Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1890-08-21
now Dickens WROTE BOOKA
The Dimculty Hc Experienced Ia Find
ing Titles.


The Dimculty He Experienced Ia Flag
ing Titles.
Till Dickens had fixed upon his title 10
could not get seriously at work. He was
in Genoa in 1874, and had Christmas
story to write He had never, he said.
90 staggered Upon the threshold before.
The subject was there, but he had not
found title for it nor the machinery
to work it with. Sitting down ons
morning resolute to work, though
against the grain, his hand being out
and everything being inviting to idle.
ness, such peal Of chimes arose from
the city a. he found maddening
All Genoa lay beneath him, and up
from it, with some sudden set Of the
wind, came in one fell sound the clang
and clash of all it's steeples, pouring into
his ears again and again, in a tuneless,
grating, discordant, Earring, hdeous
vibration, that made his ideas spin round
and round till they lost themselves in
the whirl of vexation and giddiness and
dropped down dead. a couple Of days
later he wrote to Forster a letter in one
! sentence: I'VE have heard the chimes
at midnight, Master Shallow. A few
| days later he writes again: 1T is q great
thing to have my title and see my way
how to work the bells Let them clash
upon me now from all the churches and
converts of Genoa. l sec nothing but
the old London bclfry have set them
in In my minds eye Heratio. Thus
it was always with Dickens when set
ting about a new novel. Dependency,
doubts, difficulties, and endless expert.
menting, suggesting, sitting. rejecting
of titles. Then, of a sudden, title
found, and he was off on the composition
of the book.
Never were the preliminary throes
more protracted than with 90 David Cop
pertield" Toward the end of 1S4S he
was making holiday at Broadstairs, his
mind running on n subject. IL have
not, he writes from here, ~t "a.
'Seen Fancy write
! With pencil of light
On the blotter so solid commanding tho sea;
but shouldn't wonder if she We're to do
it one of these days. Dim visions Of
divers things are floating around me. /
must go to work head foremost when
get home" Home he goes, yet gets no
further.
In February, 1910, he is in Brighton.
"A sea fog to-day, but yesterday mex
pressibly delicious. My mind running
like high sea on names-not satisfied
yet, though" February % he found IT,
ties OF some sort, to wit: Mays Diver
, sions, Being the Personal History of Mr..
Thomas Mag the Younger of Blunder'
. stone House.. 4 -,...
Then came serie, of variations In the
t expository part of the title, Blunder'
9 stone House becoming Copperfi-ld house.
/. Then came The Personal History of Da
) vid Copperfield the Younger and His
8 Aunt Margaret. February 20 he ssnt
e Forster list of six names, which may b
t found set out at length-at great length
n in the Life. r.
f Forster and Dickans's children finally
. determined his choice among the six
: and the title once settled all is plain sail
4 ing. He went through this elaborate
- process with most OF his titles Their,
# were dozen tentative titles for Bleal
v House, most of them leading off will
:. tom All Alones." and IA for "Har,
~ Times" 1t was the same with "A Tai
!. of Two Citie.. "--TMocr,il'an's Magazine
" THE BRAyEST AkETHE TENDERES1