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Charles Dickens Charles Dickens (1812-70) is widely considered to be one of the greatest writers in the history of the English language. His novels provide a vivid description of life in nineteenth-century England, and tell wonderfully engaging stories that are full of memorable characters. Many of the people in his books have exaggerated characteristics, often being either extremely benevolent or extremely unpleasant, and some of his most famous works are morality tales in which good people end up being rewarded and bad people punished. All his stories make the reader desperate to know what happens next, and during his lifetime most of his novels came out in separate weekly or monthly parts, so people had to wait patiently for the next instalment. Another feature of Dickens work is his social conscience, particularly his awareness of the poverty and bad working conditions suffered by the urban working-class population of nineteenth-century England. At a time when Britain was the worlds richest and most powerful country, he focused on the people who didnt seem to be receiving any of the benefits. This sympathy came from personal experience, as at the age of twelve he had to support his family by working ten hours a day in a filthy London factory, sticking labels on jars of polish. During this period his parents and brothers and sisters were in a special prison for debtors, because his father had spent too much money. Charles used to visit the prison at weekends, and the awful conditions probably provided him with inspiration for his future writing. In his twenties Dickens started a career as a political journalist, and his special talent for storytelling soon became obvious. In his spare time he started to do other kinds of writing, including his first novel, The Pickwick Papers, which became a great success as soon as it was published in 1836-7. Over the next twenty-five years he wrote masterpieces such as David Copperfield, Great Expectations, A Christmas Carol and Oliver Twist. Oliver Twist is the story of a kind-hearted young orphan who gets tricked into joining a gang of pickpockets on the streets of London before eventually being rescued from his life of crime. In the 1960s it was made into a muchloved musical, first for the theatre and then later as a film.

Exercise 1 Here are some simple definitions for words or expressions that appear in the text. Find the words or expressions they refer to and fill in the gaps. 1. _______________ (adjective) kind and helpful 2. _______________ (noun) a child whose parents have died 3. _______________ (noun) a substance that you rub onto an object to make it shine 4. _______________ (adjective) very dirty 5. _______________ (noun) one of several parts of a story or article that are published at different times in a magazine or newspaper

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6. _______________ (noun) someone who steals money and other things from peoples pockets and bags, especially in crowded places 7. _______________ (noun) a long written story about imaginary or partly imaginary characters and events 8. _______________ (noun) an excellent painting, book, piece of music etc, or the best work of art that a particular artist, writer, musician etc has ever produced 9. _______________ (noun) a piece of paper or material fastened to an object that gives information about it 10. _______________ (verb) to provide money, food, or other things that someone needs in order to live 11. _______________ (noun) a group of young people who spend time together and often cause trouble 12. _______________ (noun) someone who owes money 13. _______________ (adjective) very bad 14. _______________ _______________ (noun) a knowledge or understanding of what is morally right in a society 15. _______________ (adjective) having or producing very clear and detailed images in the mind Exercise 2 Decide whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F), or if the text doesnt say (D). 1. Like the character Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens was an orphan. 2. There is music in the 1960s film version of Oliver Twist. 3. Dickens had already earned a lot of money before he started writing novels. 4. Dickens work only became very popular after he died. 5. Dickens didnt write about people who lived in towns or cities. 6. He kept all the money that he earned from working in the factory. Megoldsok: Exercise 1 1. benevolent 2. orphan 3. polish 4. filthy 5. instalment 6. pickpocket 7. novel 8. masterpiece 9. label 10. support 11. gang 12. debtor 13. awful 14. social conscience 15. vivid Exercise 2 1. F 2. T 3. D 4. F 5. F 6. F