Dickensians! discussion

Charles Dickens: The Inner Man



What was he really like?

This thread is to share your thoughts about Charles Dickens's personality, particularly in relation to his psychology, and any notable conditions or syndromes you think he may have had.

Please feel free to give examples, or theorise for yourself, or quote from texts, link to academic studies, or recommend critical books/biographies. (Please avoid linking to personal "fan" websites - unless you consider one to be particularly good - as these can be full of errors!)

As we read more of Charles Dickens's nonfiction works, we see that not only was he expert at describing human nature, and various psychological and physiological conditions in his fiction, but that he inadvertently revealed some of his own.

We know some of his beliefs, such as that he was a Christian and learned towards the United Reformed Church. We know that he followed many of the scientific advances, was a passionate believer in Mesmerism, and practised it himself as a healer. We can work out from his own early life why he was such a strong campaigner for social justice. But can we look further into his mind?

We know he suffered from insomnia, because of his two pieces Lying Awake and Night Walks. We also know that he also had what we now call OCD: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, because of his daughter Mamie's descriptions of his behaviour, which was not just that of a perfectionist but of someone who could not cope and flew into a temper if e.g. a chair was moved slightly out of place, or pens on his desk, or a meal was delayed.

In Pictures from Italy and American Notes for General Circulation we see Charles Dickens at his most frank, sharing his views, and in the process perhaps revealing more about himself than he realised. Cases have been made for his having ADHD (Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder) and also perhaps depression.

This is an intriguing topic! I'm looking forward to everyone's thoughts.

(All the texts mentioned have been group reads at some time, led by Sam, John and Jean. This thread is in response to the latest thoughts Shirley shared with me, and also to others' suggestions in our current read. It seems a good idea to have a dedicated place to share and discuss them, so that they do not get lost.)

Thank you so much, Jean, for starting this thread so that we Dickensians! may share what we know and have learned of Mr. Dickens' personality. I am really looking forward to hearing from far more knowledgeable people than me.

I did reach out privately to Jean last night about some thoughts I was beginning to have about Dickens during the reading of American Notes. After reading Chapters 6 and 7, where Dickens spent so much time examining terrible living conditions and interacting with the many miserably hopeless people he met in prisons, insane asylums and slums, I wondered that he could bear to surround himself with so much human misery - more than I think the heart and mind could bear. I was beginning to wonder for the first time if Dickens might have suffered from a manic-depressive condition: he had such great highs and industry, but then he would go out at night and walk for hours through the worst parts of London... what was his frame of mind during these solitary hours? Did he try to walk off the depression and sorrow he felt?

In thinking on these things, I was reminded that we had previously discussed in other reads how Dickens was haunted by a darker self. Could he have suffered from what we now recognize as a bipolar personality? Has there ever been any scholarly research published on his personality and what kept him so tremendously human, even throughout his years of fame?

I would also love to know more about Dickens... what drove him to be the man and writer he was.

Some great thoughts for us to ponder and discuss here Shirley - thank you!

Shirley, there is an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 1988 discussing the possibility that Newton, Dickens, Beethoven, and Van Gogh may have been bipolar (manic-depressive). This might be just a book review of the book below since the author's name is different, but the description is the same.

"The Key to Genius: Manic-Depression and the Creative Life" by Dorothy M Bernstein MD
I don't have access to the article, but you could try:
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama...

This book is an updated version of a book with the same title as the article above:

Manic Depression and Creativity by D. Jablow Hershman. There are some inexpensive used paperbacks on Amazon's website.

Connie! This is an amazing find on your part! I had no idea others had previously wondered if Dickens suffered with a bipolar disorder. It's strange that I had never thought about it until we started reading American Notes together. His own personality was really coming through as he was writing about his experiences in America.

I just tried to find the book in the two local library systems I belong to. Neither one of them have it on their shelves, but the book is in our state's library system, so I am going to interlibrary loan it when we get through reading American Notes. I cannot wait. Not only do I want to know about Dickens, but I have been a fan of Van Gogh's all of my life, so reading about him too is going to be doubly beneficial.

Thank you for calling our attention to this book, Connie!

Yes, that's an invaluable resource for us all; thank you very much Connie.

After each of his his public readings, Charles Dickens wrote to his friend John Forster that he was completely overwhelmed, particularly by one section he included later, from Oliver Twist (view spoiler)[ the murder of Nancy by Bill Sikes (hide spoiler)]. A doctor was on hand every performance to measure his heart rate before and after, and it skyrocketed (but still he did not stop 😢)

As well as feeding into his "dual selves" belief, Charles Dickens felt he could not get away from the dark side which was pursuing him through the streets. He regularly walked for miles, through the night, to escape it. Could this be burgeoning schizophrenia?

So is this obsessive behaviour? Why did he feel compelled to perform, in such an extreme way that it eventually killed him? Over and over again we read that he sacrificed himself for this. Was it just the fear of being impecunious like his father? Or an over-developed sense of loyalty to his readers/audience? Or was he addicted to the adulation, and did it validate his self-image?

I'd love to know what other think! All the details, including facts and figures of his timetable as he whizzed round the country, and heart-rate are in John Forster's The Life of Charles Dickens, Vol. 3.

It's been reported (but I can't find a RELIABLE source in a quick online search) that Dickens had a quirk of always having to have the head of his bed facing North. Something to do with the magnetic fields and his creativity. Perhaps this is mentioned in his letters at some point?

I don't think it counts as feng shui, but it makes me wonder what other similar superstitions he may have had.

Poor Catherine! Even if she loved him and could have tolerated his relationship with Ellen Tiernan, I think it must have been exhausting to live with someone so very particular, especially with a houseful of rambunctious children -- never known for keeping order! It must have been like taking a tight corset off when she moved into her own home.

I had the good fortune recently to be part of a Zoom presentation by Lucinda Hawksley discussing her recent book ‘Dickens and Travel.’ She is a very engaging person and it was a pleasure to listen to her.

Lucinda stated that while Dickens was in Italy he was suffering from depression, partly brought on by the reception to Martin Chuzzlewit, which of course, was written after ‘American Notes.’ Sales were slipping for MC. Dickens suffered bouts of depression all his life. The members of this thread have certainly captured the essence of his suffering and many of the reasons why.

As for what’s going on with his health in ‘American Notes’ let’s wait until Dickens crosses the border and enters Canada. At that time I’ll make some more comments about Dickens’s state of mind.

Peter wrote: "I had the good fortune recently to be part of a Zoom presentation by Lucinda Hawksley discussing her recent book ‘Dickens and Travel.’ She is a very engaging person and it was a pleasure to listen ..."

Great! That's our side read this season LINK HERE. It's not got much activity yet, so I'll move it to the current folder in case that helps.

Please do add your bit, Peter!