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American Notes for General Circulation Vol. 1 (hosted by John)
Although Dickens does not mention its name, he likely traveled the Camden & Amboy Railroad. It was one of the first railroads in the United States and went through the town where I lived for 25 years. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camde...
As for Eastern Penitentiary, what is left of it is now a musuem. This link provides pictures and videos. It is as ominous a place as one can find, even today.
https://www.easternstate.org/
I must say that the City of Philadelphia almost seems like an afterthought in this chapter. But Dickens was passionate about institutions and prisons. I marvel at his knowledge about these things, and how in his view they could be improved. We must remember that Dickens was 29 years old.
Charles, Catherine, and Anne would have passed through the town where I lived in New Jersey for 25 years: Bordentown.In the center of town is a large granite stone and plaque honoring the construction of the Camden & Amboy Railroad. It was built in the 1830s. Irish laborers came over and did much of the construction and also built Saint Mary’s Church in Bordentown in 1837. It is the oldest church there and is known for its beautiful stained glass windows.
A notable resident of Bordentown was Clara Barton, who started the first free public school in New Jersey in 1852. Barton later founded the American Red Cross. A recreation of her schoolhouse stands at the corner of Crosswicks and Burlington streets in Bordentown.
John wrote: "Although Dickens does not mention its name, he likely traveled the Camden & Amboy Railroad. It was one of the first railroads in the United States and went through the town where I lived for 25 yea..."John
Thanks for the additional information. The prison is quite something. Dickens sure did like to visit prisons! It suggests much about how his mind worked, the power of one’s early experiences to influence a person’s life and, I think, suggestively, why he portrayed so many characters as being influenced by their past.
Peter wrote: "John wrote: "Although Dickens does not mention its name, he likely traveled the Camden & Amboy Railroad. It was one of the first railroads in the United States and went through the town where I liv..."Peter, one question I have, which I am unsure if we have an answer to, is why was the stay in Philadelphia so short? I realize one answer may be his overall schedule, but in 1842 the only rival as thriving cities were Boston and New York. The stays there were much longer. From a population perspective, in addition to cultural and historical issues, Philadelphia seems not to have gotten adequate time on the trip.
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Done. I've also linked today's chapter (7).
John wrote: "Peter wrote: "John wrote: "Although Dickens does not mention its name, he likely traveled the Camden & Amboy Railroad. It was one of the first railroads in the United States and went through the to..."Hi John
I regret that I do not have an answer for you. When Dickens crosses into Canada I will be able to give you a close timeline for his travels.
Bionic Jean wrote: "and so on, these are actual feral pigs, being described as if they are city gents. It is brilliant, and causes no offence to anyone! What an eyeopener - thanks John"I agree--this was so fun and interesting. And I always love it when a book drops in a hint of what it was actually like to be on a city street in this period. I have seen a number of movies about 19th century New York and I'm not sure any of them have pigs on the street--or the amount of mud there would have been. I thought it was interesting that Dickens comments in Chapter 5 on it being so cold that the roads freeze and "their furrowed tracks were like ridges of granite," and I found myself wondering which was harder on the horses--that or deep mud to bog down wheels.
What a pull on the heartstrings is that story about the Irish brothers who brought their whole family over person by person as they earned the money, and now have earned the money to send back their mother who wants to "lay her bones, she says, among her people in the old graveyard at home."
John wrote: Why was the stay in Philadelphia so short?..."I had the same question in my mind, John, since Philadelphia has so many historic places to visit. Dickens wrote many letters to John Forster during this trip. Forster quotes many of the letters in his "The Life of Charles Dickens." I think you would enjoy reading the letters. (Vol I, Chapters XIX-XXIV covers the whole trip.) The New York/Philadelphia part of the trip is discussed in Vol I, Chapters XX-XXI, available online at Project Gutenberg:
https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/...
Dickens got a bad cold in New York, and Kate was too ill to travel. I doubt if they ever had enough rest to recover from their ocean voyage. So they stayed a few extra days in New York, and shortened their Philadelphia stay to 3 days. Dickens mentions paying for hotels in two cities since his rooms were reserved for one week in Philadelphia.
My overall impression was that they were exhausted. Everyone wanted to meet them, and they were attending endless dinners and parties. People were trying to be welcoming, but Dickens just wanted to be left alone after so many days of socializing with strangers that he hadn't planned on. He was also discouraged about the lack of copyright laws.
Connie (on semi-hiatus) wrote: "John wrote: Why was the stay in Philadelphia so short?..."I had the same question in my mind, John, since Philadelphia has so many historic places to visit. Dickens wrote many letters to John For..."
Good to know, Connie. Thanks. I did pick up here and there a sense of his fatigue. Even setting aside the grueling trip across the ocean, a carriage, train and boat from Boston to New York to Philadelphia is brutal, too. Just thinking about it gives me a back ache.
Connie (on semi-hiatus) wrote: "John wrote: Why was the stay in Philadelphia so short?..."I had the same question in my mind, John, since Philadelphia has so many historic places to visit. Dickens wrote many letters to John For..."
Hi Connie
Yes. Good point. It did not take too long for the boundless energy of Dickens and the constant demands of the people who crossed paths with him to come to a point where the crowds wore the energy of Dickens down. Now that his enthusiasm is beginning to wain we are entering the second chapter of the story of his travels.
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Yes, I found that so very poignant too.
Well the train ride was amusing, but gosh, Charles Dickens really hated spitting, didn't he? Mind you, so do I. I remember a time in England when there were signs, "No Spitting" and fines for spitting, but it seems an age ago now. Antique shops have snuff boxes and the occasional spittoon, but society is very different overall, and I don't think it was ever considered polite in English society anyway.
It seems as if a lot of 19th century Americans chewed tobacco, which probably made the need to spit more. But what an odd pastime for grown men, to spit out of a railway carriage like teenage boys having a competition. 🤢 Perhaps they had sneezing competitions too ... Charles Dickens roundly condemned this disgusting habit in Martin Chuzzlewit, and wrote a satirical portrait of one family's vulgar habit, which not surprisingly caused great offence to his American readers (although it is very funny in itself!)
John - Thank you so much for your extra posts for ch 7, which were really interesting. I hope others will tell us when we get close to where they have lived. All I know (in this book) is England.
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The quotation you used sums it up nicely. Dickens spent a long time conveying his reactions, expressing himself carefully so as not to condemn outright. I feel he wanted to condemn the system without blaming those who had instigated it! He describes the dilemma perfectly, and contrasts it with other "silent" prisons where the prisoners were not allowed to talk or even look at the other prisoners as they worked, but the fact that they were not in solitary confinement 24 hours a day made all the difference. There is one such prison described in one of our group reads, if anyone can find it. 🤔
Which brings me to Connie's helpful post. I do keep mentioning our group read of The Life of Charles Dickens by John Forster (which is is 3 separate threads, one for each volume) so thank you for matching it with where we are now! I know Kathleen said she intended to read parts of the two texts concurrently. Certainly most of us found that the letters from Dickens that John Forster included verbatim - and had often advised him to leave out of this work - were far more lively that his rather dry style. John Forster was mostly an historian and biographer after all. They also add useful information for us, of which you have given us an example. 😊
I'm still finding the ends of the chapters to be surprisingly abrupt! At the beginning, this one mentioned so many people I did not know, and needed to look up (I never "skim" Dickens) but when we got on to the penitentiary I was absorbed, and felt such sorrow for these prisoners. The psychological abuse they suffered - even if unintentional - is unimaginable. The formula Dickens suggested was interesting: that the one who suffered most, were the most remorseful or perhaps even those who could not be blamed for their actions. The ones who could tolerate it he considered out and out blackguards. He told of one who had undergone this incarceration several times, and although he professed to be penitent, Dickens was sure this attitude was completely hypocritical and that he would be back. 🙄
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ch 7 Nancy. I think you will find the links in comment 1 help - I'll post a link to John's summary for ch 8, to keep it all organised, when he post it on 25th. Our member Chris initially suggested this in our first group read, and we do it for every long read.
And welcome! It's good to see you back 😊
Thank you, Jean. It's nice to be back. I must say, I'm reading chapter 8 today, and I might just stay there, and not go back to Ch.7.
Peter wrote: "Connie (on semi-hiatus) wrote: "John wrote: Why was the stay in Philadelphia so short?..."I had the same question in my mind, John, since Philadelphia has so many historic places to visit. Dicken..."
Since he was an author, and most authors spend days and days alone, do you think Dickens was a classic introvert? If he was, maybe the interaction with people wore him out quickly, more than if he had been an extrovert. (I'm an introvert, can't stand small talk or parties, etc. )
Nancy wrote: "Peter wrote: "Connie (on semi-hiatus) wrote: "John wrote: Why was the stay in Philadelphia so short?..."I had the same question in my mind, John, since Philadelphia has so many historic places to..."
That is an excellent question. Was Dickens an introvert? Because with a journey like this one, it would really wear down an introvert. I am one, too, and my tolerance for being around people only goes so far. I can’t apologize for it because it is what it is. I think he was an introvert, but he had an indomitable will — a will of iron — to persevere and thus could manage the constant social interaction, as trying as it could be.
I've been out of town and have just now caught up with Chapters 6 and 7 and the extremely helpful comments. Thank you to everyone providing links to related material. They really help.New York:
I, too, was surprised that Dickens spent three weeks in New York (thank you, John, for the link). His descriptions of New York seemed limited. And it seemed that all of his sightseeing was limited to places where he could meet the poor and downtrodden - as it appears that may be his secondary mission to America? Perhaps, he can identify and relax more with these people than with his own class? Or was he trying to gather ideas to take back to England, probably understanding that each independent state might address their poverty problems differently?
The pigs! I had never heard of this problem - especially in a major, congested city like New York! If I'm remembering a comment correctly, they were not native to America, but were brought here by immigrants. That was a great bit of trivial information about the introduction of domestic pigs to America.
Five Points: I wonder how the desperation of this section of New York compared to London's East End for Dickens? When I read Dickens' description, I was immediately reminded of a book I have had on my TBR shelf for years: How the Other Half Lives: Studies Among the Tenements of New York by Jacob A. Riis. He was describing Five Points. The book appears to be full of photographs. Another book I need to start now.
Philadelphia: I haven't seen it brought up in American Notes or in the comments, but Pennsylvania was a colony established by the British Quaker and entrepreneur, William Penn. He was very much a forward thinker for his time, believing in religious freedom and democracy. It was quite an experiment and was a unique colony to the States. William Penn designed those streets that Dickens complained about: "It is a handsome city, but distractingly regular. After walking about it for an hour or two, I felt that I would have given the world for a crooked street." This really made me laugh out loud!
The penitentiary (thank you again for the link, John) was awful. Having an understanding of the Quakers, they cannot have understood how cruel this punishment was. They should have obtained volunteers from their church to agree to be locked up for a few months, and then decide if this was the most humane incarceration! (It was almost like reading The Count of Monte Cristo). I wonder if there were any changes made to how inmates were treated after Dickens wrote this book, and the Quakers were able to read what he said about them. Surely it opened their eyes!
Connie, your comment about Dickens' frame of mind after spending so many weeks traveling and being wined and dined was invaluable! I had not thought of this, which would be so understandable. I noticed a personality change in him I had not seen before. But your explanation makes me realize Dickens was probably exhausted. Too much stimulation and newness, and not enough rest or time to absorb and process it all.
VOLUME ONEChapter The Eighth
Washington. The Legislature and the Presidents's House.
They left Philadelphia on a very cold morning and headed to Washington. Dickens first two commentaries here are about Englishmen who are insufferable travel companions that are "united to every disagreeable characteristic that the worst kind of American travelers possess."
He goes on to discuss the revolting habit of tobacco spitting, which I must say is as disgusting a habit as I have ever seen put to words by any writer. "Washington," he writes, "may be called the headquarters of tobacco-tinctured saliva."
They have dinner in Baltimore, where Dickens is jarred to realize that the people serving his dinner are slaves. This was his first contact with slavery in the United States. "Its presence filled me with a sense of shame and self-reproach."
In Washington, Dickens puts his superb eye for detail and observation to work, and calls Washington a city of Magnificent Intentions. Spacious avenues, public buildings, ornaments of great thorofares -- but he does note the dull, perhaps brackish waters that abound in the city.
He writes of his visit to the Capitol Building and indicates to the reader he visited the House of Reprentatives and the Senate every day. He notes the quarrels, the personalities, the workings of a relatively new government. He finds the Senate dignified, perhaps more so than the House of Representatives. He still also see the "chewers" with the revolting habit -- even spitting on carpet!
Dickens visits the Jesuit College in George Town -- now Georgetown University, and finds it "delightfully situated and well managed." He heads to The President's House and has an audience with President John Tyler. He writes that he meets "the President himself" and finds him worn and anxious, but mild and pleasant. His manner was agreeable.
Dickens does decline a dinner invitation from the President for scheduling reasons, but does attend an evening function with Catherine called Levees. He meets Tyler's daughter in law, who acted as the lady of the mansion.
The chapter ends with Dickens deciding that rather than proceed to Charleston, he would only go as far south as Richmond and then turn to the West. Thus ends Volume One.
It appears Dickens spent about ten days in Washington. The dates seem to be March 9th to 20th.This chapter is one of the earliest and finest descriptions of Washington in its early days. And it has a sense of gloom even before arriving there because he comes face to face with American Slavery in Baltimore and finds himself feeling shame about it, even though, as he notes, his is an innocent man.
I did not get a sense of any joy during his visit. Did anyone else feel this way? He is not overtly critical, but he just did not seem thrilled to be there. Much has been made about his declining an invitation to dinner with the President, but Dickens writes it off as a scheduling issue and nothing more. He goes on to note that he enjoyed a party there, anyway.
I suspect he did not want to go to Charleston because he did not want to be in slave-holding country and certainly Charleston could be said to be the deepest of it. So he said no thanks — to Richmond and that is as far as we will go south.
WOW! I just returned from a vacation which took me off the grid, and, amazingly, this group had 104 comments for me to read. It took me almost all afternoon to read them, and I’m delighted that I did because they were definitely informative and helpful, Thanks to all. I did keep up with the readings - it helped that John posted the dates in advance. However, I did not continuing reading the chapters in Forster’s books about Dickens’ trip. I’ll add some general comments later.
President John Tyler was called an accidental President. He served nearly a full term after William Henry Harrison died after one month as President. Tyler was a slaveholder who had 15 children by two wives and is the only President buried under the Confederate Flag — he served briefly as a Representative for the Confederacy. He is not remembered as a great President, though some value his belief that Congress sets policy and the President just carries it out. He believed in a limited Presidency.
An interesting quirk of history — Tyler has a living grandson! Imagine that? A man born in 1790 has a grandson today. Here is the profile of his grandson.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harri...
Connie (on semi-hiatus) wrote: "Dickens mentions paying for hotels in two cities since his rooms were reserved for one week in Philadelphia."Ha!--he really watches that bottom line, doesn't he?
Bionic Jean wrote: "He describes the dilemma perfectly, and contrasts it with other "silent" prisons where the prisoners were not allowed to talk or even look at the other prisoners as they worked, but the fact that they were not in solitary confinement 24 hours a day made all the difference. There is one such prison described in one of our group reads, if anyone can find it. 🤔"Maybe I missed it in the group reads, but I thought this chapter, particularly the description of the sort of hypothetical prisoner mentioned first, had Tale of Two Cities written all over it. For example, "He is a man buried alive; to be dug out in the slow round of years; and in the mean time dead to everything but torutring anxieties and horrible despair"--it makes me think of the whole "recalled to life" theme in the Tale. So does the description of people who beg for work to cope with their prison isolation, in the same way that one prisoner in Tale of Two Cities uses shoemaking.
John wrote: "It appears Dickens spent about ten days in Washington. The dates seem to be March 9th to 20th.This chapter is one of the earliest and finest descriptions of Washington in its early days. And it h..."
Hi John
Yes. There is a slow but sure creeping of dissatisfaction in Dickens’s tone and how he chooses to recount his experiences of late. He is clearly very uncomfortable about the presence of slaves.
As for his declining an invitation to dine with the President I think of the time Dickens declined to meet Queen Victoria after she saw him perform on stage. His stated his reason was because he was still in costume and makeup from the performance.
I wonder if Dickens was aware of the fact that the British had burned the White House during the war of 1812-14 between America and England. As the story goes - and perhaps the myth as well - the reason the White House is white is because it was painted white to conceal the fire damage. Does anyone know if that bit of trivia is, in fact, correct?
Peter wrote: "John wrote: "It appears Dickens spent about ten days in Washington. The dates seem to be March 9th to 20th.This chapter is one of the earliest and finest descriptions of Washington in its early d..."
Peter, that is an interesting question and I had wondered about the name of it, given Dickens called it the President’s House.
From what I found, The White House was originally painted yellow, but was whitewashed with lime in 1798 to protect it from the elements. The term "White House" was used in newspapers and periodicals in the 19th century. In 1901, President Theodore Roosevelt made the name "White House" official by having it engraved on presidential stationery.
A myth persists that the White House was painted white to cover burn marks from British soldiers who burned the building in 1814. In fact, the building was reconstructed and painted white by 1817.
John wrote: "Peter wrote: "John wrote: "It appears Dickens spent about ten days in Washington. The dates seem to be March 9th to 20th.This chapter is one of the earliest and finest descriptions of Washington ..."
Thanks John. I find myself often enjoying myth and legend as much, or more, than reality. Back in the 1980’s went to Washington. What a wonderful city. The Smithsonian aeronautics building had a sample rock from the moon and one could line up and touch it.
I’m thoroughly enjoying following Dickens about.
John wrote: "VOLUME ONEChapter The Eighth
Washington. The Legislature and the Presidents's House.
."
I've read almost all of the eighth chapter, and thought the talk about the spittoons was funny, but disgusting. I'm glad that nasty habit has just about disappeared in America. He criticized a lot of American politics, which I did not like, and his view of slavery in general was skewed. Most people in the South did NOT approve of slavery.
I felt most of what I had to say on chapter 7 was said. I hope everyone had an opportunity to visit the Eastern State Penitentiary site that John posted, which gives an even more horrific perspective to the accommodations. There is a sadly ironic element to seeing it hyped as a Halloween destination now, but the world is as it is. Chapter eight is masterful. We try and find reasons and excuses for Dickens' dissatisfaction for what he saw, but I wonder if that is necessary and believe the situation and differences were such that Dickens felt obliged to comment. We tend to try and restrain our judgmentalism today which is a good thing but how often are we faced with cultural behaviors so contrary to what we believe are right? Should Dickens have written about how he felt? I cannot answer what is right, but I am sure glad he did. I hope he felt an obligation to share his opinion despite how it might affect his reputation in the states. I think his feelings were probably not far from what we might feel today were we in the same circumstances and his describing those feelings potentially aided in their remedy though a civil war would be fought over cultural differences in less than twenty years.
I somehow like the thought that Dickens blew off President Tyler's invitation to go out partying.
John wrote: "I did not get a sense of any joy during his visit. Did anyone else feel this way?."Yes, and I see the reason for that in this way; I've read almost all of Dicken's works, and watched several well-made movies of his stories. The mood that pervades almost all of his work, and I mean ALL of it, is a dark, dreary, depressing state of mind. Mind you, these are my observations based on reading his books, and watching faithful to his text movies. It is my opinion that Charles Dickens suffered from chronic depression. Aha! After searching the internet, I was right! Dickens had a few mental health problems, but he used them to fuel his creativity. https://hekint.org/2017/03/04/the-med...
That all being said, YES, John, I felt like Charles didn't enjoy his trip to America, which is kind of sad. (no pun intended)
I have just finished our visit to Philadelphia. While the descriptions of institutional tours are fascinating, they are not what I anticipated from this book - though it shouldn't surprise anyone familiar with Dickens. No Liberty Bell? No State House? Perhaps some of his letters give an account of how Catherine spent her days. Was she subjected to all of these prison visits? Having visited so many already, I admit to hoping he's had his fill and will pursue other activities as the trip progresses. I look forward to his upcoming visit to DC, which is in my neck of the woods, although I haven't visited any prisons there, so I wonder what I might recognize! Was Dickens an introvert? An interesting question. His solitary profession and extraordinarily long walks might suggest it, and I understand that many actors consider themselves to be introverted. If that's the case, this trip must have been mentally exhausting. But he also loved the vibrancy of big cities whereas, in his place, I would have opted for a cottage in the Cotswolds or the Lakes, and steered far clear of London and NYC.
Mary Lou wrote: "I have just finished our visit to Philadelphia. While the descriptions of institutional tours are fascinating, they are not what I anticipated from this book - though it shouldn't surprise anyone f..."Mary Lou, we may have discussed this once, but Philadelphia does have one of three statues in the world of Dickens. When I lived less than an hour from Philadelphia, I wanted to see it, but never did.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dicke...
Nancy wrote: "John wrote: "I did not get a sense of any joy during his visit. Did anyone else feel this way?."Yes, and I see the reason for that in this way; I've read almost all of Dicken's works, and watched ..."
That’s interesting, Nancy. In my years of reading Dickens, I don’t recall associating the word depressing to his works or person. But that does not mean I disagree with its premise, either to him or the works. I think he was a person of his time, which could be heartbreaking as a way of living. I was reminded of a story about Ralph Waldo Emerson and the child mortality of that era. One of his children had passed away and when Emerson answered the door of a visitor, he could only muster “child is dead.” I found that incredibly sad, but also a reminder that what they endured as the every day took a strength that is hard to measure today.
Have I finally caught up with the group? Hallelujah!John wrote: An interesting quirk of history — Tyler has a living grandson! Imagine that? A man born in 1790 has a grandson today.
That's amazing. Who would have guessed such a thing?
John wrote: "Philadelphia does have one of three statues in the world of Dickens."
Yes! And Grip resides there in the library, as well. While I don't relish the day it happens, when our old, anxious dog goes to her reward, I hope to have another long weekend in Philly to take in both those sights, which I didn't take advantage of the last time I visited. But I'll skip the jail and maybe visit Franklin's grave instead.
John wrote: "In my years of reading Dickens, I don’t recall associating the word depressing to his works or person."
Nancy's comment interested me because, like you, John, I never thought of Dickens as depressed or his books as depressing, though I think that's a common (mis?)conception. I read Dickens for his humor and the warmth with which he writes about many of his families (e.g. the Cratchits, the Bagnets, Tommy and Sofie Traddles, Wemmick and the Aged P, etc.). But one can't have light without darkness, and vice versa.
I'm catching up, too, Mary, and am still reading Chapter 8. I'm intrigued with Nancy's comment about Dickens being depressed. Like Mary, the first things that come to mind about Dickens are his humor, intelligence and empathy for people.
Nancy's comment made me recall a quote by Robin Williams:
“I think the saddest people always try their hardest to make people happy because they know what it’s like to feel absolutely worthless and they don’t want anyone else to feel like that.”
Now I have to wonder if Dickens was depressed. I really hope not.
As for chapter 8...Chewing tobacco. Yuck. Perhaps, along with his being champion of the downtrodden, we can thank Mr. Dickens for pointing out how disgusting this was and helping to put an end to it, for the most part.
Despite what many today seem to think, the worst of politics has been with us for centuries. I was not surprised to read his negative view towards certain politicians and the fact that their bad behavior was overlooked by their peers and journalists alike in the interest of advancing an agenda. Nothing is new.
For the most part, I didn't recognize the DC that CD described (see what I did there?). I don't recall being able to see the river from the White House -- too much development now. And it amused me to think of Georgetown as being in the "suburbs". I grew up in a suburb of DC and we went to the clubs in Georgetown for a night on the town in the city. The description of Georgetown University was still accurate, overlooking the Potomac from high on a hillside.
This was not new to me, but it always fascinates me to think that there was a time when anyone could just walk in to the White House and ask for an audience with the President. That changed after Lincoln, of course. No bollards, no fences, no Secret Service, no snipers on the roof. Astounding. Anecdote: my brother has a friend who worked for the FBI in the Old Executive Office Building (right next to the White House, where, among other things, the VP has his offices). The East Wing is usually available for public tours, but he was kind enough to take by brother, my daughter and me on a tour of the West Wing. This is (or was, at any rate) a perk given to administration staffers. These private tours were given in the evening, after the close of the business day. We had to submit information in advance for a background check (I can't recall what -- driver's license, passport, SS# -- that sort of thing). Then we met at a specific gate where we presented our ID and our names were on a pre-approved list. Of course, we had to go through metal detectors, have our purses checked, etc. Even in the evening, there were guards stationed throughout the building. Got to see the Oval Office, the Cabinet room, the Rose Garden, the press room and press pool offices, etc. I even snatched a quick peek into the Situation Room as someone was coming out, though it's strictly off limits. Anyhow, seeing the security that one must go through just to get inside the West Wing, I'm always amazed to go back in time when First Ladies had open houses like the one that Dickens attended, and people could just wander in whenever they wanted.
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So now we do ! Please LINK HERE to obviate info getting submerged and forever buried in the threads! Please do use it. There are already really good posts from Shirley and Connie 😊
So back to Washington, and I feel Dickens is giving more and more of his personal reactions as time goes on.
Bionic Jean wrote: "I feel Dickens is giving more and more of his personal reactions as time goes on. .."Yes. It seems as if he's not being as careful about diplomacy as he was initially. I attribute that in part to being tired from all the travel, but also, I think Washington, NYC, and Philadelphia were maybe just not as pleasant as Boston. (Did he mention the expectorating in Boston? I don't think so. Everything seemed clean and new there.) We'll see how he fairs -- and how brutal his opinions are -- as he heads to Richmond and then points West.
He did not note any tobacco chewing and spitting in Boston or New York. If it did not happen there, I am sure that helped with the positive impression he found, especially with Boston.
Mary Lou wrote: "As for chapter 8...Chewing tobacco. Yuck. Perhaps, along with his being champion of the downtrodden, we can thank Mr. Dickens for pointing out how disgusting this was and helping to put an end to..."
Fascinating report of seeing beyond what most tourists are allowed to view. Were you allowed to take pictures? I love the back story of the Resolute desk but I guess only the President is allowed to sit in the Oval Office and behind the desk.
No photos allowed inside, unsurprisingly. We couldn't go into the Oval Office - just stand in the doorway. I would have liked to sit at the Resolute Desk and pen a letter containing my thoughts and recommendations to President Obama, but figured the guard at the door might not react well. 😄 Actually, he was very polite and happy to chat and answer questions. I believe he was Navy, rather than Secret Service. (I kind of hoped he and my daughter would kick it off. Alas...)
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I think Charles Dickens was very wise here. Indeed we have the same rule in "Dickensians" (rule 3), relating to modern party politics, so at this point it might be as well to remind everyone, in case it comes up again.
It did mean that I had to investigate who the president actually was, then. (It was John Tyler apparently, the 10th president, who served between 1841 and 1845.) And of course we can discuss the historical figures - which would doubtless help non-Americans like me - just not contemporary ones, please 😊
Charles Dickens clearly approved of this man, and made it clear he judged there were good and bad politicians on each side. Peter brought up that Charles Dickens declined one meeting with the president, just as he had with Queen Victoria - whom he also admired greatly. During our "Dramatic Dickens!" year we learned how when she acceded to the throne she had supported illegitimate theatres, despite her youth, and he appreciated her support. But he declined to meet her after his performance as he was so hot and dishevelled, and was not to meet her for many more decades. (I suspect he will have still have felt in character as a villain too, as it always took him over. Not the frame of mind in which to meet someone you admire!)
Here, Charles Dickens checked that it was not considered rude to decline to meet the president:
"Being advised that the sensible etiquette of the republican court admitted of a traveller, like myself, declining, without any impropriety, an invitation to dinner, which did not reach me until I had concluded my arrangements for leaving Washington some days before that to which it referred, I only returned to this house once."
I like both of these episodes very much. He's not going to alter his arrangements and put everyone else out, even for the highest in the land. Somehow I can't see today's celebrities behaving like that. It would all be "Me me me".
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"There are more quarrels than with us, and more threatenings than gentlemen are accustomed to exchange in any civilised society of which we have record: but farm-yard imitations have not as yet been imported from the Parliament of the United Kingdom."
This was interesting:
"Washington Irving, my dear friend, who had recently been appointed Minister at the court of Spain, and who was among them that night, in his new character, for the first and last time before going abroad. I sincerely believe that in all the madness of American politics, few public men would have been so earnestly, devotedly, and affectionately caressed, as this most charming writer"
yet later, he was to fall out with Washington Irving who felt Charles Dickens had insulted his country. We'll no doubt discuss that when we get there.
Mary Lou wrote: "No photos allowed inside, unsurprisingly. We couldn't go into the Oval Office - just stand in the doorway. I would have liked to sit at the Resolute Desk and pen a letter containing my thoughts and..."Very interesting, Mary Lou. As I recall from the history of the Oval Office, it was built as part of two wings commissioned by Theodore Roosevelt.
As we begin Volume 2 this weekend, I thought it might be good to mention that since arriving in Boston, Dickens has had an aide with him. He refers to him as his “faithful secretary.”His name was George Washington Putnam. He later went on to write and publish in The Atlantic Monthly a piece entitled “Four Months With Dickens.”
The traveling entourage was Charles, Catherine, Anne, and George.
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Yes! I intended to reply to this Julie, but got sidetracked. It's a great observation, and oddly enough in Dickens and Empire: Discourses of Class, Race and Colonialism in the Works of Charles Dickens by Grace Moore (a book brought to my/our attention by Peter) she goes into this, quoting passages which are almost identical. A Tale of Two Cities was quite a bit later - in 1859 - but he must have stored it up in his mind. Perhaps he put it in his "mems", and John Forster also gives details of many ideas for stories, and quirky details he had written down in notebooks, so perhaps it was there.
I love your extension of the "need to work" concept, and the shoemaking 😊It seems so strange that he got this idea from an American prison. What a cosmopolitan man Charles Dickens was, for sure.
Bionic Jean wrote: "That's interesting John! I wonder if it's available to read anywhere."Here is a link, Jean. I started reading it — it looks fascinating — and will have to devote more time to it. This link should hopefully be available to all.
https://www.theatlantic.com/past/docs...
Dickensians!
Books mentioned in this topic
A Tale of Two Cities (other topics)Dickens and Empire: Discourses of Class, Race and Colonialism in the Works of Charles Dickens (other topics)
The Count of Monte Cristo (other topics)
How the Other Half Lives: Studies Among the Tenements of New York (other topics)
The Life of Charles Dickens by John Forster (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Charles Dickens (other topics)John Forster (other topics)
Grace Moore (other topics)
Washington Irving (other topics)
Charles Dickens (other topics)
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Chapter The Seventh
Philadelphia
Dickens left New York on March 5 and would have taken the Camden & Amboy Railroad to Philadelphia. This would involve a boat to Amboy in New Jersey, the train to Camden, and another boat to Philadelphia.
Dickens makes his acquaintance with a young Quaker on the train. Philadelphia and parts of Pennsylvania and New Jersey had a sizable Quaker population. He finds Philadelphia a "handsome" city that is bountifully provided with water, and has an excellent hospital. Although his stay was brief (March 5-9), he greatly liked what he saw.
But this chapter involves mostly a visit to a prison called Eastern Penitentiary. This is a rather ominous, terrible place. "In its intentions, I am well convinced that it is kind, humane, and meant for reformation, but I am persuaded that those who devised this system of Prison Discipline, and those benevolent gentlemen who carry it into execution, do not know what they are doing," writes Dickens.
This prison has silent and solitary confinement. Dickens is escorted by two guards and meets several inmates, including women. One prisoner works a loom; another has pet rabbits. One of the female prisoner sobs and clearly Dickens is moved by her plight. His interactions with those he talks to are serious and enlightening for him, but the doom and gloom of this large prison pervades his every sentence.
He closes this chapter with a prison story and nothing more about Philadelphia is said. Clearly, the prison visit made an impression.