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This part rather struck me: In the manly consideration toward Mrs. Dickens which I owe to my wife, I will only remark of her that the peculiarity of her charac

This part rather struck me: In the manly consideration toward Mrs. Dickens which I owe to my wife, I will only remark of her that the peculiarity of her character has thrown all the children on someone else. I do not know — I cannot by any stretch of fancy imagine — what would have become of them but for this aunt, who has grown up with them, to whom they are devoted, and who has sacrificed the best part of her youth and life to them. It perhaps makes sense in a Victorian context, but today you might wonder, well, why he didn't look after the children himself?

golemotron 11y ago
> It perhaps makes sense in a Victorian context, but today you might wonder, well, why he didn't look after the children himself? The kids were taken care of. We're all better off that he was able to make the time to write as prolifically as he did.
d4nt 11y ago
When I first read "the manly consideration toward Mrs. Dickens" I thought he was talking about sex. Having assumed that meaning, the next part about how her sister raising the children seemed to suggest that they had not had sex and that the children were not Mrs Dickens's. But I think I was wrong because, he then goes on to strongly deny having an affair. Why hint at one affair, then deny another.
- bshimmin 11y ago
  I think he meant "manly consideration" in the sense of "It would not be fitting of a man (read: gentleman) to make disparaging remarks about his wife in public". Perhaps I'm totally wrong though.
  - aaronem 11y ago
    That's what he meant.
agarden 11y ago
It seems to me unlikely that he expected his wife to do everything for the kids. Having a nurse was common in those days. The complaint seems to be that his wife did nothing for the kids. His wife also wasn't earning any money, presumably. So Dickens had to work to provide for everyone. Also, they had ten kids.

golemotron 11y ago

> It perhaps makes sense in a Victorian context, but today you might wonder, well, why he didn't look after the children himself? The kids were taken care of. We're all better off that he was able to make the time to write as prolifically as he did.

d4nt 11y ago

When I first read "the manly consideration toward Mrs. Dickens" I thought he was talking about sex. Having assumed that meaning, the next part about how her sister raising the children seemed to suggest that they had not had sex and that the children were not Mrs Dickens's. But I think I was wrong because, he then goes on to strongly deny having an affair. Why hint at one affair, then deny another.

bshimmin 11y ago
I think he meant "manly consideration" in the sense of "It would not be fitting of a man (read: gentleman) to make disparaging remarks about his wife in public". Perhaps I'm totally wrong though.
- aaronem 11y ago
  That's what he meant.

agarden 11y ago

It seems to me unlikely that he expected his wife to do everything for the kids. Having a nurse was common in those days. The complaint seems to be that his wife did nothing for the kids. His wife also wasn't earning any money, presumably. So Dickens had to work to provide for everyone. Also, they had ten kids.