Dickens, The Family Man’ (Press, 23 March 1967)

Monica Dickens, the great-granddaughter of the famed author Charles Dickens, is currently on a lecture tour across the United States, where she shares insights about her ancestor's sexual life. Charging £178 per lecture, her talks primarily target women’s clubs, and she finds them well-received. Many attendees express a renewed interest in reading Dickens’ works after her sessions. In an interview, Miss Dickens acknowledges that she does not possess formal qualifications to analyse her great-grandfather’s literary contributions but emphasises her perspective as a family member. She discusses Dickens’ role as a family man, the complexities surrounding his marriage, and the fate of his ten children. Despite her admiration for him, she candidly admits to the darker aspects of his life, including his alleged infidelities, suggesting that many men of his era, facing societal pressures, sought companionship outside of marriage. Miss Dickens reveals that Charles Dickens had a significant affair with a young actress named Ellen Ternan, which she believes played a role in the dissolution of his marriage. She also mentions another romantic involvement in Italy, where Dickens experimented with hypnotism, a popular trend at the time. She reflects on the societal norms of Dickens' era, noting that marriage was often viewed through the lens of duty rather than pleasure, which consequently led men to seek extramarital fulfilment. While discussing his literary works, Miss Dickens points out that Dickens refrained from including overt sexual content in his writings, asserting that his readership would have declined if he had done so. However, she interprets a subtle homosexual undertone in "David Copperfield," suggesting that it reflects Dickens' own observations of the world around him. As for Dickens' later years, Miss Dickens recounts a significant period shortly before his death when he toured the United States, reading from his books and earning substantial sums. Notably, he preferred to receive his earnings in cash, reflecting a distrust of American banks. During this tour, he suffered significant health issues and often collapsed, needing to be revived with brandy. Miss Dickens conveys a sentiment held within her family that this strenuous tour ultimately contributed to his demise.

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