Charles
Dickens’ “American Notes” fell into obscurity due to his unpopular view of
America. His venture to New York provided readers with a seemingly critical
analysis of Broadway, the “gaudiness” of clothing, immigration, the prison
system, and the slums. His negative viewpoint resulted in backlash by American
readers.
Charles Dickens begins with a
description of the gaudy people and hot sun of Broadway. He notes the bright
colors and extravagant dress of both men and women alike. In contrast to the
luxurious dress, Charles Dickens takes notice of the dress of the laboring
class through his description of the Irishmen. The Irishmen also serve as a way
for Dickens to discuss the mentality of the working immigrants.
The most critical point of “American
Notes” is found in Dickens’ description of The Tombs, an infamous prison in New
York. He notes the lack of exercise that prisoners receive, the long term in
which they are held under these conditions, and the unwholesome air of the
prison, which some children are forced to endure. Dickens also briefly
discusses the secrecy under which hangings are held.
Dickens ends his journey, with the
exception of a last visit to The Tombs, by visiting the Five Point Slums, witnessing
joy where it doesn’t seem apparent. In the slums, he saw that even without the
luxuries of Broadway, people were able to enjoy themselves. He talks highly of
the dancing, music, and boisterous environment.
Dickens’ “American Notes” was not
well-received by American readers, and resulted in only one publication. This
newspaper article (The Quarterly Review, March 1843) exemplifies the American opinion on Dickens’ appraisal. The
article dismisses his critical opinion as jealousy rather than regarding it as
an unbiased analysis.
However, Dickens’ background colors his
opinion and his sarcastic way of writing may have come off as more insult than
observation. Regarding his critical analysis of the prison system, Dickens’
family was a victim of the prison system in England. This resulted in hardship
for Dickens as a child, which may have influenced his sympathy for the
imprisoned children, leading to a rather opinionated view of the American
prison system.
Dickens’ personal style of writing has
a way of finding humor in any situation, this situation being culture shock. As
a result, Dickens’ humor came off as comedy at the expense of America. His
dramatic portrayal of his experience was ill-received by an equally dramatic
reception by the American public. Maybe he didn’t like America, maybe he did;
that’s just Dickens.
Discussion
Questions:
1.
Without first analyzing “American Notes”, how did you feel about Dickens’
opinion while reading? What kind of picture does he paint about New York?
2.
Dickens references England multiple times in discussing his view of America. Do
you think more background increased your understanding of Dickens’ opinion?
3.
Who do you think that Dickens was initially writing for, the English,
Americans, or nobody in particular?
4.
Is Dickens’ portrayal of the immigrants positive or negative, in your opinion? Do
you think there was a message Dickens was trying to get across by discussing
the immigration?
5.
Do you think that patriotism was a factor in the backlash that Dickens
received? Do we still see this kind of reaction to modern media?*
6.
Was there anything that Dickens was trying to say by including the commentary
on the pigs?
*Included
in discussion is the following commercial.
I feel Dickens had a somewhat accurate view on city life in the US at the time, but due to it being so long ago, could not visit rural life which was most of the country at that time. His trip was hindered by the ever-present Tombs that Dickens did not like. He was focusing too much on the bad part of New York, even saying there were "no amusements." This text was definitely meant for England, though. Dickens wanted to related back to his hometown how city life was being conducted in comparison to his own cities, like Piccadilly Circle in London. Overall, I think he captured a part of the US, but not the whole picture. At the time, this wasn't an accurate picture for the rest of America that was more rural.
ReplyDeleteI will be reflecting on questions 1, 2, 3, and 5.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading through “American Notes”, my first impression was that Dickens did not care for New York. He constantly points out many faults to the reader. First, he talks of the heat and how New York is not as clean as Boston, and also compares the streets to those in London. He then turns his attention to the gaudy dress of Men and Women in the streets of Broadway, stating that he has seen more colors in ten minutes than one should see in ten days, alluding to the extravagance and color of their attire. He also spends time talking about dirty “pigs” that litter the streets, which could represent vagabonds and other men. I think that he finds part of it quite dull as well, with the only amusements being a lecture room, evening services for women, counting houses for men, a store, and a barroom in one area. Overall, New York seemed to be very bleak and dirty when Dickens was not on Broadway or Wall street and spent his time in the Bowery, the Five Point Slums, and The Tombs.
I believe that if I knew what some of the areas in England looked like, or if I had more supporting details to draw conclusions from, I would have understood some of the points that Dickens was trying to get across in his writing. With a minimal amount of knowledge, I wasn’t able to appreciate his references nearly as much.
Initially, I thought that Dickens was writing for the English, but after the discussion in class, I think that he was mostly writing for himself or for no one in particular. I picture him going to New York, among other cities, and essentially “reviewing” them because he is a writer. It details his journey and gives him a memory of the time that he has spent in various places. They may be critical pieces because he wants others to see the problems that plague society, or because he would like to know where he would rather re-visit in the future.
I think that patriotism was a factor in the negative opinions that Dickens received. In the 1812, there was another Military conflict with Great Britain which helped clear up lingering issues from the Revolutionary War. Even after 30 years, when Dickens’ American Notes were published, I still think that there was some lingering anger directed toward the United Kingdom. Dickens was still loved as a writer, but his negative opinions were like a slap to the face for the Americans who held him in high regard.
Writing an account of one's travels was typical (and I suppose still is). He was certainly writing for an audience--his own people, back in England, who largely adored him. He's got built-in readers who expect something from him--a tone, a turn of phrase, a humorous description (the pigs?)--so I think he partly writes from this perspective of knowing what he audience wants and expects. But this makes the "slap in the face" to New Yorkers felt all the more strongly. And of course, there is general patriotism playing a part as well.
Delete2. The references to places in England did limit my ability to understand Dickens' opinion of New York. The comparisons of New York to other places I had little or no knowledge of, were nearly meaningless without any prior understanding as to whether Dickens found these places to be good or bad.
ReplyDelete3. I think Dickens understood that his opinion was important to the Americans and that by criticizing the aspects of New York he disliked, he might encourage the local people to fix them. Most of it seemed to be directed at an English audience but I do not think it was narrowly written for one group of people.
4. Dickens portrayed the immigrants themselves in a positive way but he did not make their situations seem the most desirable. I think he felt bad for them. They were the ones that were truly building America and yet they did not get to enjoy its novelties like Broadway. They were set apart from the other people in the places they occupied and the clothes they wore.
Some interesting issues: if we do not understand Dickens' points of reference, do we lose understanding of his criticisms? Does this mean that unless we've been somewhere personally, we can't understand as fully? Knowing this, and understanding that Dickens was writing for an audience who probably had never been to New York, can we better understand HOW and WHAT he was writing?
ReplyDelete