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No Place Like Home: Charles Dickens and His American

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No Place Like Home: Charles Dickens and His American NO PLACE LIKE HOME: CHARLES DICKENS AND HIS AMERICAN DISAPPOINTMENT A comparative analysis of Dickens’ correspondence, travelogue and fictional account concerning his first American tour Emilie Van Wesemael Student number: 01207263 Supervisor: Dr. Jasper Schelstraete A dissertation submitted to Ghent University in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Literature and Linguistics in English (minoring in French) Academic year: 2016 - 2017 Van Wesemael No Place Like Home Verklaring ivm auteursrecht De auteur en de promotor(en) geven de toelating deze studie als geheel voor consultatie beschikbaar te stellen voor persoonlijk gebruik. Elk ander gebruik valt onder de beperkingen van het auteursrecht, in het bijzonder met betrekking tot de verplichting de bron uitdrukkelijk te vermelden bij het aanhalen van gegevens uit deze studie. Het auteursrecht betreffende de gegevens vermeld in deze studie berust bij de promotor(en). Het auteursrecht beperkt zich tot de wijze waarop de auteur de problematiek van het onderwerp heeft benaderd en neergeschreven. De auteur respecteert daarbij het oorspronkelijke auteursrecht van de individueel geciteerde studies en eventueel bijhorende documentatie, zoals tabellen en figuren. De auteur en de promotor(en) zijn niet verantwoordelijk voor de behandelingen en eventuele doseringen die in deze studie geciteerd en beschreven zijn. 1 Van Wesemael No Place Like Home Acknowledgements This thesis is the result of hard work and an enormous amount of passion. Charles Dickens has been a companion to me since childhood and his books have accompanied me throughout my career at university. It was a pleasure to gain new insights surrounding this amazing and prolific author of the nineteenth century. I can only say that I did my best to live up to the great expectations surrounding an academic work on this legendary writer. It was a wonderful way for me to finish my studies in language and literature. No small amount of stress is contained within every word on this page, but it is matched by the tremendous amount of love and support I was given during those months and weeks of writing. Firstly, I would like to thank Dr. Jasper Schelstraete for his infinite patience and kindness, his insightful advice and the adjustments that his elaborate feedback allowed me to make. This thesis grew from being a chaos of ideas into a more structured and focused dissertation through your help, thank you for that. Secondly, I would like to thank my boyfriend for having provided me with his unconditional support and encouragements, for believing in this endeavour and for standing by me during the whole writing process. Thank you for the comments you provided, thank you for your interest in my sometimes passionate arguments about the subject and for listening to all my ramblings, anecdotes and insights without ever complaining. To my friends I also owe an enormous thank you for the lovely words of support and comfort. I am eternally grateful to you for helping me out with formatting, finding sources or for offering critical insights or extensive feedback on (parts of) my thesis. To those who took the time to ask how my thesis was going, to those who were genuinely interested in the subject and who, through their questions, helped me make some structural alterations, thank you. To my friends from Home Astrid, a special thank you for providing me with laughter and leisure when I was in dire need of a break and with reassuring words or motivation when I was stressed out. I would also like to thank the study advice department of the University of Ghent, and particularly Annemieke Taildeman for her help in a difficult time and for offering tips and tricks regarding studying, planning and relaxation that I now use daily. Last but not least; I would like to thank my family, my grandparents and especially my brother and my parents. Thank you for the practical and moral support in everything, for knowing, even before I knew, that this subject was the right one. For knowing, even before I did, that I was going to study language and literature and that it would be the right choice for me. In short, a heartfelt thank you for your undying support and faith in me during all those years, and thank you for believing in me more than I sometimes do. 2 Van Wesemael No Place Like Home It has not been easy for me these past few years, and it has been a sometimes nerve-wracking battle against myself to be able to get this far. I am proud to have achieved this and to be able to say that despite everything, I did it. 3 Van Wesemael No Place Like Home List of Abbreviations AN Dickens, Charles. American Notes and Pictures from Italy. Heron Books. 1967 Letters The Pilgrim Edition of The Letters of Charles Dickens, Volume three: 1842-1843. Madeline House, Graham Storey and Kathleen Tillotson (eds). Clarendon Press. 1974 MC Dickens, Charles. Martin Chuzzlewit. 1982. Oxford University Press., 2009 4 Van Wesemael No Place Like Home Table of contents Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................................................................. 2 List of Abbreviations .............................................................................................................................................................. 4 Table of contents ..................................................................................................................................................................... 5 General Introduction .............................................................................................................................................................. 6 Chapter one: The New World through the eyes of Dickens, author and experiencer ................................................. 11 1.1) From the journey to the text: a biographical reading ................................................ 11 1.2) Dickens’ letters as a “truthful” representation of his American experiences .......... 12 1.3) Dickens’ travelogue American Notes: a self-asserted truth .......................................... 20 1.4) Chapter conclusion ........................................................................................................ 29 Chapter 2: Martin Chuzzlewit as a fictional account of Dickens’ American travels ................................................... 30 2.1) Fiction as a vehicle for criticism ......................................................................................................... 30 2.2) Comparing fact to fiction ..................................................................................................................... 31 2.2.1 The U.S. of Martin Chuzzlewit .............................................................................................................. 31 2.2.2 Selfishness and individuality ............................................................................................................ 33 2.2.3 Dickens and Martin, both revered by the crowd ........................................................................... 35 2.2.4 Parodying the American Press .......................................................................................................... 37 2.2.5 Satire of the American language and manners .............................................................................. 41 2.2.6 American “issues”: politics, slavery and the absence of international copyright ................... 45 2.3) Swamps and meadows, the Eagle and the Lion ................................................................................. 51 2.3.1: Contrasts between the U.S. (Eden) and Britain in Martin Chuzzlewit .......................................... 51 2.4) Chapter conclusion .............................................................................................................................. 61 General Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................................... 63 Works cited ............................................................................................................................................................................ 68 Primary sources ..... …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….68 Secondary sources ....................................................................................................................................... 68 Word count: 28 127 5 Van Wesemael No Place Like Home General Introduction “It would be well, there can be no doubt, for the American people as a whole, if they loved the Real less, and the Ideal somewhat more. It would be well, if there were greater encouragement to lightness of heart and gaiety, and a wider cultivation of what is beautiful, without being eminently and directly useful” (AN 296). When Dickens made up his mind to travel to the United States, he could have never expected the enormous impact the journey would have on his further career. From January 1842 until June 1842, Charles Dickens travelled the North-American continent for a first of two visits in order to discover the country and meet with his audience across the ocean. It would prove a turning point for the young and famous “Boz”, since this visit provided him with writing material for two books: American Notes for General Circulation and the fictional Martin Chuzzlewit. It had been established before departure
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