Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens (1812 - 1870) was a English writer, most known for A Christmas Carol, Oliver Twist, A Tale of Two Cities, and Great Expectations.
- Charles DickensCharles Dickens was a British author who penned beloved classics such as ‘Hard Times,' 'A Christmas Carol,' 'David Copperfield' and 'Great Expectations.'
- Charles Dickens: BritannicaCharles Dickens, in full Charles John Huffam Dickens, (born February 7, 1812, Portsmouth, Hampshire, England—died June 9, 1870, Gad’s Hill, near Chatham, Kent), English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian era. His many volumes include such works as A Christmas Carol, David Copperfield, Bleak House, A Tale of Two Cities, Great Expectations, and Our Mutual Friend.
- Charles Dickens MuseumWelcome to 48 Doughty Street, the London home of Charles Dickens.
Research & Reference
- Charles Dickens: Credo ReferenceA Credo Reference landing page on Charles Dickens. This page includes links to reference works, journal articles, and a mind map.
- Charles Dickens MuseumCharles Dickens archives from The National Archives (UK).
- Dickens Project LibraryThe Dickens Project Library is located at UCSC and is accessed via a staircase located outside the Cowell/Stevenson Dining Hall. The library includes various editions of all of Charles Dickens's novels, historical and literary criticism on Dickens, Dickens biographies, Dickens's letters and journals, as well as videos, DVDs, and audio recordings of various Dickens adaptations.
- Letters and Manuscripts of Charles DickensLetters and manuscripts are inserted in an extra-illustrated copy of John Forster's The Life of Charles Dickens, second edition (London: Chapman & Hall, 1872), three volumes, enlarged to thirteen volumes in 1874.
Streaming Media
- An American Christmas CarolA retelling of Charles Dickens' beloved A Christmas Carol in which Henry Winkler is a heartless finance company president in Depression era New England.
- Charles Dickens: A Tale of Ambition and GeniusThis episode of Biography presents a detailed look at the life of Charles Dickens, beginning with Dickens's harsh childhood and ending in his rise to worldwide acclaim. Distributed by A&E Television Networks. (45 minutes) Distributed by A&E Television Networks.
- The Man Who Invented ChristmasThis is the story of the magical journey that led to the creation of Ebenezer Scrooge (Christopher Plummer), Tiny Tim and other classic characters from A Christmas Carol. Charles Dickens (Dan Stevens) mixed real life inspirations with his vivid imagination to conjure up unforgettable characters and a timeless tale, forever changing the holiday season into the celebration we know today.
- Peter Ackroyd's Charles DickensArguably the greatest of English novelists, Charles Dickens was also one of the outstanding personalities of his age—and preeminent Dickens biographer Peter Ackroyd is just the person to capture his essence. This program merges interview, dramatization, and reenactment to explore the author’s life story, spotlighting the recurrent influence of Dickens’ childhood on his obsessive vision of darkness and light. The mercurial actor John Sessions plays Dickens in a bravura performance, while extracts from A Christmas Carol, Oliver Twist, The Pickwick Papers, and other stories, plus passages from the writer’s correspondence and memoranda, complete the process of bringing the writer to life.
- A Tale of Two CitiesThis Golden Globe and Emmy nominee is a glorious telling of Dickens' tale of passion, intrigue, and revolution.
Perspectives
Great Expectations
Charles Dickens's Great Expectations - now a major new film from director Mike Newell (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Harry Potter) - charts the course of orphan Pip Pirrip's life as it is transformed by a vast, mysterious inheritance. This Penguin Classics edition is edited with notes by Charlotte Mitchell, and an introduction by David Trotter. Adapted from Dickens's novel by bestselling author David Nicholls (One Day), Great Expectations stars Ralph Fiennes (The Reader), Helena Bonham Carter (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows) and Jeremy Irvine (War Horse) and also features Robbie Coltrane, David Walliams and Sally Hawkins. A terrifying encounter with the escaped convict Abel Magwitch in a graveyard on the wild Kent marshes; a summons to meet the bitter, decrepit Miss Havisham and her beautiful, cold-hearted ward Estella at Satis House; the sudden generosity of a mysterious benefactor - these form a series of events that change the orphaned Pip's life forever, and he eagerly abandons his humble station as an apprentice to blacksmith Joe Gargery, beginning a new life as a gentleman.
Annotated Christmas Carol
What would Christmas be without A Christmas Carol? Charles Dickens's famous ghost story is as much a part of the season as plum pudding and mistletoe, and Michael Patrick Hearn, the celebrated annotator of The Wizard of Oz and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, has now prepared a sumptuous new edition of the Dickens classic. This latest contribution to the Norton annotated series delves into the engrossing history of the book's publication, when it first captivated Victorian England. This is the first edition to combine the original text of 1843 with Dickens's Public Reading text, which had its world premiere in America in 1867 and has not been reprinted in nearly a century. Also included are rare photographs as well as the original Leech wood engravings and hand-colored etchings. These are supplemented by other contemporary illustrations by George Cruikshank, Gustave Dor? John Tenniel, and "Phiz." The Annotated Christmas Carol will be a literary feast for the whole family for generations.
A Tale of Two Cities
Charles Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities portrays a world on fire, split between Paris and London during the brutal and bloody events of the French Revolution. This Penguin Classics edition of is edited with an introduction and notes by Richard Maxwell. 'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...' After eighteen years as a political prisoner in the Bastille the aging Dr Manette is finally released and reunited with his daughter in England. There, two very different men, Charles Darnay, an exiled French aristocrat, and Sydney Carton, a disreputable but brilliant English lawyer, become enmeshed through their love for Lucie Manette. From the tranquil lanes of London, they are all drawn against their will to the vengeful, bloodstained streets of Paris at the height of the Reign of Terror and soon fall under the lethal shadow of La Guillotine. This edition uses the text as it appeared in its first serial publication in 1859 to convey the full scope of Dickens's vision, and includes the original illustrations by H.K. Browne ('Phiz').
The Mystery of Edwin Drood
Charles Dickens's final, unfinished novel, and one that has puzzled readers and inspired writers since its publication, The Mystery of Edwin Drood is edited with an introduction by David Paroissien in Penguin Classics. Edwin Drood is contracted to marry orphan Rosa Bud when he comes of age, but when they find that duty has gradually replaced affection, they agree to break off the engagement. Shortly afterwards, in the middle of a storm on Christmas Eve, Edwin disappears, leaving nothing behind but some personal belongings and the suspicion that his jealous uncle John Jasper, madly in love with Rosa, is the killer. And beyond this presumed crime there are further intrigues- the dark opium dens of the sleepy cathedral town of Cloisterham, and the sinister double life of Choirmaster Jasper, whose drug-fuelled fantasy life belies his respectable appearance. Dickens died before completing The Mystery of Edwin Drood, leaving its tantalising mystery unsolved and encouraging successive generations of readers to turn detective. This edition contains an introduction by David Paroissien, discussing the novel's ending, with a chronology, notes, original illustrations by Samuel Luke Fildes, appendices on opium use in the nineteenth century, the 'Sapsea Fragment' and Dickens's plans for the story's conclusion. Charles Dickens is one of the best-loved novelists in the English language, whose 200th anniversary was celebrated in 2012. His most famous books, including Oliver Twist, Great Expectations, A Tale of Two Cities, David Copperfield and The Pickwick Papers, have been adapted for stage and screen and read by millions. If you enjoyed The Mystery of Edwin Drood, you might like Dickens's Little Dorrit, also available in Penguin Classics.
Martin Chuzzlewit
Charles Dickens's powerful black comedy of of hypocrisy and greed, Martin Chuzzlewit is edited with an introduction and notes by Patricia Ingham in Penguin Classics. The greed of his family has led wealthy old Martin Chuzzlewit to become suspicious and misanthropic, leaving his grandson and namesake to make his own way in the world. And so young Martin sets out from the Wiltshire home of his supposed champion, the scheming architect Pecksniff, to seek his fortune in America. In depicting Martin's journey - an experience that teaches him to question his inherited self-interest and egotism - Dickens created many vividly realized figures- the brutish lout Jonas Chuzzlewit, plotting to gain the family fortune; Martin's optimistic manservant, Mark Tapley; gentle Tom Pinch; and the drunken and corrupt private nurse, Mrs Gamp. With its portrayal of greed, blackmail and murder, and its searing satire on America Dickens's novel is a powerful and blackly comic story of hypocrisy and redemption. In her introduction, Patricia Ingham examines characterization, the central themes of the novel, and Dickens's depiction of America. This edition also includes two new prefaces, Dickens's postscript written in 1868, his working papers, a note on Mrs Gamp's eccentric speech, a chronology, updated further reading, appendices and original illustrations by 'Phiz'. Charles Dickens is one of the best-loved novelists in the English language, whose 200th anniversary was celebrated in 2012. His most famous books, including Oliver Twist, Great Expectations, A Tale of Two Cities, David Copperfield and The Pickwick Papers, have been adapted for stage and screen and read by millions. If you enjoyed Martin Chuzzlewit, you might like Dickens's Dombey and Son, also available in Penguin Classics.