Charles Dickens

Charles Dickens research papers can be written about his life or about his many great works of literature. As one of the great authors of British Literature, a biographical research paper on Charles Dickens is a very good topic for examining literature in the 19th Century, particularly about the conditions in England.

Charles Dickens (1812-1870) was one of the most popular writers of his day, and many of his books remain classic standards of the English literary canon. Dickens was the author of notable works such as:

• A Christmas Carol
• Oliver Twist
• Great Expectations
• A Tale of Two Cities

A Tale of Two Cities is the best-selling novel of all time.

Dickens was the second of eight children and grew up in Kent, under circumstances considered somewhat idyllic. However, when he was eleven, his father was sent to debtor's prison, and the Dickens family was separated. Forced to leave school, Dickens went to work in a factory, pasting labels onto pots of boot blacking. Eventually, Dickens returned to schooling and later became a junior clerk in a law office.

Charles Dickens Early Years

In 1833, he submitted his first story for publication and became a journalist. His first collection of stories, Sketches by Boz, published in 1836, was comprised of his journalistic writing. Sales of this first book led him to write his first novel, The Pickwick Papers, which became an immediate bestseller.

Dickens was a major literary figure throughout the middle decades of the 19th century, and many of his novels appeared in serial form. It has been noted that even Queen Victoria would eagerly await the next installments of Dickens' work. He died following a stroke in 1870 and was buried in Westminster Abbey's Poets' Corner.