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Questions and Answers
What was a typical feature of the Victorians that was a consequence of the expansion of machinery and materialism?
What was a typical feature of the Victorians that was a consequence of the expansion of machinery and materialism?
The descent of human beings into the level of non-human things.
Who did Dickens blame for damaging childhood and killing its innocence?
Who did Dickens blame for damaging childhood and killing its innocence?
Society.
What did Dickens use his novels for?
What did Dickens use his novels for?
To warn his community about the future of England if its children remained victims.
What was ironic about England's perception of its children?
What was ironic about England's perception of its children?
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What is a dominant theme in Dickens' novels, particularly in 'Oliver Twist' and 'David Copperfield'?
What is a dominant theme in Dickens' novels, particularly in 'Oliver Twist' and 'David Copperfield'?
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How did Dickens' life story influence his writing?
How did Dickens' life story influence his writing?
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What was Dickens concerned about in England's future if its children remained victims?
What was Dickens concerned about in England's future if its children remained victims?
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What was the spirit of the Victorian era, according to the passage?
What was the spirit of the Victorian era, according to the passage?
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What did Dickens believe was necessary to change the fate of England's children?
What did Dickens believe was necessary to change the fate of England's children?
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What genre did Dickens' novels belong to, according to the passage?
What genre did Dickens' novels belong to, according to the passage?
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Study Notes
Charles Dickens' Life and Novels
- Dickens' childhood experiences greatly influenced his novels, which are described as being written with a "pen made out of his blood".
- Dickens' novels reflect the era in which he lived, providing an honest picture of life in Victorian England, including its diversity, complexity, misery, and suffering.
Victorian Era
- The Victorian era was characterized by great complexity, change, contradictions, doubt, skepticism, misery, luxury, and extremes in almost every aspect of life.
- The era was marked by stupidity and cruelty in its treatment of poor children.
Dickens' Childhood Experiences
- Dickens was sent to work at the Warren Coal Factory after his father was imprisoned for debt, where he was forced to fend for himself and live alone in squalid accommodation.
- This experience left a permanent painful scar on his memory that he could never forget.
- Dickens felt humiliated and isolated from his family, and retained the bitter bad memory of this experience until his death.
Importance of Childhood in Dickens' Novels
- Dickens placed the responsibility for damaging childhood and killing its innocence on society.
- He used his novels as a way to warn his community that there would be no promising future for England as long as their children remained victims.
- England ironically saw itself as the victim of its own children.
Dickens' Social Commentary
- Dickens was known as a social reformer, diagnosing illness in his society and successfully depicting it in his novels, which attracted government attention to the problem.
- His novels vividly portrayed the oppression, misery, hunger, and injustice that were common in Victorian England.
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Description
Explore the correlation between Charles Dickens' own life experiences and the themes depicted in his novels. Understand how Dickens uses his storytelling to reflect the diversity, complexity, and struggles of life during his era.
