1870, Dickens suffered a stroke at his home after a full day's work on Edwin Drood. He never regained consciousness, and the next day, he died at Gads 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.
CHARLES DICKENS BOOKS
Throughout his career, Dickens published a total of 15 novels. His most well-known works include:
'Oliver Twist' (1837-1838)
Oliver Twist, Dickens first novel, follows the life of an orphan living in the streets. The book was inspired by how Dickens felt as an impoverished child forced to get by on his wits and earn his own keep. As publisher of a magazine called Bentley’s Miscellany, Dickens began publishing Oliver Twist in installments between February 1837 and April 1838, with the full book edition published in November 1838. Dickens continued showcasing Oliver Twist in the magazines he later edited, including Household Words and All the Year Round. The novel was extremely well-received in both England and America. Dedicated readers.
'A Christmas Carol' (1843)
On December 19, 1843, Dickens published A Christmas Carol. The book features the timeless protagonist Ebenezer Scrooge, a curmudgeonly old miser, who, with the help of ghosts, finds the Christmas spirit. Dickens penned the book in just six weeks, beginning in October and finishing just in time for the holiday celebrations. The novel was intended as a social criticism, to bring attention to the hardships faced by England’s poorer classes. The book was a roaring success, selling more than 6,000 copies upon publication. Readers in England and America were touched by the book’s empathetic emotional depth; one American entrepreneur reportedly gave his employees an extra day’s holiday after reading it. Despite literary criticism, the book remains one of Dickens’ most well-known and beloved works.
'David Copperfield' (1849 to 1850)
David Copperfield was the first work of its kind: No one had ever written a novel that simply followed a character through his everyday life. From May 1849 to November 1850, Dickens published the book in monthly installations, with the full novel form published in November 1850. In writing it, Dickens tapped into his own personal experiences, from his difficult childhood to his work as a journalist. Although David Copperfield is not considered Dickens’ best work, it was his personal favorite. It also helped define the public’s expectations of a Dickensian novel.
'Bleak House' (1852 to 1853)
Following the death of his father and daughter and separation from his wife, Dickens’ novels began to express a darkened worldview. In Bleak House, published in installments from 1852 to 1853, he deals with the hypocrisy of British society. It was considered his most complex novel to date.
Great Expectations
Great Expectations follows the childhood and young adult years of Pip a blacksmith's apprentice in a country village. He suddenly comes into a large fortune (his great expectations) from a mysterious benefactor and moves to London where he enters high society. He thinks he knows where the money has come from, but he turns out to be sadly mistaken. The story also follows Pip's dealings with Estella, a young woan he adores but who cannot return his love.
CITATIONS
· http://www.dickens-online.info/charles-dickens-biography.htm
· https://www.biography.com/writer/charles-dickens
· https://spartacus-educational.com/PRdickensEM.htm
· https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Dickens
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