Charles Dickens

Grahame Smith (University of Stirling)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.07: English Writing and Culture of the Victorian Period, 1837-1901.
Vol. editors: Gillian Fenwick (University of Toronto), Grace Moore (University of Otago)

Dates

Born 7 Feb 1812
Died 9 Jun 1870
Activity 1836-1870

Places

Born in England
Active in England; United States

Activities

Primary

Novelist

Other

Editor
Essayist
Journalist
Story-writer

Resources

Charles Dickens was born on February 7, 1812 in Landport, Portsmouth. The family moved to London in 1815, and to Sheerness and then Chatham, both in Kent, in 1817. Chatham remained Dickens's home until a crucial move back to London in 1823. These changes were necessitated by his father's job as a clerk in the Navy Pay Office, a position which placed the family firmly in the reasonably well-to-do lower middle class. Dickens's immediate family background was an interesting one. His mother, Elizabeth, came from solidly comfortable origins. …

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2599 words

Citation: Smith, Grahame. "Charles Dickens". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 08 January 2001 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=5085, accessed 24 November 2024.]

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