by Fred Kaplan
Collins, William, 283
Colosseum, 187, 297
Columbia Square apartments, 263
Compton, Emmeline, 367
Concordance to Shakespeare, The (Mary Cowden Clarke), 236
Condette, 465–66, 468, 470
Cooling churchyard, 433
copyright bill (1836), Dickens’ support of, 91
Cornbill Magazine, 443
Cornwall, 155–56, 425, 432, 551, 554
Cornwall, Barry, 91. See also Procter, Bryan
Costello, Dudley, 192, 197, 231
Courcelles, Rue de, no. 48, 214
Court Circular, 396
Courvoisier, François Benjamin, Dickens attends execution of, 198–200
Coutts, Angela Burdett, 217, 220, 240, 267, 282, 286, 292, 305, 337, 349, 361, 366, 370, 378, 380, 454, 521; Dickens meets, 146–50; relationship with Duke of Wellington, 147; supports ragged schools, 148; and Urania Cottage, 228–29; Dickens acts as secretary for, 261–63; employs Wills, 318; political timidity of, 330–31; assists Dickens’ family, 335; opposes Dickens’ readings, 383; is shocked at separation, 387–89; encourages reconciliation, 425–26
Coutts and Company, 124, 146, 158
Covent Garden Theatre, 54, 90, 105, 108, 112, 213, 231, 233, 351–52
Cowper, Frances, 110
Crewe, John, 20
Crewe Hall, 20
Crimean War, 316, 329, 334, 349, 362, 477; Dickens’ attitude toward, 313
Cromwell, Oliver, 88
Cruikshank, George, 80, 86, 100, 188, 451; meets Dickens, 72–73; illustrates Sketches by Boz, 74–75; claims to have originated Oliver Twist, 95; is drunk at Greenwich, 150; meets Longfellow, 153; as a caricature of himself, 191; temperance campaigns of, 227; vanity of, 231; as an actor, 236; is alienated from Dickens, 275; works: The Bottle, 227; The Drunkard’s Children: A Sequel to the Bottle, 227; Life in London, 73
Crystal Palace, 270, 280, 365, 544
Cuba (ship), 514–15
Culliford, Mary, 21
Cumberland, 382; Dickens visits with Collins, 371–73
Daily News, 148, 206, 257, 264–65, 273, 452; Dickens becomes editor of, 194–95; problems in editing of, 196–08; Dickens resigns from, 200–202; John Dickens continues working for, 223
Dana, Richard Henry (Jr.), 130–31; description of Dickens, 131; works: Two years Before the Mast, 131
Dana, Richard Henry, Sr., 131
Dance of Death (Holbein), 35
Davis, Eliza (Mrs. J. P. Davis), 472–73
Davis, J. P., 425
Day’s Ride, A (Lever), 431–32
de Cerjat, William, 210, 293
Defoe, Daniel, 26
Delane, John, 395
de la Rue, Augusta, 195, 203, 210, 300, 439; meets Dickens in Genoa, 182; is mesmerized by Dickens, 184–85, 188–90; Catherine jealous of, 189, 298–300; Dickens visits, 294–95
de la Rue, Emile, 190, 195, 203, 210, 294–95, 298–99, 300, 374, 401, 439; meets Dickens, 182; cooperates in wife being mesmerized, 183–85; meets Dickens in Rome, 188–89
Delmonico’s, 527–28
Derby, 281
Devonshire, Duke of, 193–94, 280
Devonshire House (Piccadilly), 280
Devonshire Terrace, 110, 116–17, 150, 154–55, 174, 191, 223–24, 226, 257–259, 270; Dickens purchases lease of, 106–7; is rented out, 170, 204
Dickens, Alfred D’Orsay Tennyson (son), 272, 346; christening of, 203, 250; as a businessman, 423; as editor of Gad’s Hill Gazette, 496–97; in Australia, 531
Dickens, Alfred Lamert (brother), 38, 41, 57–58, 123, 419, 424, 483; birth of, 31; as civil engineer, 105; wedding of, 204; death of, 421–22
Dickens, Anna Weller, see Weller, Anna (Mrs. Frederick Dickens)
Dickens, Augustus (brother), 103; birth of, 58; marriage to Harriet Lovell, 240; flight to America of, 422; death of, 483
Dickens, Bessie Evans, see Evans, Bessie (Mrs. Charles Dickens, Jr.)
Dickens, Catherine (wife), 78, 150, 156, 162–64, 174, 177, 179, 195, 201, 203–4, 209–10, 218, 232, 234, 237, 239, 241, 245, 250, 264, 276, 278–79, 281–82, 285, 291, 294–95, 309, 319, 323, 329, 349–50, 366, 382, 406, 418, 420, 423, 433, 465, 475–76, 489, 514, 538, 542, 555; meets Dickens, 66–67; personality of, 67–68; courtship of, 68–69; marriage and first pregnancy of, 70–71; pain at death of sister, 93; miscarriage of, 94; births of daughters, 106; travels in America, 129–30; Putnam’s description of, 133; acts in Canada, 139; welcomes Georgina, 158–59; takes Italian lessons, 168; meets the de la Rues, 182; jealousy of Augusta de la Rue, 183–85; is lectured to, 189–90; becomes pregnant again, 206; Dickens’ relationship with, 221–23; as inappropriate companion, 254; is pregnant and unwell, 256–60; persistent pregnancies of, 260–72; Dickens’ anger at, 299–300; is compared to Esther Summerson, 302; visits Maria Beadnell, 326; Dickens’ alienation from, 344–46; Dickens’ rejection of, 361–78; Andersen’s admiration for, 364; Dickens separates from, 385–92; as subject of scandal, 394–95; separation terms of, 397–98; Dickens’ refusal to reconcile with, 425–28; Miss Coutts’s efforts to help, 453–54; self-pity of, 548
Dickens, Charles
BIOGRAPHICAL SUMMARY:
(1812–1822): burning of letters of, 17–18; birth of, 18–19; infant dependency of, 19; earliest memories of, 19; gift of grandfather’s watch to, 20; grandparents of, 20–21; parents of, 20–22; formative years in Kent of, 22–29; early reading of, 25–26; first schooling of, 25; awareness of fragility and madness of, 25, 28–31; early fascination with the theatre, 26–28; family’s financial difficulties, 31–32
(1822–1834): family moves to London, 32–33; is kept out of school, 34–37; family is without capital, 38–39; father is imprisoned for debt, 30–42; works in blacking factory, 38, 41–43; attends Wellington House Academy, 44–47; clerks for Ellis and Blackmore, and Molloy, 47–49; works as a shorthand writer and reporter, 49–50, 54, 57–58; reads in British Museum, 50; is in love with Maria Beadnell, 50–54; considers an acting career, 54–55; organizes amateur theatricals, 56–57
(1834–1837): moves into own apartment, 58, 60; family’s opinion of as ordinary, 59–60; as reporter, 60–62; meets Thomas Beard, 60; reports elections, 60–62; writes first sketches, 62–63; writes and publishes Sketches by Boz, 62–66, 73–75; meets Hogarth family, 66–67; proposes marriage to Catherine, 67; relationship with Catherine, 67–71; marries, 71; meets Cruikshank, 72–73; begins Pickwick Papers, 76–79; meets Thackeray, 80; success of Pickwick, 81–85
(1837–1841): meets Talfourd and Macready, 80–88; meets Maclise and Fraserians, 85–86; begins friendship with Forster, 86–90; birth of first son of, 92; life and death of Mary Hogarth and, 92; reacts to Mary’s death, 92–96; writes Oliver Twist, 95–96; becomes a professional author, 97; undertakes onerous contracts with Macrone and Bentley, 97–103; breaks with Bentley, 102–3; difficult relations with parents, 103–5; relations with brothers and sisters, 105; Catherine’s childbearing and, 105–7; erotic interplay with friends and, 108–10; is in love with Queen Victoria, 109–10; friendship with Maclise and Forster, 110–11; fascination with the theatre, 111–12; is toasted in Edinburgh, 113–15; holiday in the Highlands, 115–16; success of Nicholas Nickleby, Barnaby Rudge, and Old Curiosity Shop, 116–21
(1842–1844): visit to America, 122–44; champions international copyright, 127–29; meets Felton, Dana, and Longfellow, 130; travels to New York, 132–33; meets Bryant and Irving, 132–33; visits Washington, 135–36; is appalled by slavery, 136; journeys westward, 136–38; visits Canada, 138–39; is impressed by Niagara Falls, 139–40; returns to England, 141–42; becomes more active on social issues, 144–46; meets Miss Coutts, 146–48; supports ragged schools, 148–49; writes American Notes, 151–53; friendships with Maclise, Leech, and Lemon, 154–55; visits Cornwall, 155; writes Martin Cbuzzlewit, 156–58; complains about growing family, 158; significance of loss of Mary Hogarth to, 150–60
(1844–1846): flirts with Eleanor Picken, 163–64; flirts wit
h Frances Colden, 164–65; falls in love with Christiana Weller, 165–68; leaves Chapman and Hall, 168–69; publishes with Bradbury and Evans, 169–70; departs for Italy, 170–71; residence in Genoa, 171–73; writes Chimes, 174–77; travels to London to read new story, 177–80; initiates Christmas genre, 179–81; fascination with mesmerism, 180–83; practices mesmeric healing, 183–85; climbs Vesuvius, 185–86; visits Rome, 187–88; and tensions between Catherine and the de la Rues, 180–90; repossesses Devonshire Terrace, 191; organizes amateur theatricals, 191–93; edits Daily News, 193–98; witnesses executions, 198–201
(1846–1849): departs for Switzerland, 203–5; begins Dombey and Son, 206; visits the Alps and Castle of Chillon, 208–10; meets Haldimand, de Cerjat, and the Watsons, 210–11; is visited by Tennyson, 211–12; winters in Paris, 214–15, 218–19; begins autobiography, 216; meets Hugo, 219; maturation as an artist, 221–22; birth of seventh child of, 222; relations with family, 223; relationship with Forster, Thackeray, Browne, and Cruikshank, 224–27; work for Urania Cottage, 228–29; revives amateur theatrical company, 229–30; performs for charity, 231–37; death of sister Fanny, 237–39; increased autobiographical concern of, 241; begins David Copperfield, 242–45; summers on Isle of Wight, 245–48
(1849–1853): traumas of writing Copperfield, 249, 251–56; birth of ninth child of, 256; illness and death of father, 258; sudden death of infant daughter, 250–60; work for Urania Cottage, 260–63; partnership with Miss Coutts, 261–62; reform activities of, 262–64; edits Household Words, 264–69; leases Tavistock House, 269–71; attitude toward family, 271–72; attends Gore House auction, 274; organizes Macready farewell, 276–78; amateur theatricals with Bulwer-Lytton, 278–83; meets Wilkie Collins, 283–86; begins Bleak House, 285–87; becomes seriously ill, 288
(1853–1855): visits Italy with Collins and Egg, 290–300; revisits Genoa, 294–95; climbs Vesuvius again, 296–97; anger at Catherine of, 299–300; dark vision in Bleak House of, 300–304; begins Hard Times, 304–7; visits Preston, 306–7; influence of Carlyle on, 308–10; summers at Boulogne, 310–14; reaction to Talfourd’s death, 314–15; relationships with Forster, Stanfield, Macready, 316–18; begins Christmas readings, 319–21; resumes amateur theatricals, 321–22; purchases Gad’s Hill, 322–23, 334–49; resumes contact with Maria Beadnell, 323–27
(1855–1857): residence in Paris of, 328–329 is distressed about corruption and Crimean War, 329–32; collaborates with Layard, 330–32; attempts to reform Royal Literary Fund, 332–34; begins to keep notebook, 334; begins writing Little Dorrit, 336, 340; feels imprisoned, 337–39; explores Paris nightlife, 341; self-portraiture in Little Dorrit, 342–45; is startled by Forster’s marriage, 345–46; works with Collins on Frozen Deep, 350–59; feels about to collapse, 359–60; death of Jerrold, 362–63; Andersen comes to visit, 363–65; performs before queen, 365–66; employs Ternans for Frozen Deep performances, 367–71; falls in love with Ellen Ternan, 370–71; visits Ternans in Doncaster, 373–74; begins to end marriage, 374–75
(1857–1859): is angry at marriage, 376–78; distances self from Catherine, 377–78; is obsessed with Ellen, 379–80, 382; problems with readings of, 381; decides to read for personal profit, 382–86; separates from Catherine, 385–87; harsh separation negotiations of, 387–96; is accused of adultery with Ellen, 388–89; is accused of adultery with Georgina, 389–91; combats accusations, 394–97; is furious at Evans and Lemon, 398–99; rejects Bradbury and Evans, 399–401; supports Yates against Thackeray, 401–5; publication of Dickens, Charles (cont.)“violated” letter, 406–7; acts as Ternan family protector and supporter, 407–10; relationship with Ellen, 410–12; declines to read in America, 413; begins Tale of Two Cities, 414; as Sydney Carton, 416–17
(1860–1864): is pained at marriage of Katie to Charles Collins, 418–21; death of Alfred Dickens and, 421–22; relations with brothers, 421; fear of family ghosts, 422–23; mother’s senility, 423–24; is ill with “small” maladies, 424–25; sells Tavistock lease, 425; strained nerves of, 425–27; concerns as a single parent, 427–28; reliance on Georgina of, 428; attempts to enlist George Eliot for All the Year Round, 429–30; begins Great Expectations, 432; creates autobiographical fictions, 432–37; revises ending, 437–38; success of new Christmas stories, 438–40; death of mother, 440; relationship with Wilkie Collins, 440–43; embarks on sustained reading tours, 444–45; death of Arthur Smith, 445; death of Henry Austin, 445–46; considers reading in Australia, 448–49; deaths of Leech, Thackeray, Fletcher, and Egg, 450–57; death of son Walter, 457
(1864–1868): returns from France with Ternans, 458–61; rescues MS. of Our Mutual Friend, 460; Ellen injured, 460; is badly shaken in Staplehurst railway accident, 460; frequent trips to France of, 461–64; reads in Paris, 463; frequent holidays with Ellen in Condette, 465–66; begins new novel, 467–70; is upbraided for depiction of Jews, 472–73; presents Christian-Jewish dialectic in Our Mutual Friend, 472–76; attitudes toward reform, 476–79; detestation of Louis Napoleon, 479–80; reaction to American Civil War, 480–83; is pained by deaths of friends and brothers, 483–84; relationship with Forster, Macready, 484–86; reactions to Collins’ private life, 486–88; relationship with Wills, 488–89; meets the Lehmanns, 491–92; friendship with Fechter, 492–93; life at Gad’s Hill of, 494–97; problems with children, 497–500; secret residences with Ellen, 500–501; execution of dog Sultan, 502
(1867–1870): is toasted at farewell banquet, 503–5; speaks about literature and America, 505–6; decides to read in America, 506–13; employs Dolby, 509–10; suffers infection, 512; considers Ellen’s accompanying him to America, 513–14; sails from Liverpool to Boston, 514–16; is hosted by Fieldses and other American friends, 515–17; reads to acclamation in Boston, New York, Washington, and other cities, 515–24; feels depressed and ill, 520–21; is impressed by story of Lincoln’s death-day dream, 522–23; directs a walking race, 524; feels homesick and worn out, 524–27; escapes American tax collectors, 527–30; returns to Kent, 530; is unhappy about children, 531; gives murder-of-Nancy readings, 532–33; appears exhausted, 533–34; personality of, 534–38; has cardiac episode while reading, 538–41; creates last will, 541–43; recuperates at Gad’s Hill, 541, 543–45; begins Mystery of Edwin Drood, 545–48; resumes readings, 547–49; has interview with Queen Victoria, 549–50; reacts to Maclise’s death, 551–52; is seriously ill again, 552; rapidly deteriorates, 552–53; dies of a stroke, 554–55; is buried at Westminster, 555–56.
AS:
Faust, 508
performance personality, 27, 55–57, 507
Uncle John (farce), 369; as role player, 535
Richard Wardour (The Frozen Deep), 359, 363, 365, 367, 360, 373–74, 380, 383, 414, 417
ATTITUDES TOWARD:
afterlife, 94–95
aging, 222, 251, 377, 412, 547
Alps, 578
America, 124, 125, 140–41, 156, 172, 218, 397, 481, 506, 509, 528; Civil War, 481–83; hygiene, 134; manners, 134; politicians, 136; society, 138; weather, 134; West, 137–38
Anglican Church, 95, 480
art, 188
British working class, 306–7
bureaucracy, 329–30, 447
capital punishment, 198–201, 363, 477–78
Catholicism, 187, 205, 297, 480
charity, 228
children, 158, 210, 222, 232, 237, 256, 269, 272, 427, 487–88, 506, 531, 547
Christmas, 64, 83, 181, 526
class, 140–41, 144
clubs, 111
copyright laws, 91, 124–25, 127, 128–29, 133, 136, 404
crime, 149, 198, 478–79
Crimean War, 313, 316, 319, 329
death, 214–15
debt, 422–23
democracy, 140, 309, 476–77
dreams, 175–76, 376, 523
drunkenness, 198
education, 146, 149, 198
emancipation, 523
European oppression, 479
family, 106
French, 218
&
nbsp; friendship, 212, 354, 552
funerals, 454, 543
government, 142
injustice, 303
Italy, 172
Italian nationalism, 479–80
Jesus, 175
Jews, 425, 472–73
literary community, 505
literary realism, 355
marriage, 67
mesmerism, 176, 185
money, 384, 506–7, 509–11, 513, 518, 527
obscenity, 140
Oxford Movement, 175
painting, 188
patronage, 477, 504
penal system, 478
personal letters, 17
poverty, 198, 303
prostitution, 113, 149–50, 228–29, 260–61, 341, 427, 538
public readings, 213, 320–21, 382–86
punishment, 65
reform, 142–43, 145–46, 303, 330–33, 551
religion, 95, 175, 203, 354, 480
reviewers, 162
revolution, 308, 330, 481
Russia, 313
slavery, 136, 480–81
street noise, 478
suffrage, 476–77
suicide, 238
superstition, 19
Swiss, 210
theatre, 76
Tories, 61–62
tramps, 495–96
unions, 307–8
Unitarianism, 175
Utilitarianism, 305