Oliver Twist (1837-1839)- This novel describes the adventures of a poor orphan boy. The book was noted for its sensational presentation of London’s criminal world and for its attack on England’s mistreatment of the poor.
Nicholas Nickleby (1838-1839)- In this novel, Dickens criticized greedy proprietors of private schools, who treated students brutally and taught them nothing.
Old Curiosity Shop (1840-1841)
Barnaby Rudge (1841)- It is a historical novel that deals with a series of riots in London in 1780.
American Notes (1842)- One of two books that Dickens wrote on his first trip to America.
Martin Chuzzlewit (1843-1844)- Another one of Dickens’ travel books. It is best known for its unflattering picture of the crudeness of American manners and for its comic characters.
A Christmas Carol (1843)- One of the most famous stories ever written. In the book, three ghosts show the old Ebenezer Scrooge his past, present, and future. Realizing that he has been living a life of greed, Scrooge changes into a warm and unselfish person.
The Chimes (1844)
The Cricket on the Hearth (1845)
The Battle of Life (1846)
The Haunted Man (1848)
Dombey and Son (1846-1848)- The story deals primarily with a selfish egotist whose pride cuts him off from the warmth of human love. The book stresses the evils of the Victorian admiration for money.
David Copperfield (1849-1850)- The novel describes a young man’s discovery of the realities of adult life. David Copperfield’s youth is clearly patterned after Dickens’ youth.
Bleak House (1852-1853)- The book deals with many social evils, chiefly wasteful and cruel legal processes. It also attacks the neglect of the poor, false humanitarians and clergymen, and poor sanitation.
Hard Times (1854)- This novel attacks philosopher Jeremy Bentham’s belief that all human ideas, actions, and institutions should be judged by their usefulness. Dickens believed that Bentham reduced social relations to problems of cold, mechanical self-interest.
Little Dorrit (1855-1857)- Dickens continued his campaign against materialism and snobbery, which were represented by the rich Merdle family and their social-climbing friends.
A Tale of Two Cities (1859)- This was Dickens’ second historical novel. It is set in London and Paris and tells of the heroism of fictional Sidney Carton during the French Revolution.
Great Expectations (1860-1861)- An unknown person provides the young hero Pip with money so that Pip can live as a gentleman. Pip’s pride is shattered when he learns the source of his “great expectations.” Only by painfully revising his values does Pip reestablish his life on a foundation of sympathy, rather than on vanity, possessions, and social position.
Our Mutual Friend (1864-1865)- This was Dickens’ final novel of social criticism. Dickens again attacked the false values of the newly rich. He satirized greed, using the great garbage heaps of the London dumps as a symbol of filthy money. The novel is also notable for its suggestive use of London’s River Thames.
The Mystery of Edwin Drood (unfinished)- Dickens had completed about one-third of his novel when he died. Nobody knows how Dickens intended the story to end. Scholars and readers throughout the years have proposed many possible solutions for the mystery.
