Charles Dickens
Dickens Writing, First Sample
Dickens Writing, Second sample
The first thing we notice in Charles Dickens's handwriting sample is the excessive underscore beneath his signature. This indicates a very strong need for recognition; he focused his attention on how much praise he would receive from the world at large (the underscore is "excessive" because it is larger than the signature). When the signature and underscore are significantly larger and more elaborate than the rest of the script, the writer will appear more confident and outgoing than he really feels inside (smaller size body of text indicates the inner person, while the larger sized, attention getting, signature represents the outer persona). This may also give us a clue as to why he wanted to be on center stage publicly: it stemmed from childhood longings to really "be somebody" (a large signature with progressively larger size within the letters in his last name).
His heavy pressure indicates someone who feels things to the depths of his soul. Life experiences had a lasting impression on him; he did not forget hurts easily. Because he also had a right slant to his writing, he needed to express this emotional intensity to the outside world. For Charles Dickens, the poverty he knew in childhood obviously had a profound effect on him because he could never really let it go (heavy pressure, unassuming and slightly variable Personal Pronoun I). Often, people with heavy pressure need a focus for their emotional intensity - something to pour their passion into. For Charles Dickens, this outlet was his writing (literary d's - curved d stems that goes from left to right), this tendency to express himself in writing was supported by the naturally expressive facet to his personality (right slant, open d form).
Now, we have to keep in mind we are working with a copy of a copy. This can distort our findings, so when possible it is always best to work with the originals. With this in mind, let's look at the way the writing appears "muddy" with filled in ovals. This is called pastiose writing. Quill pens that were in use at the time could cause a more pastiose look than we are used to today. This is not necessarily determined by the writer (similar to the messy look we can get today when using a malfunctioning ball point pen). Nevertheless, compared to contemporaries of his time, his writing is still considered more pastiose than usual. The pastiose writer is someone who lives life through his physical senses. He craves fulfillment through rich foods, moving music, luscious scents, etc. In reading a Charles Dickens novel, it is obvious he found a positive way to funnel this into his writings through the incredibly vivid descriptions he used in his novels. Some lower zone extensions don't cross but move rightward further indicating his ability to take unconscious drives (from the lower zone) and channel them into his work.
The speed, form, and relative legibility tells us Dickens was a man of intelligence. He could think things through and see the end of the story while still writing (quick speed, originality), and would work steadily toward the finished product (straight lines, several long t crossings, and heavy pressure). He was remarkably able to maintain control over the overall structure and consistency of his script (fairly balanced margins and spacing). Ultimately, by being able to control his strong emotions he was able to put them to work for him precisely the way he chose (downward t crossings, tent shape t, and convex t crossing on "Thank").
Clever efficiency and originality are shown in letters that simplify, and yet are still legible, the f in "of", (middle of the page) is a good case in point. He preferred to think things through logically, but with his own unique twists - you never knew when he was going to throw you a curve (mostly connected writing, with occasional very noticeable breaks).
The way the left margin shifts rightward along with a right slant, shows an expressive personality ready to step out in the world and leave it's mark. He was warm and inclined to reach out to others (finals that reach out, heavy pressure, and right slant). The variable size and narrowing line spacing illustrate he was inconsistent in how he expressed himself.
It is helpful to have at least one secondary sample to substantiate things you see in the script. Is something you see a fluke, or a part of the personality? In this sample on the fifth line down, the last part of the line suddenly slants downward. Now, this in itself may not mean anything, but notice he does it again in the secondary sample. A word that slants down at the end of a line is an indication of not preparing ahead, impulsiveness, and possibly even a touch of depression. In these two samples it only happens in one line toward the end of the samples. This would lead us to believe that with time he could get weary and overwhelmed. This isn't really surprising considering how intensely he lived his life.
The second sample also backs up the significant variations in his t crossings. Notice in our sample there are several very long t crossings which indicate extraordinary will power. However, upon further study you will also find signs of a domineering personality (t crossing down and to the right), forgetfulness (t uncrossed), impatience (t crossed right of the stem), and even a bit of procrastination (t crossed left of the stem)! What does all this mean? It means Charles had a little bit of each in his personality. The more you see a trait repeated, the more it was likely a part of his character. In the secondary sample, we see long t crossings primarily right of the stem, and a few t crossings that start left of the stem and don't quite go through. He had high goals in life, and he could get alternately inpatient and overwhelmed about achieving them.
Finally, let's look at the way he signed his first name. Charles started his signature with snarls - the beginning of his name tangles with the word above as he encircles part of his first name. What does all this mean? Tangling denotes confusion regarding the area where the tangling takes place. It is significant that in this sample the only place we see this is in the first name of his signature. Encircling is a protective gesture born from anxiety and a certain amount of mistrust. Note, however, that he did not encircle his entire signature but primarily the capital C. Capitals represent how the writer wishes to appear. Taken together this represents conflict and inner confusion regarding how to present himself as "Charles".
Have you noticed he linked his first name right into his last name? This shows concentration and wanting to accomplish things according to his plans. He was willing to use creativity and originality in order to achieve what he most wanted in life (names linked combined with an irregular break within the name Dickens). With an underscore that is almost a pedestal we can be sure he wanted his place in history to be at the top of his field. He achieved this by expressing himself passionately, and he did it in his own way.
His heavy pressure indicates someone who feels things to the depths of his soul. Life experiences had a lasting impression on him; he did not forget hurts easily. Because he also had a right slant to his writing, he needed to express this emotional intensity to the outside world. For Charles Dickens, the poverty he knew in childhood obviously had a profound effect on him because he could never really let it go (heavy pressure, unassuming and slightly variable Personal Pronoun I). Often, people with heavy pressure need a focus for their emotional intensity - something to pour their passion into. For Charles Dickens, this outlet was his writing (literary d's - curved d stems that goes from left to right), this tendency to express himself in writing was supported by the naturally expressive facet to his personality (right slant, open d form).
Now, we have to keep in mind we are working with a copy of a copy. This can distort our findings, so when possible it is always best to work with the originals. With this in mind, let's look at the way the writing appears "muddy" with filled in ovals. This is called pastiose writing. Quill pens that were in use at the time could cause a more pastiose look than we are used to today. This is not necessarily determined by the writer (similar to the messy look we can get today when using a malfunctioning ball point pen). Nevertheless, compared to contemporaries of his time, his writing is still considered more pastiose than usual. The pastiose writer is someone who lives life through his physical senses. He craves fulfillment through rich foods, moving music, luscious scents, etc. In reading a Charles Dickens novel, it is obvious he found a positive way to funnel this into his writings through the incredibly vivid descriptions he used in his novels. Some lower zone extensions don't cross but move rightward further indicating his ability to take unconscious drives (from the lower zone) and channel them into his work.
The speed, form, and relative legibility tells us Dickens was a man of intelligence. He could think things through and see the end of the story while still writing (quick speed, originality), and would work steadily toward the finished product (straight lines, several long t crossings, and heavy pressure). He was remarkably able to maintain control over the overall structure and consistency of his script (fairly balanced margins and spacing). Ultimately, by being able to control his strong emotions he was able to put them to work for him precisely the way he chose (downward t crossings, tent shape t, and convex t crossing on "Thank").
Clever efficiency and originality are shown in letters that simplify, and yet are still legible, the f in "of", (middle of the page) is a good case in point. He preferred to think things through logically, but with his own unique twists - you never knew when he was going to throw you a curve (mostly connected writing, with occasional very noticeable breaks).
The way the left margin shifts rightward along with a right slant, shows an expressive personality ready to step out in the world and leave it's mark. He was warm and inclined to reach out to others (finals that reach out, heavy pressure, and right slant). The variable size and narrowing line spacing illustrate he was inconsistent in how he expressed himself.
It is helpful to have at least one secondary sample to substantiate things you see in the script. Is something you see a fluke, or a part of the personality? In this sample on the fifth line down, the last part of the line suddenly slants downward. Now, this in itself may not mean anything, but notice he does it again in the secondary sample. A word that slants down at the end of a line is an indication of not preparing ahead, impulsiveness, and possibly even a touch of depression. In these two samples it only happens in one line toward the end of the samples. This would lead us to believe that with time he could get weary and overwhelmed. This isn't really surprising considering how intensely he lived his life.
The second sample also backs up the significant variations in his t crossings. Notice in our sample there are several very long t crossings which indicate extraordinary will power. However, upon further study you will also find signs of a domineering personality (t crossing down and to the right), forgetfulness (t uncrossed), impatience (t crossed right of the stem), and even a bit of procrastination (t crossed left of the stem)! What does all this mean? It means Charles had a little bit of each in his personality. The more you see a trait repeated, the more it was likely a part of his character. In the secondary sample, we see long t crossings primarily right of the stem, and a few t crossings that start left of the stem and don't quite go through. He had high goals in life, and he could get alternately inpatient and overwhelmed about achieving them.
Finally, let's look at the way he signed his first name. Charles started his signature with snarls - the beginning of his name tangles with the word above as he encircles part of his first name. What does all this mean? Tangling denotes confusion regarding the area where the tangling takes place. It is significant that in this sample the only place we see this is in the first name of his signature. Encircling is a protective gesture born from anxiety and a certain amount of mistrust. Note, however, that he did not encircle his entire signature but primarily the capital C. Capitals represent how the writer wishes to appear. Taken together this represents conflict and inner confusion regarding how to present himself as "Charles".
Have you noticed he linked his first name right into his last name? This shows concentration and wanting to accomplish things according to his plans. He was willing to use creativity and originality in order to achieve what he most wanted in life (names linked combined with an irregular break within the name Dickens). With an underscore that is almost a pedestal we can be sure he wanted his place in history to be at the top of his field. He achieved this by expressing himself passionately, and he did it in his own way.
Biography of Charles Dickens 1812-1870
Background:
Charles Dickens (1812-1870) was a nineteenth century English writer who wrote such classics as: A Christmas Carol, Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, A Tale Of Two Cities, Great Expectations, and many others.
He was born into a middle class family, but when he came home from boarding school at the age of ten he found his family living in poverty. He was unable to return to school in order to help out at home. When he was twelve, his father was sent to prison for his debts. While the rest of the family lived in Marshalsea prison Charles was forced to work long hours in order to support himself. This left a powerful lifelong wound, social humiliation, and defeat. This was an extremely formative experience in young Charles's life. Charles' father, John, was a clerk in the Navy Pay Office. John Married Elizabeth Barrows in 1809. Elizabeth Barrows' father Charles Barrows was the chief Conductor in the Navy Pay Office. Charles Dickens grandfather was also employed by the Navy Pay Office and was accused of embezzling £6,000 and fled England. His father John was the basis for the character Mr. Micawber while his mother Elizabeth was the basis of Mrs. Nickleby. His first novel, the Pickwick Papers, was written as a serial from 1936-1937. Early in his career he taught people to expect the unexpected for he may have had them laughing in the Pickwick Papers but he soon showed a more serious side in Oliver Twist. He was labeled a social reformer because of the attack the Poor Law received as a result of his novel Oliver Twist. Charles took pride in his role of social reformer. |
Towards the end, Charles was not a happy man despite his literary success. His marriage had not been a love match, and in the end they lived separate lives. Restless, he released his non-literary energies in travel - to the US, Switzerland, and Italy. The energy and exuberance of this man was reflected in the extraordinary vividness of his descriptions. Despite his exuberance, there was always an undertone of sadness to Dicken's life. What distinguishes him from other authors is the way he was able to control the readers emotions; this was the product of his very intense personality. The information for this short biography was gathered from the Encyclopedia Americana - the International Edition, 1998. Chief Events Timeline:
|