• mail
  • facebook
  • instagram
  • pinterest
  • twitter
  • wikipedia
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • About
    • Privacy
    • Disclosure
    • Contact
  • Life
    • Wellness
    • Lifestyle
    • Beauty
    • travel
    • Books
  • Home
    • Interiors
    • Decor
    • Food
    • Entertaining
  • style
    • Finds
  • Shop
    • Shop My House For Christmas
    • Holiday Clothes, Gifts, Toys, Books and More
    • Mad for Plaid Finds
    • The Holiday Shop 2022
  • Blog Friends

Pinecones and Acorns

  • About
    • Privacy
    • Disclosure
    • Contact
  • Life
    • Wellness
    • Lifestyle
    • Beauty
    • travel
    • Books
  • Home
    • Interiors
    • Decor
    • Recipes
    • Entertaining
  • style
    • Finds
  • Shop
    • Shop My House For Christmas
    • Holiday Clothes, Gifts, Toys, Books and More
    • Mad for Plaid Finds
    • The Holiday Shop 2022
  • Blog Friends

Celebrating Charles Dickens

February 7, 2012 By Elizabeth@ Pine Cones and Acorns 4 Comments

Image by me

Happy Birthday Charles Dickens! Considered by many to be one of the greatest writers of all times Charles Dickens is known by almost everyone for The Christmas Carol, in which Ebeneezer Scrooge is visited by three ghosts on Christmas Eve. In fact he wrote 15 other major works, the Old Curiosity Shop and David Copperfield are two of my favorites but many are much more popular, such as Great Expectations and A Tale of Two Cities.

Dickens was born on February 7, 1812 to John and Elizabeth Dickens and had 8 brothers and sisters. His life was a challenge to say the least because his father continually lived beyond his means. Consequently,  John and the rest of the family excluding Charles were sent to debtors prison. Charles at the age of 12  went to board at the home of a family friend who was also living in “reduced circumstances.” In order to pay his room and board and to help his family in prison Dickens began working 10 hour days in a  rat infested warehouse where he pasted labels on pots.

Eventually his father John was left and inheritance of 450 pounds by his grandmother and he was able to pay his debts and get out of prison. Charles was permanently marked by his arduous days of work at such a young age and he used his experiences later in life to write David Copperfield. It is said that this book in the most autobiographical of all of his works. Dickens highlighted the lives of the poor and the disadvantaged and he used his books to change public opinion about  class inequities. Through his journalism he campaigned against working conditions in the workhouses, sanitation and slavery to name just a few of his causes.

After leaving the workhouse, he went on to school and then to have 10 children with his wife Catherine and was able to travel and to see the world because of his early success. In 1857 he met and fell in love with Ellen Ternan, an actress preforming in a play he had written called The Deep Freeze, in 1858 he left his wife and would spend the rest of his life with Ellen. This relationship was a secret from society because Dickens built his relationship with his readers based on his family life and his morals. This secret relationship lasted 13 years and caused Dickens considerable angst because he was continually sneaking around the countryside to see Ellen and then over a four year period going back and forth to France. Charles Dickens suffered a stroke on June 8, 1870 and he died the next day never having gained consciousness.

Dickens was an incredibly successful author in his lifetime and his work was accessible to the masses because most often is was serialized in the paper, sometimes weekly and sometimes monthly. This allowed him to write longer books and to develop more complex characters.

 During his lifetime Dickens was a “Rock Star” and he toured the United States twice to give readings and talks; his first trip was a bit overwhelming for him what with the slaves in the South and the over enthusiastic fans who would gather to greet him and then cut pieces from his clothes and hair. His second trip, in 1867 was much more successful as he was prepared for his reception and in fact he earned the equivalent of $1.3 million for a few weeks work.

He was so beloved by his fans that when he died the public outpouring of grief was akin to the mourning for Princess Diana. He was beloved by the poor because he called attention to their plight and to the disparity between them and the wealthy.

Dickens’s books by the way have been immortalized in over 300 movies and TV adaptations, the first being a silent movie in 1913 of The Pickwick Papers. His books are read the world over and are often on curriculum lists for high schools and colleges. Most of the books are available for free on E-readers if you are interested in re-reading one of your favorites or perhaps reading one or two for the first time.

If you are a Dickens fan you can  visit  Dickens 2012 for up to the minute information about celebrations around the globe today, which include Prince Charles and Camilla laying a wreath on his grave at Westminster Abbey, a read- a- thon in 25 countries and readings of his work worldwide.  In addition the site features information about exhibitions, performing arts, education and many other projects which will be going on all year long to celebrate the life of Charles Dickens. To celebrate the life of Dickens The Museum of London has an exhibition until May of 2012 and the Victoria and Albert owns all of Dickens manuscripts and usually has at least one on display in the British Galleries.

Are you a fan of Charles Dickens? Do you have a favorite book of his? I would love to hear which are your favorites.

 I hope you have a great day!



Related Posts:

  • David Harbour and Lily Allen's Town House, Plain English, Sharon Santoni and More on Weekend Meanderings
    David Harbour and Lily Allen's Town House, Plain English,…
  • Happy Diamond Jubilee Queen Elizabeth!
    Happy Diamond Jubilee Queen Elizabeth!
  • 15 Great Books to Give for Christmas 2019
    15 Great Books to Give for Christmas 2019

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens, Dickens 2012, Great Expectations, The Adventures of Oliver Twist, The Christmas Carol, The Pickwick Papers

You might also love

  • My Favorite Christmas Books
  • Memorial Day 2020
  • There Are No Words…The Orlando Shooting
  • Life Lately- A Rant
Downton Update and A Life of Leisure Discovered »
« Castles Crowns and Cottages Blog Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jeanne Henriques says

    February 7, 2012 at 2:14 pm

    Well written Elizabeth. I am having a Dickens of a time…I have downloaded many of his books (free) onto my iPad..have ordered a few BBC productions to support them and have a goal to get to a few more of Dickens haunts in before we leave England. Loved the recent BBC production of Great Expectations and am geared up for Tale of Two Cities (based on your recco) via audio book.

    Best wishes Elizabeth..

    Jeanne xx

    Reply
  2. Privet and Holly says

    February 7, 2012 at 7:48 pm

    What a fabulous
    post about such
    an interesting man.
    I now want to re-read
    some of his tales ~
    for FUN this time : )
    Thank you for the
    time and heart that
    you poured into this
    fascinating post,
    Elizabeth!

    xx Suzanne

    Reply
  3. Unknown says

    February 7, 2012 at 9:06 pm

    What a great post. We're celebrating like mad here, you've highlighted a few of the things, there's been some great adaptations (Martin Chuzzlewit and Great Expecation) on the BBC. Super readings etc on BB C Radio 4.

    I'll send you my email tomorrow, so I can get the tea towels sent before the end of the week. Jude x

    Reply
  4. Karen says

    February 7, 2012 at 11:11 pm

    I loved this post. I enjoy the BBC and PBS productions and mini-series of the adaptions of his books but really didn't know very much about his life. Thank you.
    Karen at Garden, Home and Party dot com

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

meet elizabeth

meet elizabeth

Hi, I'm Elizabeth. I'm "mad for plaid", a good book, a cup of hot chocolate and my pups. Join me as I find the beauty in life and elevate the everyday.

  • mail
  • facebook
  • instagram
  • pinterest
  • twitter
  • wikipedia

Subscribe

If you are mad for plaid, love a good book, baking and finding the beauty in life, sign up to receive my latest post in your inbox.

Some posts contain affiliate links at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Full disclosure here. Thank you for supporting the blog!

Search

ARCHIVES

CATEGORIES

Latest Posts

Flatlay Spring Tea tray with books.

Friday Favorites No. 525 from Once Upon a Chef, A Cookie Named Desire, Inspired by Charm and More

natural skin care products.

13 Self-Care Ideas for Spring

daffodils in a field by a fence.

Monday Musings No. 64

Quote Louis B. Wylv God has a plan for each person He has chosen.

Silent Sunday No. 514

Footer

  • mail
  • facebook
  • instagram
  • pinterest
  • twitter
  • wikipedia
“Flowers always make people better, happier and “Flowers always make people better, happier and more helpful;they are sunshine, food and medicine for the soul.” -Luther Burbank 

It’s Friday friends and that means it time for Friday Favorites on the blog. Recipes, books, links and so much more. Come on over and while you are there tell me what you made, read or discovered this week. #daffodils #spring #quoteoftheweekquote #blogger #pineconesandacornsblog
This is better than and Easter basket! Make an Eas This is better than and Easter basket! Make an Easter tray of family favorites and let everyone take home their favorites! #easter #easterdecor #easterbasket #easterbunny #eastercandy #candy #candyboard #sweettreats #pineconesandacorns
Easter is almost here! You can wait for the Eater Easter is almost here! You can wait for the Eater bunny to fill up your baskets or give him a little help by making these candy filled carrots! Directions on the blog. #carrots #candy #diyeaster #easter #easterdecor #eastercandy #pineconesandacornsblog
So beautiful. A pond of koi, the oldest is 31 year So beautiful. A pond of koi, the oldest is 31 years old! #koi #koifish #koipond #fish #color #nature #pineconesandacornsblog
Blue and white fans you will love this spring outf Blue and white fans you will love this spring outfit! Details are on the blog! #blueandwhite #blueandwhiteoutfit #mystyle #springoutfit #jcrew #jackrogers #pineconesandacornsblog #strawbag
Happy Spring! What are you looking forward to this Happy Spring! What are you looking forward to this spring? #spring #daffodils #springflowers #pineconesandacornsblog
I’m out shopping for a bird bath, so far I’ve I’m out shopping for a bird bath, so far I’ve found a fountain, a fox, some koi fish and a life size stag that I like, don’t need but still no bird bath! Happy day! #fountain #water #gardenstatues #stag #pineconesandacornsblog
Influencer, a social media phenomenon that has com Influencer, a social media phenomenon that has come about in just the last 10 years(or so my middle age mind remembers). I’m sharing my thoughts on weekend meanderings, the weekly series that @northerncalstyle and @makemineaspritzer write ever Saturday. I would love for you to come over and share your thoughts! #quote #wisdom #quoteoftheday #blogger #blogpost #pineconesandacornsblog
Hello friends! It’s time for Friday Favorites on Hello friends! It’s time for Friday Favorites on the blog! Recipes, books, links and so much more! Come on over to the blog and tell me what are up reading this week? #springflowers #flowers #spring #pineconesandacornsblog #blogger
Decoupage Easter eggs! Easy to make and coordinate Decoupage Easter eggs! Easy to make and coordinate with our decor! #easter #easteeggs #easterdecor #decoupage #diy #eastersiy #pineconesandacornsblog
Follow on Instagram

Copyright © 2023 · Pinecones and Acorns · Blog Design by Little Blue Deer
Privacy Policy
Disclosure: We utilize affiliate widgets including Amazon, Rewardstyle and Shopstyle and may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.