a J.Forster, The Life of Charles Dickens, Vol.I,Book
Ich1p6/7Charles Dickens, David Copperfield, ch4
Maar David Copperfield beschrijft deze lessen van zijn
moeder in tegenstelling tot die van de Murdstone's: "I
had been apt enough to learn, and willing enough, when my
mother and I had lived alone together. I can faintly
remenber learning the alphabet at her knee. To this day,
when I look upon the fat black letters in the primer, the
puzzling novelty of their shape and the easy good-nature
of O en Q and S seem to present themselves again beforne
me as they used to do. But they recall no feeling of
disgust or reluctance. On the contrary, I seem to have
walked along a path of flowers as far as the crocodile-
book, and to have been cheered by the gentlness of my
mother's voice and manner all the way. But these solemn
lessons which succeedeed those, I remember as the death
blow at my peace, and an grievous daily drudgery and
misery
b Zie mijn artikel in The Dutch Dickensian van maart jl.
p22
years later in the mouth of David Copperfield. 'I faindy remember her teaching me the
alphabet; and when I look upon the fat black letter in the primer, the puzzling novelty
of their shapes, and the easy good pleasure of O and S, always seem to present
themselves before me as they used to do.'(a)
In 1983 promoveert op een psychologisch proefschrift A.Naef-Hinderling aan de
Universiteit van Zürich, getiteld: The Search for the Culprit: Dickens's Conflicting Self and Object-
Representations. Ik zal trachten iets van haar betoog weer te geven.
There seems to exist an established myth among literary scholars about the author's
early life: At first litde Charles spent a happy time in Kent, but when the family moved
to London his father was imprisoned for debt and Charles had to work in a blacking
factory. The blissful early days were followed by the so-called "blacking-warehouse
trauma"
In autumn 1822 Charles's father, John Dickens, was transferred to London and the
family had to move into cheap lodgings. Their financial situation deteriorated steadily.
Dickens himself had to take various articles to the pawnbroker's, first of all his beloved
books Peregrine Pickle, Roderick Random, Tom Jones, Humphrey Clinker, Gil Bias, Don Quixote,
The Vicar of Wakefield, The Arabian Nights and others.(b) Finally, in February 1824, John
Dickens was imprisoned for debt in the Marshalsea Prison. Charles had to begin work in
a blacking factory, two days after his twelfth birthday. His job was to paste pieces of
paper on the pots of blacking, tie them with a string and label them. Not only had he to
earn his own living but at first he was seperated from the rest of the family, who all
moved into the Marshalsea prison. Dickens's autobiographical fragment (probably
written after his sister Fanny's death, late in 1848 a part of a planned autobiography - a
plan Dickens never carried out) testifies to the intensity of his early sufferings.
Naef beschrijft vervolgens deze 'early sufferings'. Verwezen zij naar mijn artikel "Was
Chares Dickens 'Shabby-Genteel'?" in The
Dutch Dickensian van maart 2001 p.25+29-
30. Als zij dan beschreven heeft Charles'
