A brief but curious story of Charles Dickens

6/17/2020

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Culture Story: A brief but curious story of Charles Dickens

Have you ever read some of Charles Dickens’s novels? His literary works are still popular nowadays. However, we do not want to sound boring. That’s why we have gathered the most curious facts about Charles Dickens. We bet you didn’t hear them at school!

Charles Dickens is famous for his well-known classics such as “Oliver Twist”, “A Christmas Carol”, “David Copperfield”, and many others. However, many readers don’t know the man behind the manuscripts.

#1 Charles Dickens loved ravens

Culture Story: Charles Dickens biography interesting facts ravens Grip — wallpaperflare

The writer kept ravens as pets. His most beloved raven was named Grip. After its death, Dickens replaced the raven with another one, also called Grip. When the second raven died, Dickens stuffed the bird.

#2 Dickens created a home for “fallen women”

Culture Story: home for “fallen women” Angella Coutts Urania Cottage Charles Dickens biography interesting facts — flickr CC BY

Charles Dickens and heiress Angella Coutts set up and effectively managed “Urania Cottage”. It was a rehabilitation home for homeless women, ex-prisoners, and prostitutes. The main goal of the cottage was to reintegrate these women into Victorian society.

#3 Some scholars believe that Dickens suffered from obsessive-compulsive disorder

Culture Story: obsessive-compulsive disorder Charles Dickens biography interesting facts — wikimedia Public Domain Mark

Dickens always slept facing north, he thought it would help him stimulate his creativity. What’s more, he constantly combed his hair and rearranged furniture.

#4 He left his wife for an actress

Culture Story: Catherine Hogarth Ellen Ternan Charles Dickens biography interesting facts — flickr CC BY

When the writer was 45, Charles Dickens was a co-writer of a play called “The Frozen Deep”. He fell in love with one of the actresses hired to act in the production. Ellen Ternan was only 18 years. Their affair became the end of his marriage to Catherine Hogarth. He left his wife and their children.

#5 Dickens evaluated his audience’s reaction

Culture Story: Charles Dickens biography interesting facts — Buying tickets for a Charles Dickens reading at Steinway Hall, New York, New York, 1867 Public Domain Mark

The writer often modified his plot and character development based on such feedback. For example, when his wife’s chiropodist expressed distress at the way Miss Mowcher in “David Copperfield” seemed to reflect her disabilities, Dickens improved the character with positive features.

Check your knowledge of the biography of Charles Dickens with these QuizzClub’s trivia questions:

Do you like Charles Dickens? Which of his works is your favorite one? Do you know any other facts about Dickens? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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7 Comments

Trevor Craddy

Huge Dickens fan and I knew these things about him. His second raven was addicted to stripping paint off anything and eating it. As paint was lead based, guess what it died of? A raven called Grip featured in his novel 'Barnaby Rudge'. Also, two ravens were gifted to the Tower of London for the Queen's jubilee. One was called Jubilee and the other was called Grip in honour of Dickens.

Cathy Huntt

Love Charles Dickens. Saw some of his books in the British Museum, in their literary section. I have a copy of a painting, called Dickens dream his friend Balzac gave him. He’s in a chair dreaming of all the books he has written. My only regret is I didn’t know you could tour his home in London. I visited London, four times over twenty years and had no idea. Saw it in the movie, Hereafter. Wish I had known. Favorite books, A Christmas Carol, Great Expectations, Oliver and A Tale of Two Cities.

lls

Peter Robertson, I have the same difficulties with Shakespeare...easier to see it acted out, sometimes, and even then, it can take over 40 min. before my "cloth ears" warm up...but, I'm rarely disappointed. Stuff like, "Richard II" and "Julius Caesar" keeps me on the edge of my seat...

deborahpmercer

Peter Robertson, I love some of his work - such as "Great Expectations" - but do sometimes think he created caricatures rather than characters. Credit to him for his social reforming zeal, though.

ninakamwene

Charu Arya, DITTO me too.

Peter Robertson

Dickens is very hard to read today,and sometimes it's better to say so,than to pretend you are a member of the litterati! Walter Scott is another.But in their day,they were brilliant.