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The Life of Charles Dickens, Vol. 1
The book has no illustrations or index. It may have numerous typos or missing text. However, purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original rare book from the publisher's website (GeneralBooksClub.com). You can also preview excerpts of the book there. Purchasers are also entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Original Publisher: J. B Lippincott
428 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1872
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About the author
John Forster
449Ìýbooks10ÌýfollowersJohn Forster (1812-1876) was an English biographer, a critic and a friend of Charles Dickens. He contributed to The True Sun, The Morning Chronicle and The Examiner, of which he was literary and dramatic critic. His Lives of the Statesmen of the Commonwealth (1836-1839), published in 1840, obtained immediate recognition, making Forster a prominent figure in a distinguished circle of literary men, which included Leigh Hunt, Edward Bulwer-Lytton, Thomas Noon Talfourd, Albany Fonblanque, Walter Savage Landor, Robert Browning, Thomas Carlyle and Charles Dickens.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 17, 2024
In 1812, a baby was born in Newcastle, in the North of England. He was educated for the bar, but quite early he decided to devote himself to periodical writing, and grew up to be a political and historical writer.
The same year, another baby was born in Portsmouth, a port in Hampshire, in the South of England. He too yearned to be educated—just as his older sister Frances (Fanny) was. She had won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music in 1823, and their parents were paying the huge sum of thirty-eight guineas a year for her fees. Fanny was the eldest of eight children, and this boy was the next in line. But John and Elizabeth—the parents of these children—had not enough money to educate another of their children. Furthermore, the next year when the child was 12, his father was incarcerated in a debtors� prison, and the boy was taken away from school to work in a boot-blacking factory. He was mortified, and never really got over it. He wondered bitterly “how I could have been so easily cast away at such an age�.
Fast forward another dozen years, and unlikely as it may seem, the two young men’s paths now converge, as they meet for the first time. You may well have guessed that the first was John Forster, and the second was Charles Dickens.
They happened to meet on Christmas Day 1836, through a mutual acquaintance, the novelist William Harrison Ainsworth. John Forster had started writing political articles in the “London Examiner� four years earlier which attracted unusual attention because of their vigour and outspoken honesty. His “Lives of the Statesmen of the Commonwealth� had also begun publication at this time in “Lardner’s Cabinet Cyclopaedia�. He looked to be destined for great things—but as yet had no idea of his true destiny—and what the world would ultimately thank him for.
Charles Dickens also had an eventful 1836. That year he had married Catherine Hogarth, and also begun the serial publication of “The Pickwick Papers�. He went to theatres obsessively, claiming that for at least three years he went to the theatre every day. He hoped to put his work as a junior clerk in the law office, and as a court reporter behind him; he knew he wanted fame. His heart was in acting, but during the previous three years he was also managing to sell pieces of journalism, in the form of sketches in periodicals: “Sketches by Boz�. But it is “The Pickwick Papers� which was the real publishing phenomenon, and which started off his rapid ascent into becoming an international literary celebrity, within only a few years.
And at his side, for the rest of his life was his truest friend and mentor, the self-sacrificing (and far more wise) John Forster.
John Forster was the only person Dickens trusted with his papers after he died, and the only one he wanted to write his biography. Who could there be, any better qualified? They had met up or written to each other more or less every day, and Dickens never published anything without first running it past his friend, for the rest of his life. John Forster intervened in negotiations with publishers too. It is fair to say that in every aspect of Dickens’s life he was guided by John Forster.
In these three volumes we have, carefully catalogued, a complete record of Charles Dickens’s life, including a wealth of information which the author himself wrote to his friend. John Forster does not comment on the personal areas other biographers delight in. At all times he respects his friend’s privacy, well aware of the honour that he had been accorded. For this reason, some readers ignore this biography, saying it is incomplete or biased. They are missing a rare treat. Here you will find hundreds of letters and notes by Dickens, written to his friend in all moods: fanciful and frivolous or deadly serious, worried and unsure or almost incandescent with anger, weary and overworked or brimming with excitement over his latest project. It is all here, organised and linked with John Forster’s fuller account of their lives.
If these two had not met, the wonderful works by Charles Dickens that we love may not have been written. At the very least they would have been different. John Forster’s sound advice shaped the genius that was Charles Dickens.
His Life of Charles Dickens is a fascinating account in three volumes. This first volume contains an account of the years before they met, and goes up to just 6 years afterwards. This means that a lot of the contents are what Dickens had told Forster. In fact Dickens had felt so mortified and ashamed of his early life that he kept the details hidden from everyone—even his friend. John Forster had only learned about the blacking factory after the events in this volume. Charles Dickens had secretly written part of his autobiography, and incorporated them into “David Copperfield�. But that is a later part of the story.
For now, we admire John Forster’s retelling of Charles Dickens’s years as a child and as a young man, in the first 30 years of both their lives. Here is a brief overview of the first third.
Volume 1: (1812-42)
Chapter 1 � Childhood (1812-22)
Chapter 2 � Hard Experiences in Boyhood (1822-4)
Chapter 3 � School-Days and Start in Life (1824-30)
Chapter 4 � Newspaper Reporting and Writing (1831-5)
Chapter 5 � First Book, and Origin of “Pickwick� (1836)
Chapter 6 � Writing the Pickwick Papers (1837)
Chapter 7 � Between Pickwick and Nickleby (1837-38)
Chapter 8 � Oliver Twist (1838)
Chapter 9 � Nicholas Nickleby (1838-39)
Chapter 10 � During and After Nickleby (1838-39)
Chapter 11 � New Literary Project (1839)
Chapter 12 � The Old Curiosity Shop (1840-41)
Chapter 13 � Devonshire Terrace and Broadstairs (1840)
Chapter 14 � Barnaby Rudge (1841)
Chapter 15 � Public Dinner in Edinburgh (1841)
Chapter 16 � Adventures in the Highlands (1841)
Chapter 17 � Again at Broadstairs (1841)
Chapter 18 � Eve of the Visit to America (1841)
Chapter 19 � First Impressions of America (1842)
Chapter 20 � Second Impressions of America (1842)
Chapter 21 � Philadelphia, Washington and the South (1842)
Chapter 22 � Canal-Boat Journeys: Bound Far West (1842)
Chapter 23 � The Far West: To Niagara Falls (1842)
Chapter 24 � Niagara and Montreal (1842)
Some of the writing feels as fresh as the day Charles Dickens put pen to paper. How fortunate we are that his honest and loyal friend John Forster did not seem to throw away a single scrappy note. And even more so that he had the skill and knowledge to create this informative, entertaining and massive tome only a couple of years after Charles Dickens had died.
There has been a “major biography� about Charles Dickens every decade since he died, and many more in addition. It is worth remembering that this is the account which every single biography of Charles Dickens is based on.
The same year, another baby was born in Portsmouth, a port in Hampshire, in the South of England. He too yearned to be educated—just as his older sister Frances (Fanny) was. She had won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music in 1823, and their parents were paying the huge sum of thirty-eight guineas a year for her fees. Fanny was the eldest of eight children, and this boy was the next in line. But John and Elizabeth—the parents of these children—had not enough money to educate another of their children. Furthermore, the next year when the child was 12, his father was incarcerated in a debtors� prison, and the boy was taken away from school to work in a boot-blacking factory. He was mortified, and never really got over it. He wondered bitterly “how I could have been so easily cast away at such an age�.
Fast forward another dozen years, and unlikely as it may seem, the two young men’s paths now converge, as they meet for the first time. You may well have guessed that the first was John Forster, and the second was Charles Dickens.
They happened to meet on Christmas Day 1836, through a mutual acquaintance, the novelist William Harrison Ainsworth. John Forster had started writing political articles in the “London Examiner� four years earlier which attracted unusual attention because of their vigour and outspoken honesty. His “Lives of the Statesmen of the Commonwealth� had also begun publication at this time in “Lardner’s Cabinet Cyclopaedia�. He looked to be destined for great things—but as yet had no idea of his true destiny—and what the world would ultimately thank him for.
Charles Dickens also had an eventful 1836. That year he had married Catherine Hogarth, and also begun the serial publication of “The Pickwick Papers�. He went to theatres obsessively, claiming that for at least three years he went to the theatre every day. He hoped to put his work as a junior clerk in the law office, and as a court reporter behind him; he knew he wanted fame. His heart was in acting, but during the previous three years he was also managing to sell pieces of journalism, in the form of sketches in periodicals: “Sketches by Boz�. But it is “The Pickwick Papers� which was the real publishing phenomenon, and which started off his rapid ascent into becoming an international literary celebrity, within only a few years.
And at his side, for the rest of his life was his truest friend and mentor, the self-sacrificing (and far more wise) John Forster.
John Forster was the only person Dickens trusted with his papers after he died, and the only one he wanted to write his biography. Who could there be, any better qualified? They had met up or written to each other more or less every day, and Dickens never published anything without first running it past his friend, for the rest of his life. John Forster intervened in negotiations with publishers too. It is fair to say that in every aspect of Dickens’s life he was guided by John Forster.
In these three volumes we have, carefully catalogued, a complete record of Charles Dickens’s life, including a wealth of information which the author himself wrote to his friend. John Forster does not comment on the personal areas other biographers delight in. At all times he respects his friend’s privacy, well aware of the honour that he had been accorded. For this reason, some readers ignore this biography, saying it is incomplete or biased. They are missing a rare treat. Here you will find hundreds of letters and notes by Dickens, written to his friend in all moods: fanciful and frivolous or deadly serious, worried and unsure or almost incandescent with anger, weary and overworked or brimming with excitement over his latest project. It is all here, organised and linked with John Forster’s fuller account of their lives.
If these two had not met, the wonderful works by Charles Dickens that we love may not have been written. At the very least they would have been different. John Forster’s sound advice shaped the genius that was Charles Dickens.
His Life of Charles Dickens is a fascinating account in three volumes. This first volume contains an account of the years before they met, and goes up to just 6 years afterwards. This means that a lot of the contents are what Dickens had told Forster. In fact Dickens had felt so mortified and ashamed of his early life that he kept the details hidden from everyone—even his friend. John Forster had only learned about the blacking factory after the events in this volume. Charles Dickens had secretly written part of his autobiography, and incorporated them into “David Copperfield�. But that is a later part of the story.
For now, we admire John Forster’s retelling of Charles Dickens’s years as a child and as a young man, in the first 30 years of both their lives. Here is a brief overview of the first third.
Volume 1: (1812-42)
Chapter 1 � Childhood (1812-22)
Chapter 2 � Hard Experiences in Boyhood (1822-4)
Chapter 3 � School-Days and Start in Life (1824-30)
Chapter 4 � Newspaper Reporting and Writing (1831-5)
Chapter 5 � First Book, and Origin of “Pickwick� (1836)
Chapter 6 � Writing the Pickwick Papers (1837)
Chapter 7 � Between Pickwick and Nickleby (1837-38)
Chapter 8 � Oliver Twist (1838)
Chapter 9 � Nicholas Nickleby (1838-39)
Chapter 10 � During and After Nickleby (1838-39)
Chapter 11 � New Literary Project (1839)
Chapter 12 � The Old Curiosity Shop (1840-41)
Chapter 13 � Devonshire Terrace and Broadstairs (1840)
Chapter 14 � Barnaby Rudge (1841)
Chapter 15 � Public Dinner in Edinburgh (1841)
Chapter 16 � Adventures in the Highlands (1841)
Chapter 17 � Again at Broadstairs (1841)
Chapter 18 � Eve of the Visit to America (1841)
Chapter 19 � First Impressions of America (1842)
Chapter 20 � Second Impressions of America (1842)
Chapter 21 � Philadelphia, Washington and the South (1842)
Chapter 22 � Canal-Boat Journeys: Bound Far West (1842)
Chapter 23 � The Far West: To Niagara Falls (1842)
Chapter 24 � Niagara and Montreal (1842)
Some of the writing feels as fresh as the day Charles Dickens put pen to paper. How fortunate we are that his honest and loyal friend John Forster did not seem to throw away a single scrappy note. And even more so that he had the skill and knowledge to create this informative, entertaining and massive tome only a couple of years after Charles Dickens had died.
There has been a “major biography� about Charles Dickens every decade since he died, and many more in addition. It is worth remembering that this is the account which every single biography of Charles Dickens is based on.
July 12, 2021
Most of us are at least slightly acquainted with the works of Charles Dickens. He is one of the great writers of the Victorian era, and his books have become iconic works that still delight and amaze readers, movie buffs and theater goers. John Forster was his friend of some thirty-four years. Living in the Victorian age, they wrote to one another and much of Forster’s memory of Dickens can be supported by a large volume of letters still in Forster’s keeping upon Dickens� death.
The best parts of this biography for me were the excerpts from Dickens letters, which sparkle just as his fictional writings do and ooze with personality. Poor Forster is a bit on the dry side with much of his writing, but his devotion to his friend could not be more obvious, which makes me like him quite a lot.
Of course, if you want a balanced view of Charles Dickens and who he really was, you would have to go further afield than this. No negative event or action by Dickens will be revealed by John Forster, which made me think of reading Mrs. Elizabeth Gaskell’s biography of Charlotte Bronte. However, does it not say a lot about a man that he can secure the friendship of another and keep it for such a time, and leaving this earth, have someone who wants to tell everyone, besides having a talent that was indisputable, what a decent and good friend he was? There will be no such lines to eulogize me, and Forster’s admiration extends far beyond Dickens� obviously masterful writing abilities and is grounded in something that surpasses his fame and fortune.
It is one thing to look at a man from a distance and evaluate him without emotion, and quite another to know the man intimately and wish to pass on to those who will not ever have any opportunity to know him so well the essence of who this man was to you. I give Forster high marks for his desire to do this and his attempt to set the man, Dickens, on paper. I have a best friend, since the seventh grade we have been as close as possible; I know her secrets, she knows mine. If I were writing her biography, I would not divulge anything that might be hurtful; I would tell the world she is wonderful, and that would be the absolute truth. From a personal view, I understand; from a historical view, you might need to supplement this biography with another, written later by a stranger.
If you have an interest in the creative process that produced Dickens� great works, Forster does a good job of giving you that. He follows the appearance of the books in their chronology and spends some time on the process that Dickens goes through putting them on paper. That he produced such timeless stories, without any failure, while under the enormous pressures of both finances and fame, is remarkable. The shameless manner in which people cheated him early on is reprehensible. The details of his earliest days are captivating, and the way in which he wove these experiences into his novels, fascinating.
Dickens� trip to America was enlightening but by far the least interesting portion of this volume. You might think it would have been otherwise for me, being an American, but I found Dickens had really little appreciation for the States and I despair to think we might have been as backward and uncouth as he generally painted us. Somehow I never think of Dickens and Washington Irving as contemporaries, and Dickens� view of our penal system of the time and how trains ran was not at all the way I had pictured Washington and Philadelphia at this time. He did, however, meet John Quincy Adams, whom I would have presumed dead by this date, so how surprising is that?
Although I found parts of this a slog, I am happy to have read this volume and hope to continue the subsequent ones to the end. When I have done, I will seek out A Life by Claire Tomalin to see how they differ and what details Forster thought best not to share regarding his dear friend. Meanwhile Mr. Dickens languishes in America, while I get to close the volume and return to Victorian England, if I so desire.
The best parts of this biography for me were the excerpts from Dickens letters, which sparkle just as his fictional writings do and ooze with personality. Poor Forster is a bit on the dry side with much of his writing, but his devotion to his friend could not be more obvious, which makes me like him quite a lot.
Of course, if you want a balanced view of Charles Dickens and who he really was, you would have to go further afield than this. No negative event or action by Dickens will be revealed by John Forster, which made me think of reading Mrs. Elizabeth Gaskell’s biography of Charlotte Bronte. However, does it not say a lot about a man that he can secure the friendship of another and keep it for such a time, and leaving this earth, have someone who wants to tell everyone, besides having a talent that was indisputable, what a decent and good friend he was? There will be no such lines to eulogize me, and Forster’s admiration extends far beyond Dickens� obviously masterful writing abilities and is grounded in something that surpasses his fame and fortune.
It is one thing to look at a man from a distance and evaluate him without emotion, and quite another to know the man intimately and wish to pass on to those who will not ever have any opportunity to know him so well the essence of who this man was to you. I give Forster high marks for his desire to do this and his attempt to set the man, Dickens, on paper. I have a best friend, since the seventh grade we have been as close as possible; I know her secrets, she knows mine. If I were writing her biography, I would not divulge anything that might be hurtful; I would tell the world she is wonderful, and that would be the absolute truth. From a personal view, I understand; from a historical view, you might need to supplement this biography with another, written later by a stranger.
If you have an interest in the creative process that produced Dickens� great works, Forster does a good job of giving you that. He follows the appearance of the books in their chronology and spends some time on the process that Dickens goes through putting them on paper. That he produced such timeless stories, without any failure, while under the enormous pressures of both finances and fame, is remarkable. The shameless manner in which people cheated him early on is reprehensible. The details of his earliest days are captivating, and the way in which he wove these experiences into his novels, fascinating.
Dickens� trip to America was enlightening but by far the least interesting portion of this volume. You might think it would have been otherwise for me, being an American, but I found Dickens had really little appreciation for the States and I despair to think we might have been as backward and uncouth as he generally painted us. Somehow I never think of Dickens and Washington Irving as contemporaries, and Dickens� view of our penal system of the time and how trains ran was not at all the way I had pictured Washington and Philadelphia at this time. He did, however, meet John Quincy Adams, whom I would have presumed dead by this date, so how surprising is that?
Although I found parts of this a slog, I am happy to have read this volume and hope to continue the subsequent ones to the end. When I have done, I will seek out A Life by Claire Tomalin to see how they differ and what details Forster thought best not to share regarding his dear friend. Meanwhile Mr. Dickens languishes in America, while I get to close the volume and return to Victorian England, if I so desire.
June 25, 2020
This is a difficult book for me to rate. This book was written shortly after the death of Dickens and by a very close friend of his. At this time, hardly anything was known about Dickens' life, thoughts or actions. The information in this book would have been fresh & new, delightful and entertaining, it would have given insight into the personal thoughts of a much beloved author.
The excerpts of Dickens' letters to John Forster are truly delightful. They are full of humor, delightful observations, insightful social observations. He sees humor in many everyday encounters and writes about them so well. His letters are really heartfelt, true and told as experienced.
The writing of John Forster, on the other hand, is very dry and exact. He's also very careful to keep Dickens' personal, wedded, family life out of the eyes of the public. This biography focusses on Dickens with barely a mention of wife & kids and no mention of daily home life, his writing, his work in publication, his daily activities. We get a good feel for the man and his work; not so much of the man & his family.
So, a few up and downs throughout. Well worth the read but, I feel, with a large element of the man missing. However, looking at this from the viewpoint of the original readers, this would be a fascinating work, with a multitude of looks into the inner thoughts and life of a much loved author.
The excerpts of Dickens' letters to John Forster are truly delightful. They are full of humor, delightful observations, insightful social observations. He sees humor in many everyday encounters and writes about them so well. His letters are really heartfelt, true and told as experienced.
The writing of John Forster, on the other hand, is very dry and exact. He's also very careful to keep Dickens' personal, wedded, family life out of the eyes of the public. This biography focusses on Dickens with barely a mention of wife & kids and no mention of daily home life, his writing, his work in publication, his daily activities. We get a good feel for the man and his work; not so much of the man & his family.
So, a few up and downs throughout. Well worth the read but, I feel, with a large element of the man missing. However, looking at this from the viewpoint of the original readers, this would be a fascinating work, with a multitude of looks into the inner thoughts and life of a much loved author.
March 19, 2021
Biographer John Forster was a very close friend of British writer Charles Dickens. He gave Dickens legal and literary advice, reading Dickens' works before they were published. The two men corresponded regularly, and Dickens' letters form the backbone of Forster's book.
Volume 1 covers the time from Dickens' birth to the end of his first trip to America. His novel has autobiographical elements from Dickens' early life. Before Forster's book was published, people did not know that Dickens' father was sent to debtors' prison and Dickens had to work in a blacking factory as a child. These experiences helped form Dickens' concern for the poor, prisoners, and children.
A large portion of the book covers Dickens' trip to America in 1841-42. While he was traveling, Dickens wrote long letters to Forster which were the basis of his . Dickens' letters were colorful, humorous, opinionated, and lively. Forster quotes from these letters extensively in this biography.
Since he was such a close friend, Forster gives us a very positive view of Dickens as a person. He rarely mentions anything about Dickens' wife, Kate, or his home life. This book is a wonderful source of information, but colored by the bonds of friendship. 3.5 stars.
Volume 1 covers the time from Dickens' birth to the end of his first trip to America. His novel has autobiographical elements from Dickens' early life. Before Forster's book was published, people did not know that Dickens' father was sent to debtors' prison and Dickens had to work in a blacking factory as a child. These experiences helped form Dickens' concern for the poor, prisoners, and children.
A large portion of the book covers Dickens' trip to America in 1841-42. While he was traveling, Dickens wrote long letters to Forster which were the basis of his . Dickens' letters were colorful, humorous, opinionated, and lively. Forster quotes from these letters extensively in this biography.
Since he was such a close friend, Forster gives us a very positive view of Dickens as a person. He rarely mentions anything about Dickens' wife, Kate, or his home life. This book is a wonderful source of information, but colored by the bonds of friendship. 3.5 stars.
July 8, 2020
A very dry biography by a close friend of , the prose just doesn't flow, the only time it gets animated is when Mr. Forster is quoting his subject. I am very thankful that Charles Dickens wrote all those letters to his friend or this would have been excruciating.
In this volume, Forster covers the years 1812-1842 that means from the birth of Dickens to his 30th year. There's really interesting anecdotes and if they are an extract from a letter, very amusing. The author decided though to focus on the career and social life of CD and only in the citations do we get a little bit of the family life.
I don't know if the choice to only cover public life is a trend in Victorian biographies, I know that Princess Beatrice went slashing through Queen Victoria's diaries after her death so I can well see a pattern there... I cannot be sure though because the biographies that I have read of Victorian times are all my contemporaries, I think we now tend to be more truthful since we can't hurt the person or their family anymore and also we don't have the same moral objections to human nature.
Not sure if I will read volume 2 in the future maybe I would go for a more modern biography if I read another one, but for now since I haven't read yet, I couldn't continue reading this one without meeting major spoilers. Yes, I think I almost forgot to say, Forster's gives away important plot points for , , so reader beware and only read this biography if well versed in Dickens.
In this volume, Forster covers the years 1812-1842 that means from the birth of Dickens to his 30th year. There's really interesting anecdotes and if they are an extract from a letter, very amusing. The author decided though to focus on the career and social life of CD and only in the citations do we get a little bit of the family life.
I don't know if the choice to only cover public life is a trend in Victorian biographies, I know that Princess Beatrice went slashing through Queen Victoria's diaries after her death so I can well see a pattern there... I cannot be sure though because the biographies that I have read of Victorian times are all my contemporaries, I think we now tend to be more truthful since we can't hurt the person or their family anymore and also we don't have the same moral objections to human nature.
Not sure if I will read volume 2 in the future maybe I would go for a more modern biography if I read another one, but for now since I haven't read yet, I couldn't continue reading this one without meeting major spoilers. Yes, I think I almost forgot to say, Forster's gives away important plot points for , , so reader beware and only read this biography if well versed in Dickens.
June 24, 2021
John Forster was Charles Dickens� first biographer. Forster was a close friend and the two exchanged hundreds of letters over Dickens� lifetime. Forster was also a literary advisor to Dickens as he often read and commented on early drafts of his work. Forster first became familiar with Dickens when they were young men.
Forster begins his biography with Dickens early life, as told to him by Dickens, and then details Dickens life and writings. In this first of three volumes, he covers Dickens life up through his first trip to America in 1842.
When Forster and Dickens were in the same vicinity they might exchange many messages during a day and frequently rode horses and dined together. Dickens liked to find interesting places for a ride and then send Forster a letter or note asking that they ride together later in the day. Dickens tended to work in the morning and then have his late afternoons and evenings free. When they were together, Dickens would ask for Forster’s advice as to his writing and his business dealings.
Forster kept Dickens� letters and heavily relies on them in this biography. Quotes from them might be over fifty percent of the content and it is these letters which add sparkle to what would otherwise be a flat biography. The letters describe Dickens� thoughts on what he’s writing, his travels, those he meets, and what he does. They are lively.
I think this is the same biography I read about Dickens when I was studying his works eons ago.
Forster begins his biography with Dickens early life, as told to him by Dickens, and then details Dickens life and writings. In this first of three volumes, he covers Dickens life up through his first trip to America in 1842.
When Forster and Dickens were in the same vicinity they might exchange many messages during a day and frequently rode horses and dined together. Dickens liked to find interesting places for a ride and then send Forster a letter or note asking that they ride together later in the day. Dickens tended to work in the morning and then have his late afternoons and evenings free. When they were together, Dickens would ask for Forster’s advice as to his writing and his business dealings.
Forster kept Dickens� letters and heavily relies on them in this biography. Quotes from them might be over fifty percent of the content and it is these letters which add sparkle to what would otherwise be a flat biography. The letters describe Dickens� thoughts on what he’s writing, his travels, those he meets, and what he does. They are lively.
I think this is the same biography I read about Dickens when I was studying his works eons ago.
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