Charles Dickens's London with Simon Callow - the Guardian
Summary
TLDRThe video script explores Charles Dickens's early life and its impact on his work. Born in Portsmouth, Dickens spent his childhood in Chatham and London, where the Navy and sea influenced his early years. His experience working at a blacking warehouse as a child in a rat-infested environment was pivotal. After his father rescued him, Dickens pursued education and later created 'Household Words,' a successful magazine. His personal life, including a separation from his wife, influenced his work. Dickens's walks around London, pointing out 'Dickens's London,' immortalized his presence, and his legacy endures.
Takeaways
- ποΈ Charles Dickens's story is closely tied to Somerset House, where his father worked and where he met his mother.
- π’ The Navy and the sea were significant in Dickens's early life, as he was born in Portsmouth and spent formative years in Chatham.
- π§ At age 12, Dickens worked in a gloomy, rat-infested warehouse, an experience that deeply affected him.
- π The blacking warehouse where Dickens worked was on Hungerford Stairs, a humiliating and shameful period for him.
- π¨βπ©βπ§βπ¦ His father's release from debtor's prison led to Dickens being taken out of the warehouse and allowed to resume his education.
- π° Dickens created 'Household Words', his first magazine, which was successful and where he wrote and edited for many years.
- π His separation from his wife led to the creation of a rival magazine, 'All the Year Round', after a dispute with his publishers.
- ποΈ Dickens enjoyed walking around London, showing visitors his city, and he was a mythic figure even in his own time.
- π‘ His editorial offices for 'All the Year Round' were located in Wellington Street, where he stayed until his death in 1870.
- π Much of the London that Dickens knew and wrote about remains, allowing his legacy to be experienced by modern visitors.
Q & A
Where did Charles Dickens's father, John, have his first job?
-John Dickens had his first job at the Navy Pay Office located in Somerset House.
Who did John Dickens marry and where did they get married?
-John Dickens married Elizabeth, the sister of a fellow clerk, and their wedding took place at the Church of St. Mary le Strand.
What significant impact did the Navy and the sea have on Charles Dickens's early life?
-The Navy and the sea dominated the first 10 years of Charles Dickens's life, as he was born in Portsmouth and spent possibly the happiest years of his childhood in Chatham.
At what age was Charles Dickens sent to work at the blacking warehouse, and what was the condition of the place?
-Charles Dickens was sent to work at the blacking warehouse at the age of 12, where he experienced a tumbledown, rat-infested environment.
What was the significance of the blacking warehouse experience for Dickens's childhood?
-The experience at the blacking warehouse was a formative event in Dickens's childhood, which deeply influenced his later works and social views.
What was the condition of the factory where Dickens worked after the blacking warehouse?
-The new factory was an upgrade in terms of location but had the unattractive aspect of being very dark, which led to public humiliation for Dickens as he worked in the window for extra light.
How did Charles Dickens's father help him leave the blacking warehouse?
-Charles Dickens's father, after being released from the debtor's jail, happened to pass by the window of the factory, saw his son, and decided to take him out of the warehouse.
What was the name of the first magazine Charles Dickens created, and how successful was it?
-Charles Dickens created his first magazine called 'Household Words,' which was very successful, and he wrote and edited a lot for it.
Why did Charles Dickens end 'Household Words' and start a rival magazine?
-Dickens ended 'Household Words' after a disagreement with his publishers over the publication of a personal statement regarding his separation from his wife. He started a rival magazine called 'All the Year Round' as a result.
Where were the editorial offices of 'All the Year Round' located in relation to 'Household Words'?
-The editorial offices of 'All the Year Round' were located only one block up from 'Household Words' as a statement against his former publishers.
How did Charles Dickens celebrate his own existence and presence in London?
-Charles Dickens celebrated his own existence by walking around London with friends and visitors, pointing out places and making himself a part of the city's myth and reality.
Outlines
ποΈ Early Life and Naval Influence
The script begins by setting the scene at Somerset House, which was the Navy pay office in the 19th century and where Charles Dickens's father, John, worked. It highlights the significance of the Navy and the sea in Dickens's early life, as he was born in Portsmouth and spent formative years in Chatham. The narrative then shifts to London, where at age 11, Dickens's life took a turn for the worse, marked by his employment at a blacking warehouse near Hungerford Bridge, a degrading and humiliating experience that deeply affected him.
π Dickens's Struggle and Literary Aspirations
This paragraph delves into Dickens's challenging childhood, detailing his work at the blacking warehouse, a dark and rat-infested place that was a pivotal experience in his life. It describes how his father's chance sighting of him working there led to his release and the opportunity to resume his education, a dream he had long held. The script also mentions the creation of his first magazine, 'Household Words,' and the subsequent fallout with his publishers, which led to the establishment of a rival magazine, 'All the Year Round.'
ποΈ Dickens's London and Legacy
The final paragraph of the script paints a picture of Dickens as a living legend in his own time, a man who was deeply connected to London and its people. It describes his joy in walking around the city, sharing his London with friends and visitors alike. The narrative concludes with the observation that Dickens's presence is still felt in London, and many of the places associated with him remain, serving as a testament to his enduring impact and influence.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘Charles Dickens
π‘Somerset House
π‘Navy Pay Office
π‘Blacking Warehouse
π‘Hungerford Stairs
π‘Child Labor
π‘Household Words
π‘All the Year Round
π‘Victorian England
π‘Dickens's London
π‘Marital Separation
Highlights
Charles Dickens' story begins at Somerset House, where his father John worked at the Navy Pay Office and met his mother Elizabeth.
The Navy and sea heavily influenced Dickens' early life, as he was born in Portsmouth and spent happy years in Chatham.
Aged 11, Dickens experienced hardship in London, working at the blacking warehouse near Hungerford Bridge.
The warehouse job was a formative, humiliating experience for Dickens, working in a dark, rat-infested place in view of passersby.
Dickens' father eventually rescued him from the warehouse, allowing him to resume his education.
Dickens created his first magazine, Household Words, which he had dreamt of for years.
The magazine was very successful with Dickens writing and editing many contributions.
A dispute with his publishers over a personal statement led Dickens to end Household Words and start a rival magazine, All the Year Round.
All the Year Round's editorial offices were located just one block away from Household Words as a defiant move.
Dickens continued editing All the Year Round until his death in 1870.
Dickens was known to walk around London, pointing out places that inspired his work.
He was a mythic figure in his own lifetime, celebrated for his existence and connection to London.
Much of the places Dickens frequented and wrote about still remain intact today.
Dickens' childhood experiences greatly shaped his work and worldview.
His personal struggles and triumphs are reflected in his writing and magazine endeavors.
Dickens' love for London and its landmarks was a significant aspect of his life and identity.
Transcripts
[Music]
in a sense the whole of the story of
Charles Dickens starts here in these
magnificent surroundings this is
Somerset house in the 19th century it
was home to the Navy pay office which is
where dickens's Father John had his
first job when he was 19 years old and
where he met the sister of a fellow
Clark Elizabeth and he married her in
The Splendid Church of Mary lran which
is just across the road from here the
Navy and in a way the sea dominated the
first 10 years of Charles dickens's life
he was born in Portsmouth and spent a
good chunk of time perhaps the happiest
years of his life in
chattam and when he left chattam he came
back to London aged 11 and that was
really the commencement of all his
miseries
just down the river Hungerford Bridge
was the site of the blacking Warehouse
where he was sent to work that
experience of being employed at the age
of 12 in a Tumbl down rat infested
Warehouse doing the dullest mechanical
Labor day in and day out it's the
formative event really of dickens's
childhood this Gateway was built by the
first Duke of Buckingham in the
beginning of the 17th century and this
is where the temps ran up to the
Waterfront was covered with various
kinds of warehouses and factories among
them being the factory called Warren the
warehouse itself was on Hungerford
stairs that's where Dickens spent his
days with his fellow apprentices doing
this incredibly boring mechanical job
and Dickens trying desperately to keep
himself together he must under no
circumstance let anybody know that he
felt anything any pain any distress and
tried to make people laugh
basically so the factory moved in fact
It upgraded it came to a rather more
salubrious part of town although it was
not so damp and probably not rat
infested it had one very unattractive
aspect which is it was very dark and so
the boys worked in the window for the
extra light and that meant that passes
by could see them working and this was
deeply humiliating and shaming for
Dickens but he had one happy Advantage
which is that his father now out of the
data's jail happened to pass by the
window one day saw his son in there and
made up his mind to take him out of the
warehouse Dickens was now free to resume
his education which is what he dreamt of
for so
long if you keep going along the Strand
until you come to waterl bridge and then
turn left you come into Wellington
Street Dickens created his first
magazine something he dreamt of for for
years years decades in fact and he
called it household words the magazine
was very successful Dickens wrote a lot
for it he edited the work of his
contributors and then the whole drama of
his separation from his wife came
up he wrote a statement about it for a
publication he wanted it to be on the
front page of punch which was also
published by Brad Lans his Publishers
and they thought it was inappropriate
for Comic magazine and refused to do it
and he took against his Publishers
turned against them savagely and decided
to end the magazine and started a rival
magazine called all the year round and
just to rub their noses in the dirt he
took offices only one block up from the
household
word this is where the editorial offices
were uh and that's indeed where he
stayed at the top floor was his
apartment he was still editing all the
year around when he died in 1870 one of
the young men who worked in his office
George Salah said that it was a sort of
comic that that wherever you went in
London if you went to Fulham for that
suddenly there was Dickens walking
through if you went up into hamser teeth
there was Dickens if you went into the
East End of lond suddenly turning the
corner was Dickens again he was
everywhere and he sort of still is in my
imagination it was dickens's Delight to
walk around London with his friends and
with new friends and with visitors from
America or from France or wherever and
point out as it were dickens's London he
was as much a myth as a man even in his
own lifetime he he celebrated his own
existence in these places it's
remarkable how much of it remains intact
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