DOCSLIB.ORG

The Charles Dickens Originals

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Charles Dickens Originals \ STUDIA IN THE LIBRARY of VICTORIA UNIVERSITY Toronto THE CHARLES DICKENS ORIGINALS CHARLES DICKENS Hy Daniel Maclisc, R.A. THEDICKENSCHARLES ORIGINALS BY EDWIN PUGH AUTHOR OF "CHARLES DICKENS THE APOSTLE OF THE PEOPLE" T. N. FOULIS LONDON fer EDINBURGH 1912 Pa Published November 1912 \o- <c>- Printed by BALLANTYNE, HANSON & Co. At the Ballantyne Press, Edinburgh PREFACE I AM glad of this opportunity to offer my sincere thanks to all those who have so kindly and cour- teously assisted me in the making of this book : to my friend, Mr. Nat Simmonds, to Sir Melville Macnaghten, C.B.,The Assistant Commissioner of Police, to the Rev. Hume Elliot, The Biblio- phile Society of Boston, U.S.A., Mr. Arthur Humphreys, Switzerland, to Messrs. Atwood & Sons, and especially to the members of the Dick- ens family, Henry Fielding Dickens, Esq., K.C., Mrs. Perugini, and Miss Georgina Hogarth. I am also deeply indebted to Mr. B. W. Matz for the care and pains he has taken in revising the proofs of this book. E. P. ST. ELLAR'S, HARROW WEALD. October 1912. THE LIST OF CHAPTERS i. THE IMMORTAL CHILD PAGE I ii. OF Two WOMEN : I. MARIA BEADNELL . .21 in. OF Two WOMEN : II. MARY HOGARTH . 57 iv. SOME PICKWICKIANS . ., . 81 v. ABOUT SQUEERS AND MR. FANG 99 vi. THE BROTHERS CHEERYBLE AND OTHERS . .121 VH. RELICS FROM THE OLD CURIOSITY SHOP . 145 viii. FAMILY PORTRAITS 165 ix. OF ADVENTURES IN HISTORY 197 x. CRIMINAL PROTOTYPES 235 xi. THE GREAT GROTESQUES 265 xii. MINOR CHARACTERS 285 xin. SOME DICKENS' CONTEMPORARIES 311 xiv. DICKENS HIMSELF 331 INDEX 341 THE LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS CHARLES DICKENS Frontispiece By DANIEL MACLISE, R.A. CHARLES DICKENS FACE 8 Silhouette by permission of the Connoisseur. LEIGH HUNT . 16 Engraved by H. MEYER from a drawing by J. WAYTER. WALTER SAVAGE LANDOR 24 The original of LAWRENCE BOYTHORN in Bleak House. MARIA BEADNELL 40 Reproduced by kind permission of the Bibliophile Society, Boston, U.S.A. MARY HOGARTH 56 By H. K. BROWN. By permission of Miss GEORGINA HOGARTH. HENRY BURNETT, BROTHER-IN-LAW OF CHARLES DICKENS 72 The original of NICHOLAS NICKLEBY. JUDGE L. GAZALEE 80 SAM VALE 88 The original of SAM WELLER. THE HONOURABLE Miss MONCKTON, AFTERWARDS LADY COOK 96 Mezzotint by J. JACOBS after REYNOLDS. The original of MRS. LEO HUNTER in Pickwick. SERJEANT BOMPAS 104 The original of SERJEANT BUZFUZ. THE RIGHT HONOURABLE LORD BROUGHAM . .112 Engraved by D. J. POUND from a photograph by MAYALL. WILLIAM GRANT 128 DANIEL GRANT 136 THE LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS JOHN DICKENS PAGE 144 By JOHN W. GILBERT. By permission of N. P. DICKENS, K.C. MRS. COOPER (LITTLE DORRIT) . .152 "THE DUET" 168 Picture by FRANK STONE, father of MARCUS STONE, R.A. Introducing TENNYSON resting chin in hand gazing at performers, with DICKENS in foreground. Miss HO- GARTH is one of the figures at the piano. MRS. JOHN DICKENS 184 By JOHN W. GILBERT. By permission of N. P. DICKENS, K.C. THE CHILDREN OF CHARLES DICKENS WITH GRIP THE RAVEN 200 From a drawing by DANIEL MACLISE, R.A. By permis- sion of Miss PERUGINI. PHILIP DORMER STANHOPE, EARL OF CHESTERFIELD . .216 LORD MANSFIELD 224 LORD GEORGE GORDON 232 BRYAN WALLER PROCTER (BARRY CORNWALL) . 248 LORD GRENVILLE 256 SAMUEL CARTER HALL 264 SIR ROBERT PEEL 272 MRS. HAYES (POLLY TOODLE) 280 INSPECTOR FIELD 296 The original of INSPECTOR BUCKETT. JUDGE TALFOURD 3 12 JOHN FORSTER 328 MRS. By C. B. PERUGINI. Bequeathed by JOHN FORSTER to the Victoria and Albert Museum. CHAPTER ONE THE IMMORTAL CHILD CHARLES DICKENS ORIGINALS CHAPTER ONE THE IMMORTAL CHILD THERE ARE MANY PORTRAITS OF Charles Dickens but that which ; portrait photo- graphy has made most familiar to the world is perhaps the least expressive of his personality. It shows him as a worn and haggard man, with scanty grizzled locks, and a deeply-lined face. It is the portrait of a man prematurely old and wise and tired. It as little reflects the character of the author of Pickwick and all that magnificent sequ- ence of books which culminated in DavidCopper- field^ the bald head and fat flaccid face of Shak- espeare thefaceofoneenjoyingasleek,prosper- ous,and smug middle-age reflects thecharacter of the author of Romeo andJuliet, or A Midsum- mer Nighfs Dream. But you will observe here certain reservations. It is not suggested that this portrait of Dickens at fifty does not look like the portrait of the author of Bleak House or Hard Times or Little Dorrit. And the original of that bourgeois Shakespeare of the Stratford-on-Avon bust might quite con- ceivably have written The Tempest or KingLear or Coriolanus. We have only a feeling of vague disillusion when we try to realise that men of such a commonplace exterior were the mighty genius- es who have created a new world for us. And here, I think, our instinct is right. These 3 THE DICKENS ORIGINALS bored-looking, sophisticated men of affairs are not the men who penned those flaming masterpieces which have so stirred and thrilled us. These men are as the shrivelled husks of that immortal shin- ing soul which once irradiated the beautiful bloomy flesh and fired the rich red blood of appropriate youth. There was a time when the treasures that these god-like beings by nature divine, human only by grace poured forth in such rare abund- ance, were as diamonds flashing on the fair skin of a delicate bosom now are young girl's ; they as pearls concealed in the craggy rugged oyster- shell. Dickens himself was acutely, whimsically con- scious of this sad difference between the Ideal and the Real which does so plague and vex the inveter- ate hero-worshipper. Whilst on a visit to Edin- burgh he wrote : " Walking up and down the hall of the courts of law (which was full of advocates, writers to the signet, clerks, and idlers) was a tall, burly, handsome man of eight and fifty, with a gait like O'Connell's, the bluest eyes you can imagine, and long hair longer than mine falling down in a wild wayunder the broad brimof his hat. He had on a surtout coat, a blue checked shirt ; the collar standing up and kept in its place with a wisp of neckerchief no and a black ; waistcoat, large poc- ket-handkerchief thrust into his breast, which was all broad and open. At his heels followed a wiry, 4 THE IMMORTAL CHILD sharp-eyed, shaggy devil of a terrier, dogging his steps as he went slashing up and down, now with one man beside him, now with another, and now quite alone, but always at a fast, rolling pace, with his head in the air, and his eyes as wide open as he could get them. I guessed it was Wilson, and it was. A bright, clear-complexioned, mountain- looking fellow, helooks as though he hadjust come down from the Highlands, and had never in his life taken pen in hand. But he has had an attack of paralysis in his right arm within this month. He winced when I shook hands with him, and once or twice when we were walking up and down slipped as if he had stumbled on a piece of orange-peel. is a to talk to He greatfellowto look at, and ; and, if you could divest your mind of the actual Scott, is just the figure you would put in his place." And, echoing Dickens, theportrait that I would put in the place of that well-known latter-day photograph is the portrait of himself at twenty- seven, painted byMaclise : a portrait that justifies Mrs. Carlyle in saying that his face was as if made of steel. More soberly Forster describes him as one whose "look of youthfulness first attracted you, and then a candour and openness of expression which made you sure of the qualities within. The features were very good. He had a capital fore- head a firm with wide nostril ; nose, full, ; eyes wonderfully beaming with intellect, and running 5 THE DICKENS ORIGINALS over with humour and cheerfulness and a rather ; prominent mouth, strongly marked with sensi- bility. The head was altogether well-formed and symmetrical, and the air and carriage of it were extremely spirited. The hair . was then of a rich brown and most luxuriant abundance, and the face . had hardly a vestige of hair or whisker ; but there was that in the face as I first recollect it which no time could change, and which remained implanted on it unalterably to the last. This was the quickness, keenness, and practical power, the eager, restless, energetic outlook on each several feature, that seemed to tell so little of a student or writer of books, and so much of a man of action and business in the world. Light and motion flashed from every part of it. ... * ' What a face is his to meet in a drawing-room ! wrote Leigh Hunt to me, the morning after I had made them known to each other. ' It has the life and soul in it of fifty human beings.' In such sayings are expressed not alone the restless and resistless vivacity and force of which I have spoken, but that also which lay beneath them, of steadiness and hard endurance." Yes, that was indeed the typeof face which one would associate with all, except perhaps three or four, of the Dickens books. But it was not the face of the man who wrote in the preface to his next book after David Copperfield, when his high spirits had begun to flag and the fount of his 6 THE IMMORTAL CHILD inspiration to bubble up a little less freely and brightly: "InBleakHouscl have purposely dwelt upon the romantic side of familiar things.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • This Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation Has Been Downloaded from the King’S Research Portal At
    This electronic thesis or dissertation has been downloaded from the King’s Research Portal at https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/ Inimitable? The Afterlives and Cultural Memory of Charles Dickens’s Characters England, Maureen Bridget Awarding institution: King's College London The copyright of this thesis rests with the author and no quotation from it or information derived from it may be published without proper acknowledgement. END USER LICENCE AGREEMENT Unless another licence is stated on the immediately following page this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International licence. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ You are free to copy, distribute and transmit the work Under the following conditions: Attribution: You must attribute the work in the manner specified by the author (but not in any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work). Non Commercial: You may not use this work for commercial purposes. No Derivative Works - You may not alter, transform, or build upon this work. Any of these conditions can be waived if you receive permission from the author. Your fair dealings and other rights are in no way affected by the above. Take down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact [email protected] providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. Download date: 08. Oct. 2021 1 INIMITABLE? THE AFTERLIVES AND CULTURAL MEMORY OF CHARLES DICKENS’S CHARACTERS Maureen Bridget England King’s College London Candidate Number: 1233164 Thesis for PhD in English Literature 2 This paper is dedicated to the two doctors in my life who inspired me to pursue this dream: Martin England and Jenna Higgins 3 ‘Any successfully evoked character, no matter how apparently insignificant, stands a good chance of surviving its creator.’ David Galef, The Supporting Cast (1993) 4 Table of Contents TABLE OF CONTENTS ........................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • List of Characters
    LIST OF CHARACTERS David Copperfield Agnes Wickfield The protagonist and narrator of the novel. David is David’s true love and daughter of Mr. Wickfield. The innocent, trusting, and naïve even though he suffers calm and gentle Agnes admires her father and David. abuse as a child. He is idealistic and impulsive and Agnes always comforts David with kind words or remains honest and loving. Though David’s troubled advice when he needs support. childhood renders him sympathetic, he is not perfect. He often exhibits chauvinistic attitudes toward the Mr Wickfield lower classes. In some instances, foolhardy decisions mar David’s good intentions. Mr. Wickfield is a lawyer and business manager for both Miss Betsey and Mrs Strong, David’s new headmaster. Mr Wickfield is a kind and generous man, Clara Copperfield but suffers from an alcohol addiction. This taste for David’s mother. The kind, generous, and goodhearted alcohol later becomes increasingly difficult to control, Clara embodies maternal caring until her death, which leaving Mr Dick and his clients vulnerable to the occurs early in the novel. David remembers his mother manipulation of others. as an angel whose independent spirit was destroyed by Mr. Murdstone’s cruelty. Mrs Strong The kind and straight talking headteacher of the Peggotty school in Canterbury that David later joins, arranged David’s nanny and caretaker. Peggotty is gentle and by his aunt and Mr Wickfield. selfless, opening herself and her family to David whenever he is in need. She is faithful to David and his James Steerforth family all her life, never abandoning David, his mother, or Miss Betsey.
    [Show full text]
  • David Copperfield
    DAVID COPPERFIELD Adapted from Charles Dickens’ novel By Craig Sodaro Performance Rights It is an infringement of the federal copyright law to copy or reproduce this script in any manner or to perform this play without royalty payment. All rights are controlled by Eldridge Publishing Co., Inc. Contact the publisher for additional scripts and further licensing information. The author’s name must appear on all programs and advertising with the notice: “Produced by special arrangement with Eldridge Publishing Co.” PUBLISHED BY ELDRIDGE PUBLISHING COMPANY www.histage.com © 1997 by Craig Sodaro Download your complete script from Eldridge Publishing https://histage.com/david-copperfield David Copperfield - 2 - STORY OF THE PLAY This adaptation of Dickens’ coming-of-age story of a boy in 19th century England is ideal for the junior and senior high school stage. A young hero battling a difficult youth, we see David’s struggles from his childhood days at the family’s estate in Blunderstone, to his early life of poverty and misery, to his final, joyful success with his writing and retrieving his and his aunt’s fortunes. Many of our favorite Dickens’ characters are present as David’s gentle mother, Clara; the loving housekeeper, Peggoty; his cruel stepfather, Murdstone; his schoolmates Steerforth and Tradddles; the amusing, ever-on-the-run Micawbers; the lovely Agnes Wickfield, and the despicable Uriah Heep. The large role of David can be played by two actors, one the young David, the other the older. Other parts require actors to be a narrators one moment and then be characters the next, a process which keeps the story moving seamlessly.
    [Show full text]
  • David Copperfield Charles Dickens
    TEACHER GUIDE GRADES 9-12 COMPREHENSIVE CURRICULUM BASED LESSON PLANS David Copperfield Charles Dickens READ, WRITE, THINK, DISCUSS AND CONNECT David Copperfield Charles Dickens TEACHER GUIDE NOTE: The trade book edition of the novel used to prepare this guide is found in the Novel Units catalog and on the Novel Units website. Using other editions may have varied page references. Please note: We have assigned Interest Levels based on our knowledge of the themes and ideas of the books included in the Novel Units sets, however, please assess the appropriateness of this novel or trade book for the age level and maturity of your students prior to reading with them. You know your students best! ISBN 978-1-50203-727-5 Copyright infringement is a violation of Federal Law. © 2020 by Novel Units, Inc., St. Louis, MO. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval system, or To order, contact your transmitted in any way or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, local school supply store, or: recording, or otherwise) without prior written permission from Novel Units, Inc. Toll-Free Fax: 877.716.7272 Reproduction of any part of this publication for an entire school or for a school Phone: 888.650.4224 system, by for-profit institutions and tutoring centers, or for commercial sale is 3901 Union Blvd., Suite 155 strictly prohibited. St. Louis, MO 63115 Novel Units is a registered trademark of Conn Education. [email protected] Printed in the United States of America. novelunits.com
    [Show full text]
  • Charles' Childhood
    Charles’ Childhood His Childhood Charles Dickens was born on February 7, 1812 in Portsmouth. His parents were John and Elizabeth Dickens. Charles was the second of their eight children . John was a clerk in a payroll office of the navy. He and Elizabeth were an outgoing, social couple. They loved parties, dinners and family functions. In fact, Elizabeth attended a ball on the night that she gave birth to Charles. Mary Weller was an early influence on Charles. She was hired to care for the Dickens children. Her bedtime stories, stories she swore were quite true, featured people like Captain Murder who would make pies of out his wives. Young Charles Dickens Finances were a constant concern for the family. The costs of entertaining along with the expenses of having a large family were too much for John's salary. In fact, when Charles was just four months old the family moved to a smaller home to cut expenses. At a very young age, despite his family's financial situation, Charles dreamed of becoming a gentleman. However when he was 12 it looked like his dreams would never come true. John Dickens was arrested and sent to jail for failure to pay a debt. Also, Charles was sent to work in a shoe-polish factory. (While employed there he met Bob Fagin. Charles later used the name in Oliver Twist.) Charles was deeply marked by these experiences. He rarely spoke of this time of his life. Luckily the situation improved within a year. Charles was released from his duties at the factory and his father was released from jail.
    [Show full text]
  • Charles Dickens 1812-1870
    THE LIFE OF OUR LORD written especially for his children by CHARLES DICKENS 1812-1870 FOREWORD TO THE 1996 EDITION By Christopher Charles Dickens “CHARLES DICKENS wrote this delightful little book in 1849 for his most private and personal readership - his own children. With no eye on publicity or pandering to any faction of his vast following, we can see here his own thoughts on the Christian Religion distilled, not only for the benefit of young readers but almost, one feels, to repeat to himself his belief in the Good News of God, and tell again the Gospel story in a pleasantly simple yet direct and accurate way. This brings a message of its own which should be important to all families of the world. Today I want to add to it a deeper understanding of who Jesus Christ was and still remains. He is, for most of us, God-made-man for our salvation, born of the Virgin Mary, and with Joseph as his chosen earthly foster father. We should strive to understand even more fully the Salvation Jesus achieved for us and how it happened and continues to happen in the Holy Eucharist, and in the life of Christ’s Church throughout the world. Though Charles Dickens had refused publication of this book during his own lifetime or that of his children, one of his sons, my great-grandfather Sir Henry Fielding Dickens set down in his Will that at his death the book might be released with the full consent of the family. This was granted and the work was published in 1934.
    [Show full text]
  • A Description of Plot in Charles Dicken's Novel
    A DESCRIPTION OF PLOT IN CHARLES DICKEN’S NOVEL OLIVER TWIST A PAPER WRITTEN BY JULIANATIKA REG.NO : 152202038 DIPLOMA III ENGLISH STUDY PROGRAM FACULTY OF CULTURAL STUDIES UNIVERSITY OF NORTH SUMATERA MEDAN 2018 UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA AUTHOR’S DECLARATION I am Julianatika, declare that I am sole of the author of this paper. Except where references is made in the text of this paper, this paper contains no material published elsewhere or extracted in whole or in part from a paper by which I have qualified for a awarded degree. No other person‘s work has been used without due acknowledgement in this main text of this paper. This paper has not been submitted for the award of another degree in any tertiary education. Signed: ................... Date : November 2018 i UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA COPYRIGHT DECLARATION Name : Julianatika Title of Paper : A DESCRIPTION OF PLOT IN CHARLES DICKEN‘S NOVEL OLIVER TWIST Qualification : D-III / Ahli Madya Study Program : English I am willing that my paper should be available for reproduction at the discretion of the Librarian of the Diploma III English Study Program Faculty of Cultural Studies, University of North Sumatera the understanding that users are made aware of their obligation under law of the Republic of Indonesia. Signed: ......................... Date: November 2018 ii UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA ABSTRACT The title of this paper is A Description of Plot In Charles Dicken’s Novel “Oliver Twist”. Plot is the literary element that contains the event has cause in a story where the event has cause and effect relation.
    [Show full text]
  • Dickens - David Copperfield
    Dickens - David Copperfield The Author Charles Dickens was born at Portsmouth on 7 February 1812, the second of eight children. Dickens’ childhood experiences were similar to those depicted in David Copperfield. His father, who was a government clerk, was imprisoned for dept and Dickens was briefly sent to work in a blacking warehouse at the age of twelve. He received little formal education, but taught himself shorthand and became a reporter of parliamentary debates for the Morning Chronicle. He began to publish sketches in various periodicals, which were subsequently republished as Sketches by Boz, The Pickwick Papers were published in 1836-37 and after a slow start became a publishing phenomenon and Dickens’ characters the centre of popular cult. Part of the secret of his success was the method of cheap serial publication which Dickens used for all his novels. He began Oliver Twist in 1837, followed by Nicholas Nickleby (1838) and The Old Curiosity Shop (1840-41). After finishing Barnaby Rudge (1841) Dickens set off for America; he went full of enthusiasm for the young republic but, in spite of a triumphant reception, he returned disillusioned. His experiences are recorded in American Notes (1842). Martin Chuzzlewit (1843-44) did not repeat its predecessors’ success but this was quickly redressed by the huge popularity of the Christmas Books, of which the first A Christmas Carol, appeared in 1843, During 1844-46 Dickens travelled abroad and he began Dombey an Son while in Switzerland. This and David Copperfield (1849-50) were more serious in theme and more carefully planned than his early novels.
    [Show full text]
  • Dickens Oliver Twist As a Way to Reformation and As a Tool to Remove Social Wrong Depicting Urban England
    Notions Vol. 7 No2. 2016 ISSN: (P) 0976-5247, (e) 2395-7239 Dickens Oliver Twist as a Way to Reformation and as a Tool to Remove Social Wrong Depicting Urban England Suman Mishra* Lecturer Department of Applied Science and Humanities Subharti Institute of Engineering and Technology Swami Vivekananda Subharti University Meerut. Charles Dickens (7 February 1812 – a June 1870) was an English writer born in Portsmouth England and was a social critic, Dickens father John Dickens was a clerk in the navy pay office. He had little formal education but his life taught him the formal education of facts this impoverishment led him to a successful literary person. From the very beginning his life was not easy and he suffered a lot. He was a man of various talents. He was a social reformer and very soon he became international literary celebrity and a keen observer of the society. His novels became the dominant Victorian mode for novel publication and outlook of social injustice. Dickens last days were spends at God‟s Hill at his beloved home. It was an estate he‟d appreciated from the very beginning of his childhood. No writer since Shakespeare has occupied as important place as Dickens. No doubt, Dickens talked about social abuse in a very „realistic‟ way but also talked about the social greed in society. He mirrored the human struggles depicting London life. He says that people have lost the sense of value humanity. Charles Dickens was pleased when parliament eventually agreed to pass 1832 Reform Act____. He wanted to communicate with the society through his articles and various other means.
    [Show full text]
  • Readings by Charles 'Dickens
    Philadelphia ^Bowled Clean Over: Public "Readings by Charles 'Dickens N JANUARY 5, 1868, in Philadelphia, on snow-covered Chest- nut Street, in eighteen-degree cold, fifty people—fortified O with mattresses, blankets, and whiskey—were waiting be- fore midnight at number 1217 for George Dolby to open the Concert Hall box office the next morning at 9:00 A. M.1 As morning neared, the crowd grew. Police arrived to keep order. Charles Leland re- corded: "Great excitement, Dickens' tickets."2 Henry Benners saw "a line, one square long, waiting to procure tickets to T)ickens reading."3 All tickets for the first six readings were sold in four hours, and hundreds of people were turned away.4 On January 31, after announcing the readings of February 13 and 14, Dickens wrote: "All Philadelphia is going to rush at once for tickets. Great excitement is anticipated in the streets."5 He was Philadel- phia's biggest news, under such headlines as "The Dickens Excite- ment," "The Great Novelist in Our Midst," "Another Great Read- Ing," "Brilliant Audience Assembled," and "How the Literary Feast Was Enjoyed" amid "Unbounded Enthusiasm and Loud Applause." The Evening "Telegraph of January 14, watching Phila- delphia run wild, saw the "normally quiet citizens" of the "orderly 1 George Dolby, Charles Dickens as I Knew Him: The Story of the Reading Tours in Great Britain and America, 1866-1870 (Philadelphia, 1885), 206-208. 2 Elizabeth R. Pennell, Charles Godfrey Leland: A Biography (Boston, 1906), I, 300. 3 Benners Diary, Jan. 6, 1868, I, 180, Historical Society of Pennsylvania (HSP).
    [Show full text]
  • David Copperfield As an Autobiographical Novel Ans:- It Is Proverbially Said--"It's in Vain
    David Copperfield as an autobiographical novel Ans:- It is proverbially said--"It's in vain... to recall the past, unless it works some influence upon the present." Norrie Epstein, in The Friendly Dickens, notes that by writing about his parents and reliving his childhood, Dickens triumphed over his past and would never again need to make a neglected child the central focus of a novel. David Copperfield's life was a veiled image of the author's life, though the novel still maintains the potent themes that made Dickens legendary. Dickens portrayed his parents and his attitude towards them in many of the characters in David Copperfield. Dickens's parents were high-spirited, airy people who were not, in Dickens's eyes, good parents. In David Copperfield, Dickens's mother, Elizabeth Dickens, was portrayed as the lovely widow, Clara Copperfield. Clara was the naive and girlish mother of David. Behind David's back, she married Edward Murdstone, a cruel, heartless man. David felt betrayed by his mother, just as Dickens felt betrayed by his own mother. After Dickens's father was arrested because of his debts, his mother sent Charles to work at the terrible Warren's Blacking Factory, a shoe-making factory. This experience scarred and alienated Dickens for life and was a theme in many of his books. Dora Spenlow, David's first wife, was also another image of Elizabeth Dickens, Charles' mother. Like Mrs. Copperfield, Dora had a blithe personality and was beautiful, angelic but naive. She enchanted David and he instantaneously loved her. "I was a captive and a slave.
    [Show full text]
  • The Personal History and Experience of David Copperfield the Younger Charles Dickens
    The Personal History and Experience of David Copperfield the Younger Charles Dickens The Harvard Classics Shelf of Fiction, Vols. VII & VIII. Selected by Charles William Eliot Copyright © 2001 Bartleby.com, Inc. Bibliographic Record Contents Biographical Note Criticisms and Interpretations I. By Andrew Lang II. By John Forster III. By Adolphus William Ward IV. By Gilbert K. Chesterton V. By W. Teignmouth Shore VI. By George Gissing List of Characters Preface to the First Edition Preface to the “Charles Dickens” Edition I. I Am Born II. I Observe III. I Have a Change IV. I Fall Into Disgrace V. I Am Sent Away from Home VI. Enlarge My Circle of Acquaintance VII. My “First Half” at Salem House VIII. My Holidays. Especially One Happy Afternoon IX. I Have a Memorable Birthday X. I Become Neglected, and Am Provided For XI. I Begin Life on My Own Account, and Don’t Like It XII. Liking Life on My Own Account No Better, I Form a Great Resolution XIII. The Sequel of My Resolution XIV. My Aunt Makes up Her Mind about Me XV. I Make Another Beginning XVI. I Am a New Boy in More Senses Than One XVII. Somebody Turns Up XVIII. A Retrospect XIX. I Look about Me, and Make a Discovery XX. Steerforth’s Home XXI. Little Em’ly XXII. Some Old Scenes, and Some New People XXIII. I Corroborate Mr. Dick and Choose a Profession XXIV. My First Dissipation XXV. Good and Bad Angels XXVI. I Fall into Captivity XXVII. Tommy Traddles XXVIII. Mr. Micawber’s Gauntlet XXIX.
    [Show full text]