Charles Dickens novels in chronological order: Their important characters and storyline

8. David Copperfield (1849-1850)

• Main Characters:
  • David Copperfield: The main character and storyteller; his life story is told from childhood to adulthood. Many believe this is based on Dickens's own life.
  • Uriah Heep: A sneaky, bad clerk who pretends to be humble.
  • Betsey Trotwood: David's quirky but kind great-aunt.
  • Mr. Micawber: An always hopeful man who is always in debt, known for saying "something will turn up."
  • Peggotty: David's loyal and loving nurse.
  • James Steerforth: David's charming but harmful friend.
  • Agnes Wickfield: David's true love and second wife, a symbol of a good home.
• Important Things to Know:
  • Dickens said this was his favorite book he wrote.
  • It's a "coming-of-age" story, showing how someone grows up and learns from their experiences.
  • It explores ideas of social class, marriage, and taking responsibility.
• The Story: The story is told by David Copperfield himself, from when he was a baby until he became a man. After a happy early childhood with his mother and loving nurse Peggotty, David's life is overturned by the arrival of his cruel stepfather, Mr. Murdstone, and his equally harsh sister. David is sent to a harsh school, then forced to work in a factory in London. He eventually runs away to his strange but kind great-aunt, Betsey Trotwood, who provides him with a stable home and education. David meets many unforgettable characters: the perpetually indebted but optimistic Mr. Micawber, the loyal Peggotty family, the scheming Uriah Heep, and his charming but dangerous friend James Steerforth. The novel follows David's struggles, friendships, heartbreaks, and eventual success as a writer, showing his personal growth, social challenges, and his search for happiness.

9. Bleak House (1852-1853)

• Main Characters:
  • Esther Summerson: One of the narrators, an illegitimate orphan whose parents are a big secret.
  • Lady Dedlock: Esther's proud, rich mother, whose secret past drives the story.
  • John Jarndyce: A kind guardian of Esther and others, who is burdened by the endless "Jarndyce and Jarndyce" lawsuit.
  • Mr. Tulkinghorn: A secret and ruthless lawyer who digs up Lady Dedlock's past.
  • Inspector Bucket: One of the first detective characters in English books, very smart and careful.
• Important Things to Know:
  • A powerful criticism of the English legal system, especially the Court of Chancery, which was known for its slow and unfair processes.
  • It has two people telling the story: Esther Summerson and an all-knowing narrator.
  • It introduces early detective story elements with Inspector Bucket.
  • Themes include social decay, fake behavior, and how everyone in society is connected.
• The Story: This long story is about the never-ending court case called "Jarndyce and Jarndyce," which has ruined many families over generations. Esther Summerson, an orphan, is one of the young people whose lives are affected by the lawsuit. The story also connects to the rich Dedlock family, especially the secretive Lady Dedlock, whose hidden past is uncovered by the sinister lawyer Mr. Tulkinghorn. As Tulkinghorn investigates, secrets of illegitimate birth, old love, and past scandals come out, leading to a murder that Inspector Bucket investigates. The novel paints a wide picture of Victorian society, from poor slums to rich estates, showing how the slow legal system and general indifference in society affect everyone.

10. Hard Times (1854)

• Main Characters:
  • Thomas Gradgrind: A schoolmaster who believes only in "Facts" and nothing else.
  • Louisa Gradgrind: Gradgrind's daughter, whose feelings are ignored by her father's "fact-only" upbringing.
  • Josiah Bounderby: A boastful and hypocritical factory owner who claims to be self-made.
  • Sissy Jupe: A kind circus girl, who represents imagination and feelings, the opposite of Gradgrind's ideas.
  • Stephen Blackpool: A good but unlucky factory worker.
• Important Things to Know:
  • A sharp criticism of "utilitarianism" (the idea that only what is useful and factual matters) and how industrialization makes people less human.
  • Set in the made-up industrial town of Coketown.
  • Explores the fight between facts and imagination, logic and feelings.
  • One of Dickens's shortest books.
• The Story: Set in the grim factory town of Coketown, this book criticizes the prevailing philosophy of utilitarianism, which valued only cold, hard "Facts" and ignored imagination and feelings. Thomas Gradgrind, a teacher who believes only in facts, raises his children, Louisa and Tom, strictly by his rules, stopping them from developing emotions or creativity. Louisa, held back by this upbringing, marries the rude factory owner Josiah Bounderby, a marriage without love. The story compares the dull world of the factory owners with the lively, imaginative world of the circus, represented by Sissy Jupe, a kind girl adopted by Gradgrind. The novel also follows the sad life of Stephen Blackpool, an honest but struggling factory worker. It argues that a life without "Fancy" (imagination and feelings) leads to unhappiness and moral decline.

11. Little Dorrit (1855-1857)

• Main Characters:
  • Amy Dorrit ("Little Dorrit"): The main character, born and raised in a debtors' prison, symbolizing purity.
  • William Dorrit: Amy's father, the "Father of the Marshalsea" prison, a proud debtor.
  • Arthur Clennam: A middle-aged man who gets involved with the Dorrit family and tries to fix past wrongs.
  • Mr. Merdle: A fake financial swindler, representing greed.
• Important Things to Know:
  • A strong attack on the Victorian social system, especially being jailed for debt and the slow, useless government ("Circumlocution Office").
  • Explores ideas of being trapped (literally and figuratively), social class, and wealth.
• The Story: The story mainly focuses on the Dorrit family, who are "imprisoned" in the Marshalsea debtors' prison, where Amy Dorrit ("Little Dorrit") was born and grew up. Despite their difficult situation, the selfless Amy works tirelessly to support her proud father, William Dorrit, who has become the unofficial "Father of the Marshalsea." Arthur Clennam, a tired man returning to England, becomes interested in the Dorrits and tries to uncover the secrets of his own family's past that connect to them. The book shows how suffocating the government's red tape ("Circumlocution Office") is and how much financial fraud there is, like with the fake rich man Mr. Merdle. When the Dorrits unexpectedly become rich, their lives change, but the emotional "prison" of their past and the bad influence of money continue to affect them. Arthur's search eventually leads him to his own family's secrets and the true meaning of freedom.

12. A Tale of Two Cities (1859)

• Main Characters:
  • Sydney Carton: A lazy but smart lawyer who finds meaning by sacrificing himself.
  • Charles Darnay: A French nobleman who leaves his cruel family to live in England.
  • Lucie Manette: A gentle woman who connects the lives of the main characters.
  • Dr. Alexandre Manette: Lucie's father, a doctor imprisoned in the Bastille for 18 years.
  • Madame Defarge: A fierce French revolutionary who constantly knits a list of people to be executed.
• Important Things to Know:
  • Dickens's second history novel, set during the French Revolution in London and Paris.
  • Famous for its opening line: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..."
  • Themes include new beginnings, sacrifice, and two sides of human nature.
• The Story: Set in London and Paris during the wild French Revolution, this novel compares the peace of London with the growing violence in Paris. The story is about Charles Darnay, a French nobleman who rejects his family's cruel ways and moves to England. He marries Lucie Manette, the daughter of Dr. Alexandre Manette, who was unjustly imprisoned for 18 years. Their lives become linked with Sydney Carton, a clever but aimless English lawyer who secretly loves Lucie and looks very much like Darnay. When the Revolution starts, Darnay returns to France to help an old servant and is immediately arrested. Facing death by guillotine, he is saved by Sydney Carton, who makes the ultimate sacrifice, giving his life for those he loves and finding purpose in doing so. The novel powerfully shows the cruelty of the revolution and the personal costs of political change.

13. Great Expectations (1860-1861)

• Main Characters:
  • Philip Pirrip ("Pip"): The orphan main character and narrator, whose journey from poor boy to "gentleman" is told.
  • Miss Havisham: A strange, bitter old woman, abandoned on her wedding day, who lives in decay and wants revenge on men.
  • Estella: Miss Havisham's adopted daughter, beautiful and cold, trained to break hearts.
  • Joe Gargery: Pip's kind, uneducated blacksmith brother-in-law.
  • Abel Magwitch: The escaped criminal who becomes Pip's secret helper.
  • Jaggers: A very smart and powerful lawyer.
• Important Things to Know:
  • A "coming-of-age" story.
  • Explores ideas of social class, wealth, ambition, and moral lessons.
  • Known for its rich symbolism (like Miss Havisham's house).
  • Dickens wrote two different endings; the more hopeful one is usually printed today.
• The Story: The novel tells the story of Philip Pirrip, called Pip, an orphan living with his kind blacksmith brother-in-law Joe Gargery and his harsh sister. His life changes greatly when he is called to the old, decaying Satis House to "play" with Estella, the beautiful and cold adopted daughter of the strange Miss Havisham. Miss Havisham was left at the altar on her wedding day and now lives in her old wedding dress, wanting revenge on all men through Estella. Pip starts to have "great expectations" of becoming a gentleman, believing Miss Havisham is helping him. Later, he finds out his real helper is Abel Magwitch, an escaped criminal Pip had helped as a child. The story follows Pip's journey through London society, his struggles with ambition, snobbery, his hopeless love for Estella, and his eventual moral awakening as he understands his past and what it truly means to be a good person.

14. Our Mutual Friend (1864-1865)

• Main Characters:
  • John Harmon / John Rokesmith: The main character, thought to be dead, who comes back in disguise to check on his inheritance.
  • Bella Wilfer: A beautiful young woman, at first only caring about money, who is supposed to marry Harmon.
  • Mr. and Mrs. Boffin: A kind dustman and his wife who inherit the Harmon fortune.
  • Lizzie Hexam: A good girl from a poor background, wanted by several men.
  • Eugene Wrayburn: A lazy lawyer who falls in love with Lizzie.
  • Jenny Wren: A clever and observant doll-maker.
• Important Things to Know:
  • Dickens's last finished novel, often thought to be one of his most complex and darkest.
  • Criticizes how money and trying to climb the social ladder can corrupt people.
  • Uses the River Thames and "dust heaps" (piles of trash) as symbols for society's waste and hidden worth.
• The Story: The complicated story begins when a body is found in the River Thames, identified as John Harmon, who was supposed to inherit a huge fortune from his father's "dust heaps" (piles of trash, which were valuable in Victorian times). According to his father's will, Harmon was to marry Bella Wilfer to get the money. With Harmon presumed dead, the fortune goes to the kind dustman Mr. Boffin and his wife. But Harmon isn't dead; he comes back secretly, pretending to be John Rokesmith, to observe Bella and the Boffins, to see what kind of people they really are. The novel explores how money can corrupt, how people try to get ahead in society, and the differences between social classes through many linked characters. It shows Lizzie Hexam, a good girl from the poor river area, who is pursued by the lazy lawyer Eugene Wrayburn and the obsessed schoolmaster Bradley Headstone. The story weaves together ideas of identity, second chances, and finding real human connections amidst the moral decay of a society obsessed with wealth.

15. The Mystery of Edwin Drood (1870)

• Main Characters:
  • Edwin Drood: The main character, whose disappearance is the central mystery.
  • John Jasper: Edwin's uncle, a choirmaster, secretly loves Rosa Bud, and is likely Edwin's killer.
  • Rosa Bud: Edwin's fiancée, later becoming Jasper's obsession.
  • Neville and Helena Landless: Twins who are suspects in Drood's disappearance.
• Important Things to Know:
  • Dickens's last, unfinished novel, leaving the main mystery unsolved because he died.
  • It was different from his usual focus on social problems; it was more about crime and psychological suspense.
  • Many ideas exist about how the story was supposed to end and who the killer was.
• The Story: Set in the cathedral town of Cloisterham, the story is about the disappearance of young Edwin Drood. His uncle, John Jasper, a choirmaster who secretly takes opium and is dangerously obsessed with Edwin's fiancée, Rosa Bud, is the main suspect. Rosa, who is engaged to Edwin, becomes more and more scared of Jasper. Another main suspect is Neville Landless, a hot-tempered orphan who recently arrived with his twin sister, Helena, and has had arguments with Edwin. The novel looks into the secret lives and hidden motives of its characters, exploring themes of obsession, psychological tension, and a possible murder. Due to Dickens's sudden death, the novel was left incomplete, leaving the central mystery of what happened to Edwin Drood and who killed him a secret forever, leading to many theories and attempts to finish the story.