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Politics & Government

Celebrate the Life and Works of Charles Dickens

The pop-culture icon turns 200 on Tuesday.

Tuesday, Feb. 7 marks the two hundredth anniversary of the birth of Charles Dickens, one of England’s most prolific and celebrated Victorian writers.

Dickens’s became a pop-culture icon for his best known novels, which include David Copperfield, A Christmas Carol, A Tale of Two Cities, The Adventures of Oliver Twist, Bleak House, and Little Dorrit. He also wrote short stories, non-fiction, poetry and plays.

Dickens became a champion for the poor through his own personal experiences and observations. He was mindful of the grim, harsh working conditions that the underprivileged suffered and endured. In nineteenth century London, poor or orphaned children were allowed, and sometimes forced, to work long, grueling hours in dangerous conditions.

Dickens himself, raised in a middle-class family, learned at a young age what it meant to be poor. At the age of 12, Dickens father was sent to a debtors’ prison because of his financial debt and mismanagement. Unable to care for his son, Dickens father sent him to room with a family friend. To pay his rent and support his family, he worked long hours in a shoe-blacking factory.

This humiliating experience shaped Dickens’ perspective and gave him empathy for those less fortunate. He became an advocate for the poor and shed light on the greed and harsh practices which existed at the time. Through his advocacy, he helped reform schools, child-labor laws, slum housing, prison practices, and public health policy.

As an adult, Dickens married and had ten children. He worked as an actor and almost became a professional actor. His writings were read, admired and celebrated by kings, queens and presidents. Outside of the royal family, Dickens was the most photographed person in Britain.

When he died in 1870, at the age 57, he had amassed a fortune. In the end, his adoring fans campaigned for him to be buried in Westminster Abby, the resting place of royalty.

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