Nicholas Nickleby: Chapters 49 - 65

[Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"]

Since I’ve written a lot here, I’ll leave it to others to comment more on today’s chapter, and see you on Saturday, to start our final installment! Hopefully thinking about and around mesmerism first may help enhance the reading 😊

[Sara]

My favorite quotation from this chapter is one that Jean has already given us in the summary. I am repeating it here, nonetheless.

“Frank has money, and wants no more. Where would it buy him such a treasure as Kate? And yet, in unequal marriages, the rich party is always supposed to make a great sacrifice, and the other to get a good bargain!”

I know Dickens well enough to believe he will not allow the self-sacrifice of these two to go unrewarded. I did love Nicholas' vision of the two of them together in old age, taking care of one another. I could not help thinking of Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert from Anne of Green Gables.

I find the subject of mesmerism fascinating and marvel at early thinkers, whose venture into unknown territory has further our understanding of ourselves, even if their early theories don't always turn out to be unerringly correct. If the practice of mesmerism had done nothing else, it gave us some amazing fiction.

[Peter]

Bionic Jean wrote: "There were no illustrations at all that I could find for this chapter, so I’ve inserted a beautiful work of Art instead. Peter located this lovely oil painting right at the beginning of this read, ..."

Charles Dickens commissioned W.P. Frith to paint pictures of Dolly Varden from ‘Barnaby Rudge’ Kate Nickleby. Dickens was quite taken by Firth's portraits and Frith and Dickens became friends. Later in their relationship Frith did another oil painting of Kate Nickleby as well as other characters from the novels of Dickens

Of further interest, The Dickens Museum in London, England, has early preliminary sketches of Kate Nickleby done by Hablot Browne. It is interesting to see how Browne shaped his vision of Kate prior to doing the plates that feature her in the illustrations.

Should anyone want to see the material mentioned above simply contact me as a friend request so I can get your email and I will send the above pictures to you. I wrote an article for ‘The Mudfog News’ about the Dickens - Frith relationship. If you want a copy just ask.

[Sue]

My favorite quote from this chapter is from the section about Miss LaCreevy’s reactions to Nicholas’s return alone after Smike’s death.
“With that, the good soul fell to crying afresh, and, endeavouring to recover herself, tried to laugh. The laugh and the cry meeting each other thus abruptly, had a struggle for the mastery; the result was, that it was a drawn battle, and Miss LaCreevy went into hysterics.”

[Shirley (stampartiste)]

Bridget wrote: "The name "Smike" always seemed odd to me. What could it mean, where did it come from? Now, knowing that Brooker is the man who took Smike to Squeers in order to spite Ralph, and further is the man ..."

Bridget~ I also have wondered throughout this novel what was Dickens' intent in naming Smike. It is such an odd name. Like you, I thought of "spite", which would now make sense in that he was left at Squeers' school out of spite for Ralph. But I also thought of the verb "smite" which is often used in the Bible. One of the definitions of smite is "To attack, damage, or destroy by or as if by blows". That would certainly describe the treatment Smike received during his youth. Either way, it is so sad that someone so kind would bear a name so full of hurt.

[Peter]

Sacrifice is indeed a key word to describe this chapter. For 21C readers the reasons for both Nicholas and Kate seeing their future lives and marriages as bleak may seem illogical. In my mind I say go ahead and marry the person you want. The culture of the 19C was much different, however, and the courtship rituals and ‘rules’ were much more strict.

I think we know by now that we will have a romantic and satisfying conclusion for all our lovers, and I suspect Dickens’s first readers knew by this point in the book that all would work out for our young (and perhaps more elder) characters as well. Still, the hesitate nature of Nicholas and others gives the reader much to ponder and reflect upon in terms of how one needed to approach the concept of marriage in the 19C.

I’m glad that Jean has refreshed our minds about mesmerism. A bit of foreshadowing on her part perhaps about what is to come?

[Bridget]

Shirley (stampartiste) wrote: "Bridget wrote: "The name "Smike" always seemed odd to me. What could it mean, where did it come from? Now, knowing that Brooker is the man who took Smike to Squeers in order to spite Ralph, and fur..."

Smite works really well too, Shirley - I like it! and yes, its so sad

[Bridget]

The title of Chapter 61 "Wherein Nichols and his Sister forfeit the Good Opinion of all worldly and prudent People", gave me hope that this would be the chapter where Nicholas and Kate flaunt societal norms and run off with Madeline and Frank.

Alas, it was not to be and that left me confused by what "good opinion" did they forfeit here by being self-sacrificing? Is it perhaps their mother's good opinion? (which of course she is wrong, because Mrs. Nickleby can't or won't see the dilemma of these marriages which Nicholas describes).

[Chris]

I appreciated the comments that Peter made about love and marriage through the 21C lens. I definitely was in the camp that if both parties loved each other (and were not currently engaged or married) they should move forward down that path! And despite my disappointment that both Nicholas and Kate would sacrifice their happiness with a mate, I am heartened in the knowledge that Dickens rarely leaves one dissatisfied in a character's story conclusion.

[Sam]

I am still locked in on the chapter with the death of Smike,and much of what follows I am processing in relation to that chapter. I see numerous comparisons between Ralph and Nicholas with Ralph being accorded most of the negative associations regarding the focus on self and Nicholas in oppostion, being associated with self-sacrifice, compassion, and the placement of others before self. I almost wonder if Dickens found some influence from Zen Buddhism, but that is said in jest.

[Kathleen]

Dickens had to mesmerize himself out of the contortions he put himself into by making Ralph into Smike’s father. I just shook my head after reading that chapter. The reality, if it’s real, somewhat resembles the story he had Squeers made up earlier.

[Werner]

Bridget wrote: "The title of Chapter 61 "Wherein Nichols and his Sister forfeit the Good Opinion of all worldly and prudent People", gave me hope that this would be the chapter where Nicholas and Kate flaunt socie..."

I think that Dickens is being ironical here. Most "worldly and prudent people" then (and now) would think that Nicholas and Kate ought to jump at the chance to snag wealthy partners for themselves, and that there's something wrong with their brains if they don't. His own ideals are quite different from those of the "worldly and prudent."

[Jim]

At the conclusion of Chapter 61, it may be worthwhile to step back a bit and consider Nicholas’s personality, his natural tendencies, and how we’ve seen him act under various circumstances.
First off, he is a “man of action”; whenever he finds himself under duress, his first instinct is to act decisively, sometimes with physical violence if he is enraged or feels threatened. But now, the tide has turned decisively against his arch enemy Ralph, and all of Ralph’s confederates are in retreat. There’s no need now for that aspect of Nicholas’s character to flare up again.
Next, Nicholas is a very compassionate man. He went to great lengths to defend, protect and nurture Smike and his rescue of Madeline was motivated by compassion for her misfortune, quite apart from his love for her. His natural motivation now will be to do what he sees as being in the best interests of each of his friends—including Madeline.
Finally, Nicholas is a man of honor. His unshakeable sense of obligation—and in particular toward his benefactors, the Cheerybles—has never wavered and we can be certain that he will, regardless of his own desires, endeavor to do “the right thing”.
All of which, oddly enough, means that he is not master of his own destiny.

[Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"]

Sara, Peter and Chris - I too hope Charles Dickens will not let is down with these self-sacrificing young people, although he has not yet told us how they could, according to the social mores and principles of the time - do anything else, as you say. 🤔So something will have to happen in the plot to enable this.

Ah, Peter my posts about mesmerism are not foreshadowing as such (I'd never do that, as it's against our rules!) but I did include one quotation which was Charles Dickens's own recent - and still non-specific - foreshadowing about something which happens in today's chapter (62).

[Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"]

Bridget and Shirley - Smike's name is surely a puzzle. Since we now know he was named that by Brooker - and have not been told the name he was originally called by Ralph and his wife - "spite" is a good theory (to spite Ralph) and also "smite" is a possibility. That has two meanings: as well as the more common one, to stoke a heavy blow, in literature it can be used (archaically) as the noun of "to be smitten". Since Smike was smitten with both Nicholas and his (female alter-ego) Kate, I agree that that fits quite well too.

Sam - Great observation about how Charles Dickens is stressing the opposing motives of Nicholas and his uncle viz. self-sacrificing and self-serving. It seems to reach an pinnacle in chapter 61, doesn't it?

[Peter]

Jim wrote: "At the conclusion of Chapter 61, it may be worthwhile to step back a bit and consider Nicholas’s personality, his natural tendencies, and how we’ve seen him act under various circumstances.
First o..."

Hi Jim

I agree with the general premise concerning Nicholas. I too found him too impetuous, too immature at the beginning of the novel. Over time, as you say he has rounded into a much better and much more aware person, both as an individual, and as a person who functions within society. This novel was written in instalments and built on the premise of being a Bildungsroman. I wonder to what degree the arc of his maturation has evolved partly because of the nature and format of the novel.

I agree that in all his endeavours he wanted to do the right thing, and, in the end, his chosen actions were justified. We are one instalment from the end of the novel but I think we can see what Fate will present him with for the remainder of his life.

[Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"]

Kathleen - It's interesting that you consider Ralph being Smike's father as far-fetched. Personally I think it works perfectly for the drama; however what is contorted is the back story.

In fact the relationship is so neat as a solution, that I believe Charles Dickens might have intended this relationship right from the start, (in which case he must have got distracted from working out the details.)

I've just reread the part of John Forster's The Life of Charles Dickens, to see if that would throw any light on this, (since he was the only biographer privy to Charles Dickens intentions), but although Charles Dickens apparently did share a few thoughts about Nicholas Nickleby, and John Forster details the development of the novel and what is going on at the time, unlike with Charles Dickens's later novels the information is only sketchy.

[Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"]

The Life of Charles Dickens by John Forster did reveal another interesting fact for us though. When John Forster first read about Miss Knag, he exclaimed "Miss Bates". He was so convinced that Miss Knag was based on this character from Emma, that he mentioned it to Charles Dickens ... who told him that he had not yet read anything by Jane Austen! (Presumably he was too busy reading Tobias Smollett and Henry Fielding 😆... another friend could not believe that Fanny Squeers's letter could come from any other pen but Tobias Smollett!)

Anyway, I found that surprising, and seem to remember someone earlier saying a character reminded them of someone in a novel by by Jane Austen. It's nice to know it must have actually been a primary source, from life, and that Charles Dickens was not just copying another author's observations and creation!

[Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"]

Werner wrote: "I think that Dickens is being ironical here [about] "worldly and prudent people"... His own ideals are quite different "

Yes, you're absolutely right, and I can also see Bridget's dilemma.

If we think we have already read the end of Nicholas's and Kate's stories, then this is bitter irony indeed, and conveys Charles Dickens's condemnation of the views of the society which he inhabits.

As Bridget observes neither will flout societal norms. But if on the other hand there is to be a change, then the term irony would still apply, but it would change to being droll, and tongue in cheek irony. We can thus see that even the chapter titles are written very expertly, sometimes with double meanings, and an eye as to what might ensue.

Jim - Great summing-up so far for Nicholas's growth of character; I am particularly taken with your contention that:

"he will, regardless of his own desires, endeavor to do “the right thing”.
All of which, oddly enough, means that he is not master of his own destiny."

[Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"]

So moving on to today's hair-raising chapter, and I hope nobody read this one late at night! 😨

[Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"]

Installment 20:

Chapter 62: Ralph makes one last Appointment—and keeps it

This chapter follows straight on in Ralph’s story.

Ralph leaves the Cheerybles, slinking along the road like a thief. He often looks over his shoulder:

“as though he were followed in imagination or reality by someone anxious to question or detain him …

The night was dark, and a cold wind blew, driving the clouds, furiously and fast, before it. There was one black, gloomy mass that seemed to follow him: not hurrying in the wild chase with the others, but lingering sullenly behind, and gliding darkly and stealthily on.“

It is as if he is being slowly and mournfully followed by a shadowy funeral train. Ralph passes by a paupers’ cemetery:



"Ralph Nickleby Grows Desperate 'And clasping the iron railings with his hands, looked eagerly in'" - Charles Stanley Reinhart - 1875

“And here, in truth they lay, parted from the living by a little earth and a board or two—lay thick and close—corrupting in body as they had in mind—a dense and squalid crowd. Here they lay, cheek by jowl with life: no deeper down than the feet of the throng that passed there every day, and piled high as their throats. Here they lay, a grisly family, all these dear departed brothers and sisters of the ruddy clergyman who did his task so speedily when they were hidden in the ground!



"A Gothic Image of Desperation as Ralph makes his way Home 'Clasping the iron railings with his hands, looked eagerly in, wondering which might be his grave '" - Fred Barnard - 1875

He recalls a case where he was on the jury to decide about a man who had cut his own throat, and wonders eagerly if the man is buried there. As he peers in, some drunks come by laughing and singing. One of them, a hump-backed little man, begins to dance. People laugh to see such a grotesque, fantastic figure, and even Ralph is moved to mirth.

But when they pass he resumes his musings on the suicide, remembering how the man laughed at the end, and how odd he and the other jurors had found it. Ralph cannot find the grave, but conjures up such a strong image of the man in his mind, that he still retains the impression when he walks away:

“as he remembered, when a child, to have had frequently before him the figure of some goblin he had once seen chalked upon a door.”

He is reluctant to go home, knowing how empty it will be there.However, he makes himself turn the key. “There was no light. How very dreary, cold, and still it was!” Ralph mounts the stairs to the room where he had last been. He had forced himself not to think about what had happened, until he was home.

“His own child, his own child! He never doubted the tale; he felt it was true; knew it as well, now, as if he had been privy to it all along. His own child! And dead too.”

And the worst thing of all is that his child had died loving Nicholas, with Nicholas beside him.

His life is crumbling, just as Nicholas had predicted it would. Everything is about to be revealed. He has been abandoned, and even money will not bring the people back. The young lord is dead, and his companion is abroad. His investment has failed. The plan with Gride has been foiled just when it looked certain. He is in danger, and now discovers that the wretched child he had persecuted because Nicholas loved him, had been his own child.

Ralph knows he probably wouldn’t have been a good father, but he may not have been a bad one. His son might have been a comfort to him when his wife eloped with a younger man:

“He seemed to remember a time when he was not quite so rough and obdurate; and almost thought that he had first hated Nicholas because he was young and gallant, and perhaps like the stripling who had brought dishonour and loss of fortune on his head.”

Maybe he and his son would have been happy together. He believes his wife’s elopement and the child’s death had contributed to his hardness.

Ralph is maddened by the idea that Nicholas had rescued his child and had shown his son the love he had never known. His hatred reaches heights of:

“sheer wild lunacy … The dead boy’s love for Nicholas, and the attachment of Nicholas to him, was insupportable agony … he would have had them mortal enemies and hating each other to the last. [It ] drove him frantic. He gnashed his teeth and smote the air, and looking wildly round, with eyes which gleamed through the darkness, cried aloud that he is ruined.

“The night has come! Is there no way to rob them of further triumph, and spurn their mercy and compassion? Is there no devil to help me?””

His son has been taught to hate his own parent, and Ralph wishes desperately that he could rob them of their victory.

Ralph’s mind is full of the images he had conjured up in the graveyard. He sees the looming shadow, now with its head covered: “the pale and trembling relatives who had told their tale upon the inquest—the shrieks of women—the silent dread of men” and gropes his way to the very top of the house: the attic, which used to be his son’s room. It is now full of lumber and broken furniture, although a lone bedstead stands there.



"Ralph Nickleby Brought to Desperation" - Fred Barnard - 1875

Ralph averts his eyes, and stands on a chest, feeling a beam in the ceiling for an iron hook.

A loud knocking at the door interrupts him, and a man calls up asking for Mr Nickleby. He is not sure the voice he hears is Mr Nickleby’s but when Ralph assures him that it is he, the man says that he has been sent by the Cheeryble brothers. They wonder if they should detain the man he had seen with them that night [Brooker]. Ralph says yes they should, and then that the Cheeryble brothers should bring both the man and Nicholas to see him in the afternoon of the following day. When asked when, he replies fiercely “At any hour, at any minute. All times will be alike to me.”

Ralph gazes up into the sky and sees, or thinks he sees, the same black cloud that had seemed to follow him home. Now it hovers directly above him:

“‘I know its meaning now,’ he muttered, ‘and the restless nights, the dreams, and why I have quailed of late. All pointed to this.”

He wishes savagely that he could barter his soul for more time:

“With a wild look around, in which frenzy, hatred, and despair were horribly mingled, he shook his clenched hand at the sky above him, which was still dark and threatening, and closed the window.

The rain and hail pattered against the glass; the chimneys quaked and rocked; the crazy casement rattled with the wind, as though an impatient hand inside were striving to burst it open. But no hand was there, and it opened no more.“

Now some men are at Ralph Nickleby’s house, unsuccessfully trying to make themselves heard. They know he came home the night before, but he is not answering. Impatiently they look up at the window where they knew he had called from the previous night. Two or three of them go around the back of the house, and get in through a window. The rooms are quiet and undisturbed, as they have been told that the housekeeper is not there. But one of them points out that they have not searched the garret.

They go upstairs and push the door open, although one thinks Mr Nickleby is hiding behind it. Another exclaims, and cuts the body they find down with his knife:

“[Ralph had] hung himself on an iron hook immediately below the trap-door in the ceiling—in the very place to which the eyes of his son, a lonely, desolate, little creature, had so often been directed in childish terror, fourteen years before.”

[Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"]

Wow, what an incredibly powerful, magnificent chapter! I think it is probably the strongest in the entire book so far.

Every single sentence is a little masterpiece of writing. Even the title: "...one last appointment" is so drolly ambiguous, as his appointment is with death! And Fred Barnard evidently loved it so much that he made two out of the three dark plates for just this one chapter, which is unheard of!

When I had read this chapter 62, I was petrified and couldn’t seem to move. And now you can see why I made those posts about mesmerism (the precognition, clairvoyance, mesmeric trance, divided selves and so on). lf we look at the writing we can see how Charles Dickens has achieved his effects - please do give your favourite examples, if you like!

We also see literary devices we are more likely to recognise such as the pathetic fallacy of the weather, and Charles Dickens's own penchant for conjuring up sprites and ghouls. How about the dark cloud presence? Is that his own conscience transmogrified into a literal presence, do you think? In chapter 61 Charles Dickens referred to the dark presentiment others assumed Ralph had had.

[Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"]

Ralph's Motivation

I know some readers think Ralph is pure evil, but there have been times where he has shown a more human side, such as when he was tender to Kate after putting her through such an ordeal (in fact he always treated Kate differently from her brother) or paused after reading Nicholas's letter. So one of my favourite quotations is:

“He seemed to remember a time when he was not quite so rough and obdurate; and almost thought that he had first hated Nicholas because he was young and gallant, and perhaps like the stripling who had brought dishonour and loss of fortune on his head.”

However Ralph could never escape the resentment he felt for his brother, (and by extension, Nicholas) and for his wife's lover. Each time we have seen him at a possible turning point, he always decided to turn back towards his self-serving path, choosing to be full of hatred.

We even see his final act is fuelled by anger. He spites those he still hates, by making sure they will be there to witness his hanging body (probably hoping they will be the first). We see by the writing that Ralph is motivated by hatred right to the end. And yet ... isn't the act of suicide in part an act of remorse?

Some religions will view it as a mortal sin. Ralph even calls to "some devil" to aid him. But Ralph is still a wealthy man, and I feel that if he was not without a rudimentary conscience, he would not have taken this step to end his life.

[Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"]

Here's my second favourite quotation:

“But one tender thought, or one of natural regret, in his whirlwind of passion and remorse, was as a drop of calm water in a stormy maddened sea.”

I loved Charles Dickens’s inclusion of the sea here. It is always significant. And Ralph is a character with great depth. He was not a caricature but showed his gentle side briefly with Kate. There were many points where I felt he could have been been redeemed, but always chose instead to scheme and plot. First he was jealous of his brother; then of the young man with whom his neglected wife eloped, and he had used the similarity of Nicholas to both these young men, to explain his irrational hatred and behaviour. Nevertheless, Charles Dickens shows us he has free will, and could have chosen a different end.

But Charles Dickens is kind. He has not made this the end of an installment, for his readers to mope on all month. Moreover he has carefully placed the word “Cheer” for us to see, in the title of the next chapter about the Cheeryble brothers. 😊

We feel the chill, and the dreadful doom-laden end of Ralph Nickleby. Can we appreciate it to the full, I wonder? Well done all those who can wait until tomorrow before reading on! I'm really looking forward to reading your thoughts, and perhaps briefly revisiting some of those powerful evocative sentences again.

[Kathleen]

I completely agree, Jean. I think my absolute favorite thing about Dickens' writing is his use of pathetic fallacy. (I have so much trouble with that term though, because the words don't feel at all to me like what the device conjures!)

I have been looking forward to a re-read of A Christmas Carol, and for me, the way he gives feelings to so many of the things he describes is the best part of reading the story versus enjoying an adaptation.

And here, the way he described that dark cloud especially, was so brilliant and affecting.

A couple of lines stood out to me. Early on, when Ralph thinks: "They had all turned from him and deserted him in his very first need", there was something very final about that thought--final and cold.

I too was struck by the way his hatred of Nicholas was his chief emotion, even in a time like this. And I noted this line, thinking back on the compassion of the brothers. Ralph thinks: "Is there no way to rob them of further triumph, and spurn their mercy and compassion?

I do agree that there is a conscience there, but a fatally troubled one.

This chapter made me reach for a blanket to take the chill off!

[Chris]

I loved this chapter! The gloomy atmosphere, the following menace and hovering black cloud as Ralph considers his dire situation. His mental gymnastics as he flips from what ifs to the seething hatred he can't shake for Nicholas. The description of the house, as much a shell as Ralph has become, and his determination to foil any joy in his downfall by Nicholas. "Is there no way to rob them of further triumph, and spurn their mercy and compassion? Suicide is seen as an act of desperation for a life one can no longer face. I'd say that is what Ralph was escaping from, yet it does take an act of courage to hang oneself I would think.

[Peter]

This chapter is a masterclass of how to write. The way Dickens blends words, evokes emotion, incorporates literary devices and links back into earlier chapters to evoke our memory all bring a richness to this chapter’s reading experience.

To keep my comments narrow I first think back to Hablot Browne’s illustration titled ‘The Recognition’ in chapter 58. There is Smike, on his deathbed, but he is not alone. Nicholas is with him. When we look at Smike’s position we see his pose is one of rising. He rises towards Nicholas. In the bushes is Brooker.

In this chapter I think the Browne illustration is played out again. This time, however, Ralph Nickleby is the focus. Now, Ralph’s coming death looms before him but unlike Smike, he is alone. The presence of Brooker is now replaced with the black cloud that follows Ralph. Isn’t the black cloud a wonderful, albeit ominous touch, and symbol? Both Smike and Ralph feared a dark presence.

In this chapter Ralph slinks home ‘as if he was a blind man.’ Dickens mentions a ‘shadowy funeral train’ and when Ralph passes by a graveyard Dickens weaves the word ‘lay’ in the description of the graveyard three times. When Ralph arrives home he enters and feels that to shut his door ‘would be to shut out the world. But he let it go, and it closed with a loud noise. There was no light, How very dreary, cold, and still it was.’ From this description we see Dickens transfigure his home into a casket which also has no light but is indeed dreary, cold and still.

In the last sentences of the chapter we learn that Ralph died ‘in the very place to which the eyes of his son, a lonely, desolate, little creature, had so often been directed in childish terror fourteen years before.’ And so Ralph dies in the dark, alone; for Smike, however, he died as we are told in the last sentences of chapter 58, seeing ‘beautiful gardens, which he said stretched out before him, and were filled with figures of men, women, and many children, all with light upon their faces, … it was Eden.

The endings of chapters 58 and 62 tell two tales of death. One death allows Smike to enter into light, love and companionship. Ralph Nickleby’s death condemns him to dwell in darkness forever.

[Bridget]

Thank you, Jean, for preparing us for this chapter with your master class explanation of mesmerism. I see now why we needed all that information. I agree with Peter that the writing in this chapter is outstanding!

I tend to have a pencil in hand while I read Dickens so that I can underline favorites phrases, but I was so caught up in the writing of this chapter that I didn't underline a thing. I read it straight through.

To me this chapter felt a bit like watching Ralph descend into madness, losing his grip on reality and succumbing to the black cloud. It reminded me a great deal of (view spoiler)[Fagin's last night in the prison as he goes mad (hide spoiler)] in Oliver Twist.

I have two thoughts that are lingering with me since the end of this chapter. The first comes from Ralph thinking at the end "even money could not buy them now". This is a theme that repeats in Dickens, that money can't buy happiness nor can it save your soul.

I also can't stop thinking about the irony of Ralph's hand in bringing on Smike's death. It's natural that Ralph should feel awful about his part in that. But Smike was always someone's son, even when his parentage was a mystery. So are all the boys in Yorkshire. And with this twist in the plot, I feel Dickens telling us, we should care for all children as if they are our own

[Kelly]

Wow. This has to be one of my favorite chapters of the book. It seems an odd thing to say given the subject matter, but I agree that it is written so wonderfully!

Peter, the comparison you made of the deaths of Smike and Ralph Nickleby is powerful. Thank you so much for that.

The dark cloud had the most power for me in this chapter. It haunted me, as it did Ralph, throughout the reading.

I don't know if this quite fits, but I found meaning in that the messenger at the door calling to Ralph at the window questioned, "That's not Mr Nickleby's voice, surely." But it was Ralph that spoke. In those moments, Ralph was almost disembodied from his own voice, as he contemplated suicide. I'm not sure if this is "divided self" or not, but to me, it's like the earthly Ralph and the "spirit" of Ralph had already departed from each other even though the act of death hadn't come yet. I may be way off of the mark here with what you were asking about, Jean, but I thought that line was particularly poignant.

Barnard's plates are so eerie and I just love them, again, despite the subject matter.

[Peter]

Kelly wrote: "Wow. This has to be one of my favorite chapters of the book. It seems an odd thing to say given the subject matter, but I agree that it is written so wonderfully!

Peter, the comparison you made of..."

Hi Kelly

Yes indeed, the plates are very powerful and add so much to the novel.

[Sue]

One of my favorite sections of this chapter is related to parts others have mentioned, the time when Ralph is picking apart his past.

If he had known his child to be alive; if no deceit had been ever
practiced, and he had grown up, beneath his eye; he might have
been a careless, indifferent, rough, harsh father—like enough—he
felt that; but the thought would come that he might have been
otherwise, and that his son might have been a comfort to him and
they two happy together.”

But Ralph moves on then to the other thoughts mentioned by others here above. I find it sad that this man can’t pull the thinking man out of himself. And I wonder if he has ever thought this deeply before. Did learning about Smike lead him to a new level of introspection which then turns into a higher level of hatred aimed at anyone who might consider being merciful towards him.

What a complex man Ralph is in the end.

[Shirley (stampartiste)]

I'm running a little behind and just got through reading your posts on mesmerism, Jean. One thing you brought up which I thought was totally fascinating, and I would dearly love to know more about, was this:

One of the patients he hypnotised with great success was Madame de La Rue, whom he saw every day for a long time, at various periods between 1858 and 1863. She aided his self-discovery about his other self, as she was conscious of two “Charleses”; it was a very intense self-sustaining relationship, but only has a limited bearing here.

What two selves did Dickens think he had? How did he think they defined him? I have never heard this before and feel that it must reveal more about him. Can we discuss that here, or do we need to move that to the parlor? Thank you!

[Shirley (stampartiste)]

What a dark, fascinating chapter Dickens gave us concerning Ralph's mindset that led to his fatal decision. (I must say (view spoiler)[ the dark, desolate house and the method of Ralph's death reminded me of the end of Sikes in Oliver Twist) (hide spoiler)].

In our discussion of mesmerism (most specifically clairvoyance and precognition), I wonder if poor little Smike saw his father hanging from the ceiling at night - if that's what rendered him feebleminded. I can't imagine a child trying to process that image night after night!

At times, during this story, I wondered if Ralph could have an Ebenezer Scrooge moment and turn from his wicked ways. But the two personalities were so vastly different. Yes, Ebenezer was a miser, but he was not vicious, and he was willing to learn from each ghost. Ralph was not! With the exception of Kate, he only dug himself deeper into his pit of despair. A tragic, wasted life.

[Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"]

And a little more about …

Madame de La Rue

(in response to Shirley’s query about how their relationship relates to Charles Dickens's belief in “two selves”. The spoiler tag is just to save space.

(view spoiler)[ Augusta de la Rue was the wife of a Swiss banker in Genoa. Charles Dickens met the couple when he and Kate were travelling and it was Emile de la Rue who encouraged him to rent the “Palazzo de Peschiere” (palace of the fisheries) where the Dickens family lived happily for a long while, and where he wrote The Chimes. They were good friends, but Augusta de la Rue suffered from extreme anxiety, which was so profound that it caused noticeable facial tics or spasms. Dickens theorised that this might be psychosomatic, and since he was not over-committed with his writing offered to help treat her with mesmerism as a “humble servant and physician”.

Charles Dickens found that she also suffered from convulsions, distortion of the limbs, aching headaches, insomnia and a plague of neuraesthenic symptoms including catalepsy. He knew that John Elliotson had treated such symptoms successfully, so began to treat her in December 1844. Charles Dickens too had various symptoms. He had a pain in his side and insomnia: when asleep he dreamed of his dead sister-in-law Mary.

He used standard mesmeric techniques, sleep-waking (mesmeric sleep) and mesmeric trance, within which the patient, stimulated by the doctor, explored fears, fantasies and dreams through verbalised free association. By January she was much improved and able to sleep. But the two had become involved in a relationship of mutual need. During one of their sessions Mme de La Rue excitedly talked of her “brother” in the room, leaning against the window. She began to cry, overwhelmed at his sadness. When asked, she said his name was “Charles” and that he was thinking of her, and felt himself completely forgotten.

This is all from a letter Charles Dickens wrote to Emile. When conscious Mme de la Rue could not remember anything she had said in a mesmeric trance. The figure was seen many more times, as someone who was “haunting this place” and she sometimes called it her “bad spirit”. Sometimes she hear the spirit talking of Dickens, and sometimes when she saw it, it seemed to be her estranged brother. She called it the “Phantom”.

Charles Dickens had already had experience of patients of John Elliotson who were siblings and had strange powers. He was fascinated by the idea of doubles, and wanted to find a scientific basis for clairvoyance. Perhaps not surprisingly, he also thought there was a connection between him and “Charles”. He had to go away in mid-January but if Emile wished him to, they would stay longer in the “Palazzo de Peschiere”. Emile was very keen for Dickens to keep treating his wife, who seemed so much better. But a mutual dependence was growing between them; the doctor could not give up the patient any more than the patient could give up the doctor. Catherine could see this, and complained that her husband hardly ever saw her now, although he treated Mme de la Rue every day.

Charles Dickens recorded their session and sent them to Emile. Mme de la Rue was increasingly obsessed with the Phantom, and Charles Dickens was urging her not to let it gain a hold. It was this dark phantom which seemed to hold the key to her illness. Its effect was inseparable from her belief in Charles Dickens’s benevolence and power, and her knowledge about the force of animal magnetism. He feared that she would relapse and become insane if the Phantom gained the upper hand.

In a way he had become her pyschotherapist, but Charles Dickens also became a surrogate for her, internalised her struggles, and viewed the Phantom as his personal enemy. He was so involved with the challenge, the conflict of wills, the extension and growth of the power of the self, that Charles Dickens could not resist. Nor did he want to, because of the thrill of danger, the excitement of total passion and commitment (despite the difficulties of time, place and situation.)

Mme de la Rue could go nowhere without Charles Dickens, to whom she confided her “fevered dreams” (a report to Emile) and Charles Dickens himself feared that at any time the power of the Phantom might reassert itself, and that the longer they were apart, the less effective the force of magnetism might be. He was horrified when Mme de la Rue suggested stopping the mesmeric treatments now her physical ailments had been cured. Charles Dickens began to think that the Phantom might threaten to take its revenge upon not only her, but also upon him, if she gave up the treatments. He believed that she would not tell him this, but just suffer in silence. He told Emile that the treatment must be continued. He thought that the evil figure was increasing in power. But if Charles Dickens could exercise his magnetic power “near her and with her”, he could shatter the dark figure “like glass”. It was all part of “such a strange and mysterious whole”.

It stopped him sleeping. Waking “feeling horror and emotion”; his thoughts were consumed with Mme de la Rue and her Phantom for 3 nights. He wondered if the Phantom were part of him. (In this he might have been moving towards what we now believe: that there is no mysterious,magnetic energy outside ourselves, but a force of will and imaginative powers exerting suggestion.)

Charles Dickens believed he could overcome this dark force, conjured up by the mind “it is in its nature a false thing - an unreal creation; a lie of her eyes and ears”. He and Mme de la Rue were together the weeks and months that followed, even travelling about together (to Catherine’s discomfiture!), and Charles Dickens repeatedly mesmerised her, bringing out “myriads of phantoms of bloody aspect” who “after becoming paler … all veiled their faces”.

Eventually the dependence lessened between 1858 and 1863, as the influence of the dark shadow on Mme de la Rue decreased. When they were in Rome, he wrote of “the shadow of the bad shadow passing quickly”, as if it had withdrawn, exhausted by Charles Dickens’s mesmeric energy. But I have to wonder, was this Dickens’s own projected dark side being overcome? Had Mmme de la Rue’s extreme anxiety, spasms, hallucinations and strange thoughts partly fed on his own?

What I find interesting is that Charles Dickens includes both dark and benevolent spirits in so many of his works, as well as examples of other selves. Your (and others') example of Ebenezer Scrooge Shirley is perfect. Charles Dickens seems to have believed that that there was a connection between himself and Mme de la Rue, as well as her phantom brother “Charles”, and the dark Phantom, and himself. We might assume now that they were suggestions, creations of their minds working together, or projections.

At any rate, Charles Dickens suffered from his own dark Phantom. His obsessive walking at night was to try to rid himself of it. he reported to John Forsterhow he would walk all night, consumed by this terror after describing a murder. When he was involved in public readings near the end of his life, every time he “performed” the (view spoiler)[ murder of Nancy by Bill (hide spoiler)] from Oliver Twist, he would feel the terror of being pursued, and walk endlessly trying to lose the phantom which pursued him.

Charles Dickenswas also convinced that he had “met” his own self and passed him in the street. This in in John Forster too. It seemed for Dickens to be somehow more significant that meeting someone who looked identical to him, but rather “another self”.

The Victorians were fascinated by split personalities and other selves; think of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Other Tales of Terror by Robert Louis Stevenson. This was in 1886, but Dickens was in this at the beginning of the rise in the public’s awareness of psychological discoveries. I think Dickens tried to sort out his ideas in the continual portrayal of split selves (Kelly identified one of these in Ralph), the evil and good aspect conflicting, twins, as well as the power of the will and so on. But I don’t think he ever fully came to terms with his beliefs, and squared them with his experiences.

There’s a whole chapter devoted to Mme de la Rue in Fred Kaplan’s book Dickens and Mesmerism: The Hidden Springs of Fiction, with excerpts from the letters and articles in the medical magazine “The Lancet”. (hide spoiler)]

[Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"]

I’m blown away by yesterday's comments, which are all sooo good! Whether going more deeply into aspects we have pondered, or coming at something from another angle, every one is spot on (and I’ve read them two or three times! Peter especially has brought out several aspects in one post)

We could discuss these much more … but we have a new chapter today. Hopefully it should raise our spirits a little (no pun intended!) after yesterday’s gloom and terror. I smile every time I see the name “Cheeryble”, anyway. 😁

[Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"]

Chapter 63: The Brothers Cheeryble make various Declarations for themselves and others. Tim Linkinwater makes a Declaration for himself

Several weeks have passed, and calm after the shock of recent events has been restored. However Madeline and Frank have been absent from the Nicklebys’ lives, and so Nicholas and Kate are resigned to making the best of things.

Then one evening Mr. Linkinwater delivers an invitation from the Cheerybles, It is for all the family - and particularly Miss La Creevy - to have dinner with them. Mrs. Nickleby says there is certain to be another reason for it. Although Nicholas humours her, saying it is simply to entertain them, she secretly believes it means Nicholas is to become a partner:

“You won’t believe anything I say, of course. It’s much better to wait; a great deal better; it’s satisfactory to all parties, and there can be no disputing. All I say is, remember what I say now, and when I say I said so, don’t say I didn’t

and changes the subject to ruminating on why Miss La Creevy should have been invited, and disapproving of her young style of dress:

“if she likes to make a fright of herself, no doubt she has a perfect right to do so. We never see ourselves—never do, and never did—and I suppose we never shall.”

When the day arrives, Mrs Nickleby takes great care with her own dress, so as to set an example to Miss La Creevy. She quizzes Nicholas when he returns from the office as to whether he had picked up any clues as to what they would be eating. She chatters on in her usual way.

A smiling butler admits them, and Kate feels embarrassed, knowing that the brothers are aware of what has happened between her and Frank. Mr Charles takes her aside, to ask her if she has seen Madeline since she left their house. Kate says not, and that she is upset that Madeline has only written one letter. Sadly, Kate says she seems to have forgotten her. Charles and Ned glance at each other and shake hands in a conspiratorial way, and Charles tells Kate that there is a letter from Madeline in the other room. She need not hurry back, they say; there is plenty of time.

Charles tells Mrs. Nickleby that they specified a time an hour earlier than dinner would be served, because there is business to discuss. He asks Ned to explain, while he takes Mr Nickleby [Nicholas] into another room.

Nicholas is astonished to find Frank waiting there, as he had thought he was abroad. Charles asks them to shake hands, as he wants them to be “close and firm” friends, which both agree to with great pleasure.

Charles then produces a copy of Madeline’s grandfather’s will. He had been angry and disowned her, when she refused to give up her father. However, he reconsidered three weeks later, and made a new will. Immediately after his death some fraud had prevented it from being known, so the old will was administered, which had left the inheritance to a charitable institution. However, once the Cheeryble brothers had obtained the will, they were able to negotiate and prove it. It has taken some trouble, but the money has now been refunded to Madeline and her fortunes have been restored. Do the young men understand? Frank says he does, but:

“Nicholas, who could not trust himself to speak lest his voice should be heard to falter, bowed his head.”

Charles now says that since Frank was the one who recovered the will, and they love Madeline, even though the fortune is small, they would be happy if he wants to marry Madeline. Frank though says no, and that he had believed that her heart belonged to someone else. Perhaps he had judged hastily.

Charles agrees, and say he always does, bursting out:

“How dare you think, Frank, that we would have you marry for money, when youth, beauty, and every amiable virtue and excellence were to be had for love?”

He also scolds Frank for courting Mr. Nickleby’s sister without coming to his uncles first, so that they could speak for him. Frank had been correct though, in thinking that Madeline loves another:

“She chooses you, Mr Nickleby. She chooses as we, her dearest friends, would have her choose. Frank chooses as we would have him choose. He should have your sister’s little hand, sir, if she had refused it a score of times;”

Nicholas had acted nobly, but now he knows that the Cheerybles approve, he must do as he is bid. Happily, he approves both unions, calling Ned in too. While they appreciated Nicholas and Kate’s reasons for refusing to marry, the Cheerybles remind them that were once poor too. Their riches have not changed their natures, and they wish their mother was alive to see everything and be proud, whereupon:

“brother Ned, who had entered with Mrs. Nickleby, and who had been before unobserved by the young men, darted forward, and fairly hugged brother Charles in his arms.”

Ned has already told Mrs. Nickleby and Miss La Creevy, who are crying joyfully. Kate has found Madeline in the other room instead of a letter, and Charles urges the four young lovers to “get out of the way, and talk among themselves”.

Tim Linkinwater comes in, beaming as he shakes hands with everyone. The brothers tease him with long-standing jokes, which he takes in good part. He sits next to Miss La Creevy, as they have become good friends.

“What in the world Tim was doing with his arm, it is impossible to conjecture, but he knocked his elbow against that part of the window which was quite on the other side of Miss La Creevy; and it is clear that it could have no business there.”

As the two talk in whispers about how nice to it to see the young people get married, and Tim says how it almost puts one in mind of getting married oneself - and they get on so very well together - it seems natural enough that after a while Tim should ask Miss La Creevy to marry him.



“A Comfortable Couple” — Reward for Virtue - ‘Oh, Mr. Linkinwater, you’re joking!’ ’No, no, I’m not. I’m not indeed,’ said Tim. ‘I will, if you will. Do my dear!’” - Fred Barnard - 1875

She laughs and replies that they are too old, but after more persuasion and honest speech from Tim:

“Miss La Creevy and Tim were talking as pleasantly as if they had been married for a score of years, and had never once quarrelled”.



“Closure for the Elderly Couple - ’Come, said Tim, ‘let’s be a comfortable couple’” - Charles Stanley Reinhart (1875)

As Nicholas is hurrying down to dinner, he finds himself following a smartly dressed gentleman, who is rather lame. Nicholas is wondering who it might be, when to his surprise the stranger turns round and to his joy, grasps him by both hands. It is Newman Noggs, dressed in the clothes of a gentleman! He explains:

“They wanted all the happiness to come together. I’ve been helping ‘em. I—I—look at me, Nick, look at me!”

The group sits down to enjoy a happy dinner:

“Never was such a dinner as that, since the world began.”

Afterwards though, Mrs. Nickleby takes Kate aside, and says that she is disgusted by Tim Linkinwater’s proposal to Miss La Creevy. She thinks Tim is foolish, and she thinks Miss La Creevy is behaving most improperly, at her age.

[Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"]

Well this chapter made me feel quite tearful - but in a completely different way from before. Charles Dickens loved his sentimental scenes, and boy we have earned this one. His readers must have had been beaming happy smiles through their tears.

I never imagined Tim Linkinwater being matched with Miss la Creevy! I had expected her to go to the country and live with her brother and his family. I loved the bit about his “comely feet”! I wonder if he wore those pointed patent shoes with a bow that were in vogue for men around then … I can imagine Miss La Creevy rather liking those, as we’ve been told (waspishly by Mrs Nickleby) that she “dresses too young for her age” and wears bows and ribbons, so she probably has an eye for stylish features. I wonder what position Tim would sit in, to display his feet seductively.

The other aspect I really liked, was the idea of Charles Cheeryble pretending to be so fierce, when he was dealing with the young men’s romantic inclinations. 😆

[Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"]

So Charles Dickens has made use of one of his favourite Victorian tropes - the missing will - to signal a perfect ending for some characters’ stories. And there is domestic harmony for all those who dreamed of it. The only sour note is Mrs Nickleby on her high horse. (And my slight reservation too, about the unnamed "charitable institution", which is missing out, having had to refund the money to the true beneficiary (i.e. Madeline)).

Nicholas is too moral to accept the profits from Ralph's evil ways, but to me this seem over-pernickety. He could have used that for charitable purposes rather than let it go to the Crown, which is what still happens. The formula seems odd. Refund from a charity is preferred? Anyway, this is Charles Dickens's solution. The hero does not touch "dirty money" and compromise his values, and law and order is maintained. These are just my personal qualms though ... I loved this chapter! 🥰

And how remarkable to think that this was written by the same author as the previous doom-laden chapter.

[Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"]

Just to choose one favourite quotation from all those which made me hug myself in delight:

“What in the world Tim was doing with his arm, it is impossible to conjecture, but he knocked his elbow against that part of the window which was quite on the other side of Miss La Creevy; and it is clear that it could have no business there.”

😂 And yours?

[Kathleen]

My favorite was Tim's convincing words to Miss La Creevy:

"Let’s be a comfortable couple, and take care of each other! And if we should get deaf, or lame, or blind, or bed-ridden, how glad we shall be that we have somebody we are fond of, always to talk to and sit with! Let’s be a comfortable couple. Now, do, my dear!"

Absolutely warmed my heart. ❤️

[Kelly]

That is my favorite quotation as well, Kathleen. The whole scene tickled me and when Tim said that, it forever endeared him to me (he has already been one of my favorite characters anyway!) Barnard's plate of Tim and Miss La Creevy is wonderful! I keep staring at it :-)

The money aspects of this chapter, I admit, I read quickly and kind of brushed off. I'm not sure if it's because I always somewhat zone out with financial topics, but I was probably just too eager for the matches to work out and for a happier ever after!

[Paul]

Bionic Jean wrote: “You won’t believe anything I say, of course. It’s much better to wait; a great deal better; it’s satisfactory to all parties, and there can be no disputing. All I say is, remember what I say now, and when I say I said so, don’t say I didn’t"

Well, for once in the novel, (if not in her entire life), Mrs Nickleby could hardly have been more correct in her predictions.

[Paul]

Bionic Jean wrote: “What in the world Tim was doing with his arm, it is impossible to conjecture, but he knocked his elbow against that part of the window which was quite on the other side of Miss La Creevy; and it is clear that it could have no business there.”

This was my favourite quotation of the chapter. No question it put me in mind of my own efforts as a young teenager to squirm my arm around the shoulders of my date (without her noticing ... yeah, right!) in the theater as we watched a movie.

[Paul]

Bionic Jean wrote: "Nicholas is too moral to accept the profits from Ralph's evil ways, but to me this seem over-pernickety. He could have used that for charitable purposes rather than let it go to the Crown"

Indeed, if Dickens had seen fit to coincidentally match Madeline's surprise bequest to the amount of Ralph's remaining wealth, then it would have been very seemly to accept Ralph's money and allow the charitable institution to remain wholly in possession of Madeline's grandfather's original donation ... in effect, laundering Ralph's usury and turning it into a charitable contribution.

[Lori]

So much to love in this chapter and so much goodness abounding and laughter of course! I can’t help adoring Tim and Miss La Creevy. I love that he doesn’t care about their age but only about sharing each other and being a “comfortable couple.” I loved that quote as well Kathleen!
And the comely feet have me quite a chuckle! Lots of smiles for the outcomes. Except I can’t help thinking Mrs. Nickleby might be a tad bit jealous of Miss La Creevy.

[Sam]

My favorite lines in the chapter:

‘What do you mean, mother?’ asked Nicholas, smiling.

‘I say, my dear,’ rejoined that lady, with a face of unfathomable mystery, ‘what does this invitation to dinner mean? What is its intention and object?’

‘I conclude it means, that on such a day we are to eat and drink in their house, and that its intent and object is to confer pleasure upon us,’ said Nicholas.

‘And that’s all you conclude it is, my dear?’

‘I have not yet arrived at anything deeper, mother.’

‘Then I’ll just tell you one thing,’ said Mrs. Nickleby, you’ll find yourself a little surprised; that’s all. You may depend upon it that this means something besides dinner.’

‘Tea and supper, perhaps,’ suggested Nicholas.

‘I wouldn’t be absurd, my dear, if I were you,’ replied Mrs. Nickleby, in a lofty manner, ‘because it’s not by any means becoming, and doesn’t suit you at all...

At times, Nicholas' naivety comes off as his appearing unbelievably dense. It is my belief that Dickens is aware of this, intends it, and is having fun writing it.

[Bridget]

I also adore Tim and Miss La Creevy! They are my favorite couple in the whole chapter. The tale of the young lovers is told by Charles Cheeryble, but with Tim and Miss LaCreevy we get more deliciuous details - like Time wearing "the neatest shoes and black silk stockings", and sitting on "an old-fashioned window seat" (old-fashioned like the old lovers). And it just makes me love them. I'm so glad Jean gave us illustrations of that moment,

I love all the quotes already mentioned. I also particularly love when Mrs. Nickleby says "you won't believe anything I say of course" because, as a mother, I can totally relate to that feeling LOL! And as Paul points out, for once Mrs. Nickleby is right!

[Sam]

Btw, I have now begun watching the 1983 televised RSC 9 hour version of Dave Edgar's adaptation, The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, directed by Jim Goddard and starring Roger Rees as Nicholas. I am streaming this in the U.S. from Broadway on Demand. It is quite enjoyable even though I have quibbles about some of the casting and directorial choices. Seeing the first few episodes really makes us realize how far we've come and reinforces how wonderful a work this is.

[Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"]

This is confusing, as the DVD I have (and linked to at the beginning) is filmed direct from the stage, over two evenings (i.e not several episodes). We even have the audience, the intervals and the final curtain calls, and changes of sets (which are quite basic). Several members of the cast take more than one part. It's very obvious that we are watching a play, as the camera is static except for close-ups. I'm guessing that yours is a different way of filming Sam, more like a TV series? So in that case it might come off badly by comparison with an actual TV drama series or film, with all the different sets and locations they have. This one is like watching live theatre, just as we now have live broadcast streaming from the National Theatre, the RSC, Covent Garden etc. 😊

I have The Nicholas Nickleby story: The making of the historic Royal Shakespeare Company production by Leon Rubin (who was involved in the historic production) on my Christmas list, so I hope to be able to read how the whole thing came about. There's never been anything similar that I know of: such a marathon.

[Sam]

Bionic Jean wrote: "This is confusing, as the DVD I have (and linked to at the beginning) is filmed direct from the stage, over two evenings (i.e not several episodes). We even have the audience, the intervals and the..."

No I am pretty sure it is the same but probably edited differently for the episode format. The cast is the same and it's the RSC production. The episodic nature of the play allows them to break it up that way very easily. I am pretty sure the cast is the same. The episodes begin with the audience arriving and end with applauding, but I think it is the same footage being used to bookend each episode.