From: David Parker (cdickens@RMPLC.CO.UK)
Date: Mon Feb 22 1999 - 02:00:57 PST
My dear Miss Mytton, "Father and Son" substantiates all my hostility to proselytizing evangelicalism, all my indignation at the infliction of rigid religious codes upon the young. May I modestly suggest you look at my book "Little Dorrit," and especially at Arthur Clennam's memories of his childhood? You will find my views on such matters there. Though ballooning seemed to me an interesting activity, not to say a profoundly comic one, I never anticipated the development of commercial passenger aviation. I can, however, pride myself on knowing and describing something of the disorientation you speak of, that comes with rapid transit from one milieu to an entirely different one. And, freakishly, I entitled on such description of mine "A Flight"! Find a book of mine called "Reprinted Pieces." In it I collected pieces of my journalism I thought worth preserving. "A Flight" describes a rapid railway journey from London to Paris. Faithfully yous, Charles Dickens ____________________________________________________________________________ ________ -----Original Message----- From: Jill Mytton <E.J.Mytton@uel.ac.uk> To: cdickens@rmplc.co.uk <cdickens@rmplc.co.uk> Date: 20 February 1999 11:08 Subject: Re: Re: trauma > >My dear Mr Dickens >Thank you for your interesting email - and for correcting my >inadequate previous message. I speak from the standpoint of someone >who regularly sees people who have been through dreadful traumas and >it is my experience that those who do not speak of these experiences >suffer later terribly from nightmares, emotional deadness, loss of >memory and even flashbacks of an horrific nature. I was therefore >speaking from this particualar perspective. The emotional deadness >manifests itself as an inability to love for example, or to enjoy >activities previously enjoyed. But I forget sometimes that I am only >seeing a small minority of people! > >I am interested in your comments re our different generations and our >respective emotional lives. I can see that I shall have to reread >all of your books which I fortunately have on my shelves. I know that >I shall enjoy this task. > >Can I ask you a question - have you read that excellent biography >'Father and Son' by Edmund Gosse? I would be interested in your >comments if you have. He presents not only an insight >into your generation but also an insight on being raised in a very >strict religious sect which in my time has unfortunately become >damaging cult. > >I have just travelled by plane to Switzerland and wonder what your >generation would have thought of such a mode of travel - it strikes >me as odd sometimes how rapidly one is transported from one >culture and society into another one and how this can lead to a >temporary disorientation. > >Faithfully yours > >Jill Mytton > > >> From: "David Parker" <cdickens@rmplc.co.uk> >> To: <mytton@uel.ac.uk> >> Cc: "Boz List" <boz@maelstrom.stjohns.edu> >> Subject: Re: Re: trauma >> Date: Fri, 12 Feb 1999 14:36:38 -0000 > >> My dear Miss Mytton, >> >> You speak with some authority on the subject of emotions, but I am far >> from convinced you do so with entire accuracy. My generation is often >> accused by yours of insufficiently expressing its emotions. I venture to >> suggest, howeve, that mine enjoyed an emotional life every bit as rich as >> yours does. Consider a favourite among my creatures, Esther Summerson in >> "Bleak House." Hard experience has accustomed her to self-effacement, >> reticence, self-denial, but I try to show that her loving heart is as large >> and generous as that beating in any breast. I like to think I succeeded. >> Perhaps my stoicism harmed me, but I do not think it blunted my emotions. >> >> >> Faithfully yours, >> >> >> Charles Dickens >> >> ____________________________________________________________________________ >> _________ >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: Jill Mytton <mytton@xena.uel.ac.uk> >> To: cdickens@rmplc.co.uk <cdickens@rmplc.co.uk> >> Date: 11 February 1999 15:15 >> Subject: Re: trauma >> >> >> > >> >Dear Mr Dickens >> >Thank you for your prompt reply - I will have to peruse Dombey and >> >Son again for it is some time since I last read your excellent books, >> >I am fortunate to have them all. >> > >> >I wonder though how stoicism affected your ability to write - >> >stoicism I would imagine is a form of what we would now call >> >'avoidance' and this tends to blunt the emotions. >> > >> >I have currently 'treated' a man who suffered from an incident where >> >a 'dumper truck' (forgive my 20th century phrases) toppled over and >> >landed on the top of his car (this is a motorised carriage). He >> >suffered from many symptoms similar to your own but I am happy to >> >report that he is now free of them. What a pity such treatment was >> >not available in your day. >> > >> >Faithfully yours >> >Jill Mytton >> > >> > >> > >> >> My dear Miss Mitton, >> >> >> >> Alas, in the middle of the nineteenth century, we tended not to think >> of >> >> writing as therapy. Never, in my fiction, did I write of experiences >> such >> >> as mine at Staplehurst except, curiously, in "Dombey and Son," before the >> >> accident happened. My only rememdy was stoicism. >> >> >> >> >> >> Faithfully yours, >> >> >> >> >> >> Charles Dickens >> >> >> ____________________________________________________________________________ >> >> _________ >> >> >> >> -----Original Message----- >> >> From: Jill Mytton <mytton@whstaff1.uel.ac.uk> >> >> To: David Parker <cdickens@rmplc.co.uk> >> >> Date: 10 February 1999 17:42 >> >> Subject: Re: trauma >> >> >> >> >> >> Dear Mr Dickens >> >> Thank you so much for your informative reply. Since receiving it I >> >> regret to say that I have been much inflicted with influenza and am >> >> only now able to address a considerable pile of mail. >> >> >> >> I was very interested in your answer - it certainly sounds to me as >> >> if you did indeed suffer from what is now called Post Traumatic >> >> Stress Disorder. Did you, may I ask, use your considerable writing >> >> skills to help you resolve your anxiety? Perhaps you included the >> >> story in one of your wonderful books? I believe I have read somewhere >> >> that you certainly referred to it in letters - but I thought that >> >> maybe retelling the event in a story might have helped you come to >> >> terms with this very unpleasant incident. >> >> >> >> Faithfully yours >> >> >> >> Jill Mytton >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> From: David Parker <cdickens@rmplc.co.uk> >> >> > To: mytton <mytton@uel.ac.uk> >> >> > Subject: Re: trauma >> >> > Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1998 15:26:26 -0000 >> >> >> >> > My dear Miss Mytton, >> >> > >> >> > In June 1865, I was in the train involved in a serious accident at >> >> > Staplehurst in Kent. Ten people were killed, about fifty injured. >> >> > For months afterwards I was overcome from time to time by anxiety, >> >> > sometimes almost amounting to panic, especially when travelling at >> >> > speed, if only in my own phaeton. I cannot say whether this was >> >> > what you call Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. >> >> > >> >> > >> >> > Faithfully yours, >> >> > >> >> > >> >> > Charles Dickens >> >> > ______________________________________________________ >> >> > >> >> > -----Original Message----- >> >> > From: Jill Mytton <mytton@xena.uel.ac.uk> >> >> > To: cdickens@rmplc.co.uk <cdickens@rmplc.co.uk> >> >> > Date: 11 December 1998 08:37 >> >> > Subject: trauma >> >> > >> >> > >> >> > > >> >> > >Dear Mr Dickens >> >> > >Rumour has it that you suffered from some trauma in your life that >> gave >> >> you >> >> > symptoms >> >> > >similar to those classified as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder today. >> >> > >Can you confirm this please - I am contributing to a text book on >> trauma >> >> > and my chapter is >> >> > >concerned with historical references to trauma. >> >> > > >> >> > >I am grateful to you for your consideration >> >> > >Yours truly >> >> > > >> >> > >Jill Mytton >> >> > >University of East London >> >> > > >> >> > > >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> Jill Mytton, MSc., C.Psychol., >> >> Counselling Psychologist, >> >> University of East London, >> >> Romford >> >> London E15 4LZ >> >> Phone: 0181 590 7000 ext.4456 >> >> E-mail: E.J.Mytton@uel.ac.uk >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> > >> > >> >> >> > >