Years ago, I saw a movie in TV, depicting the British author’s meeting with Poe, in the USA. According to this, Poe was conducting a bizarre experiment with hypnosis, upon a man who died-while in a hypnotic trance. Poe wold awaken the man, and keep asking him what he was seeing. The unlucky subject kept insisting that he was dead-finally, Dickens told Poe to release the man-who promptly decayed away to a skeleton.
Not knowing much about the date of Dicken’s travel to America-is there any evidence that the two writers ever met?
According to The Poe Log, which accounts for Poe’s whereabouts every day of his short life, they met on or around March 7th, 1842 in the United States Hotel in Philadelphia. Dickens’ letter of March 6th is quoted, beginning, “I shall be very glad to see you, whenever you do me the favor to call…”
I know the story “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar.”
I don’t believe I’ve ever seen the video. Wikipedia lists the adaptions.
The names are hidden. There’s a Mr. P, Dr. D and Dr. F. I never put it together that Dr. D would refer to Dickens.
Thanks…I saw an episode of “Bonanza”-where Charles Dickens shows up in Virginia City (he stays with the Cartwrights). Typical-chrononology all messed up. “Bonanza” was supposed to be in post Civil war Nevada. Dickens visited the USA in the 1840’s.
Sigh. Dickens visited America twice, the second time in 1867, although it’s true that he didn’t go west on that tour.
Five seconds of Googling.
FYI that was an episode of “Dickens of London”. http://www.amazon.com/Dickens-London-Roy-Dotrice/dp/B000QGE860/ref=cm_rdp_product
As Poe had lived in Britain during his formative years — something I guess may say something about the rather sinister aspects of neo-classical culture back then — bearing in mind the entire dissimilarities of their writings, I would think their conversation tended more to “Did you ever meet… ?”, and “Did you ever go into this little shop in the district of L… ?” rather than on the resuscitation of zombies.