The Effect of the Industrial Revolution's on Dickens' Work
             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 awareness of his times, many of Dickensf works reflect his concerns about the effects of a lack of child labor laws during the Industrial Revolution.
             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 fathe...