This Day In History

February 7th 1812: Charles Dickens born

On this day in 1812, the future famous novelist Charles Dickens, was born in Portsmouth, England. Dickens is now considered the greatest Victorian writer, noted for his works such as Oliver Twist, A Christmas Carol, Great Expectations and David Copperfield. Today is the 200th anniversary of his birth.

January 29th 1845: ‘The Raven’ by Edgar Allan Poe is published

On this day in 1845, the narrative poem ‘The Raven’ by American writer Edgar Allan Poe was published in the New York Evening Mirror. The poem made Poe popular and famous. It tells the mysterious tale of a talking raven visiting a distraught lover and tracing his descent into madness. The raven perches on a bust of Pallas and distresses the man by repeating the word “Nevermore”.
The last lines are as follows:

“And the Raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting
On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;
And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon’s that is dreaming,
And the lamp-light o’er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor;
And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor
            Shall be lifted – nevermore!”

(read the full poem here)

On this day in 1898, the English author Lewis Carroll died of pneumonia following influenza. Carroll (birth name Charles Lutwidge Dodgson) was best known for his book ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ and its sequel ‘Through the Looking-Glass’. He was also a mathematician and photographer.

In 1856 a new Dean (Henry Liddell) arrived at Christ Church collge of the University of Oxford, where Carroll studied and taught. He became close friends with Liddell’s family, especially his daughter Alice. Whilst Carroll denied that his character was based on a real child, it is widely believed that his heroine was based on Alice Liddell. Partly because the acrostic poem at the end of ‘Through the Looking Glass’ spells out her name. He would frequently take the children on rowing trips, and on one trip invented a little story that would later become ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’. Alice Liddell, having been told the story, begged Carroll to write it down; he did so, and gave her an illustrated manuscript in 1864 with the title ‘Alice’s Adventures Under Ground’. The final version of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ was published in 1865. The book was a huge success, and ‘Lewis Carroll’ became famous around the world. Its sequel was published in 1871.

There has been much speculation about Carroll and his mysterious life, but one cannot deny the influence Carroll’s writing and the characters in his works have had on popular culture.

On this day in 1894, the author Robert Louis Stevenson passed away aged 44. Stevenson was best known for his works ‘Treasure Island’, ‘Kidnapped’ and ‘The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde’. He ranks among the 26 most translated authors of all time.

Stevenson died on the evening of 3rd December 1894. He was talking to his wife and trying to open a bottle of wine when he suddenly said “What’s that!” and asked his wife “Does my face look strange?”. He then collapsed and died a few hours later probably from a cerebral hemorrhage.

On Stevenson’s tomb is inscribed his ‘Requiem’ which demonstrates his literary gift:
“Under the wide and starry sky,
Dig the grave and let me lie.
Glad did I live and gladly die,
And I laid me down with a will.
This be the verse you grave for me:
Here he lies where he longed to be;
Home is the sailor, home from sea,
And the hunter home from the hill.”