III.

Typical Writers and Works

1. Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens (1812-1870) was the greatest critical realist in the 19th century English
Literature. He was born in Portsmouth, in a poor family. He had to leave school and
worked hard to support the family. At 15, he studied short -hand and worked as a reporter,
then a writer. Dickenss life as a literary artist falls into 4 periods. In the first period (1833
1841), he wrote some novels such as Oliver Twist (1838), the Posthumous parpers of the
Pickwick Club, etc. This was the period of humour and optimism.In the second period (1842
1848), he had some famous novels: American notes, Dombey and son,etc.This was the
period of sarcasm and criticism.
The third period (1849 -1860) was the period of strongest social criticism on the soulless
and unwholesome nature of competition in an industrial life. In this period, he had many
novels like:
David Copperfield, Bleak House, A tale of two cities...
The fourth period (1861 1865) was characterized by romanticism resulting from
disillusionment,with some works such as: Greatexpectation, Our mutual friend.
Charles Dickens had great contribution to English and world literature. On the literary side, he
was not only the writer who had described the town-life of his day, but he was also the first
genuine story teller.
On the social side, he was not merely a story teller but a social reformer who used fiction as a
platform for his social appeals, and who proved to possess a very rare quality. He brought smile
with
sermonicpowder to people in a complicated history.
In general, Charles Dickens was the pioneer of a great age of fiction. No doubt, English life and
literature seem to be saner and sunnier with
Dickens.
TypicalWork:
David Copperfield(1850)
Critique
David Copperfield might be regarded asthe peak of Dickens literary career. It was best loved
by the author himself. In the novel, somewhat autobiographical, Dickens engraved extremely
typical characters. One of the many qualities that distinguish David Copperfield from more
modern and more sophisticated novels is its
eternal freshness. It is, in short, a work of art which can be read and reread, chiefly for the
gallery of characters Dickens has
immortalized. In this novel, his humourous and satirical art was brought to perfection. Nowhere
in all the works by Dickens, the problem of children and the responsibility of the society for
them was so clearly and seriously mentioned

2. William Makepeace Thackeray(1811 1863)

W.M. Thackeray was born on Calcutta, India, in the family of an English official of high
standing. Contrary to Charles Dickens, Thackeray had a very good education both at school ad at
Cambridge University. The future writer wanted to be an artist and went to Europe to study art.
For some time he lived among the artistic circles
of Paris. Later, when he returned to London, he learned that he had lost all his money, for the
bank where it was deposited had gonebankrupt. Thus, he had toearn his living. He began
sketches, but was not very successful.
He started writing satirical and humorous stories and essays. Later he wrote novels and delivered
lectures.Thackeray wrote in the same year and under the same political conditions as his
contemporary Dickens did. Together theyre better appreciated that apart; they present the life
of their period more completely together.
Dickens usually chose for his main character the little man with his troubles and difficulties.
Thackeray directed satire against representatives of the upper classes of society, whom he
knew better. Dickens was inclined to look for a happy solution that smoothed over
existing contradictions. Thackeray, on the contrary, was merciless in his satirical attacks on
the ruling
classes. He considered that art should be a real mirror of life.
He showed bourgeois society and its vices without softening their description. In this approach o
art he was the follower of the great satirist of the Enlightenment, Jonathan Swift.Thackerays
most outstanding works are The Book of Snobs (under this title he published a collection
of satirical essays) that appeared in 1846
1847 and his novel Vanity Fair(1847 1848).
Typical Work:Vanity Fair
Critique
Vanity Fair, the best known of Thackerays works, is a social
novel which shows not only the bourgeois aristocratic society
as a whole, but also the very laws which govern it. Describing the events which took place at the
beginning of the 19thcentury, the author presents a broad satirical picture of contemporary
England. The social background of the novel,which influences all the characters in their thought
and actions, is high societyat large. Thackeray attacks the vanity, pretensions, prejudices, and
corruption of the aristocracy.He mercilessly exposes the snobbishness, hypocrisy, money
worshipping and parasitism of all those who form the bulwark of society. Thackeray shows that
goodness often goes hand in hand with stupidity ad folly, that cleverness is often knavery.
The title of this novel was an allusion, quitefamiliar in these days, to the city of London
which had been described as Vanity Fair in the famous 17thcentury religious allegory of John
Bunyan: The Pilgrims Progress (1678). It is alsoassociated with the book of the Bible
whose memorable words are ALL IS VANITY. His main subject is the false heartless ways
and the resourceful hypocrisy of society, the silent misery of simple
souls