Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens was born on February 7, 1870, in Portsmouth, England. He died on June 9, 1870, in Higham, Kent and was buried in Poet’s Corner at Westminster Abbey (Biography.com). Early on in his life, Dickens’ family struggled financially which caused Dickens to drop out of school multiple times. Despite his limited education, Dickens became one of the greatest English authors of the Victorian Era. He used his own experiences to create a collection of memorable characters and stories including Oliver Twist, Great Expectations, A Christmas Carol, A Tale of Two Cities and numerous others (Philip). Dickens’ life and work continue to be admired and inspiring to thousands of people. Charles Dickens was the second …show more content…
Events such as his young employment in a factory inspired both the characters and story presented in Oliver Twist. Not to mention, people such as his first love, Maria Beadnell, or his friend Angela Burdett-Coutts, were repeatedly mimicked in the personalities of several characters throughout his publications (Philip). Dickens also wrote about his own opinions of society. This can be seen in works such as American Notes for General Circulation which reflects his poor assessment of American culture after visiting the country for five months in 1842. He was inspired by his own imagination as well as the work of other fictional authors, such as Daniel Defoe and Henry Fielding (May). Dickens, being an author of mass popularity, didn’t face many obstacles or conflicts with others. He was constantly writing serial installments within days before the deadline, but his haste never seemed to affect his fame. Dickens’ writing did change temporarily in the 1850s to focus on darker subjects and social issues due to the deaths of his daughter and father. However, his loss of school attendance, the scandal between himself and Ellen Ternan, and the minor outrage caused by American Notes in the United States never created any serious problems