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Charles Dickens and the Street Children of London
Provoked by the horrors he saw every day, Charles Dickens wrote novels that were originally intended as instruments for social change — to save his country’s children.Charles Dickens is best known for his contributions to the world of literature, but during his young life, Dickens witnessed terrible things that stayed with families starving in doorways, babies being “dropped” on streets by mothers too poor to care for them, and a stunning lack of compassion from the upper class. After his family went into debt and he found himself working at a shoe-polish factory, Dickens soon realized that the members of the lower class were no different than he, and, even worse, they were given no chance to better themselves. It was then that he decided to use his greatest talent, his writing ability, to tell the stories of those who had no voice.
160 pages, Hardcover
First published September 26, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 83 reviews
June 19, 2013
This was a very well written synopsis of Dicken's life. One of the main topics it dealt with was his philanthropy and support of children's welfare groups in the Victorian Era.
March 19, 2017
Charles Dickens and The Street Children of London tells the tale of Dickens' personal life, philanthropic work, and literary efforts to make the world a better place, and it tells that tale well. As a biography, it's a very focused scope, with the intention of looking specifically at the impact the world had on Dickens and that Dickens had on the world.
The writing style is straightforward, and highly readable. The content is brilliantly displayed to show the information at hand, making it an interesting and informative read. Stylistically it is one of the rare books that an adult, teen, or child could read, enjoy, and learn from. The illustrations, paintings, and photographs displayed are done so effectively, and enhance the material.
I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking to learn more about Dickens, but I would also recommend it to anyone looking to learn more about the working classes and the impoverished in Victorian England. Again, I would recommend it to any age group.
The writing style is straightforward, and highly readable. The content is brilliantly displayed to show the information at hand, making it an interesting and informative read. Stylistically it is one of the rare books that an adult, teen, or child could read, enjoy, and learn from. The illustrations, paintings, and photographs displayed are done so effectively, and enhance the material.
I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking to learn more about Dickens, but I would also recommend it to anyone looking to learn more about the working classes and the impoverished in Victorian England. Again, I would recommend it to any age group.
February 4, 2014
I admit, I've read very little Dickens. But I didn't need to have read much of his work to enjoy this short biography. Warren connects Dickens's work with his progressive (for Victorian England, at least) social views, and shows how he used his writing to try to change his world. Warren shows that he certainly helped. But when I read how he'd written A Christmas Carol because he wanted to change the common perception of the wealthy that the poor weren't deserving of help... Well, there's still a long way to go, isn't there?
November 5, 2011
21 June 2011 CHARLES DICKENS AND THE STREET CHILDREN OF LONDON by Andrea Warren, Houghton Mifflin, November 2011, 160p., ISBN: 978-0-547-39574-6
"Marley was dead: to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that. The register of his burial was signed by the clergyman, the clerk, the undertaker, and the chief mourner. Scrooge signed it. And Scrooge's name was good upon 'Change, for anything he chose to put his hand to."
Charles Dickens.
For half a dozen years I worked for a book retailer named after one of his well-known books and characters (Copperfield's).
This was followed by half a dozen years when I volunteered in a middle school where another of his works is read every year to the eighth graders (A Christmas Carol).
The most memorable speech of my adulthood was an extended allusion to one of his books (Mario Cuomo's 1984 "A Tale of Two Cities" speech).
I even once named one of my Nubian goats after one of his books (Treadsoftly Great Expectations).
Yet, while I'd learned many bleak details of Dickensian London, I knew virtually nothing of the author himself.
Until now.
This coming February seventh will mark the two-hundredth anniversary of Charles Dickens's birth and CHARLES DICKENS AND THE STREET CHILDREN OF LONDON is an excellent introduction to the immortal and enduringly popular British author and social reformer who made a real difference in so many ways.
"His interest in educating slum children was 'intense and prolonged,' according to one historian. It began when Dickens visited a Ragged School operating in a rundown house in one of London's worst slums. Afterward, he wrote 'I have very seldom seen...anything so shocking as the dire neglect of soul and body exhibited in these children. The odor of the dirty children was so overpowering that the friend with him had to leave. Dickens stayed, talking to the boys and girls and watching them at their lessons.
"In a lengthy letter to the editor of the Daily News he urged Londoners to visit Ragged Schools and see for themselves the good work taking place. 'The name implies the purpose,' he wrote. 'They who are too ragged, wretched, filthy, and forlorn to enter any other place, who could gain admission into no charity school, and who would be driven from any church door, are invited to come in here, and find some people...willing to teach them something, and show them some sympathy, and stretch a hand out, which is not the iron hand of the Law.'"
In CHARLES DICKENS AND THE STREET CHILDREN OF LONDON, we learn how, having become enlightened at a young age through his own real-life childhood riches-to-rags story, Charles Dickens sought throughout the remainder of his life to change the world of poor children in London, both through his writing and with the money he earned for that writing. We learn about others before him, including Handel the composer, Hogarth the painter, and Coram the sea captain, who similarly helped these London children who were so often left to die.
There are true stories of workhouses and debtor prisons interspersed with stories of foundling hospitals and Ragged Schools interspersed with stories of Dickens's utilizing his own experiences as inspiration for his stories. And it is not just in London that he sought to improve conditions. He took on cruel boarding schools in Yorkshire and the child labor and environmental abuses in industrial cities like Birmingham and Manchester. And he really made change happen.
Through everything I learn here about Dickens, I find an awful lot to like about this guy.
"Dickens warning to the British to beware of man's offspring, Ignorance and Want, did not fall on deaf ears. The wheels of change moved slowly, but by the turn of the century and the end of Victoria's reign in 1901, the reforms that began in Dickens' lifetime had eased the suffering of the poor. While many powerful people were responsible for this, Dickens rightfully received credit, long after he had died, for goading the upper classes to do the right thing -- and making them want to do it."
And so it is that Charles Dickens inspired and continues to inspire readers.
Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.com
BudNotBuddy@aol.com
Moderator http://groups.yahoo.com/group/middle_...
Moderator http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EcolIt/ http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/people/facult...
"Marley was dead: to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that. The register of his burial was signed by the clergyman, the clerk, the undertaker, and the chief mourner. Scrooge signed it. And Scrooge's name was good upon 'Change, for anything he chose to put his hand to."
Charles Dickens.
For half a dozen years I worked for a book retailer named after one of his well-known books and characters (Copperfield's).
This was followed by half a dozen years when I volunteered in a middle school where another of his works is read every year to the eighth graders (A Christmas Carol).
The most memorable speech of my adulthood was an extended allusion to one of his books (Mario Cuomo's 1984 "A Tale of Two Cities" speech).
I even once named one of my Nubian goats after one of his books (Treadsoftly Great Expectations).
Yet, while I'd learned many bleak details of Dickensian London, I knew virtually nothing of the author himself.
Until now.
This coming February seventh will mark the two-hundredth anniversary of Charles Dickens's birth and CHARLES DICKENS AND THE STREET CHILDREN OF LONDON is an excellent introduction to the immortal and enduringly popular British author and social reformer who made a real difference in so many ways.
"His interest in educating slum children was 'intense and prolonged,' according to one historian. It began when Dickens visited a Ragged School operating in a rundown house in one of London's worst slums. Afterward, he wrote 'I have very seldom seen...anything so shocking as the dire neglect of soul and body exhibited in these children. The odor of the dirty children was so overpowering that the friend with him had to leave. Dickens stayed, talking to the boys and girls and watching them at their lessons.
"In a lengthy letter to the editor of the Daily News he urged Londoners to visit Ragged Schools and see for themselves the good work taking place. 'The name implies the purpose,' he wrote. 'They who are too ragged, wretched, filthy, and forlorn to enter any other place, who could gain admission into no charity school, and who would be driven from any church door, are invited to come in here, and find some people...willing to teach them something, and show them some sympathy, and stretch a hand out, which is not the iron hand of the Law.'"
In CHARLES DICKENS AND THE STREET CHILDREN OF LONDON, we learn how, having become enlightened at a young age through his own real-life childhood riches-to-rags story, Charles Dickens sought throughout the remainder of his life to change the world of poor children in London, both through his writing and with the money he earned for that writing. We learn about others before him, including Handel the composer, Hogarth the painter, and Coram the sea captain, who similarly helped these London children who were so often left to die.
There are true stories of workhouses and debtor prisons interspersed with stories of foundling hospitals and Ragged Schools interspersed with stories of Dickens's utilizing his own experiences as inspiration for his stories. And it is not just in London that he sought to improve conditions. He took on cruel boarding schools in Yorkshire and the child labor and environmental abuses in industrial cities like Birmingham and Manchester. And he really made change happen.
Through everything I learn here about Dickens, I find an awful lot to like about this guy.
"Dickens warning to the British to beware of man's offspring, Ignorance and Want, did not fall on deaf ears. The wheels of change moved slowly, but by the turn of the century and the end of Victoria's reign in 1901, the reforms that began in Dickens' lifetime had eased the suffering of the poor. While many powerful people were responsible for this, Dickens rightfully received credit, long after he had died, for goading the upper classes to do the right thing -- and making them want to do it."
And so it is that Charles Dickens inspired and continues to inspire readers.
Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.com
BudNotBuddy@aol.com
Moderator http://groups.yahoo.com/group/middle_...
Moderator http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EcolIt/ http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/people/facult...
March 31, 2021
The book covers exactly what the title states. It is clear, concise, inserting and very readable. I would certainly recommend it to anyone wanting a primer on the character and the activity of Dickens in regards to the poor.
I was looking for more detail, more depth, and breadth in the book. Still, Warren’s book is a perfect way to introduce the concerns and the philanthropy that Dickens had throughout his life.
I certainly recommend this book for people taking their initial steps into the Dickensian world.
I was looking for more detail, more depth, and breadth in the book. Still, Warren’s book is a perfect way to introduce the concerns and the philanthropy that Dickens had throughout his life.
I certainly recommend this book for people taking their initial steps into the Dickensian world.
October 21, 2020
In the 19th century, excruciating poverty made a living hell out of the lives of tens of thousands of abandoned and orphaned children living on the streets of London.
The orphan train movement helped many children in this country find homes, but a similar program wasn’t an option in England, for most people in the upper classes would not have taken in a child from the streets or slums. The British believed back then that you were lawfully born into a certain class and you belonged there.
Many gave unwillingly to charity and felt that the poorest of the poor—more often than not children—should accept their lot in life.
It was Dickens who changed everything for these children and for the poor in general. His accomplishment was astonishing. In all his writings, he portrayed the poor so sympathetically that the upper classes were moved to begin the slow process of correcting the social ills responsible for much of the suffering of the lower classes.
In Dickens’ stories, ragged youngsters are always there on the fringes—begging, scrambling for work, sleeping in parks and under bridges, trying to keep body and soul together. He portrayed these children so touchingly because he had nearly become one of them.
Though he was born into the middle class, through a series of family crises Dickens learned what it was like to be a hungry, powerless child who had to labor long hours for low wages. He learned that most of the poor were good, deserving people who were held down and exploited by the upper classes. He never forgot it.
Through his own hard work and in spite of little formal education, Dickens became a masterful writer. People of every class embraced his stories. The poor claimed him as their Introduction spokesman and hero. The upper classes loved him just as much. Few realized that he was subtly influencing them to take up the causes he promoted in his plots, whether it was improving the workhouses, educating slum children, bettering conditions for workers, or cleaning up the slums.
All in all, Charles Dickens was a more powerful catalyst for change than any queen, prime minister, or politician. He is known as one of history’s greatest reformers.
As you read about Dickens and what he and others accomplished for London’s poorest children, I hope you will be inspired to use your own talents, whatever they are, to ease the suffering of the less fortunate all over this planet.
This well-researched biography of Charles Dickens describes how his impoverished childhood led to the use of his writing to achieve social change. Warren’s focus is based on Dickens’s empathy for the children living in the poverty and squalor he observed in Victorian London, conditions the world now calls “Dickensian.”
History has already judged Charles Dickens to be one of history’s greatest writers.
Thanks to Andrea Warren’s book, it is now clear that he was also one of history’s great social reformers. Readers may be inspired to read Dickens’s novels, with Oliver Twist (1837–1839) being the novel where he displays the most explicit social consciousness.
Like Charles Dickens, we too can help make the world a better place.
A brilliant read.
The orphan train movement helped many children in this country find homes, but a similar program wasn’t an option in England, for most people in the upper classes would not have taken in a child from the streets or slums. The British believed back then that you were lawfully born into a certain class and you belonged there.
Many gave unwillingly to charity and felt that the poorest of the poor—more often than not children—should accept their lot in life.
It was Dickens who changed everything for these children and for the poor in general. His accomplishment was astonishing. In all his writings, he portrayed the poor so sympathetically that the upper classes were moved to begin the slow process of correcting the social ills responsible for much of the suffering of the lower classes.
In Dickens’ stories, ragged youngsters are always there on the fringes—begging, scrambling for work, sleeping in parks and under bridges, trying to keep body and soul together. He portrayed these children so touchingly because he had nearly become one of them.
Though he was born into the middle class, through a series of family crises Dickens learned what it was like to be a hungry, powerless child who had to labor long hours for low wages. He learned that most of the poor were good, deserving people who were held down and exploited by the upper classes. He never forgot it.
Through his own hard work and in spite of little formal education, Dickens became a masterful writer. People of every class embraced his stories. The poor claimed him as their Introduction spokesman and hero. The upper classes loved him just as much. Few realized that he was subtly influencing them to take up the causes he promoted in his plots, whether it was improving the workhouses, educating slum children, bettering conditions for workers, or cleaning up the slums.
All in all, Charles Dickens was a more powerful catalyst for change than any queen, prime minister, or politician. He is known as one of history’s greatest reformers.
As you read about Dickens and what he and others accomplished for London’s poorest children, I hope you will be inspired to use your own talents, whatever they are, to ease the suffering of the less fortunate all over this planet.
This well-researched biography of Charles Dickens describes how his impoverished childhood led to the use of his writing to achieve social change. Warren’s focus is based on Dickens’s empathy for the children living in the poverty and squalor he observed in Victorian London, conditions the world now calls “Dickensian.”
History has already judged Charles Dickens to be one of history’s greatest writers.
Thanks to Andrea Warren’s book, it is now clear that he was also one of history’s great social reformers. Readers may be inspired to read Dickens’s novels, with Oliver Twist (1837–1839) being the novel where he displays the most explicit social consciousness.
Like Charles Dickens, we too can help make the world a better place.
A brilliant read.
June 21, 2018
Even though Dickens had issues in his marriage and family, he truly was the voice/advocate for the street children and the poor in Victorian London/England. This book is an excellent source for learning about workhouses, debtor's prisons, foundling schools and hospitals, ragged schools and much more in this time period. All of this is connected to his purpose of writing his novels. Well done -- great pics, too!
December 17, 2019
I actually enjoy reading nonfiction, especially the one's realted to history
August 18, 2017
What do artist William Hogarth, composer George Frideric Handel, and author Charles Dickens have in common? They all produced at least some of their work to help support The Foundling Hospital of London in the 1800s, much like celebrities and artists today do to support a cause. Charles Dickens, inspired by children who were homeless or living in dire poverty, began writing short stories, and then novels, to inform the English about the inhumane conditions that people—especially children—of what were considered the “lower classes” were subject to in London at that time. In the case of Handel, he wrote his most famous composition, Messiah, to perform in a Christmas concert at the Foundling Hospital to raise funds.
Although Dickens was born into the middle class, his father had a habit of spending above the family’s means, once landing him in debtors’ prison. Dickens’ mother, with no way left to support her family, chose to move into the prison as well with young Charles and his siblings, rather than put them in one of the infamous workhouses, where children were starved, abused, and worked sometimes even to death. Dickens’ experiences as a child made such a lasting impression that he devoted his entire writing career, and later used his fame, to improve the lives of London’s street urchins and their families.
Ms. Warren, who states that she has always been interested in the plight of homeless children, has done a beautiful and thorough job of describing the horrid conditions in London in the mid-1800s for the people who many believed at the time were born into their station in life, and who did not deserve anything better. Her descriptions of the slums, workhouses, factories, and the people who populated them are riveting and her character development of Dickens and others leads you smoothly through the life journeys they took to get to the point where changing the social conditions of the time were imperative to them.
This book is written for young people, ages 12-14, but I thoroughly enjoyed every page. What I, as a librarian, like the most is the inclusion by Ms. Warren of not only a bibliography of her references, but also her last chapter which extends the knowledge of the subject, including a section on ways to help homeless children today, and provides suggestions for valid online sources to gain more knowledge that does not include Wikipedia!
Enjoyable and informative for any age...five stars for this one.
Although Dickens was born into the middle class, his father had a habit of spending above the family’s means, once landing him in debtors’ prison. Dickens’ mother, with no way left to support her family, chose to move into the prison as well with young Charles and his siblings, rather than put them in one of the infamous workhouses, where children were starved, abused, and worked sometimes even to death. Dickens’ experiences as a child made such a lasting impression that he devoted his entire writing career, and later used his fame, to improve the lives of London’s street urchins and their families.
Ms. Warren, who states that she has always been interested in the plight of homeless children, has done a beautiful and thorough job of describing the horrid conditions in London in the mid-1800s for the people who many believed at the time were born into their station in life, and who did not deserve anything better. Her descriptions of the slums, workhouses, factories, and the people who populated them are riveting and her character development of Dickens and others leads you smoothly through the life journeys they took to get to the point where changing the social conditions of the time were imperative to them.
This book is written for young people, ages 12-14, but I thoroughly enjoyed every page. What I, as a librarian, like the most is the inclusion by Ms. Warren of not only a bibliography of her references, but also her last chapter which extends the knowledge of the subject, including a section on ways to help homeless children today, and provides suggestions for valid online sources to gain more knowledge that does not include Wikipedia!
Enjoyable and informative for any age...five stars for this one.
February 28, 2016
Charles Dickens and the Street Children of London – Andrea Warren
4 stars
There is a long tradition of biography as morality tale in children’s literature. Frequently there is little factual basis for the lesson; George Washington did not, in fact, chop down the cherry tree. However, with Charles Dickens, the lesson is implicit in the life of the man. Andrea Warren has presented the life of Charles Dickens in sixteen easy chapters with the clear intent of showcasing him as a social activist. The text is augmented with period illustrations and actual photographs. Following the last chapter are several brief selections that give additional information concerning Victorian England, workhouses and poorhouses in England and America, child labor laws and current charitable or activist organizations benefitting children worldwide. The book has an index, bibliography and a list of suggested websites.
The publisher recommends this book for ages 12 or above. I judge the reading level to be upper elementary; although some of the subject matter might be a bit mature. The text is informative and historically accurate, but is selected with a clear social agenda in mind.
4 stars
There is a long tradition of biography as morality tale in children’s literature. Frequently there is little factual basis for the lesson; George Washington did not, in fact, chop down the cherry tree. However, with Charles Dickens, the lesson is implicit in the life of the man. Andrea Warren has presented the life of Charles Dickens in sixteen easy chapters with the clear intent of showcasing him as a social activist. The text is augmented with period illustrations and actual photographs. Following the last chapter are several brief selections that give additional information concerning Victorian England, workhouses and poorhouses in England and America, child labor laws and current charitable or activist organizations benefitting children worldwide. The book has an index, bibliography and a list of suggested websites.
The publisher recommends this book for ages 12 or above. I judge the reading level to be upper elementary; although some of the subject matter might be a bit mature. The text is informative and historically accurate, but is selected with a clear social agenda in mind.
January 6, 2013
Off the charts reward for very little investment of time -- I found this one in the TEEN book section of the library, but don't let that stop you, if you are no longer a young adult. This is non-fiction with fascinating content that's presented most appealingly.
While this book is NOT just about Dickens, it will serve well those readers who may know his books without much knowledge of the author. And if you think you already know just about everything there is to know about Dickens, how about this: what is the connection between Dickens (who died in 1870 at the age of 58) and a sea captain named Thomas Coram (who was born in 1668) and the German-born composer Handel (who moved to London as a young man in 1712) ? You won't be stumped if you read CHARLES DICKENS AND THE STREET CHILDREN OF LONDON by Andrea Warren.
While this book is NOT just about Dickens, it will serve well those readers who may know his books without much knowledge of the author. And if you think you already know just about everything there is to know about Dickens, how about this: what is the connection between Dickens (who died in 1870 at the age of 58) and a sea captain named Thomas Coram (who was born in 1668) and the German-born composer Handel (who moved to London as a young man in 1712) ? You won't be stumped if you read CHARLES DICKENS AND THE STREET CHILDREN OF LONDON by Andrea Warren.
April 11, 2012
This was really pretty good! I can't give it 5 stars only because it didn't leave me gasping over how good it is. The author shows how Dickens' life influenced his books and called him one of the greatest and most successful social reformers. She also notes at the end that the issues affecting children are still prevalent in many parts of the world. She doesn't have anything really to say about homeless kids being taken advantage of in our country or Britain. This lack is part of what lost her the fifth star. Now of course, I suppose I really need to add the famous Dickens' titles to my to read list. SIGH.....
December 9, 2012
What a great book to read right before Christmas! Dickens reminds us what the season is all about. Andrea Warren did an excellent job of presenting the man behind the stories. I think Dickens would be proud to have such a good writer present his work in contemporary times. What happened then is still happening today. Dickens made people aware of the exploration and mistreatment of children in Victorian England. In Andrea's book she reminds us that there are children in China, India and Africa who live lives as bad or worse than Oliver Twist. Although this book is intended for children it is a good adult read.
June 29, 2012
This is an excellent look behind the stories that Dickens told about the plight of the poor in Victorian-era England. I had no idea how deliberately he was involved in this advocacy work, nor that he had once been on the verge of poverty himself as a youngster. Well worth reading, and makes you appreciate how far society has come -- yet we still have a long way to go.
Read
June 22, 2012Audience: Intermediate and beyond
Appeal: Anyone who is interested in Charles Dickens' life should read this. It is extremely interesting, because the reader is taken on a journey into the workhouses, slums, factories, and schools of Victorian England, and into the world of Dickens. He uses his pen to battle on behalf of the poor.
Award: School Library Journal 2011
Appeal: Anyone who is interested in Charles Dickens' life should read this. It is extremely interesting, because the reader is taken on a journey into the workhouses, slums, factories, and schools of Victorian England, and into the world of Dickens. He uses his pen to battle on behalf of the poor.
Award: School Library Journal 2011
December 3, 2014
Excellent insight into how Dickens's own experiences influenced his depictions of the poor and working class in his novels. Warren also offers an insightful look at the wretched lives of the poor, particularly children, in Victorian England.
August 29, 2019
An excellent YA-level biography of Dickens, examining his life through the social ills at which his books took aim. The narrative is a bit too inclined to give Dickens extra credit for what were surely complex social responses to the humanitarian crisis that was 19th century London, and to soften some of Dickens' own caddish behavior toward his wife. But the author deftly interweaves details of Dickens' life with accounts of his famous novels, and uses both to give a vivid (and fairly damning) look at the social, legal, and technological forces at work in his time. In the end, this is as much a biography of Victoran England as it is of Dickens.
June 25, 2024
I’ve read a few of Dickens’ works but knew little about his life or how it influenced the themes of his work. This is a quick (about 120 pages, large font with illustrations and photographs) overview of his life, working conditions for the poor in London, and how he started his career. There are sections on work houses, factory labor, his early education and poverty, his rise to fame, and his work as a reformer.
July 5, 2017
This is a fasinating look at Charle Dickens. It talks about some of the great things he did and just how much he influenced the people of his time. It also mentions other figures and how they influenced society and Dickens. This is a great book for people interested in the author. It would be great for middle grades and up.
February 5, 2022
Charles Dickens & The Street Children of London by Andrea Warren
One of the best books dealing with poverty that I've read in a long time and Dickens involvement in trying to address and rectify the conditions by involving the upper classes .
One of the best books dealing with poverty that I've read in a long time and Dickens involvement in trying to address and rectify the conditions by involving the upper classes .
May 17, 2017
Really clear and informative--As an adult this gave me a strong foundation for some research I was doing on Dickens. This book would be accessible and helpful for students.
June 19, 2019
This was an older children's book, but I enjoyed it all the same.
November 27, 2020
Excellent history lesson about the poor in England in the 1800’s. Interesting to read about Dickens and how he got started and kept writing.
January 26, 2021
A descriptive, moving tale of an advocate for the poor. A must read!
March 8, 2023
For a life-long fan of Dickens this was a fun read as I learned about the street children and those who helped them.
December 15, 2017
En fin oplysende bog dog med en del lidt løse teser, og så har bogen også et andet formål, som at donere penge til forskellige slags velgørenhed til støtte for fattige. Bogen er godt skrevet i et fængende sprog, men jeg er desværre ikke den helt store fan.
December 29, 2020
Easy to read and informative with good illustrations.
Read
March 5, 2017Biography. This candid biography of Charles Dickens traces many of his life experiences to his books. It also discusses many influential people of his time and the effects of Dickens today.
August 21, 2015
Charles Dickens is the most well-known English writer of the 19th century. His books like Oliver Twist, A Tale of Two Cities, David Copperfield, and Great Expectations are still assigned reading in schools, and A Christmas Carol is performed in countless theaters every year and innumerable groups gather at Christmastime to spend an evening reading it together. He has become such a part of our culture that his name sometimes replaces that of the Queen when referring to the Victorian Age. And he was such an effective agent of social change that we think he must be exaggerating in his depiction of the poor in his stories. But Dickens had a secret he kept even from his wife and children until after his death: he was once one of those poor and hungry working children and saw their struggles first hand.
Social class in 19th century Britain was the accepted custom and the poor were seen as deserving their lot in life and frequently even unworthy of charity. But through his own experience, Dickens came to know them as real and sympathetic human beings with hopes and dreams, and deserving of pity and help. He was especially concerned for the children, who toiled long hours in unhealthy and dangerous jobs and suffered neglect and abuse while spending their nights huddled together on the cold streets. And Dickens used his growing popularity as a writer to draw attention to their plight, to make others see them as *human* and even likable. His writing is sometimes criticized as "commercial," but he knew how to reach his audiences and soften their hearts.
Let's be clear about one thing - this is a *children's* book. It is not written as a serious biography for an adult audience. The writing is probably aimed at a 9 to 14 year old reading level and is sometimes repetitious. It's also a bit blunt in its depiction of the conditions many of the poor endured while remaining age-appropriate. But as an adult reader of history and literature I found it an enlightening and engaging read, finishing it in just a couple of evenings. It's loaded with photos and illustrations and explains the motivating issues behind many of Dickens' most well-known stories. And while Dickens is the focus of the book, it also profiles many others whose contributions were so influential in changing the way the poor were treated.
Social class in 19th century Britain was the accepted custom and the poor were seen as deserving their lot in life and frequently even unworthy of charity. But through his own experience, Dickens came to know them as real and sympathetic human beings with hopes and dreams, and deserving of pity and help. He was especially concerned for the children, who toiled long hours in unhealthy and dangerous jobs and suffered neglect and abuse while spending their nights huddled together on the cold streets. And Dickens used his growing popularity as a writer to draw attention to their plight, to make others see them as *human* and even likable. His writing is sometimes criticized as "commercial," but he knew how to reach his audiences and soften their hearts.
Let's be clear about one thing - this is a *children's* book. It is not written as a serious biography for an adult audience. The writing is probably aimed at a 9 to 14 year old reading level and is sometimes repetitious. It's also a bit blunt in its depiction of the conditions many of the poor endured while remaining age-appropriate. But as an adult reader of history and literature I found it an enlightening and engaging read, finishing it in just a couple of evenings. It's loaded with photos and illustrations and explains the motivating issues behind many of Dickens' most well-known stories. And while Dickens is the focus of the book, it also profiles many others whose contributions were so influential in changing the way the poor were treated.
March 6, 2013
Life for children and the poor in Victorian London? Hard Times.
I entered thinking Dickens was a writer who cared about people and left knowing he was a social reformer who earned victory through writing and caring. Book success.
While 11 and working 12 hours days in a factory tying strings to bottles, he survived mostly on bread and cheese. But, "On one occasion he treated himself to a full meal at a chophouse and even left the waiter a tip." That last bit tells you what you need to know about Dickens.
More? Respect and respected by all stations and classes. Requested a simple grave and burial. (The government pushed the family for Westminster.) Responded to "begging letters" personally. Continually supported his parents despite their taking advantage. And so forth.
The chapters on Handel, Hogarth, and Thomas Coram (Great men) were interesting enough for me to not question what they're doing in a Dicken's biography.
This is a good, albeit specific, biography of Dickens in relation to the street children of London. The titles promises this, but I highlight it because you'll leave with questions for many interesting things are afoot. Why'd his marriage sour? He never told his wife or kids he worked in a factory? What? (Perhaps the answer to question 1.) His family's neglect of him while Fanny's in private music school. Dickens presented as both a loving and doting father and one more attentive to his work. That 18 year old at the end. Etc. Etc. But OK, there should be questions. This is 150 pages on one portion of an interesting man.
Made me want to read more Dickens, about and by.
PS: It's not just people's refusal to help, but that they get in the way of help. This is not a new problem. My favorite example from the text? People set up a free school on Sundays for homeless/factory kids. The police complain because some "were convinced that little thieves who could read would use this skill to compare price tags and then steal the more expensive item." (94) Sigh.
I entered thinking Dickens was a writer who cared about people and left knowing he was a social reformer who earned victory through writing and caring. Book success.
While 11 and working 12 hours days in a factory tying strings to bottles, he survived mostly on bread and cheese. But, "On one occasion he treated himself to a full meal at a chophouse and even left the waiter a tip." That last bit tells you what you need to know about Dickens.
More? Respect and respected by all stations and classes. Requested a simple grave and burial. (The government pushed the family for Westminster.) Responded to "begging letters" personally. Continually supported his parents despite their taking advantage. And so forth.
The chapters on Handel, Hogarth, and Thomas Coram (Great men) were interesting enough for me to not question what they're doing in a Dicken's biography.
This is a good, albeit specific, biography of Dickens in relation to the street children of London. The titles promises this, but I highlight it because you'll leave with questions for many interesting things are afoot. Why'd his marriage sour? He never told his wife or kids he worked in a factory? What? (Perhaps the answer to question 1.) His family's neglect of him while Fanny's in private music school. Dickens presented as both a loving and doting father and one more attentive to his work. That 18 year old at the end. Etc. Etc. But OK, there should be questions. This is 150 pages on one portion of an interesting man.
Made me want to read more Dickens, about and by.
PS: It's not just people's refusal to help, but that they get in the way of help. This is not a new problem. My favorite example from the text? People set up a free school on Sundays for homeless/factory kids. The police complain because some "were convinced that little thieves who could read would use this skill to compare price tags and then steal the more expensive item." (94) Sigh.
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