Charles Dickens - The Later Years | Biography

[@chrys77cross]

At the recommendation of my late mentor, I picked up 'A Christmas Carol' this holiday, my first experience of Dicken's. I read it through and am reading it through again this month to my children after breakfast. How timely this video is having been released 5 hours ago!

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Hope you enjoy your journey into the world of Mr Dickens.

[@TheAtl0001]

1 hour of educational, entertaining well researched quality information with high production value. Rare in an environment of clickbaity unoriginal flashy half truths. Thx.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thank you - I have a great team supporting me - I couldn't do it with my son Tom and editor Manavi Sakunika.

[@manavisakunika]

@@professorgraemeyorstonThank you so much for the kind words and mention of me, Sir! It’s a pleasure being part of such an amazing project. Looking forward to creating more great work for you!

[@kringle-jelly]

One of my favorite authors! Thanks for sharing bits of his life not everyone knows.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

My pleasure.

[@theresamacarty5507]

I’ve been reading Dickens since I was 9 years old and was the youngest ever member of the Dickens fellowship in Bloomsbury. Now 61, I still adore this complex man and his genius. As a therapist, I often wonder how we would relate if he was my client. As an artist who creates miniature characters, I can empathise with how a character can haunt you until they are brought to life. As a performer, I can relate to his passion and energy. You did a great job of presenting him to us and I am glad I stumbled across both parts 1 and 2. Many thanks 🙏🏻

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Glad you enjoyed it.

[@simonward-horner7605]

Thank you, I thoroughly enjoyed part two of your examination of Dickens. It's interesting to me that his method of writing changed from free-wheeling to preparing an outline and structure; I often wondered how he went about preparing his novels and short stories. I can only admire his energy and creativity; perhaps this also led to his shabby treatment of his wife, who seemed to be happy leading an ordinary, unremarkable life and, after some time, she couldn't stimulate him intellectually or physically anymore. It's that old story - the curse of highly creative people and geniuses, that their demons form them as much as their angels do, and those closest to them suffer from these contradictions the most. A truly excellent video.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thank you. I guess we shouldn't be surprised that our heroes are human after all - but I was hoping Dickens might be a little....nicer...to his family.

[@simonward-horner7605]

@@professorgraemeyorston Me too, but alas, he had serious flaws.

[@janethayes5941]

Yay!!! Been waiting for part 2. Thank you❤😊

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Glad you enjoyed it.

[@victoriamartin5414]

Me too. Part One was so interesting and I was surprised how intently I was listening to

[@annerigby4400]

As always an interesting subject, well presented. Very enjoyable. I lean towards the ADHD theory of Dickens because ADHD people I know will totally focus on something that interests them - for Dickens, that would have been the research (observation of people and situations) and the act of writing. For the rest, he did seem to be all over the place and everywhere. About his burning all those letters, I think it was out of a sense of guilt, shame and wanting get rid of any reminder of what his relationship with his wife had been. He wanted her gone, literally, so as not to have to deal with guilt, memories, etc. Some people have on/off switches when it comes to relationships and once that switch is off, that other person becomes intolerable. So much food for thought. Thank you.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

I agree with your thoughts on the relationship - once it was gone he wanted nothing to do with her.

[@phylliscraine]

You've made a very fine set of videos Dr. Yorston - thank you!! After reading his novels and a biography of Dickens, for me he feels so....modern. He lived his life in ways that seem to anticipate and understand the upcoming first 50 years of 20th century, and the trials of 20th century celebrity, decades before anyone perceived that world. And then F. Scott Fitzgerald (another great video of yours!) predicted celebrity in the last 50 years of the 20th century.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thank you - that's an interesting though - what would Dickens have been like if he'd lived in the 20th century.

[@kathleenphillips6445]

Thank you Professor Yorston! You more than delivered a fascinating portrait of a complicated man. As you say, he sometimes resembled his own villains but I’ll continue to read and love Dickens anyway. Thank you!

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thank you - glad I didn't put you off.

[@TuckerSP2011]

This is really such a well-rounded portrait of a genius writer who was decidedly human even to the depths of such shocking hypocrisy to act as the champion of the voiceless, yet who tried to shut his wife away into a cruel institution for the insane. The reality of that callous attempt punches one right into the gut with incredible velocity. Sad for his family and for what tbey went through and also quite sad for him. How he also tried to erase his personal past by burning his own correspondence and that he urged his friends to do the same seems to be extremely controlling. I would not be surprised if he kept his sister-in-laws as concubines for himself. Yes, he was an incredibly gifted author and reformer which makes his own personal betrayals smart all the harder. Thanks as usual for all of the hard work and beautiful graphics you put into this portrait of Dickens!

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thank you - that was how I felt as I read more about him.

[@davidjohnhull]

Yes I enjoyed it very much. Very well put together, I like your style. Thank you. Have a nice Christmas.😊

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thank you. Happy Christmas to you as well.

[@loisthiessen9134]

I've enjoyed every one of your insightful and fascinating look into such a varied company of writers from the past! Thank you, Dr. Yorston

[@professorgraemeyorston]

My pleasure!

[@barrydavis987]

From the UK. The much anticipated second part of your Dickens documentary didn't disappoint. Many thanks, as ever.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thanks for watching.

[@barrydavis987]

@@professorgraemeyorston Always a delight.

[@Ginnettefrances]

An incredible presentation. Thank you

[@barrydavis987]

@@Ginnettefrances Here, here.

[@robertmontano5188]

Please consider reviewing the life of Orson Welles, I think he falls in line with your current lineup of figures and is one of my favorites.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Interesting one.

[@BMW7series251]

As a Dickens fanatic, many thanks for this video. Really enjoyed it. Regards, John.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Glad you enjoyed it.

[@darrylreilly3915]

A majestic, concluding installment which authoritatively affirms Dickens’ greatness with keen psychological insights, Bravo!

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thank you.

[@roberttaylor6295]

Brilliant, informative, insightful, meticulously researched and professionally scripted and delivered, and perhaps above all., thoroughly enjoyable Rob!

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thanks Rob.

[@tomklock568]

Excellent videos on Mr. Dickens…it is indeed an interesting study of what a person really is and what they project. A lot to think about.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thank you.

[@Freepsy]

I greatly enjoyed both parts! Who’s next? Jonathan Swift, perhaps?

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Great suggestion.

[@arthuroldale-ki2ev]

I woke this morning feeling very down and out of salts , tuned into your excellent video on Charles Dickens , it was just the Tonic I needed ( I had watched your video on the young Dickens ) THANK YOU !

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Glad to have been of service!

[@peppylady6426]

Well done. Looking forward to the next one.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

There are a few in the pipeline!

[@nonosays]

Wonderful. A useful and straightforward analysis of a complex man. The observation of the effects of celebrity culture, a relatively new phenomenon in Dickens' lifetime, is spot on.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thank you.

[@gullsrus]

Well, his personal life is not something to be proud of. But i remain a big fan. Thank you for posting this,i very much enjoyed.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Glad you enjoyed it.

[@PaulWherry]

Was waiting for pt2 , great stuff . Keep up the stellar work

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thank you.

[@barbaraleuba6211]

Charles Dickens is a hero. He exposed childhood cruelty. A Christmas Carol is my favourite 😊

[@digitalunderdog-wp6gp]

Not sure you actually watched this.

[@lindanizamoff7981]

and treated his wife like crap when he met younger women.

[@sharonjack8582]

You sure have done a lot of research to make this incredible video. Thank you.

[@melissavancleave8686]

Thank you for another very enjoyable video.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@CSchaeken]

Thank you so much for this excellent video, so well presented too, much appreciated !

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thank you.

[@colvinator1611]

This is an exceptional account of the man Dickens' life. I've learned a lot from your work, and I really appreciate it when you don't know a certain issue as fact, you say so. Thanks a lot.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Much appreciated!

[@neostratospey6946]

Great work. Thank you.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thank you.

[@cordeliabuttercup1897]

Excellent video! 👏 My first experience of Charles Dickens was in reading A Tale of Two Cities. My book report was devoted to the theme of footsteps that are threaded throughout the tale - one of my favorite parts. He seemed to me to be someone extremely empathetic, and I think this character trait isolated him as a child, making his experiences leave a deeper mark than most. Perhaps this contributed to the growing gap between him and Catherine as he felt he needed to defend himself or shut down whenever his faults were pointed out. Also, being an empathetic individual suddenly showered with public success would be a heavy mental burden, as Professor Yorston so brilliantly pointed out.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

We don't know Catherine's account and Dickens burned as much as he could.

[@janii4]

There was a statue of Charles Dickens in Centennial Park, Sydney 130 years ago to show appreciation for what he had done to encourage people to move here.. He sent two of his sons to Australia. He also sent the women of Urania Cottage. Unfortunately, on the first voyage the fallen women fell again before the ship reached Sydney. Dickens inspiration for Miss Haversham was Sydney woman, Eliza Emily Donnithorne who was to be married in 1856. The groom did not appear and Miss Donnithorne never left the house again and left the wedding breakfast to rot.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

He was planning a trip to Australia - but it never came off - perhaps it was to check up on his Urania girls!

[@TM-yn4iu]

This was an excellent and intriguing video, both parts. Your research is appreciated - your ability to convert that into a captivating video is just impressive. Following up on what may/may not have been psychological issues, I can't comment on , but again interesting. That said, I was talking to my wife today about a "biographical" movie that appears to be good(individual still alive) - I stated "how would you feel seeing your life portrayed in front of you by someone else. Apologies for the latter, segway being analysis from the other side. Thanks from across the pond again.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

I guess the whole celebrity culture thing has grown and grown and if you're famous enough to have a biopic about you, then you will have become accustomed to portrayals of yourself in the media. If you're fragile -not great but if you're a bit narcissistic - even worse.

[@janefaceinthewind6260]

I feel for Charles. I genuinely love how his wife receives so much attention these days. But as someone who lived with a partner who suffered from depression, let me tell you that this is one of the hardest fates a human being can ever have. Men back in the day were not trained and prepared to take care of children and even today, despite all the help available, having a partner with mental health issues is something that requires superhuman strength. I don't mean to make anyone with mental health issues feel bad but it's the truth. These days one can seek professional help, back in the day it was not quite that easy. Women can suffer all kinds of things as a result of child birth. Depression is one of them. Some women become psychotic and neurotic. I remember watching a documentary where a husband was sobbing and said "I just want my wife back." Charles very likely was completely overwhelmed and tried to not lose control, which can sometimes make people sterner than necessary. Depression can often come with massive changes in personality. Your own partner can turn against you unprovoked, having anger issues, and at the same time not being able to function. Charles had likely not much help dealing with it all, and probably had to care for his wife as well as for his children. I wish we would move away from the narrative of Charles being a terrible partner. He very likely gave it all he could and just was burnt out at some point. Plus, it's a well known fact that depression is contagious. He was clearly incredibly unhappy and mentally exhausted. I wish that his wife had had more help for her condition, but I am glad that Charles was able to free himself when he felt he couldn't take it anymore. At some point, as sad as this is, one has got to save oneself.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

You're absolutely right and Catherine did suffer from depression but if it was simply exhaustion that forced them to part, why was he so vindictive afterwards?

[@suzp2265]

Excellent detail and your voice is wonderful to listen to.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thank you.

[@netza6705]

A great 2-part documentary, thank you! Dickens have been a favourite since I was a child, but seems I only knew small bits about his personal life before. Happy to be more educated now. :)

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@johnplonk54]

Excellent conclusion to the Dickens story. I notice you have a book on your shelf about James Dean. What about him as a subject to profile?

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Yes, he's on the list!

[@robert3987]

A wonderful biography.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thank you.

[@Adelink_lol]

Hello Mr Yorston; I would be fascinated by a video on James Dean, the actor. I was reading into his history and there was some very sad past history that may have influenced his want for fame and glory.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Great suggestion - he's on the to do list!

[@Adelink_lol]

@@professorgraemeyorston You have no idea how happy that makes me! Some of your videos help me write the characters in my story better, like the Julius Caesar video.

[@joannecole5573]

Oh wow...just noticed my wish has been granted....a long one to watch..!! Yaay..ok, light off & go Jo....thank you ❤

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Hope it met your expectations!

[@joannecole5573]

Yes it did thank you...very much so...please continue with this great talent of yours....😃😄

[@DBEdwards]

Splendid account of Mr. Dickens. Well done. Wonderful insight into his personality and times. A remarkable man. A man of keen mystery and intrigue I say. Who today compares?

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thanks, I have one on F Scott Fitzgerald.

[@richardshiggins704]

Even without the psychiatric analysis your biographies of these well known characters are fascinating . I suppose Dickens was essentially like most of us , flawed though unlike most of us his fame highlighted all the more so the less pleasant characteristics of his personality .

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thank you - I suppose we shouldn't be surprised that Dickens like all of us had his flaws.

[@JoanKentBible]

Thank you for these two great videos on Charles Dickens. I will definitely watch them again. 😀

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thank you.

[@cynthiasilvera4656]

Truly enjoyed this. Shattered a few illusions though on who I thought him to be. Many congratulations!

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Glad you enjoyed it.

[@Ginnettefrances]

Thanks

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thank you very much.

[@annereidy7981]

Thank you, most interesting and no, never could put me off his work.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Glad to hear it

[@beedee4427]

Thank you. I've been waiting for this to drop and it didn't disappoint. Fascinating to find out where his life was at whilst writing my absolute favourite "Dombey and Son". Again, cheers.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@oakdew]

All i can hope is that people don't someday take a microscope to my own "less worthy moments".

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Quite! I'm sure most people have a few things they'd like consign to the bonfire.

[@victoriamartin5414]

I really enjoy your videos. Thank you!

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Glad you like them!

[@traceydaizy]

I really dont think that anybody who could write those amazing and heartfelt stories could be shallow. There's no way you could understand the feelings and behavior of the unfortunate people he wrote about

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Definitely not shallow.... just a bit selfish?

[@androullashati4778]

Thank you Graham Greetings and best wishes from Cyprus

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Glad you enjoped it.

[@merakitra]

Frame can change a person as we can see many many examples, even nowadays. If he was a little more patient and treated his wife better, he really would be a saint. Thanks for your video, a lot of work you’d put in. I really enjoyed it.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thank you.

[@srsusansummers3070]

Fascinating

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Glad you enjoyed it.

[@carolynbishop7139]

Thank you. I enjoy your videos.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Glad you like them!

[@lizmunro6881]

I was in a major derailing incidence at the age of 6yrs. I have never forgotten the feelings. At that age having flown on airoplanes all my life (born and raised in PNG) I never had a fear of flying but feared train travel for many years.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

I'm sure it must be a terrible experience.

[@richardquirk7581]

Please tackle H.G. Wells. T.S. Eliot, Jack London and Aldous Huxley.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Great suggestions - I've started working on Jack London.

[@chrismifflin3862]

When I was studying thematic literature in university, "Great Expectations" was the book that taught me about Dickens.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

The fact that there are alternate endings says a lot.

[@janefaceinthewind6260]

This is outstanding, thank you so much! I wonder - would you consider doing a video about M.R.James at some point? Perhaps with some focus on the University of Cambridge being used as a hospital during WW I, and that James didn't write again until after the war etc...? This has always fascinated me, yet there seems to be little general knowledge about this. Some say that with his story "A warning to the curious", he digested war experiences. I personally don't find Mark Gatiss' interpretation of repressed sexuality finding its way into his ghost stories too convincing, after all at some point he wanted to get married. His use of language is just so, so good, and his stories are genuinely scary - a friend of mine refuses to read them because she finds them too terrifying. He also deserves recognition and memory for his academic work. I love what he did, and he seemed to be quite likeable, too. These are just my thoughts though, not suggestions! ☺️ Have a umerry Christmas and a blessed new year. 🎄✨️

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thanks, I'll look into him.

[@ClaireCopeland-n6y]

That house for fallen women seemed like a hypocritical hot mess. Those Victorian men were such Pharisees

[@spocksdaughter9641]

Well said!! Keeping one's trousers on always a difficulty.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

I think it was probably well-intentioned...but he just couldn't help himself having a look into their lives.

[@spocksdaughter9641]

@@professorgraemeyorston agreed, unfortunate he did not endow it. 'Do Gooders' seem to meet their ego needs esp Victorian Missionaries in very unselfaware ways.

[@Sunshinekty46]

Hello Graeme, well you ask for suggestions. I would love your thoughts on Captain / Govenor William Bligh. One of my husband's forebears was involved in Govenor Bligh's ousting from Sydney. His name was Major George Johnston and he was a leader of the Rum Corps. Australian history. I still like your bookshelves and ornaments as well as your videos 😊

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thank you - I'll look into him.

[@Sharon_Mc]

🇬🇧 The 1946 film , Great Expectations. Who can forget the early graveyard scene. A black and white film . I know those Kentish marshes. Bleak and yet intriguing.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

That first scene is amazing.

[@Sharon_Mc]

@professorgraemeyorston Unforgettable

[@mijiyoon5575]

There is a reason *Dickens* is still popular ... obviously

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Because he is one of the greatest writers ever?

[@danielartist123]

Wonderful!

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Glad you enjoyed it.

[@spocksdaughter9641]

The hyperfocus on things one is interested in is a main feature of ADHD. Also common is sleep problems and Fears related to self-worth. We also officially ADHD and PSTD see your super star with our own sadness. I cannot read his wk exposing suffering. Isn't it odd how much it was enjoyed. Macabre and masterful and cruel to his own.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

I did wonder about hyperfocus, but there is then a risk of diagnosing everybody with ADHD.

[@spocksdaughter9641]

@@professorgraemeyorston some long in the mental health community consider it an evolutionary shift. If the educational system transitions out of the 3R basic preperation to take up a place in the industrial rev society or mot is the question. Look at the titians who created I T revolution misfits to a one many uneducatable. FYI the ratio to population I last heard are far from a minority in school from memory 1/3. But is that endocrine disrupters... plastic ...or inutero influences from mother stress... diet and medications. Adhd in The UK is already an fortunate Fad I deeply regret!

[@quintonbroster2994]

Thank you enjoyed that

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thanks for watching.

[@gailgaddy5340]

Thanks you sir for this insightful videos on Dickens. I so enjoyed it. I personally feel we all have our Dr Jekyll/Mr Hyde issues to some degree. We are the result of our up bringing and personal choices. Looking forward to your next endeavor.😊

[@professorgraemeyorston]

I'm sure you're right.

[@kungazopa2831]

Dickens' treatment of his wife Catherine is beyond deplorable especially as divorce was so outside the pale in Victorian times. Read Catherine's biography to get a well rounded view on his treatment of her, his children and even Miss Ternan. Not a nice man at all.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

No he wasn't great.

[@jane.c.c]

I guess he was human too. Mark Twains account of him surprised me more than anything else. I didn't imagine him tall with a husky voice at all. I imagine those details helped add to the charisma he obviously seemed to possess..

[@professorgraemeyorston]

I think he was ill when Mark Twain saw him - he was considered a fine actor when he was well.

[@carlsmith8815]

Highly stimulating as usual, but re. his marriage ...." Another person's marriage is often a foreign country ". As the good doctor cautions about ascribing contemporary diagnosis' to Dicken's. symptoms . This should also apply to his attitudes to issues in his own time.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Yes, we don't know what went on in the marriage so we can only comment on what we do know - but the case for Dickens doesn't look strong!

[@tiadiad]

Dumas looks like a fun fella! 7:39

[@professorgraemeyorston]

I agree - he looks like he'd be fun to have a chat to.

[@annafox7474]

I really love Dickens stories and seeing him as who he was and knowing that he wasnt perfect does nothing to diminish that love. He was a greatly talented writer and like many others he wasnt a great father and husband. Perhaps those relationships are too challenging for some creative people.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Yes, I think you may be right.

[@kideos3236]

Very insightful and interesting. Well done. A suggestion: f. Scott Fitzgerald. (and bugsy Siegel) 🎉

[@professorgraemeyorston]

I have already done one on Fitzgerald.

[@kideos3236]

@professorgraemeyorston sorry, I forgot. I did watch this. Thank you for responding to me! St. Catharines, Ontario canada

[@peterdavidcrossfield4885]

How can anyone attempt to comment on his personal relationships, his mental condition about someone you've never met, including you. It's all speculation and gossip. I cannot tolerate anyone criticizing one of the greatest authors ever. Why can't we just stick to facts, and leave him in peace.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

All biographies are interpretations - even the sanitised ones.

[@dianeandandrew]

I was hoping you were going to talk about the years Dickens was head of the London’s theatrical guild as I learned in ancestry work my 4x great grandfather, a surgeon, was on the board with him.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

He did so many things, I couldn't mention them all - but nice family connection.

[@rdo1231]

perfect!

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thank you.

[@ekurisona663]

what are those 3 rings on your shelf?

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Rai Stones - Ceremonial gifts of the Yap People (replicas).

[@IamSavoiiMusic]

I've watched a few of your videos now. I really enjoyed Judy Garland one, which I commented about how you didn't mention AA in such an important historical, famous figure who struggled with addiction. I found that to be unfortunate. And to be honest, slightly out of touch. But I had another thought here as I was watching this one with Charles Dickinson. You make everything sound like it's going to be okay. 😂 It's almost like you take this idea of how people perceive history, events and people and personalities and cultures and ways of living in the past as somehow being more stable and acceptable and you exploit it. Your tone and the suggestions of meaning that you convey as you're speaking through your overall message in each video has that consistency. By that I mean you really stabilize really erratic and devastating historical facts somehow being able to present them is just pleasing recollection of history of the time. And that that's okay because that was that time. That is the message you send across without deliberate intention specifically through the words you choose. No, it's more about your delivery and your overall presentation. Again exploiting the idea that history no matter how turbulent always appears to be more peaceful and human and honorable in retrospect as we look back from the future. I just wanted to reflect that to you. But that said I really don't find you annoying. There's so many of these KZbin videos or I just pick apart the people because they're so damn annoying. They're so flawed they're so full of crap / lies / discrepancies that just add up over time as you're watching the videos. With you I honestly feel like it's just a good video to watch and it's pleasing to watch. And I learn a lot in the process. But with that said the entire time I feel like I'm being presented with a course of history that was just acceptable for what it was. There was nothing wrong with it even if it was negative, there was nothing wrong with it. It just was what it was. And I don't know if I necessarily agree with that to be honest with you. 😂😂😂 Either way it's informative. Thanks for hearing me out.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

I do my best to set people's lives in some sort of social and historical context - but there is no one version of history - another person's telling of the story will be completely different.

[@inessatachen5617]

Charles have great ideas influence millions ❤❤❤

[@professorgraemeyorston]

He has indeed.

[@P0thila]

My Sri Lankan mother read Little Dorrit 51:31 as a young woman and frequently commented on his work. She read the next best biography available to her grasp (maybe from the British Council) before Tomalin.

[@laney3182]

I love 💕 your channel.

[@Kasarija]

Charles Dickens has been my favorite author for decades…and still is. I try not to idolize humans, though. Videos like this certainly assist in that endeavor, lol.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

I do my best to show people with all their complexities!

[@helpyourcattodrive]

Amazing …

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thanks 😄

[@ryangerardcomedy425]

I imagine being that famous and sought after must've made for a difficult life.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

I think it can make people very selfish.

[@Leslie12.66]

Do you think he was highly judgmental of others due to his success, or just his personality? I feel like it would be difficult to please him. Thank you for the suggested reading.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Good question - I think it is the same issue with Roman emperors - power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely - but you have to have a corruptible nature to begin with. I think there was a narcissistic side to him and if he had not been successful he would have become a bitter man - but all the success and adulation made him a rather selfish and self-important man.

[@dabedwards]

Thank you for such a tremendous presentation. The problem of great art produced by flawed and sometimes disgusting people seems ubiquitous. Wagner is perhaps at the pinnacle. On a minor technical note: I don´t understand the style decision to superimpose image degradation (film scratches etc) on the library inserts. They seem an unnecessary distraction.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Yes, Wagner was one of the most odious.

[@The_Story_0]

Great ❤

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thank you.

[@EileenHall-j9f]

Been waiting for this. Dickens was an hypocrite, but a great writer. I guess you need to hold your nose. He wasn’t the only writer or artist, who was a really bad husband.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

No, he was human after all.

[@paulschnyder938]

Tremendous energy

[@professorgraemeyorston]

He certainly had it aplenty!

[@evipsarra7151]

Nice documentary! Although I believe he regretted some things at the end…I think he confessed to his daughter about them?

[@professorgraemeyorston]

I do think he had a few things to regret.

[@lindaolsen7828]

Dickens: another illustration of fallible humanity. We can all lie to ourselves about something and most cannot see the dichotomy between their thoughts and actions.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

True, I was hoping Dickens might have been different.

[@monicacall7532]

Dickens appears to have become “a legend in his own mind”. He was a brilliant writer and social reformer who used his books to expose corruption in the legal system and treating the poor as being expendable (Bleak House), the terrible state of unregulated educational institutions, the constrictions and constraints placed on girls and women by society (especially when they were poor and didn’t have a man to lean on and help them) and the abysmal treatment of the disabled (Nicholas Nickleby) plus the shameful debtors prisons and predatory landlords (Little Dorit) so much more. And yet, in real life he could be thoughtless and cruel to the people who knew best. Dickens’s treatment and public humiliation of his wife when he announced their separation was unconscionable. The world revolved around him, much to the detriment of his children and Ellen Ternan. To my mind the way that he could never seem to understand why she could and did invite public censure for living with him while he did not was a window to his inner life for me. He seemed incapable or uninterested in trying to put himself in other people’s shoes, so to speak. What a very flawed, complicated and brilliant man.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

He was indeed.

[@jillr.austin1103]

He was shaped by a very,very difficult childhood. You.can not Compare life then .to what you live now . Different by every.way. Don't judge.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

He was indeed - and I usually try to avoid judging as a psychiatrist - but I'm afraid his treatment of his wife did seem shabby, to me as a man.

[@robertburnos7573]

Pleased to ty once more

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Glad you enjoyed it.

[@honeybadgergrrl77]

People are complicated. I really dislike the modern habit of denigrating a long-dead individual for misdeeds of the past. Of course, some do deserve it (Christopher Columbus et al), but many do not. Dickens did things that would typically be unthinkable today, but he also contributed a great deal to social reform and the awareness of class struggle. In my mind, the only people who know what went on in his relationships are the people in them, and I am hesitant to apply condemnation from 150 years in the future.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Fair point.

[@robertalpy]

He tried to have his wife commited to an asylum so he could more easily and cheaply sue for divorce. The doctor upbraided him for his attempt to have his wife institutionalized when there seemed to be nothing wrong with her.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

That's how it seems.

[@kimbarnetson3297]

There is no doubt that Dickens writing was amazing and he did a great deal to raise awareness of the inequality he saw in society. But he isn't his writing, he was a flawed human and because we all love his writing its difficult to come to terms with the nastier aspects of his character. I especially dislike his treatment of Catherine and his attempts to control who had access to her. I think today we would view his behaviour very differently but at the time he was ( just about) able to get away with it.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

For me, it is particularly galling that he encouraged Collins to publish The Woman in White!

[@oneviewcornwall8200]

Wasn't his surname originally Dicken without the 's'. My friend worked for his great, great granddaughter or similar and she imparted this little known fact

[@professorgraemeyorston]

His father was Dickens, but there is another family name of Dicken.

[@plato7771]

It's Staplehurst rail crash--Not Staplehouse rail crash.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Correct - the autogenerated script may have got it wrong.

[@TaliaAdira]

Charles Dickens used London's fog as a metaphor.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

I think there was much that was foggy about Victorian London, literally and metaphorically.

[@TaliaAdira]

@ Excellent biography on Charles Dickens The Later Years. The trauma of early years manifested in his own personal rather impersonal response to his own wife and family. Subconsciously recreating the early trauma years.

[@HRHQueenAngelita]

Senile is the term I heard in the 70s

[@professorgraemeyorston]

And much more recently than that - but we try to avoid using it today.