A Tale of Two Cities Pre-reading Flashcards
When and Where was Dickens born?
Portsmouth, England in 1812
What is his full name?
Charles John Huffam Dickens
What is his family like? (Parents, siblings…) (3)
John and Elizabeth Dickens, 7 siblings but he is the oldest male child
What period of time was it? (3)
Industrial Revolution, Victorian Era, the middle class expanded
Where were the most happy memories in his childhood?
Chatham and Rochester Area
Describe the Chatham Rochester Area (3)
30 miles from London, large Naval dockyard and small cathedral city (cosmopolitan, vibrant)
Describe his life in the Chatham Rochester Area (3)
Edenic time, stable family, very young when he moved because he father was transferred
Describe the impact of his father’s debts (5)
His father was a clerk of the British Navy, but he was careless with money.
In 1822, he was transferred to London with a reduced salary.
In 1824, his father was arrested for debt and thrown into Marshalsea Prison with the rest of his family.
This led to Charles being taken out of his schooling at 12 years old and forced to work in a blacking/shoe polish factory which crushed his dreams and caused him to feel shame and guilt at being a part of this working lower middle class.
He knew his parents discussed whether he should continue working (humiliating, lower class) or continue his education (profession, gentleman) and his mother said he should work, which left a wound in him.
Describe the influence of his father’s debts on his works (2)
The charming but irresponsible character of Mr. Micawber in David Copperfield was influenced by his father.
Wrote about crime, jail, losing money, guilty secrets in the heart of the novel
Where did he work when he was 16 years old? Did he enjoy this?
He was a clerk in a lawyer’s office for a couple years
He hated it and did not like lawyers which reflected in his work
What was his first successful career? (3)
Parliamentary reporter, stenography, reporter in political elections
Who was his first love? (2)
Maria Beadnell, the daughter of a banker
Describe his first experience with Maria (3)
He loved her deeply, but suffered. She was playing the market and he was eventually shooed away by her father in 1833
How did he get over his first heartbreak? (3)
He fueled his energy into his work.
He wrote sketches in a newspaper and eventually made the sketches into a book called Sketches by Boz, complete with illustrations by George Cruikshank, which were a success.
Who was his wife? (2)
Catherine Hogarth, the daughter of a respected journalist
How did he first meet Catherine?
Met in literary circles after Sketches
How was his relationship with Catherine?
He was completely in charge.
When did they get married and why?
April 1836, married because he wanted a home (make up for his childhood)
What are the Pickwick Papers? (8)
Chapman and Hall publishers approached him
Proposal by minor comic artist Robert Seymour
Dickens took over, Seymour committed suicide
Chose illustrator Hablot Knight Browne (Phiz)
Popular 40,000 copies a month
Serialized format, anyone could afford
Revealed himself at the end in Nov 1837
Catapulted him into fame for people of all status
Who died in 1837? How did this death impact Dickens? (4)
Mary Hogarth, Catherine’s 17 year old sister who was living with them, died of sickness
Dickens fell in love with an idealized version of Mary
She was the influence of Little Nell’s death
What was his first house with Catherine?
A house at 48 Doughty Street, London
What is his dream house? (3)
Gad’s Hill Place in Rochester
Sees with his dad when he is 9
Sometime after 1854, buys the house
What happened in 1842? (3)
America trip 1
Hated on America and popularity dropped
By 1843, he needed to repay loans again
What did he write in 1843? Was it successful?
A Christmas Carol
Cost too much to produce, but the ideas were well liked in the Victorian Era
