Showing results by author "Charles Dickens" in All Categories

A selection of stories to entertain for when you have a spare 10 minutes, including "After the Race", by James Joyce; "Three Questions", by Leo Tolstoy; "The Child's Story", by Charles Dickens; and "A Transgression", by Anton Chekhov, read by Sir Michael Redgrave.

Reader Stephen Critchelow has spent a lifetime collecting and reading works like these and, with carefully chosen music, brings a strong sense of atmosphere to this recording. "The Signalman" provides a great listening experience for dark autumn evenings.

"The Chimes" is Charles Dickens 1844 novella that concerns the disillusionment of Toby "Trotty" Veck, a poor working-class man. When Trotty has lost his faith in Humanity and believes that his poverty is the result of his unworthiness he is visited on New Year's Eve by spirits to help restore his faith and show him that nobody is born evil, but rather that crime and poverty are things created by man.

Published in 1854, the story describes class conflict in Victorian England and serves as a powerful critique of the social injustices that plagued the Industrial Revolution. Charles Dickens (1812 - 9 June 1870) is arguably the greatest novelist England ever produced. His innate comic genius and shrewd depictions of Victorian life - along with his memorable characters - have made him beloved by readers the world over.

One of Dickens' earlier novels, dating from 1839, it charts the fortunes of an honourable young man, Nicholas Nickleby, who has set out to make his way in the world. Dickens presents his remarkably vivid display of Victorian characters and the life they lead, from the generous to the fated to crushed. Hope springs eternal, however, and righteous persistence brings rewards.

In this, Dickens' most openly political novel, we discover the terrible human consequences of a ruthlessly materialistic philosophy in the lives of Thomas Gradgrind's family, brought up to believe that only "Facts! Facts! Facts!" have any meaning. Set in Coketown, a typical Lancashire milltown, the novel graphically exposes the truth about Victorian "progress".

A Tale of Two Cities is a historical fiction first published in weekly installments in 1859. The plot takes place in London and Paris between 1775 and 1792. Eighteenth-century France and England are both ruled by fear and oppression. The upper classes live in luxury while common people suffer and starve. However, there is a difference. The novel starts with the words, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times," and we soon learn of the major difference between the two countries. Enjoy this timeless classic!

David Copperfield vient au monde dans le Sud-Est de l'Angleterre, au début du règne de la reine Victoria. Sa naissance semble marquer son destin d'un sceau funeste car c'est un enfant posthume : son père est mort six mois avant sa naissance. Toute sa vie, inconsciemment, il cherchera une figure paternelle qui lui a cruellement manqué. Cependant, ses premières années sont heureuses. Il vit dans la petite ville de Blunderstone, élevé par sa mère qui l'aime tendrement et soigné par la servante de la famille, la bonne et robuste Peggotty.

Sir John Gielgud's dramatic reading of an abridgment of this holiday classic brings Dickens' memorable characters to life. His portrayal of Scrooge's transformation shows us the nature of true charity, the power of tenderness, and the wisdom of innocence. Sure to become part of your holiday tradition!

The story is told from the point of view of Pip, an orphan of humble origins who dreams of being a gentleman. From a chilling encounter with a convict when he was seven, through his coming of age and early adulthood, he tells of his "memorable days" and the "great changes" they wrought in him. Pip is apprenticed to kind-hearted Joe Gargery, the blacksmith, husband to his ill-tempered sister. On meeting the eccentric and reclusive Miss Havisham and her proud and haughty ward, the beautiful Estella, Pip becomes ashamed of his origins and hopes to one day better himself.

A Christmas Carol in Prose: Being a Ghost Story of Christmas by Charles Dickens. From the author's preface: "I have endeavored in this ghostly little book to raise the ghost of an idea, which shall not put any readers out of humor with themselves, with each other, with the season, or with me. May it haunt their houses pleasantly." First published in December 1843, the story has been in continuous print ever since. A true treasure that never grows old.

This is a story from the Classic Ghost Stories collection.

London in the 1830s was no place to be if you were a hungry 10-year-old boy, an orphan without friends or family, with no home to go to, and only a penny in your pocket to buy a piece of bread.But Oliver Twist finds some friends – Fagin, the Artful Dodger, and Charley Bates. They give him food and shelter, and play games with him, but it is not until some days later that Oliver finds out what kind of friends they are and what kind of ’games’ they play. An Oxford Bookworms Library reader for learners of English, adapted from the Charles Dickens original by Richard Rogers.

La inolvidable historia del malvado que es visitado en la Navidad por los espiritus de aquellos que quisiera no conocer, es una de esa obras eternas que maravillan cada vez que se conocen.

Sour and stingy Ebenezer Scrooge has an emotional transformation after the supernatural visits of Jacob Marley and the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and yet to come. The novella met with instant success and critical acclaim. A Christmas Carol has never been out of print and has been adapted to film, opera, and other media.

Sisters Grace and Marion are driven apart, only to be reunited over the festive season. Dickens's Christmas stories perfectly enraptured the spirit of the Victorian Christmas and came to inspire many traditional aspects of the season today, including what we know think of as Christmas dinner, family gatherings, dancing, and more.

In a gloomy, neglected house Miss Havisham sits, as she has sat year after year, in a wedding dress and veil that were once white, and are now faded and yellow with age. Her face is like a death’s head; her dark eyes burn with bitterness and hate. By her side sits a proud and beautiful girl, and in front of her, trembling with fear in his thick country boots, stands young Pip.

"Canción de Navidad", el más famoso de los relatos navideños de Charles Dickens, nos envía un mensaje de hermandad humana a través de las vicisitudes de Scrooge, un viejo avaro que es visitado por el espectro de su antiguo socio Marley, y conminado por éste a revisar los actos de su vida. El fantasma lo lleva a conocer su pasado, su presente, y las consecuencias que el futuro, de no cambiar su actitud, le deparará

A master of language, moral lessons, and capturing the beauty of the everyday, Charles Dickens also brings elements of magic and wonder to this tale along with, of course, the meaning and joy of the Christmas season. Expecting to be able to bask in the nostalgia of the holiday, the character of Ebenezer Scrooge exists in stark contrast and is instantly despised. Dickens chooses Scrooge as his protagonist to take his audience through the selfish distractions of this world. A cautionary tale with a heartwarming twist, A Christmas Carol was and is a beloved classic for good reason.

A beautiful essay by Charles Dickens that reflects on the real meaning of Christmas, and the joy, the love, and the remembrances of those gone and those yet to come. Filled with warm understanding and a real appreciation of the meaning of the season, this is a delightful addition to everyone's Christmas queue.