“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” from A Tale of Two Cities
It’s the two hundredth anniversary of Charles Dickens’ birth. He was born in Portsmouth in 1812 and died in Kent in 1870. Dickens was perhaps the most popular Victorian novelist of his time. You probably remember his well-known novels from high school English Lit classes, such as A Tale of Two Cities, David Copperfield, A Christmas Carol, The Adventures of Oliver Twist, Great Expectations, and Nicholas Nickleby among others.
He began his literary career as a journalist. His major novels were serialized either in weekly or monthly installments in journals. This made his work easily accessible in price and highly anticipated since he ended each chapter with a cliff-hanger.
Much has been written about Dickens so Four Eyes encourages you to browse the Internet and the library to enjoy the written work of this much beloved author. Happy Birthday, Charles Dickens!
“Reflect on your present blessings, of which every man has many; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.”
“A loving heart is the truest wisdom.”
“Do all the good you can, and make as little fuss about it as possible.”
“The whole difference between construction and creation is exactly this: that a thing constructed can only be loved after it is constructed; but a thing created is loved before it exists.”
Here’s an animated biography of Dickens
Charles Dickens Exhibit at the Morgan Library
Biography on Charles Dickens from the BBC web site
