For one weekend each year in December, Dickens on the Strand Galveston TX is held. This year the festival was held December 1-3 and 6-8. Galveston’s Historic District is transported to 19th Century Victorian London in a three-day celebration to the sights and sounds of 19th Century of Charles Dickens’ works.
Dickens on the Strand Galveston TX is an annual holiday tradition with great family programming, live entertainment, special events and more. Dickens on The Strand Galveston TX festival features parades, non-stop entertainment on four stages, new additions like Tiny Tim’s Play Land, Shopkeeper Skills Village, and roaming characters. l. Costumed vendors peddle their wares from street stalls and rolling carts laden with holiday food and drink, Victorian-inspired crafts, clothing, jewelry, holiday decorations, and gift items.
Charles Dickens was born February 7, 1812 in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England and died June 9, 1870 in Gad’s Hill, near Chatham, Kent. Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian era. His many volumes include such works as A Christmas Carol, David Copperfield, Bleak House, A Tale of Two Cities, Great Expectations, and Our Mutual Friend.
Dickens enjoyed wide popularity during his lifetime than had other previous authors. His work appealed to the simple and the sophisticated, to the poor and to the queen, and technological developments as well as the qualities of his work enabled his fame to spread worldwide quickly.
This short biography tells about his work and little-known aspects of his life.
Childhood of Charles Dickens 1812 – 1824
His father, John Dickens was a clerk in a payroll office of the navy. John Dickens was the inspiration for the character of Mr. Micawber in David Copperfield.
His mother, Elizabeth (Barrow) Dickens inspired the characters of Mrs. Nickleby in Nicholas Nickleby and Mrs. Micawber in David Copperfield.
Charles was the second of the couple’s eight children.
Finances were a constant concern for the family. John and Elizabeth were an outgoing, social couple. The costs of entertaining along with the expenses of having a large family were too much for John’s salary. When Charles was just four months old the family moved to a smaller home to cut costs.
Mary Weller was an early influence on Charles. She was hired to care for the Dickens children. Her bedtime stories, stories she swore were quite true, featured people like Captain Murderer who would make pies of out his wives.
From a very young age Charles dreamed of becoming a gentleman. He wanted an education.
His parents did have some limited funds put aside to send one of their children to a university or academy. Mr. and Mrs. John Dickens considered the talents and qualifications of all their children. They wanted to use the money earmarked for education where it would do the most good. It was as if they were placing all their bets on one child.
Charles was not that child.
His parents chose to send their daughter, Fanny, to school. She had a talent for music and was sent to an academy.
Then came the darkest hours in the life of Charles Dickens.
When he was 12 it looked like his dreams would never come true. John Dickens was arrested and sent to the Marshalsea prison for failure to pay a debt.
After his father’s imprisonment, Charles Dickens left school to work in a factory. Despite his lack of formal education, he edited a weekly journal for 20 years, wrote 15 novels, five novellas, hundreds of short stories and non-fiction articles, lectured and performed extensively, was an indefatigable letter writer, and campaigned vigorously for children’s rights, education, and other social reforms.
Charles Dicken’s Literary Success
Dickens’s literary success began with the 1836 serial publication of The Pickwick Papers. Within a few years he had become an international literary celebrity. Dickens was famous for his humor, satire, and keen observation of character and society. His novels, most published in monthly or weekly instalments, pioneered the serial publication of narrative fiction, which became the dominant Victorian mode for novel publication.
Dickens was regarded as the literary colossus of his age. His 1843 novella, A Christmas Carol, remains popular and continues to inspire adaptations in every artistic genre. Oliver Twist and Great Expectations are also frequently adapted, and, like many of his novels, evoke images of early Victorian London. His 1859 novel, A Tale of Two Cities, set in London and Paris, is his best-known work of historical fiction.
Dickens’s creative genius has been praised by fellow writers—from Leo Tolstoy to George Orwell and G. K. Chesterton—for its realism, comedy, prose style, unique characterizations, and social criticism. On the other hand, Oscar Wilde, Henry James, and Virginia Woolf complained of a lack of psychological depth, loose writing, and a vein of saccharine sentimentalism. The term Dickensian is used to describe something that is reminiscent of Dickens and his writings, such as poor social conditions or comically repulsive characters.
Charles Dicken’s Death
Charles Dickens died on June 9, 1870 of a stroke. He was buried in Poet’s Corner at Westminster Abbey. Thousands of mourners came to pay their respects at the grave and throw in flowers.
INTERESTING PLACES TO VISIT-GALVESTON
If you found Dickens on the Strand Galveston TX to be informative, please see my other blogs of interesting places to visit in Galveston, the historic galveston Railroad museum (mygalvestonrealtor.com) and the Elegantly Restored Grand Galvez Hotel Galveston TX (mygalvestonrealtor.com). You can also read about the old-fashioned candy and ice cream shop, La King’s Confectionary in the Historical Strand District at The Sweet La King’s Confectionery in the Strand Galveston (mygalvestonrealtor.com).
INTERESTED IN OWNING A HOME IN GALVESTON?
Visit www.mygalvestonrealtor.com often and follow “Homes For Sale” 6 active listings in galveston, texas usa (mygalvestonrealtor.com). Listings are updated each week. Questions? CALL or TEXT ME, Jerri Sutherland, Broker, eXp Realty LLC at (281) 796-0153. Interested in a property tour? Let me know and I can schedule a tour at your convenience. I live and work in Galveston, TX. I am the owner and author of Home of a real estate pro (mygalvestonrealtor.com) and I am here to serve you. Real estate is my profession, people are my focus.