Little Dorrit was originally published in 20 parts in 19 monthly installments, with the last two parts published in a double installment. William Dorrit, father of the title character, Amy, has been sent to Marshalsea debtor's prison in London,...
The Chimes, written in Genoa, Italy, is the second of Dickens' Christmas stories in which he attempts to convince the upper classes to have compassion for the poor. Taking place on New Year's Eve, a poor man named Trotty begins to despair about...
Barnaby Rudge is the fifth novel which was begun in 1839 and finished in 1841. It is also the first of Dickens's two historical novels. This novel is based on the anti-Catholic riots - the Gordon Riots - instigated by Lord George Gordon in 1780,...
First published as a 20 part monthly serial, Dombey and Son is the tale of Paul Dombey, a wealthy shipping merchant who desires a son. His wife dies giving birth to this son, Paul the Younger, who Dombey focuses all his affection on at the expense...
Martin Chuzzlewit appeared in monthly parts, January 1843-July 1844, as Charles Dickens' sixth novel. The novel was not as successful as earlier novels, although Dickens thought it was best of his stories to that point. Dickens' 1842 trip to...
In 1845, Dickens planned a periodical about home life called Cricket. The plan did not materialize, so he turned the idea into The Cricket on the Hearth, a book with a domestic setting. This was published as Dickens' third Christmas book by...
