INTERESTING LITERARY TALK GIVEN AT HASTINGS WOMEN'S CLUB

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 182, 19 August 1937, Page 11

INTERESTING LITERARY TALK GIVEN AT HASTINGS WOMEN'S CLUB

The life and work' of Charles Dickens were most interestingly discussed by the ' membcrs of the '.literary circle of the Hastings Women 's Commumty Cluh at their meeting yesterday- afternoon. The flowers in the lounge wero nrtistically arranged' for the meeting, floating bowls of mottled ])ink camellias being intermingled with maidenhair fern wliile taller vases were filied with pink eamellias and japonica with charming effect. As a background for the reading oi various extracts from the works of Charles Dickens by the roembers of the circle, Mrs C. G. Wilkinson gave an aecount of ' the life of Dickens, especial|y mentioning ihe period in which' he lived hecause this and otlier interesting cpisodes. in his life so -greatly influenced his writings. s "The life of -Charles Dickens -waa a most interestjng. one/-1 said Mrs Wilkinson. "He was horn in 1S12 in Portsea, a , suburb of Fo.rtsmouth, at . the tirne when great changes wero; being . macle in Engla-nd, and the country- was turning . from a rufal- land into an industrial oue. AI1 through his life he saw: great changes being made. '-'Charles Drckens belonged to ■ the middle claiss, but in-his; early years hc was wrenched out of this and thrown into pqverty. His father, John -Dickens, was a charming and dangerous person. Charming % im manner and a great story teller; dangerous because he.*always lived beyond his income., -He had eiglit children, but was always most proud of his "son,; Charles. . . At ihe ,'age of nine-. Charles' had a teacher who was delighted ; w.ith > him, but the greater part 'of his learning was doue in .the attie- where he found- old books and papers, and it was a great tragedy when -John Dickens ' finally became so niuch -in debt that - the family . had to mo.ve to, London., ' ' Ff esh • dbbts *. were • contracted . in Lonclon nntil .finall'y John Dickens was carfied • off' to- .the- debtor.'s prison. .Charles.. was frightened: and ashamed until flnnlly he was'.sent olf. to some distant relatives as. an apprentico .in a blacking .-factd'ry. , This vwas humiliat-ing-worlc with long and hard hours, and a very '■''16hg'--timqi. later -Dickenb un;burdened .Mmself -. in flis ' best novel, David Capper-iield." \ i ' ' Meanwhile -the -whole Dickens., family, with the exception of Charles, had mqved- ihto' -the 'debtot's prison and he yisited his family on Sundays. -Finallv, howevof, Jbhh' Dickens vvas left a small legacy which enabled them to leave the debtpr's prison aiul Charles was sent to schooK * 'He're'ho .learnt another aspect of 'the' ill-trealment of children at thafc timo and this alsb is seen 'in his books. He .left school and as he, could uoav writo;and speir ho was taken .on as an ' attorney 's clerk where he, did inquiries and ran effands in many- parts of London", thtis' getting* to know the eity vefy well. Wh'eh he discovered that liis father had been able to secure a position as - a reporter in the Ilouse of Commong beeause lie 'had , taught Jiimself sliorthand, Charles set about to teach. himsclf-.and ho later bocamc a reporler, thus liaving a further opportunity to loarn" mueh and sco many people.'.' Mrs Wilkinson said that- at this stage his greafc ainbition was to write and it was obvious -that if -liis parents had tried it would have been quite impossible to have planned a more ingenious and conipreliensive background for a novclist. He shortly i'ell in love, but - the gi ti did not cure for him. and he

was most nnhappy. From this experience he made a high ideal and this re: sulled in the creafcion of'Dora, ono of the characters in his hook, David Copperfield. - • However, Charles Diekens later married tlie daughter of his publisher Catherine Hogarth, and after they were married his wife's younger sist-er came to live with them. A great bond of friendship sprang pp between Dickens and his sister-in-Iaw and she had a greafc influence on his work, • being t.he inspiration for Little Nell, Agnes in David Copperfield and the heroine of Little Dorritt. She died when -still very young and his wife's other sister came to live with them. ' ' Dickens was a very energetic and restless man," continued Mrs Wilkinson, "and as his wife was unintelligent and inclined to he indolent it was not snrprising that their marriage was not a liappy oue. They h#d ten children before they finally sepaTated. There was 110 divorce, but the eldest son went with his ■ mother and Dicken 's wife 's sister who had lived with them for some tiine looked after the home. "Dickons's life was already overcrowded when he began giving lectures and characterisations from his books, and as this nieant further activity and excessive work it probably" helped to bring about' his death at the early age of- 58. ' ' Throughout his writings Dickens - dealt* chiefly with the characters of his' tim'es with oue or two exceptions. In oue of jthese exceptions, the Tale of Two Cities, the plot and not the characters dominate the story and also the three Christmas books stand by themselves." Beveral of the membcrs then gave readings from various' Dickens books to illustrate what Mrs Wilkinson liad said and all of tliese wero listened to with added interest after hearing such a splendid talk about the ' writer's life. The following members read extracts: Mrs H. W. O. Baird, from *A Christmas Carol; Mrs E. Eiley, from Dombey' and Kon; Mrs O. C. Moller, from The Old Curiosity Shop; Mrs E. Nairn, from David" Copperfield; Mrs K. E. Urompton, from Ficlcwick Papers; Miss (Jommin, from Oliver Twist; -Mrs J. Wright, from David Copperfield; Mrs W. J. White, frcfm The Tale of Two Cities. Mrs H. Lovell-Smith told the only fairy story which she had ever heard of tliat had been written by Dickens. It was called The Magic Fishbone and was quite a diiferent style from the usual ehild's story. At the conclusion of -the programme Mrs Wilkinson and all who had read extracts were heartily thanked foi; an mteresting afternooh. Among those present were: Mrs W. J. White, the circle leader, Miss Lewjs, Miss Helen Ford, Mrs D. H. Hooker, Mrs C. G. Wilkinson, Mrs K. E. Crompton, Mrs H. Stratton, Mrs E. Eiley, Mrs H. Gilbertson, Mrs Moorhouse, Mrs Bees Davies, Miss Comrnin, Mrs E. Paynter, Mrs'D. Scannell, Mrs A. Oliver, Mrs Gordon . Roacli, Mrs A. Giorgi, Mrs J. Craig, Mrs H. W. C. Baird, Mrs H. Lovell-Smith, Mrs R. Puflett, Mrs L. J. Harvey, Mrs E. Nairn, Mrs J. Wright, Mrs O. C. Moller, Miss Denton (Wellington), Mrs David Aiken (Wellington), Mrs E. V. Simpson, Mrs Hedley Harvey.