Life, 1912-02-08 · page 12 of 44
Life — February 8, 1912 — page 12: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a tribute page to Charles Dickens featuring illustrations of his famous fictional characters. The top illustration shows eight characters in a bar scene, labeled with names like "Capt. Cuttle," "Alfred Jingle," "Tony Weller," and "Pickwick"—all recognizable Dickens creations. The page discusses Dickens's literary legacy, noting that during his lifetime he dominated English humor and imagination. It compares him favorably to contemporary authors who focus on sexual themes and neurotic female characters, positioning Dickens as superior for depicting "real life, in its varied and fundamental aspects." The lower sections include character sketches (Mr. Micawber, Sairey Gamp, Mr. Pecksniff) with quoted dialogue, celebrating Dickens's skill at creating memorable, distinctive personalities.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
-LIFE: Charles Dickens Alfred Jingle. Pickwick. Pickwick, Toor, Waller Pickwick. Sam Weller. Pickwick. Dick Swiveler. Curiosity Shop. Capt. Cuttle. Dombey and Son. Dan'l Quilp. Curiosity Shop. We have gone so far beyond Charles Dickens that, in emphasizing the fact of his once having lived, this emphasis, we feel, ought to be accompanied by some sort of apology for having-referred to h'm at all. Whereas, during his own period there was practically but one Dickens, who dominated the entire field of humor, imagination, and creative art, we now have almost every week a new masterpiece from some hitherto un- known author, who usually deals with the delightfully original varieties of the sexual instinct—subtle, neurotic tendencies common to hysterical women; or the inspiring delineation of ‘ compelling,” “absorbing,” ‘‘gripping,’’ and ‘‘ epoch-making"’ characters. There are many of us who still believe with all our hearts and souls that Charles Dickens is one of the great men of all time. And so, for the benefit of these few, we pay our tribute to this immortal, and reproduce some characteristic specimens of his art—an art which seems to be indeed only real life, in its varied and fundamental aspects. Mrz. Micawber “ALY other piece of advice, Copperfield,” said Mr. Micawber, “ you know. An- nual income, twenty pounds; annual expen- diture, nineteen six; result, happiness. An- nual income, twenty pounds; annual expen- through no patient proc- ess of reasoning, that it can give no satisfactory or sufficient account of itself and that it pro- nounces in the most confident manner even Mr, Pecksniff. Martin Chuzzlewit Sairey Gamp. Martin Chuszlewit, diture, twenty pounds ought and six; result, misery. The blossom is blighted, the leaf is withered, the God of day goes down upon the dreary scene, and—and, in short, you are forever floored. As I am!” [" has been often enough remarked that women have a curious power of divining the characters of men, which would seem to be innate and instinctive; seeing that it is against accumulated observation on the part of the other sex. But it has not been quite so often remarked that this power (fallible, like every other human attribute) is for the most part absolutely incapable of self-revi- sion, and that it has delivered an adverse opinion, which by all human lights is subsequently proved to have failed. It is undistinguishable from prejudice, in re- spect of its determination not to be cor- rected. —Mystery of Edwin Drood.