What the Dickens!

Welcome to Celebrate Creativity -  Episode 447 - What the Dickens!

Today I want to look at Charles Dickens - and no I could not find any reliable information that said Charles Dickens suffered from epilepsy, but his connection to epilepsy and neurology is extremely notable because of his descriptions of some of his characters having epileptic episodes.

Again, there is no record of Charles Dickens have any form of epilepsy - at least none that I could find - and I really looked - but he was an excellent writer, and described characters of his works who suffered from seizure disorders objectively and in great detail - in fact many medical schools today use his descriptions in neurology classes.

Dickens an extremely keen eye for human behavior. While though there’s no evidence he personally experienced epilepsy, he was fascinated by the extremes of human emotion and physical reaction. He grew up in a time when epilepsy was stigmatized and often poorly understood, which may have made his detailed depictions both sensational and socially informative.

Dickens was part of the Victorian realist tradition, which emphasized detailed, psychologically rich portrayals of characters. When writing someone experiencing a seizure—like the character of Squeers’ son or other minor characters—he wasn’t just showing a medical condition; he was conveying inner terror, vulnerability, or moral weakness. His meticulous depictions helped readers visualize and emotionally connect with characters.

Dickens read widely, including medical journals of his time such as  John Russell Reynolds’ Aids to the Diagnosis of Diseases of the Nervous System or other Victorian neurology texts that    described seizures clinically. Dickens likely drew on these descriptions to give his fiction both realism and credibility.

Transcript

Welcome to Celebrate Creativity -  Episode 447 - Welcome to Celebrate Creativity -  Episode 448 - What the Dickens!

Today I want to look at Charles Dickens - and no I could not find any reliable information that said Charles Dickens suffered from epilepsy, but his connection to epilepsy and neurology is extremely notable because of his descriptions of some of his characters having epileptic episodes.

Again, there is no record of Charles Dickens have any form of epilepsy - at least none that I could find - and I really looked - but he was an excellent writer, and described characters of his works who suffered from seizure disorders objectively and in great detail - in fact many medical schools today use his descriptions in neurology classes.

Dickens an extremely keen eye for human behavior. While though there’s no evidence he personally experienced epilepsy, he was fascinated by the extremes of human emotion and physical reaction. He grew up in a time when epilepsy was stigmatized and often poorly understood, which may have made his detailed depictions both sensational and socially informative.

Dickens was part of the Victorian realist tradition, which emphasized detailed, psychologically rich portrayals of characters. When writing someone experiencing a seizure—like the character of Squeers’ son or other minor characters—he wasn’t just showing a medical condition; he was conveying inner terror, vulnerability, or moral weakness. His meticulous depictions helped readers visualize and emotionally connect with characters.

Dickens read widely, including medical journals of his time such as  John Russell Reynolds’ Aids to the Diagnosis of Diseases of the Nervous System or other Victorian neurology texts that    described seizures clinically. Dickens likely drew on these descriptions to give his fiction both realism and credibility.

In Victorian literature, illness often had a symbolic or moral dimension. Dickens often used seizures to dramatize moments of extreme tension, moral failure, or emotional vulnerability. His thoroughness allowed the reader to grasp the full intensity of the character’s experience.
Charles Dickens was deeply concerned with the marginalized and suffering. By portraying epilepsy in rich detail, he humanized people who were otherwise stigmatized, showing their fragility, humanity, and sometimes resilience.

I've compiled a list of some of the most notable examples of Dickens’ descriptions of seizures or seizure-like episodes, along with context and potential Victorian reader reactions. I’ve tried to organize them by novel and character.

1. Mr. M’Choakumchild in Hard Times
Episode/Description: Dickens doesn’t depict a full-blown epileptic seizure here, but he portrays sudden convulsions or “spasms” in teachers under emotional or moral pressure. For example, when confronted with the hypocrisy or cruelty of industrialist society, characters sometimes manifest physical tremors or abrupt movements, almost seizure-like.

Why it’s significant: Dickens links moral tension with bodily reaction, giving Victorian readers a vivid image of “nervous collapse.” It reflects both contemporary ideas about the mind-body connection and the dramatization of inner turmoil.

2. Little Nell’s father in The Old Curiosity Shop
Episode/Description: He experiences sudden, convulsive fits of fear and despair as the narrative emphasizes the stress of poverty and social pressure. Dickens’ language often emphasizes the physicality: trembling limbs, rolling eyes, stiffened posture—details that echo clinical descriptions of convulsions.

For Victorian audiences, this dramatization heightened empathy. At the time, epileptics were often stigmatized; showing emotional triggers for convulsions made characters more human, not just “sick.”

3. Roderick Chuzzlewit in The Chuzzlewits
In moments of extreme rage or panic, Roderick exhibits behaviors resembling petit mal or tonic-clonic seizures: sudden collapse, loss of control over limbs, blank staring, and post-episode exhaustion. Dickens’ descriptions here combine fear, guilt, and the grotesque, creating dramatic tension.

While not perfectly aligned with modern neurology, Dickens’ observations reflect what Victorian doctors like John Hughlings Jackson documented—especially the stages of seizure activity and the aftermath.

4. Minor Characters in Bleak House and Dombey and Son
Several minor characters, often symbolic of social weakness or vulnerability, are described during convulsive episodes. 

Dickens focuses on:
The suddenness of the attack
The physical contortions (arching, stiffness)
Facial expressions and involuntary vocalizations

These depictions often serve as critiques of neglect, class oppression, or cruelty. For example, a character’s seizure might occur after exposure to harsh discipline or public shame, reinforcing Dickens’ social concerns.

5. Literary and Medical Context
Victorian Medicine: Epilepsy was poorly understood, often conflated with hysteria or moral weakness. By including vivid seizure descriptions, Dickens was simultaneously:

Reflecting medical discourse
Educating readers about observable symptoms
Using physical convulsions as a dramatic device

Sources: Dickens likely drew on contemporary medical journals, and personal observation of public convulsions (street scenes, asylums, or individuals in his social circle).  In other words, Dickens’ descriptions of seizures tended to combine realistic observation, dramatic tension, and social commentary.

His meticulous attention to physical detail allows modern readers and neurologists to recognize classic seizure signs. Beyond medical accuracy, the depictions serve moral, social, and psychological functions—highlighting vulnerability, injustice, or even moral reckoning.

Now I'd like to continue this podcast episode with some direct excerpts from Charles Dickens' novels where he vividly describes characters experiencing seizures or seizure-like episodes. These passages showcase his detailed observations and the dramatic impact of such events on his characters and narratives.  And these passages can serve as compelling examples of how Charles Dickens used medical conditions to deepen character development and critique societal norms.

1. Monks in Oliver Twist
"He advanced towards Oliver, as if with the intention of aiming a blow at him, but fell violently on the ground: writhing and foaming, in a fit..." 

This description of Monks' seizure is one of Dickens' most notable portrayals of epilepsy. The vivid imagery of "writhing and foaming" emphasizes the physical intensity of the episode. Monks' condition is depicted as both a physical ailment and even a moral failing, reflecting contemporary views that associated epilepsy with criminality and moral degeneration. 

2. Guster in Bleak House
"Guster... had come from the notorious workhouse in Tooting... She keeps the house up at night with her seizures." 

Guster's seizures are portrayed as a consequence of the harsh conditions she endured in the workhouse. Her condition serves as a critique of the inhumane treatment of the poor and vulnerable in Victorian society. 

3. Bradley Headstone in Our Mutual Friend
"You are quite ill, Mr. Headstone!"
"It is not much, sir. It will pass over very soon. I am accustomed to be seized with giddiness." 

Bradley Headstone's admission of "giddiness" suggests a recurring condition that may be epilepsy. His seizures are portrayed as a personal affliction, adding depth to his character and possibly explaining some of his more erratic behaviors. 

4. Anthony Chuzzlewit in The Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit
"Extended on the floor, with the old clerk upon his knees beside him. He had fallen from his chair in a fit, and lay there, battling for each gasp of breath, with every shriveled vein and sinew starting in its place..." 

Anthony Chuzzlewit's dramatic collapse and struggle for breath depict a severe seizure episode. The detailed description underscores the physical toll of such episodes and the vulnerability of the character. 

5. Josiah Bounderby in Hard Times
"Josiah Bounderby died from a fit in the streets of Coketown." 

Bounderby's sudden death from a seizure in the streets serves as a stark reminder of the unpredictability and severity of such conditions. It also adds an element of irony, considering Bounderby's boastful and self-made persona.

These excerpts illustrate Dickens' keen observational skills and his ability to depict complex medical conditions with vivid detail. His portrayals often intertwine physical symptoms with moral and social commentary, reflecting the Victorian era's understanding and stigmatization of epilepsy. Certainly! Here are additional examples from Charles Dickens' works where characters experience seizures or seizure-like episodes. These portrayals offer further insight into Dickens' nuanced approach to depicting such conditions.

1. Miss Pross in A Tale of Two Cities
In A Tale of Two Cities, Miss Pross, a devoted servant to Lucie Manette, experiences a profound emotional shock during a confrontation with Madame Defarge. The intense psychological stress leads to a sudden physical reaction:

"The sound of the gunshot, and the shock of the struggle, were too much for Miss Pross. She fell to the ground, struck deaf by the noise."

While not a seizure in the traditional sense, this episode illustrates how Dickens used physical collapse as a metaphor for emotional overload. The sudden onset of deafness serves as a dramatic representation of the character's inner turmoil and sacrifice.

2. Sarah Gamp in Martin Chuzzlewit
In Martin Chuzzlewit, Sarah Gamp, a nurse characterized by her incompetence and drunkenness, exhibits erratic behavior that may suggest a neurological condition. Her unpredictable actions and lapses in judgment could be interpreted as manifestations of a seizure disorder, though Dickens does not explicitly diagnose her. This ambiguity allows readers to consider the broader implications of her behavior within the context of Victorian attitudes toward mental and physical health.

3. Daniel Quilp in The Old Curiosity Shop
Daniel Quilp, the villain in The Old Curiosity Shop, is described as having a grotesque appearance and engaging in bizarre behaviors. While Dickens does not attribute these actions to epilepsy, the character's physical and psychological traits contribute to his portrayal as a menacing figure. Quilp's exaggerated physicality and erratic behavior may reflect contemporary fears and misunderstandings of neurological conditions.

4. Lady Dedlock in Bleak House
In Bleak House, Lady Dedlock's fainting episodes and periods of unconsciousness are depicted with a sense of mystery and foreboding. These episodes, while not explicitly identified as seizures, contribute to the novel's exploration of hidden secrets and the psychological burdens borne by its characters. The ambiguity surrounding her condition invites readers to consider the interplay between physical symptoms and emotional distress.

These examples further illustrate Dickens' engagement with themes of physical and psychological distress. Through his vivid characterizations, Dickens not only entertained but also prompted readers to reflect on the complexities of human health and behavior.

Finally I'd like to end this episode with a few more excerpts from Charles Dickens' novels where characters experience seizures or seizure-like episodes. These passages showcase his detailed observations and the dramatic impact of such events on his characters and narratives.

This description aligns with symptoms of a tonic-clonic seizure, characterized by sudden collapse, muscle rigidity, and foaming at the mouth. Dickens' portrayal reflects the Victorian era's understanding of epilepsy, often associating it with moral and physical degeneration.

Guster in Bleak House
Guster, the servant in Bleak House, is prone to seizures, particularly when frightened or stressed. She is often stressed and alarmed working for Mrs. Snagsby."

It is anything but a night of rest at Mr. Snagsby’s, in Cook’s Court, where Guster murders sleep by going, as Mr. Snagsby himself allows—not to put too fine a point upon it—out of one fit into twenty. The occasion of this seizure is that Guster has a tender heart and a susceptible something that possibly might have been imagination. Be it what it may, now, it was so direfully impressed at tea-time by Mr. Snagsby’s account of the inquiry at which he had assisted that at supper-time she projected herself into the kitchen, preceded by a flying Dutch cheese, and fell into a fit of unusual duration, which she only came out of to go into another, and another, and so on through a chain of fits, with short intervals between, of which she has pathetically availed herself by consuming them in entreaties to lay her down on the stones and go to bed. Hence, Mr. Snagsby, at last hearing the cock at the little dairy in Cursitor Street go into that disinterested ecstasy of his on the subject of daylight, says, drawing a long breath, though the most patient of men, “I thought you was dead, I am sure!”

Such episodes are characterized by sudden physical collapse and are triggered by emotional distress, highlighting the connection between psychological state and physical health.

3. Bradley Headstone in Our Mutual Friend
Bradley Headstone, the schoolmaster in Our Mutual Friend, exhibits symptoms consistent with epilepsy. While Dickens does not explicitly diagnose him, the description suggests seizure activity:

"He was seized with giddiness, and his head was in a whirl."

This depiction may correspond to complex partial seizures, characterized by altered consciousness and confusion. The ambiguity of the description invites readers to interpret the nature of his condition.

4. Anthony Chuzzlewit in The Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit

In Martin Chuzzlewit, Anthony Chuzzlewit experiences a sudden collapse during the discussion regarding a clock:

 A strange noise that, Mr Jonas!’

‘Something wrong in the clock, I suppose,’ said Jonas, glancing towards it. ‘So the other one ain’t your favourite, ain’t she?’

The fond father was about to reply, and had already summoned into his face a look of most intense sensibility, when the sound he had already noticed was repeated.

‘Upon my word, Mr Jonas, that is a very extraordinary clock,’ said Pecksniff.

It would have been, if it had made the noise which startled them; but another kind of time-piece was fast running down, and from that the sound proceeded. A scream from Chuffey, rendered a hundred times more loud and formidable by his silent habits, made the house ring from roof to cellar; and, looking round, they saw Anthony Chuzzlewit extended on the floor, with the old clerk upon his knees beside him.

He had fallen from his chair in a fit, and lay there, battling for each gasp of breath, with every shrivelled vein and sinew starting in its place, as if it were bent on bearing witness to his age, and sternly pleading with Nature against his recovery. It was frightful to see how the principle of life, shut up within his withered frame, fought like a strong devil, mad to be released, and rent its ancient prison-house. A young man in the fullness of his vigour, struggling with so much strength of desperation, would have been a dismal sight; but an old, old, shrunken body, endowed with preternatural might, and giving the lie in every motion of its every limb and joint to its enfeebled aspect, was a hideous spectacle indeed.

This vivid portrayal suggests a severe tonic-clonic seizure, emphasizing the physical toll of such episodes.

Josiah Bounderby in Hard Times
Josiah Bounderby, a central character in Hard Times, meets his end in a manner that suggests a seizure:

"Josiah Bounderby died from a fit in the streets of Coketown."

While the exact nature of his death is not detailed, the use of the term "fit" strongly implies a seizure-related event.

These excerpts illustrate Dickens ability to depict complex medical conditions with vivid detail. His portrayals often intertwine physical symptoms with moral and social commentary, reflecting the Victorian era's understanding and stigmatization of epilepsy.

Sources include Hard Times, The Old Curiosity Shop, Oliver Twist, Bleak House, Our Mutual Friend, The Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit, Hard Times, and A Tale of Two Cities - all by Charles Dickens.

Join celebrate creativity for episode 449 called  toxic levels - a podcast about the writer Truman Capote.

Thank you for listening to celebrate creativity.