1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:01,960 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class as a production of I 2 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:10,039 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hello and welcome to This Day in History Class, 3 00:00:10,080 --> 00:00:13,239 Speaker 1: a show that lives in the past, the present, and 4 00:00:13,360 --> 00:00:17,920 Speaker 1: the future, though mostly in the past. I'm Gabe Louzier, 5 00:00:18,160 --> 00:00:21,680 Speaker 1: and today we're talking about one of the first international 6 00:00:21,720 --> 00:00:25,960 Speaker 1: book tours in history, the time when Charles Dickens brought 7 00:00:25,960 --> 00:00:28,880 Speaker 1: one of his most popular stories to one of his 8 00:00:29,080 --> 00:00:41,920 Speaker 1: least favorite countries. The day was December two, eighteen sixty seven. 9 00:00:42,960 --> 00:00:47,440 Speaker 1: British author Charles Dickens began his first American reading tour 10 00:00:47,720 --> 00:00:53,400 Speaker 1: at Tremont Temple in Boston, Massachusetts. Several hundred people attended 11 00:00:53,440 --> 00:00:56,600 Speaker 1: the sold out show, and many more would have gladly 12 00:00:56,680 --> 00:00:59,840 Speaker 1: paid the two dollar admission had there been more seats 13 00:00:59,880 --> 00:01:04,880 Speaker 1: to go around. One especially disappointed fan was fellow author 14 00:01:04,959 --> 00:01:09,000 Speaker 1: Henry James, who noted glumly that it had been quote 15 00:01:09,360 --> 00:01:14,160 Speaker 1: impossible to get tickets. Two other writers had better luck 16 00:01:14,200 --> 00:01:18,640 Speaker 1: than James, as both Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry Wadsworth 17 00:01:18,720 --> 00:01:23,080 Speaker 1: Longfellow managed to score seats at the show. Most of 18 00:01:23,160 --> 00:01:28,120 Speaker 1: dickens performances lasted about two hours. He would open with 19 00:01:28,240 --> 00:01:32,160 Speaker 1: a ninety minute reading pause for a brief intermission, and 20 00:01:32,200 --> 00:01:35,800 Speaker 1: then wrap up with a second shorter reading. For his 21 00:01:35,920 --> 00:01:39,840 Speaker 1: first show in Boston, Dickens closed with a selection from 22 00:01:39,840 --> 00:01:43,399 Speaker 1: his novel The Pickwick Papers, but the main event was 23 00:01:43,440 --> 00:01:47,240 Speaker 1: a reading of a Christmas Carol. The famous story had 24 00:01:47,280 --> 00:01:50,960 Speaker 1: been published in England twenty four years earlier and was 25 00:01:51,000 --> 00:01:55,640 Speaker 1: an immediate hit with Victorian readers. However, the book had 26 00:01:55,680 --> 00:01:59,120 Speaker 1: failed to find an audience in the United States, partly 27 00:01:59,240 --> 00:02:03,120 Speaker 1: because dick had criticized the country during his first visit 28 00:02:03,360 --> 00:02:07,640 Speaker 1: in eighteen forty two. He was appalled by slavery and 29 00:02:07,880 --> 00:02:11,960 Speaker 1: found Americans to be selfish and ill mannered. On his 30 00:02:12,040 --> 00:02:16,079 Speaker 1: return to Europe, he published a scathing travelogue and then 31 00:02:16,160 --> 00:02:18,960 Speaker 1: followed it up with a brutal satire of the country 32 00:02:19,080 --> 00:02:23,560 Speaker 1: in his next novel. This ensured that most Americans liked 33 00:02:23,639 --> 00:02:27,560 Speaker 1: Dickens about as much as he liked them. The one 34 00:02:27,639 --> 00:02:31,639 Speaker 1: exception to the author's distaste for the US was Boston. 35 00:02:32,360 --> 00:02:35,400 Speaker 1: After spending a month in the city during his first visit, 36 00:02:35,840 --> 00:02:39,760 Speaker 1: Dickens declared that quote, Boston is what I'd like the 37 00:02:39,800 --> 00:02:44,080 Speaker 1: whole United States to be. It's no surprise then, that 38 00:02:44,200 --> 00:02:46,520 Speaker 1: he chose the city as the first stop of his 39 00:02:46,680 --> 00:02:51,040 Speaker 1: US tour in eighteen sixty seven. Luckily for him, the 40 00:02:51,160 --> 00:02:54,600 Speaker 1: twenty five years since his last visit had cooled the 41 00:02:54,639 --> 00:02:57,560 Speaker 1: anger of American readers, and he was met by an 42 00:02:57,680 --> 00:03:03,440 Speaker 1: enthusiastic crowd at every public parents. Dickens began performing public 43 00:03:03,480 --> 00:03:07,520 Speaker 1: readings in Great Britain in eighteen fifty three. For the 44 00:03:07,600 --> 00:03:10,760 Speaker 1: first five years the readings were done strictly to raise 45 00:03:10,840 --> 00:03:14,320 Speaker 1: money for charity, but they proved so popular that the 46 00:03:14,360 --> 00:03:17,600 Speaker 1: author started doing them for profit in eighteen fifty eight. 47 00:03:18,160 --> 00:03:22,120 Speaker 1: It's worth noting that reading tours were unusual for the time, 48 00:03:22,600 --> 00:03:25,920 Speaker 1: with Dickens being the first major author to perform his 49 00:03:26,000 --> 00:03:30,360 Speaker 1: own works in public, his publishers were eager to repeat 50 00:03:30,400 --> 00:03:33,760 Speaker 1: the success of the European readings in the United States. 51 00:03:34,520 --> 00:03:37,240 Speaker 1: It took a bit of convincing, but in the end 52 00:03:37,520 --> 00:03:41,000 Speaker 1: they persuaded Dickens to return to America for a four 53 00:03:41,080 --> 00:03:45,120 Speaker 1: month reading tour. It likely helped that the author earned 54 00:03:45,240 --> 00:03:49,880 Speaker 1: more from these performances than from his actual writing. Another 55 00:03:49,960 --> 00:03:53,120 Speaker 1: reason Dickens agreed to the tour was that he just 56 00:03:53,320 --> 00:03:59,160 Speaker 1: enjoyed performing, and make no mistake, these were definitely dramatic performances. 57 00:03:59,640 --> 00:04:02,560 Speaker 1: He did just stand on stage and read aloud from 58 00:04:02,560 --> 00:04:06,440 Speaker 1: a book. Instead, the readings were like one man shows, 59 00:04:06,760 --> 00:04:10,960 Speaker 1: where the author would do different voices, gestures, and physical 60 00:04:11,000 --> 00:04:15,600 Speaker 1: expressions to bring the various characters to life. He even 61 00:04:15,640 --> 00:04:19,360 Speaker 1: rewrote certain passages from his books to make them better 62 00:04:19,400 --> 00:04:24,279 Speaker 1: suited for live performance. He wasn't on an empty stage either. 63 00:04:25,120 --> 00:04:27,960 Speaker 1: Dickens used the same props as he did in England, 64 00:04:28,400 --> 00:04:32,200 Speaker 1: a big maroon backdrop, a series of gas lamps, and 65 00:04:32,240 --> 00:04:35,839 Speaker 1: a custom built waist high desk that had a block 66 00:04:36,000 --> 00:04:38,880 Speaker 1: for Dickens to rest his elbow on and a rail 67 00:04:39,000 --> 00:04:42,080 Speaker 1: near the bottom for him to rest his foot. He 68 00:04:42,200 --> 00:04:45,719 Speaker 1: also held whichever book he was reading from, but that 69 00:04:45,920 --> 00:04:49,600 Speaker 1: was really more of a prop. Dickens had prepared so 70 00:04:49,680 --> 00:04:52,440 Speaker 1: extensively for the tour that he knew most of the 71 00:04:52,480 --> 00:04:57,120 Speaker 1: material by heart. He reportedly prepped for shows by practicing 72 00:04:57,160 --> 00:05:01,080 Speaker 1: in front of a mirror for several hours. Despite all 73 00:05:01,120 --> 00:05:06,040 Speaker 1: this planning, the shows weren't static. The more Dickens performed 74 00:05:06,080 --> 00:05:08,880 Speaker 1: a certain piece, the more he would tinker with it 75 00:05:09,080 --> 00:05:14,520 Speaker 1: by adding, subtracting, or reordering the material. A Christmas Carol 76 00:05:14,680 --> 00:05:18,000 Speaker 1: is a great example of this refining process, as it 77 00:05:18,040 --> 00:05:21,280 Speaker 1: was one of his most frequent and most popular readings. 78 00:05:21,960 --> 00:05:25,120 Speaker 1: It takes about three hours to read the whole story 79 00:05:25,320 --> 00:05:28,839 Speaker 1: as written, but by the time Dickens returned to Boston, 80 00:05:29,200 --> 00:05:32,599 Speaker 1: he had cut that time in half. The copy he 81 00:05:32,720 --> 00:05:36,760 Speaker 1: used for his performances shows the extensive edits he made 82 00:05:36,920 --> 00:05:40,400 Speaker 1: to bring the piece down to ninety minutes. Telling Lee, 83 00:05:40,839 --> 00:05:46,360 Speaker 1: the changes emphasized dialogue and characters while drastically reducing the 84 00:05:46,480 --> 00:05:50,680 Speaker 1: role of the narrator. Among the deletions are all thirty 85 00:05:50,720 --> 00:05:53,960 Speaker 1: seven times when the narrator refers to himself as I, 86 00:05:54,360 --> 00:05:58,479 Speaker 1: me or my, as well as the eighteen instances when 87 00:05:58,480 --> 00:06:02,719 Speaker 1: the narrator directly address is the reader as you. These 88 00:06:02,839 --> 00:06:07,320 Speaker 1: deliberate changes suggest that Dickens wanted to minimize his own 89 00:06:07,440 --> 00:06:10,920 Speaker 1: voice so that the audience instead could be caught up 90 00:06:10,960 --> 00:06:15,680 Speaker 1: in the story itself. The tactic seemed to work well too. 91 00:06:15,960 --> 00:06:18,960 Speaker 1: After the first public reading of a Christmas Carol at 92 00:06:18,960 --> 00:06:23,080 Speaker 1: the Tremont Temple in Boston, Dickens agent knew they had 93 00:06:23,120 --> 00:06:27,160 Speaker 1: made the right call. In returning to America, he described 94 00:06:27,200 --> 00:06:31,480 Speaker 1: the audience reaction writing quote, When at last the reading 95 00:06:31,480 --> 00:06:34,760 Speaker 1: of the carol was finished and the final words had 96 00:06:34,800 --> 00:06:39,359 Speaker 1: been delivered, a dead silence seemed to prevail a sort 97 00:06:39,360 --> 00:06:43,120 Speaker 1: of public sigh as it were only to be broken 98 00:06:43,200 --> 00:06:49,400 Speaker 1: by cheers and calls the most enthusiastic and uproarious. But 99 00:06:49,560 --> 00:06:53,640 Speaker 1: dickens thoughtful performance wasn't the only reason the crowd was 100 00:06:53,720 --> 00:06:57,839 Speaker 1: so receptive. The message of the story seemed to strike 101 00:06:57,880 --> 00:07:02,360 Speaker 1: a chord as well. In fact, many scholars believed Charles 102 00:07:02,400 --> 00:07:06,960 Speaker 1: Dickens had a lasting influence on Christmas traditions in New England. 103 00:07:07,839 --> 00:07:11,480 Speaker 1: By the eighteen sixties, most of the country had gotten 104 00:07:11,520 --> 00:07:15,040 Speaker 1: on the same page about how to celebrate Christmas, but 105 00:07:15,120 --> 00:07:20,440 Speaker 1: in Massachusetts there were still some holdouts. The Puritan population 106 00:07:20,760 --> 00:07:24,760 Speaker 1: distrusted the holiday, viewing it as just an excuse for 107 00:07:24,800 --> 00:07:29,080 Speaker 1: their less pious neighbors to get drunk and party. That 108 00:07:29,240 --> 00:07:31,800 Speaker 1: view had begun to change in New England by the 109 00:07:31,840 --> 00:07:36,040 Speaker 1: eighteen sixties, thanks largely to an influx of Irish Catholic 110 00:07:36,080 --> 00:07:40,400 Speaker 1: immigrants who had no such qualms with the holiday. That said, 111 00:07:40,720 --> 00:07:45,240 Speaker 1: when Dickens arrived in eighteen sixty seven, children in Boston 112 00:07:45,480 --> 00:07:48,400 Speaker 1: still had to go to school on Christmas Day, and 113 00:07:48,520 --> 00:07:54,280 Speaker 1: neither Massachusetts nor New Hampshire recognized Christmas as a public holiday. 114 00:07:54,520 --> 00:07:58,840 Speaker 1: It's believed that dickens readings of a Christmas Carol provided 115 00:07:58,880 --> 00:08:02,320 Speaker 1: the last push Boston needed to fully get into the 116 00:08:02,400 --> 00:08:06,760 Speaker 1: Christmas spirit. Residents warmed to the holiday thanks to the 117 00:08:06,760 --> 00:08:11,320 Speaker 1: books cozy descriptions of roaring fires and caroling children, But 118 00:08:11,400 --> 00:08:15,240 Speaker 1: the real game changer was the idea that Christmas wasn't 119 00:08:15,280 --> 00:08:19,000 Speaker 1: just a day of revelry, but an opportunity for charity 120 00:08:19,240 --> 00:08:24,280 Speaker 1: and goodwill. This shift in thinking led some New Englanders 121 00:08:24,320 --> 00:08:27,720 Speaker 1: to reassess their position on the holiday, lest they be 122 00:08:27,800 --> 00:08:32,400 Speaker 1: viewed as scrooge like themselves. Case in point, a Boston 123 00:08:32,480 --> 00:08:36,040 Speaker 1: businessman was so moved by dickens reading of a Christmas 124 00:08:36,040 --> 00:08:40,120 Speaker 1: Carol that he closed his factory on Christmas Day and 125 00:08:40,160 --> 00:08:43,920 Speaker 1: sent a turkey to every one of his workers. As 126 00:08:43,960 --> 00:08:47,199 Speaker 1: for the author, he enjoyed America a lot more of 127 00:08:47,200 --> 00:08:51,040 Speaker 1: the second time around, especially since the tour brought in 128 00:08:51,080 --> 00:08:55,320 Speaker 1: a hundred and forty thousand dollars in profits or nearly 129 00:08:55,440 --> 00:09:00,840 Speaker 1: two million dollars today. Unfortunately, Dickens was in poor health 130 00:09:00,880 --> 00:09:05,600 Speaker 1: throughout the tour, suffering from flu like symptoms, insomnia, and 131 00:09:05,720 --> 00:09:10,600 Speaker 1: inflammation of the foot. On April eighth, eighteen sixty eight, 132 00:09:10,880 --> 00:09:14,360 Speaker 1: he circled back to Boston and gave the final performance 133 00:09:14,400 --> 00:09:18,439 Speaker 1: of the tour. He closed by telling the audience quote, 134 00:09:19,000 --> 00:09:22,240 Speaker 1: in this brief life of ours, it is sad to 135 00:09:22,320 --> 00:09:26,439 Speaker 1: do almost anything for the last time, Ladies and gentlemen, 136 00:09:26,880 --> 00:09:32,439 Speaker 1: I beg most earnestly, most gratefully, and most affectionately to 137 00:09:32,600 --> 00:09:38,600 Speaker 1: bid you each and all farewell. Two years later, Charles 138 00:09:38,640 --> 00:09:42,640 Speaker 1: Dickens died at the age of fifty eight. Many of 139 00:09:42,679 --> 00:09:46,600 Speaker 1: his works are now considered classics of English literature. His 140 00:09:46,679 --> 00:09:50,520 Speaker 1: most enduring stories have been adapted countless times for all 141 00:09:50,559 --> 00:09:54,480 Speaker 1: sorts of mediums, but none more so than a Christmas Carol, 142 00:09:55,000 --> 00:09:58,800 Speaker 1: the story that Dickens himself adapted for a listening audience 143 00:09:59,320 --> 00:10:04,840 Speaker 1: all those years ago. I'm Gabe Bluesier and hopefully you 144 00:10:04,920 --> 00:10:08,080 Speaker 1: now know a little more about history today than you 145 00:10:08,120 --> 00:10:11,319 Speaker 1: did yesterday. If you'd like to keep up with the show, 146 00:10:11,480 --> 00:10:15,199 Speaker 1: you can follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at 147 00:10:15,240 --> 00:10:19,040 Speaker 1: t d I HC Show. You can also leave us 148 00:10:19,040 --> 00:10:21,960 Speaker 1: a review on Apple Podcasts, and you can write to 149 00:10:22,080 --> 00:10:26,160 Speaker 1: us at this day at I heeart media dot com. 150 00:10:26,200 --> 00:10:29,240 Speaker 1: Thanks to Chandler Mays for producing the show, and thank 151 00:10:29,280 --> 00:10:32,240 Speaker 1: you for listening. I'll see you back here again tomorrow 152 00:10:32,480 --> 00:10:45,280 Speaker 1: for another Day in History Class. For more podcasts from 153 00:10:45,280 --> 00:10:48,080 Speaker 1: my heart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple podcasts, 154 00:10:48,160 --> 00:10:49,840 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.