This unfortunate combination has led to all sorts of trouble for nearly 200 years.
The influence of long-dead writers, even of fiction, can be long lasting, Dickens even has his own adjective in the dictionary. “Dickensian” standing for “poor social conditions,” and “comically repulsive characters.”
After all, the story of Ebenezer Scrooge has had more influence on today’s world than the deeds of John Tyler.
Who the heck was John Tyler?
He was President of the United States when A Christmas Carol was published, and let’s face it, you have no idea what he did.
Unlike politicians, who pass laws or draw imaginary lines on the map of the world, writers, artists, and poets pass “ideas,” that become part of society’s consciousness. And it is these “ideas” that become the basis for politics.
So what was Dicken’s idea?
Like all writers, Dickens drew on his own life experience to inform his tales. The problem with this, is that Dicken’s life was a train wreck.
