Katie,+Kim,+Sam,+Jack

 __David Copperfield__...
 __Oliver Twist__...

 __A Tale of Two cities__...  You most likely have heard of his works before... 

His face may even look familiar to you...

=// ** But, who exactly was Charles Dickens? ** //=




A. Personal Background (Biography)  - Dickens lived from February 7, 1812- June 9, 1870

 __1. Early Life__   __2. Mid-Life__
 * Son of John and Elizabeth Dickens
 * Father was a clerk in the Naval pay office
 * Father was imprisoned for dept (his wife and children, except for Charles, joined him in prison)
 * Charles was sent to work at Warren's Blacking Factory instead
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">His haunting childhood labor memories/experiences became the inspiration behind some of his later novels (particularly __Great Expectations__ and __David Copperfield__
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Became a free-lance reporter at Doctor's Commons Courts in 1829
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">In 1830, met and fell in love with Maria Beadnell, daughter of a banker (however the relationship ended in 1833 because her parents did not think that they were a good match)

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 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Adopted the pseudonym "Boz" while still a newspaper reporter in 1834
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">His father became in debt again in 1834; he had to help him out (throughout his life, many of his family members went after him for his money)
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Met and became engaged to Catherine Hogarth in 1835
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">His wife's younger sister, who he adored, died in 1837; she later appeared in many of his works under various guises
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">His first son born in 1837
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Dickens became separated from his wife in 1857, leaving her for a young actress, Ellen Ternan

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<span style="color: #f87272; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> __3. Later Years__ <span style="color: #ef7706; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">B. Literary Background (HANA AND JACK!!!!!!!)< PLEASE DELETE WHEN DONE EDITING <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Dickens, although brilliant, was emotionally unstable
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Health began to decline in November of 1865, due to consistent overwork
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Dickens and Ternan were involved in railway incident in which many were injured (1865); disturbed him psychologically and physically)
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">His first stroke in 1869
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Suffered another stroke on June 8, 1870
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Died the following day and was buried at Westminster Abbey on June 14th[[image:webkit-fake-url://98687A3A-6BC3-4217-B393-90A3365C3714/image.tiff]]
 * Some of Dickens stories include A Tale of Two Cities, Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, Pickwick Papers, Dombey and Son, A Christmas Carol, Great Expectations, Barnaby Rudge, And Nicolas Nickleby.
 * Charles Dickens was the master of cliffhangers. A cliffhanger is a question asked at the end of each chapter. Charles Dickens would make cliffhangers because he wrote for a newspaper and wanted the reader to read his stories each week and succeeded because the reader was always desperate to find his answer,
 * Although, Charles Dickens is one of the greatest writers of all time, he did not win any awards, himself because at the time people weren’t interested in novels and plays.
 * Even though he didn’t win any awards personally Oliver! won the Tony Award for best musical in 1963, and a 1968 movie won the Academy Award for best picture

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">a. As a young boy, exposed to many artistic and literary works that allowed his imagination to grow and develop b. Greatly influenced by stories his nursemaid used to tell him & by visiting the theatre c. Among his favorite works were <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">//Don Quixote// <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> by Miguel de Cervantes, // Tom Jones // by Henry Fielding, and <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">//Arabian Nights// <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">, which were fictional adventure novels and composed of a series of loosely linked chain of events → played a part in the formation of his ideas and future works d. Was able to leave the blacking factory after his father’s release from prison, continuing his education at the Wellington House Academy e. Had little formal schooling, he was able to teach himself and soon launched a career as a journalist f. At the age of sixteen, he got himself a job as a court reporter, and shortly after, he joined the staff of <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">//A Mirror of Parliament//, <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> a newspaper that reported the decision of Parliament g. Continued to read eagerly at the British Library, experimenting his acting and stage-managing abilities → his acting experience affected his work throughout his life; he came up with the characters in his novels by acting out his characters, then describing their personalities and writing it down h. He was disappointed with politics, which lead to his interest in social reform → began contributing to the <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">//True Sun// <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">, a radical newspaper. i. Although his major significant works consisted of writing novels, he continued his journalistic work throughout his entire life i. Edited: <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">//The Daily News, Household Words,// <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">and <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">//All the Year Round// <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> j. Due to his connections with various magazines and newspapers as a political journalist, he had the opportunity to begin publishing his own fiction novels at the beginning of his career. → He wrote 15 novels in total, his final one, <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">//The Mystery of Edwin Drood// <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">, left unfinished due to his tragic death. k. He published several of his sketches in magazines, which became popular from 1836-37 after <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">//The Pickwick Papers// <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> published his works monthly, selling over forty thousand copies of each issue. In addition, he was the first person to make these novels profitable and expand his audience, even to those who couldn’t afford such literary works. l. Within a few years, he was viewed as one of the most successful authors of his time. m. Besides his sketching publications, <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">//Oliver Twist// <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">and <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">//Nicholas Nickleby// <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">were distributed monthly, reflecting his understanding of the lower classes and proving that he was indeed a comic genius. n. In 1843, he published one of his most famous works, <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">//A Christmas Carol.// <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">His disappointment with the world’s economics was clear in his work, blaming much of society for obsessing over earning money and acquiring status based on wealth. o. While traveling abroad in the 1840s, first to America, then through Europe, his writing become longer and more serious. p. In <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">//David Copperfield// <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> (1849-50), readers found the same imperfect world that Dickens discovered as a young boy. q. In his own weekly periodicals, he published some of his best-known novels, including <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">//A Tale of Two Cities// <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> and <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">//Great Expectations.// <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> r. By reading Thomas Carlyle’s book, <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">//The French Revolution// <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">, he was inspired to write a novel set during the time period of the French Revolution, publishing his work in 1839. s. While acting in Wilkie Collins’ play, <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">//The Frozen Deep,// <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> he was inspired by his role of a self-sacrificing lover, and two years later, went through is won form of social change as he was writing, <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">//A Tale of Two Cities// <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">; this short novel was also popular for its radical subject matter. He also made plans for his new weekly literary journal called <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">//All the Year Round.// <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">

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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">**II. French Revolution**
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<span style="color: #dbcd0a; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">A. Causes
<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> &&The Social Classes
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Over population- caused disease and food shortages
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Capitalism
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Lack of housing made people desperate for work
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Around this time, France was going through a financial crisis. The many wars had resulted in an empty treasury.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">France was left with a large amount of national debt. The people had to endure times of famine, inflation, and high taxes.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">The divide between the social classes had become even wider then before. The upper classes were very wealthy and highly privileged. They did not have to pay taxes.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">This was left to the peasants and bourgeoisie, who did not have the money and would often starve and die.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Ideas from the Enlightenment encouraged people to revolt and demand a democracy.
 * The First Estate consisted of the Catholic clergy, which was divided into two groups: the lower and the upper clergy.
 * The Second Estate was made up of the nobility. They were also divided into two groups: the Nobility of the Sword and the Nobility of the Robe.
 * The Third Estate was by far the largest of all the classes. This included the bourgeoisie, the peasants, and the skilled workers.

B. Summary <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Occurred under the rule of Louis XVI
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">It was a bad winter and not many people had money
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Started with the first battle of Bastile
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">People took authority away from the king
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Middle class reformed laws previously made
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">War continued because of greed for power
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">During the reign of terror, the Christian Calendar was replaced

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> C. Fashion of the Revolution

 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Wore a style called Parisan identity
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Followed a fashion book called La Mode for all the fashion trends
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Fashion showed the people's political status

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<span style="color: #3907ca; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> D. Napoleon Bonaparte

 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">After the people overthrew the king, they created a Directory, or Constitution, that created a two branch legislature
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Napoleon did not like this and attacked the members of the convention
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">He defeated them and became ruler of France

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<span style="color: #9322c3; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> E. Results of the Revolution
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 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Feudalism was ended
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Capitalism began in France
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Most peasants began to own the land
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Laws became more human

<span style="color: #008080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> F. Conditions of the Revolution

 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Many people were without food and starving
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Still lived in an absolute society
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Women had begun to gain respect in society

**<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">III. Works Cited **
“Biography of Charles Dickens (1812-1870).” Grade Saver. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Jan. 2010. <http://www.gradesaver.com/author/charles-dickens/>. Cody, David. “Dickens: A Brief Biography.” The Victorian Web. N.p., Mar. 2004. Web. 12 Jan. 2010. <http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/dickens/dickensbio1.html>. “The Director and the Coming of Napoleon.” Infoplease. N.p., 2009. Web. 12 Jan. 2010. <http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/history/A0858288.html>. Dowling, Mike. “French Evolution.” The Enlightenment. N.p., 1 May 2002. Web. 12 Jan. 2010. <http://www.mrdowling.com/705-frenchrevolution.html>. “Explore the French Revolution.” Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Jan. 2010. <http://chnm.gmu.edu/revolution/>. “France History- Causes of the French Revolution.” Bonjour La France. N.p., 2009. Web. 12 Jan. 2010. <http://www.bonjourlafrance.com/france-facts/france-history/causes-of-the-french-revolution.htm>. “French history: The causes of the French Revolution.” Helium. N.p., 2010. Web. 12 Jan. 2010. <http://www.helium.com/items/439670-french-history-the-causes-of-the-french-revolution>. “French Revolution.” Encyclopaedia Britannica. N.p., 2010. Web. 12 Jan. 2010. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/219315/French-Revolution>. “The Importance of Fashion.” France in the Age of the Les Miserables. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Jan. 2010. <http://www.mtholyoke.edu/courses/rschwart/hist255-s01/paris_homework/Fashion_Intro.html>. Kreis, Steven. “Lecture 11: The Origins of the French Revolution.” The History Guide. N.p., 30 Oct. 2006. Web. 12 Jan. 2010. <http://www.historyguide.org/intellect/lecture11a.html>. Merrimam, C.D. “Charles Dickens.” The Literature Network. N.p., 2006. Web. 12 Jan. 2010. <http://www.online-literature.com/dickens/>. “Our Unalienable and Sovereign Right.” The National Vote Project. N.p., 2008. Web. 12 Jan. 2010. <http://www.nationalvoteproject.com/the-need-for-a-national-convention2.html>. Syndeham, M.J. “The French Revolution.” Discover France. N.p., 1997. Web. 12 Jan. 2010. <http://www.discoverfrance.net/France/History/DF_revolution.shtml>.