Charles Dickens (1812-1870)

Charles Dickens was born in Landsport in 1812, in a small town near the sea, in a middle-class family. He got his primary education at a small school and from his mother who was a well- educated woman.

In the 1821 the Dickens family moved to London. His father was a clerk in a navy office. He earned a small salary there and usually spent more than he earned. As a result of such living he was imprisoned for debts. At that time Charles was ten years. The boy went to work at a factory in the East End of London. There he stuck labels on bottles of shoeblacking all day long for a few pennies. This was the most unhappy time of all his life.

Later the boy went to school for three years and after that he learned shorthand, from the age of 15, he went to work in a lawyer's office. He continued to educate himself, mainly by reading books. At the age of 18 he became a reporter in Parliament. Being a reporter, he went all over the country, getting news, writing stories and meeting people.

In 1833 he began to write his first short stories about London life. There were a number of sketches, which he published under the title Sketches by Boz.

In 1837 Dickens became well known to the English readers. It happened like this. A firm of publishers had a number of pictures by a humorous artist. They wanted to get some short texts to illustrate them, so that the pictures and articles could appear together in a magazine in fortnightly parts. Someone suggested giving the job to the young newspaper reporter Charles Dickens. Dickens liked the job and took it, and that is how the book Pickwick Papers came into being. The book is about Mr. Pickwick and his three friends, who decide to travel about England and send to the Pickwick club in London an account of their journeys and their observations of the people they meet on these journeys. The humour of the book consists in the absurd situations which Mr. Pickwick and his friends get into. The book was a great success with the reading public, and Dickens at once became the most popular novelist of his time.

The rest of the writer’s life is a story of work without rest. He wrote novel after novel. At the same time he was editing newspapers and magazines, he traveled a lot. Dickens visited America, France and Italy. In 1858 he began to tour England, reading extracts from his work to the public. These readings were a great success, for Dickens was a very good actor. At the same time he continued to write. Dickens developed the English social novel, writing about the most burning social problems of his time. He wrote about the workhouses of England and the tragedy of the children who lived there. He wrote about the problems of law and justice. He criticized the negative sides of the society, children's labour, the system of education.

Critics often say that Dickens made his characters unreal, strange, non-true to life. However, thanks to the writer’s great talent, these characters become alive in his pages. They were real enough for Dickens. And so we believe in his characters because he believed in them himself. He shows us a great moving picture of everyday life and ordinary people.

The hard work and traveling was bad for his health. He died after a heart attack in 1870. he lies buried in Westminster Abbey but as he wished without nothing on the stone except his name.

Ex.5 Look through the text again and translate the following words and word-combinations:

Heart attack, moving picture, the most burning social problems, workhouses, edit newspapers, fortnightly parts, to illustrate, to tour.

Ex.6 Find in the text the English equivalents for the following:

Долговая тюрьма, фабрика, изготавливающая ваксу, издательская фирма, стать известным, социальная несправедливость, благодаря великому таланту, описание путешествий, нелепые ситуации, раз в две недели.

Ex.7 Correct the statements if necessary:

1. Charles Dickens was born in Landsport in 1812, in a small town near the sea, in an upper-class family. 2. Later the boy went to school for three years. 3. Pickwick Papers is a book about Mr. Dickens and his three friends. 4. The humour of the book consists in the funny situations. 5. In 1858 he began to tour France, reading extracts from his work to the public. 6. Critics often say that Dickens made his characters real and true to life.

Ex.8 Give questions to which the following sentences are the answers:

1. He got his primary education at a small school and from his mother. 2. His father was a clerk in a navy office. 3. This was the most unhappy time of all his life. 4. A firm of publishers wanted to get some short texts to illustrate them. 5. In 1858 he began to tour England, reading extracts from his work to the public. 6. We believe in his characters because he believed in them himself.

Ex.9 Use the text to enlarge the given statements: 1. Charles Dickens was born … . 2. In the 1821 the Dickens family… . 3. In the East End of London … .

4. At the age of 18 … . 5. There were a number of sketches … . 6. Someone suggested … . 7. The humour of the book consists in … .

Ex.10 Answer the following questions:

1. Where did he get his primary education?

2. When did the Dickens family move to London?

3. Why did Charles go to work to a factory?

4. What did he do being a reporter?

5. In what way did Dickens become well known to the English readers?

6. What is the book “Pickwick Papers” about?

7. The book was a great success with the reading public, wasn’t it?

8. What kind of novel did Dickens develop?

9. What do critics often say about Dickens?

Ex.11 Reorder the items of the plan according to the logic of the text. Describe item 6 of the plan in detail:

1. Being a reporter, he went all over the country, getting news, writing stories and meeting people.

2. His father was a clerk in a navy office.

3. He criticized the negative sides of the society, children's labour, the system of education

4. He got his primary education at a small school.

5. The book was a great success with the reading public.

6. Dickens liked the job and took it, and that is how the book Pickwick Papers came into being.

Ex.12 Give a written summary of the text in 5-7 sentences.

Text 4

Ex.1 Translate and memorize the following words:

Blacksmith, bookbinding, electric current, imagination, to strike one’s imagination, liquid, to measure, to run across. Ex.2 Insert the words from exercise 1 in the gaps:

1. I was walking along the street when I … … her. 2. He had a very vivid … . 3. The main problem of his researches he set as … . 4. This … can’t be frozen. 5. How can we measure the electric … ? 6. Do you know any … in the village? 7. That horror film … my … .

Ex.3 Translate the following sentences from English into Russian:

1. The English chemist and physicist Michael Faraday was largely self-taught. 2. He provided the idea and basic framework for the construction of the electric motor. 3. It struck his imagination and aroused his interest. 4. The problem of electricity and magnetism interested him above all.

Ex.4 Read the text and give answers to the following questions:

1. What education did Faraday get? 2. Did he have chances to get it? 3. What did his father? 4. Who made possible the age of electricity? 5. Who was an outstanding scientist and the most popular lecturer in London at that time?