his country’s rich andpoor became a com-
montheme inhiswork.
Despite the setback, Dickens eventu-
ally returned to school and found employ-
ment asacourt reporter, a job that opened
thedoor toa successfulwriting career.He
publishedhisfirst short story, “ADinnerat
PoplarWalk” (later renamed “Mr.Minns
andHisCousin”), in1833,but itwashisfirst
novel,
The Posthumous Papers of the Pick-
wickClub,
thatmadeDickens ahousehold
name.Released in20monthly installments
between 1836 and 1837,
The Pickwick Pa-
pers
isafunandlooselyknitstringofstories
centeringon theexplorationsof clubmem-
bers, suchasMr.Pickwick’sattendantSam
Weller, a lower-class, boozingandbrawling
philosopherwho’soneof theauthor’smost
memorableearlycreations.
Thesedays,manyofDickens’characters
are as well known as the author himself.
Names likeEbenezerScrooge,OliverTwist
and the Artful Dodger represent figures
so lifelike itwouldn’t seem strange topass
them in thestreets.Perhaps this isbecause
Dickens basedmany of his characters on
peopleandexperiencesheencountered in
his ownworld. The untimely deathof his
17-year-oldsister-in-lawMary, for instance,
inspiredhimtocreateNell,thetragicyoung
heroine ofDickens’ 1840–1841 novel,
The
OldCuriosityShop
,andtheauthoradmitted
that the namesake character of his 1849–
1850novel,
DavidCopperfield
, was largely
autobiographical.Dickenswasalsokeenon
personifyingthemes likegoodversusevilin
hisworks,usingsentimentalitytoinfluence
theheartsof readers.While thesemethods
earnedhimcriticism, theyalsobroughton
change, suchas theclearingofLondon’sJa-
cob’sIsland,anotoriousslumthatappeared
in
Oliver Twist
. By incorporating actual
placesandevents intohiswritings,Dickens
gave readersmuchof theGreatBritainwe
recognizetoday.
Look at amap of London and you can
trace thepathof theauthor’s own lifeand
experiences, fromCharingCross Station,
which stands on the site of the old shoe-
blacking factorywhereDickenswas once
employed, to theLondon streetCheapside,
immortalized in
GreatExpectations
.Infact,
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