Showing results by author "Charles Dickens" in All Categories

In a world of wealth, debt, and deception, Amy Dorrit has spent her life in the shadows, born and raised in the notorious Marshalsea Prison where her father has been locked away for years. But while the world around her is obsessed with status and money, Amy remains a beacon of kindness and resilience. When she crosses paths with the wealthy, yet troubled Arthur Clennam, their lives intertwine in a journey of secrets, betrayal, and the search for freedom.

Through the story of Thomas Gradgrind, a strict, no-nonsense man who values "facts" above all else, Dickens explores the consequences of an education system that prioritizes logic and reason over imagination, emotion, and humanity. Gradgrind's rigid philosophy deeply affects his children and the lives of many others, including the innocent and idealistic Sissy Jupe, whose life is shaped by her connection to the circus and its emotional, colorful world.

Set in the atmospheric town of Cloisterham, the novel centers on the sudden disappearance of young Edwin Drood, a man with a tangled web of relationships and a dark past. As those closest to him—his fiancée Rosa, his uncle Jasper, and a colorful array of town residents—become embroiled in the search for the truth, the lines between innocence and guilt blur in a chilling way.

Dive into the sharp and insightful mind of Charles Dickens with The Selected Journalism & Essays, a collection that showcases his unparalleled skill as a social critic, journalist, and essayist. From his early writings on urban poverty to his passionate commentary on politics, crime, and education, Dickens’ sharp observations remain as relevant today as they were in Victorian England.

"The Signal-Man" is a first-person horror/mystery story by Charles Dickens, first published as part of the Mugby Junction collection in the 1866 Christmas edition of All the Year Round. The railway signal-man of the title tells the narrator of an apparition that has been haunting him. Each spectral appearance precedes a tragic event on the railway on which the signalman works. The signalman's work is at a signal-box in a deep cutting near a tunnel entrance on a lonely stretch of the railway line, and he controls the movements of passing trains.

Three Ghost Stories is just that: a collection of three different stories that are true Gothic classics. The three stories, The Signal Man, The Haunted House and The Trial for Murder were sensational for their time and continue to hold up well, thanks to Charles Dickens' superb skills at storytelling. The Signal Man is the most well known of the three, chronicling the haunting of a railroad signal man who is visited by a ghost just before a tragic event is to happen on the railway. If you like Dickens and tales of spectres and the supernatural, you'll love Three Ghost Stories.

The Trial for Murder is a short story written by Charles Dickens. It was originally published under the title To Be Taken with a Grain of Salt as a chapter in Dr. Marigold's Prescriptions in an extra Christmas volume of the weekly literary magazine, All the Year Round. It was later published in 1866 in a collection of ghost stories known as Three Ghost Stories, along with The Haunted House and The Signal-Man.

Some Christmas Stories by Charles Dickens is a collection of beautiful holiday stories first published in 1853 in the United Kingdom. Be inspired and moved by prose written in times long gone. Classic works of literature have memorable characters and offer profound and eternal reflections about the human condition. Contents: A Christmas Tree / What Christmas is as We Grow Older / The Poor Relation's Story / The Child's Story / The Schoolboy's Story / Nobody's Story

Who’s story is this? Nobody. - Who’s nobody? The average working man. This story is very old but very relevant. The common man’s opinions are disregarded. His needs are manipulated. But of course the story makes clear that he is key to society. The story shows that. Then the narrator comes in and rather dramatically reinforces that point in the final three paragraphs just in case you missed it the first time. Yes, there’s a pretty high soapbox. Yes, it’s pretty holier than thou.

Charles John Huffam Dickens (7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era. His works enjoyed unprecedented popularity during his lifetime, and by the twentieth century critics and scholars had recognized him as a literary genius. His novels and short stories enjoy lasting popularity.

The Schoolboy's Story is a short stories by Charles Dickens. Charles John Huffam Dickens (7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's most memorable fictional characters and is generally regarded as the greatest novelist of the Victorian period. During his life, his works enjoyed unprecedented fame, and by the twentieth century his literary genius was broadly acknowledged by critics and scholars. His novels and short stories continue to be widely popular.

What Christmas is as We Grow Older is a short Christmas story by Charles Dickens. Time was, with most of us, when Christmas Day encircling all our limited world like a magic ring, left nothing out for us to miss or seek; bound together all our home enjoyments, affections, and hopes; grouped everything and every one around the Christmas fire; and made the little picture shining in our bright young eyes, complete.

It is 1860. A female reporter is drawn into a railroad signal man’s haunted, frenzied hallucinations. Are the terrors he experiences a form of insanity or a frightening shade of reality? Are his blood-curdling nightmares simply coincidence–or omens of horror to come? This full-cast dramatization recreates Charles Dickens’s Victorian industrial world of steam trains, ephemeral music, sunsets over desolate landscapes, and figures glimpsed just beyond the embankments. Descend into the darker side of the supernatural in THE SIGNAL-MAN.

In Master Humphrey’s Clock, Dickens invites us into the world of an eccentric, warm-hearted bachelor, Master Humphrey, who spends his days in his cozy London study, spinning tales to entertain himself and others. The clock on his mantlepiece marks the passage of time, but it’s the stories shared around it that truly capture the essence of life—stories of love, betrayal, mystery, and the complexities of human nature.

Step into the bustling streets of Victorian London with Sketches by Boz: The Complete Collection, which includes Volume 1, 2, and 3 of Sketches by Boz, where Charles Dickens brings the city’s diverse characters, neighborhoods, and daily life to vivid, unforgettable life. From the grimy alleys to the grandest ballrooms, this collection of sketches captures the essence of the people and places Dickens encountered, offering a sharp yet affectionate portrait of a society in flux.

Dickens invites listeners on a vivid journey through 19th-century Italy, offering a series of lively and insightful snapshots of the country’s landscapes, cities, and people. Written during his travels, this travelogue captures not just the beauty and history of Italy, but also its complexities, contradictions, and the vibrant life that pulses through its streets.

The Mudfog Papers is a delightfully absurd collection of essays and sketches that captures the wit, satire, and sharp social commentary that made Dickens one of the greatest writers of his time. Set in the fictional town of Mudfog, the series of quirky and eccentric characters come to life in this hilarious exploration of small-town politics, public life, and human nature.

A series of personal and reflective journeys through the streets of Victorian England, The Uncommercial Traveller explores the hidden corners of cities, the forgotten lives of ordinary people, and the quirks of everyday life. Written as a collection of loosely connected essays and travel pieces, it captures the essence of Dickens’ keen observational skills, as he paints portraits of people and places often overlooked by society.

The Greats Abridged: Great Expectations brings Charles Dickens' iconic coming-of-age tale to life in a concise, compelling format ideal for modern listeners. This expertly abridged version preserves the heart and drama of Pip’s journey—from humble beginnings as an orphaned blacksmith’s apprentice to the glittering illusions of gentlemanly life in London.

In The Chimes, Charles Dickens offers a haunting and redemptive New Year’s tale that strikes at the heart of Victorian society’s neglect of the poor. Toby “Trotty” Veck, a humble ticket-porter beset by poverty and self-doubt, finds himself disillusioned with a world that seems to deem people like him worthless. But when the tolling of ancient church bells guides him into a strange and supernatural realm, Trotty is granted a powerful vision of what could be—if compassion and faith are rekindled.