I.Charles Dickens

　　1. 一般識記 His Life & Literary Career

　　Charles Dickens （1812-1870） was born at Portsmouth. His father， a poor clerk in the Navy Pay office， was put into the Marsalsea Prison for debt when young Charles was only 12 years old. The son had to give up schooling to work in an underground cellar at a shoe-blacking factory - a position he considered most humiliating. We find the bitter experiences of that suffering child reflected in many of Dickens's novels. In 1827， Charles entered a lawyer's office， & two years later he became a Parliamentary reporter for newspapers. From 1833 Dickens began to write occasional sketches of London life， which were later collected & published under the title Sketches by Boz （1836）。 Soon The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club （1836-1837） appeared in monthly installments. And since then， his life became one of endless hard work. In his later years， he gave himself to public readings of his works， which brought plaudits & comfort but also exhausted him. In 1870， this man of great heart & vitality died of overwork， leaving his last novel unfinished.

　　2. 識記His Major Works

　　Upon his death， Dickens left to the world a rich legacy of 15 novels & a number of short stories. They offer a most complete & realistic picture of English society of his age & remain the highest achievement in the 19th-century English novel. In nearly all his novels， behind the gloomy pictures of oppression & poverty， behind the loud humor & buffoonery， is his gentleness， his genial mirth， & his simple faith in mankind.

　　The following is a list of his novels & other collections in three periods：

　　（1） Period of youthful optimist

　　Sketches by Boz （1836）； The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club （1836-1837）； Oliver Twist （1837-1838）； Nicholas Nickleby （1838-1839）； The Old Curiosity Sh