Charles Dickens

by Una Pope-Hennessy

classic; antique; collectible

Genres: Biography

496 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1945

Reviews

[Todd Stockslager · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review Title: Older biography with points to make

If you are looking for a first biography of Dickens to read, I would definitely recommend Claire Tomalin's newer and excellent biography (I rated it a classic). But if you are familiar with the basic outline of the Inimitible's life and the latest thoughts on the big topic of debate (his affair with Ellen Ternan) Una Pope Hennessy has an older biography worth a look for her in depth focus and strong opinions.

You may not agree with them all. I found her repeated characterization of Catharine as "slow", stolid, unimaginative, and unsuitable for her quick-witted husband unfair, unproven, and almost offensive. It seems as though Pope Hennessy has a personal dislike of Catherine. But to her credit she doesn't let that animus blind her to Dickens's faults, particularly in the incident of the affair and separation. And if you have your own knowledge of the subject and your own opinions, you can take hers as food for thought to refine your own or argue back in your review as I just did.

Writing in 1945 Pope Hennessy was one of the first full length biographers to address the then recent autobiography of daughter Kate with her strong statements about her father's relationship with Ellen Ternan. And I think given that she was early to press with still unproven speculation and uncertain documentation of the matter she handles it quite well, neither ignoring it, excusing it, nor putting it above the undeniable and unquestionably effect of it: the life destroying separation from Catherine.

And in fact this is one area where Pope Hennessy has shaped my opinion. I have been of the opinion that the reading tours killed Dickens, and recently seeing at the Dickens museum in London the reading desk he designed for the tours I was drawn back to it with talismanic magnetism: the man had designed the instrument of his own death! But I think now that the reading tours were not the cause of his death but only an effect of a man trying desperately to run from his conscience. And it starts with the separation, which Pope Hennessy lays squarely on Dickens and his affair, refusing to accept at face value Dickens's claim that he and Catherine had long since stopped loving each other.

Another statement by Pope Hennessy that has given me food for thought concerns Dickens as a father. While doting on his ten children when they were young as they grew to maturity he could seem distant, even harsh, and she makes this statement to explain why: "He had been a good father and done all that was possible for his earthly children, but he could not pretend to idealise them as he did his spiritual children, Oliver, Nell, Paul and the rest." It is a true statement that Dickens was devoted to his characters, and linking that "spiritual" devotion to his relationship with his flesh and blood children is powerful.

Pope Hennessy spends a chapter examining Dickens's social life at the peak of his writing power, and I was interested to see in a list of dinner guests that she provides from the time the names of the great engineer Brunel and the designer of the first computing machine Charles Babbage. I wonder what Dickens, with his imaginative literary mind but untrained in science and math and suspicious of the technology of his day (he found the Great Exhibition at the Crystal Palace an irritating bore) would have to say to those dinner guests?

And finally, in another opinion that made me reconsider a settled view of Dickens, Pope Hennessy states that while famously and strongly associated with the city, Dickens did not really love it. She points out that as soon as he had the financial means to do so he moved north of the city to the Regents Park area (then outside the city) and began traveling to Europe for long stays. While it was the mileau he grew up in and knew best as a source and inspiration for his writing, she has a point.

So you can see that for a knowledgeable and committed fan of Dickens Pope Hennessy should be on the reading list. If you are looking for a good starting point for Dickens knowledge go with Tomalin.

[Federico Stancovich · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amena descripción de su vida y evolución como escritor y persona influyente de las masas de Inglaterra. Hay descripciones de argumentos de sus principales libros, lo cual es spoiler. Conviene leerlos y volver a este libro para coronar un resumen.

[Julia Macfarlane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great biography of Charles Dickens. Written in 1945, Pope-Hennessy was the first biographer to describe Ellen Ternan as Dickens's mistress. It is interesting to read a woman's take on Dickens' life. She sympathises with Mrs Dickens's situation at the various points throughout the marriage when Dickens' behaviour with other women was questionable, to say the least. Although she also criticises Mrs Dickens for her lack of empathy with Dickens and his complex personality. A worthy addition to any bookshelf for the Dickens fan.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read many bios of Dickens and they all seem to be about a different man in some ways. Forster wrote the best one but this was not bad. Author did spend a great deal of the book telling about the different books that Dickens wrote which was rather a bore as I have read all of them more than once . If you have not read them , then this book would be good to read to help you decide which to read first. I liked that this author did not make use of any of the gossip which so many other biographers did. The reader was made aware of it and let it drop as that.