Charles Dickens was a very popular Victorian author, and justly so, since his works not only endure but are treasured to this day. They include A Tale of Two Cities, Oliver Twist and Great Expectations, and it is easy to see from these that he was one of the brightest literary stars of his age. Dickens?f stories were set in his times„Ÿ nineteenth century Britain, which was caught in the ferment of change as its Empire was expanding and it was rapidly becoming the world?fs leading power.

The Industrial Revolution, which altered forever the complexion of British and American society, was in full swing by the early 1800?fs. In England, factories full of children worked to the bone spewed forth their torrent of textiles and other products. This expansion was not lightly achieved, having come at the cost of the mistreatment of thousands of children, as there were no laws dealing with child labor until the Act of 1833 was passed: ?gVictorian employers saw children as nimble and slender: easily able to slip into cramped places. Secondly, they were powerless and not likely to organize . . . and [demand] better working conditions,?h (Yaney 33). In keeping with his acute aware

McCrone, Sara. Economics in Literature: How Accurately Is the Industrial Revolution Portrayed?. 23 March 2001.

Yaney, Diane. Life in Charles Dickens?f England. San Diego: Lucent Books, 1999.

Prior to the Act of 1833, children were forced to work long hours in large factories producing items such as blankets and buttons, often more than 14 hours a day. One study found a child who had worked ?gfrom 5 in the morning to 10 in the evening,?h a shocking total of 17 hours a day (qtd. in Brown). As Professor David Cody notes, ?gThe children of the poor were forced by economic conditions to work, as Dickens worked at age twelve in the Blacking Factory.?h Parents had no choice but to send their children to work in these factories. As one father put it, ?gNecessity compels a man that has children to let them work,?h (qtd. in Brown). When asked if he ?gwould . . . be willing to let your children work less hours for less money,?h his response was ?gYes, if I lost 5d. a day . . . and I got half-a-crown less myself, it would be better,?h (qtd. in Brown). So pervasive was the general poverty of the working class that some families often sent their children ?gmud-larking?h for days, a practice that involved ?gcombing mudding banks [of rivers] for coal, rope and old iron which was sold for food and fuel,?h (Yaney 34). Christopher Hibbert maintains, ?gCharles Dickens?fs youth was marred by many of the hardships he later limned by his novels . . . . His powerful, satirical books helped speed social reforms.?h

Some common words found in the essay are:
Hard Times, Sara McCrone, British American, Factoryh Parents, Christopher Hibbert, Josiah Bounderby, Kate Flint, Professor Cody, Victorian Era, Industrial Revolution, child labor, hard times, industrial revolution, , yaney 33, qtd brown, march 2001, 23 march 2001, act 1833, yaney 34, notes gthe, ,
Approximate Word count = 1353
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)