DREAM CHILDREN - A REVERIE -CHARLES LAMB

 INTRODUCTION: 

Charles Lamb (10 February 1775 – 27 December 1834) was an English essayist, poet, and antiquarian, best known for his Essays of Elia and for the children's book Tales from Shakespeare, co-authored with his sister, Mary Lamb (1764–1847). Written about a dream world, the essay Dream Children by Charles Lamb belongs to his famous work Essays of Elia (1823) published in London magazines. Referring to himself by the pseudonym Elia, Lamb has penned down the essays as personal accounts of his life devoid of any didactic or moral lessons. 

DREAM CHILDREN - A REVERIE:

 Dream Children by Charles Lamb highlights the pain and regret of losing loved ones in life persuading the essayist to indulge in a dream world fantasy in order to reflect upon the sweet memories of the days gone by. Enriched with humour, pathos and regret for the time long gone, Lamb’s essays leave an everlasting impression on the minds and hearts of the readers. 

A NOSTALGIC TONE: 

Charles Lamb begins his essay Dream Children by describing to his young children Alice and John the tales of his childhood when he used to live with his great-grandmother, Mrs Field. In a nostalgic tone, Lamb narrates to the children the humorous details of his time spent in his great grandmother’s house; the love between the two brothers, Charles and John, their frequent wanderings and mischiefs in the grand house and their memories of the Orchid trees and the fish pond. 

UNFULFILLED LONGINGS AND DESIRES:

 The tone of the essay shifts from humorous to tragic when Lamb describes the death of his beloved brother and great-grandmother whom he loses at an early age of his life. The essayist’s unfulfilled longings and desires are also evident in his work when he narrates to the children the events and incidents from his past life. 

LOSS AND REGRET :

 The essay highlights the themes of loss and regret in Lamb’s life. The essayist reflects nostalgically on his childhood and regrets the loss of his dear ones. He also feels depressed on the loss of his unrequited love Alice and regrets not marrying her. Moreover, Lamb regrets that the happy and joyous days of his childhood are gone in a blink of an eye. 

THE TRANSIENT NATURE OF LIFE: 

During his adulthood, Lamb takes his loneliness to the heart desperately yearning for the return of the old happier days of his life. The essay reaches its climax when the readers become aware of the reality that the children listening to Lamb’s stories are nothing but a figment of his imagination and a dream of a sleeping man. This essay, revolving around the happy childhood days and the lonely adult age, brings to mind the transient nature of life where nothing remains forever in an individual’s life. 

CONCLUSION :

 Enriched with pathos, the essay describes the importance of childhood and the dear ones in the life of an individual without whom the world appears to be a dark alley suffocating the individual at every turn.

 “We are not of Alice, nor of thee, nor are we children at all. The children of Alice call Bartrum father. We are nothing; less than nothing, and dreams. We are only what might have been, and must wait upon the tedious shores of Lethe millions of ages before we have existence, and a name.” 

ONE MARKS (MCQ) 

Dreams are the series of story like images we experience as we sleep. Some people remember dreams frequently, sometimes more than one per night, while others are not aware of whether we dream or not. Some of us even report lucid dreams in which we are aware that we are dreaming and can control the storyline of the dream. Sigmund Freud considered dreams an important tool in his therapy. Freudian psychoanalysis emphasizes dream interpretation as a method to uncover the repressed information in the unconscious mind. Freud said that dreams were wish fulfilling, meaning that in our dreams we act out our unconscious desires. Freud thought that even during sleep, our ego protected us from the material in the unconscious mind (thus the term protected sleep) by presenting these repressed desires in the form of symbols. So showing up naked at school would represent a symbol in this type of analysis, perhaps of vulnerability or anxiety. Likewise, Lamb’s dream of two children, his brother, and the lame-footed boy reflect Lamb’s wishes to have a family, and a supportive, responsible brother. 

Lamb’s Biography: 

Charles Lamb has been acclaimed by common consent as the Prince among English essayist. Charles Lamb was an important English poet and literary critic of Welsh origin. He was born in London on February 10th 1775. As an expert of the Shakespearean period as well as an author of talent, Lamb would come to be considered one of the most significant literary critics of his time. Moreover, Lamb would be celebrated for his simple, yet not simplistic, personal reflections on daily life, which would always be supplemented with a distinctive sense of both humor and tragedy. Lamb’s two most famous works were to be Essays of Elia, and, Tales from Shakespeare, in fact a children’s book. He would actually write the latter in collaboration with his sister, Mary Lamb (1764 - 1847). Charles Lamb also had an older brother, John, named after their father, as well as four other brothers and sisters who would not survive their infancy. Lamb would come to be described by his main biographer, E.V. Lucas, as the most touching character in English literature.

 Lamb’s parents were Elizabeth Field and John Lamb. The father was a clerk for a lawyer. Years later Charles would write a kind of biographical portrait of him in a piece entitled “Elia on the Old Benchers” and would refer to him by the name of “Lovel”. 

Charles Lamb would become a close friend of the famous British philosopher, literary critic and poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772 - 1834). In fact Lamb’s first published work would be four sonnets which would be included in the 1796 Poems on Various Subjects by Coleridge. And yet because Lamb had a stutter he would not only be disqualified at boarding school for a clerical career, but while Coleridge and others would be able to go on to university, Lamb stopped his schooling at the age of 14. Notwithstanding this would not prevent Lamb to become an important member, and indeed to play an important part in a circle of famous authors. This included important literary figures such as poet William Wordsworth (1770 - 1850), essayist and poet Leigh Hunt (1784 - 1859), writer and literary critic William Hazlitt (1778 - 1830) as well as poet Robert Southey (1774 - 1843).

 In 1819 at the age of 44, Lamb had never married mostly because of his commitment to his troubled family. Together with his sister Charles would write the famous Tales of Shakespeare, a collection of 20 tales inspired by the eminent playwright. Published in 1807 this book remains to this day a classic of British literature for youth. The first publisher of the work was the British journalist, political philosopher and novelist William Godwin (1756 - 1836), husband of the English philosopher and one of the first advocate of women’s right Mary Wollstonecraft (1759 - 1797), and also father of British writer Mary Shelley (1797 - 1851). The book was to be constantly reprinted to this day and was even finally illustrated for the first time in 1899 by Arthur Rackham (1867 - 1939). The work would also be translated into several languages and thus made available across the globe.

 In a very real sense, while in his lifetime Lamb was encouraged by many for his hard work in literature, he actually enjoyed very little appreciation for his unique talent while he was alive. Not surprisingly perhaps, he would thus go through difficult moments of doubt with regards to his work and seriously seems to have wondered about his ability to write anything worth mentioning. In fact, in similar ways to his sister, Mary, he too would suffer episodes of psychological illness. Be that as it may, Charles Lamb left us with a very rich legacy of work ranging from short stories, essays, poetry, even plays, as well as letters filled with his exceptional intimate style and humor. Lamb would succumb of an infection he would unfortunately contract from a minor cut on his face after having fallen in the street, in fact only several months after Coleridge. Charles Lamb would die at Edmonton, a suburb of London on December 27th 1834 at the age of 59. He is buried at All Saints Churchyard, also in Edmonton. Mary, his sister would survive him by more than a decade and would be buried next to him. It is interesting to note that in 1849, 15 years after Lamb’s death, the French author EugèneForcade (1820 - 1869) would describe Lamb as having been of an eminently friendly nature, an original writer, a kind of hero constantly caring for his poor sister.

 Biographical elements of Lamb’s life in Dream Children: 

󰗔 Alice: 

Alice is a little girl in Lamb’s dream, whom he sees as his daughter. She is described to have “put out one of her dear mother’s looks”. Alice depicts Lamb’s real life wish of having kids from Ann.

 󰗔 John:

 John is a little boy in Lamb’s dream, whom he sees as his son. Like Alice, John also represents Lamb’s wish of having children. 

󰗔 John L – : 

John L – is another person who appeared in Lamb’s dream. He appeared as Alice’s and John’s uncle. John represents Lam’s real brother James Lamb.

 󰗔 Grandmother Field: 

Great-grandmother Field is Lamb’s grandmother in his dream, about whom he tells stories to his dream children. The grandmother represents Lamb’s real life grandmother, with whom he used to spend his holidays. 

󰗔 Alice W – n:

 Alice W – n is a character in Lamb’s dream who is representative of Ann; the lady to who Lamb proposed and wanted to marry in his real life. However, Ann rejected Lamb’s proposal. 

󰗔 Great house in Norfolk: 

The great house in Norfolk is the house where great-grandmother Field appears to live as narrated by Lamb in his dream. The house reflects Lamb’s grandmother’s house where he used to spend his vacations and enjoyed a lot. 

󰗔 Death of John L –:

 The death of John L – in Lamb’s dream story depicts the death of his real brother. Lamb was deeply sorrowed at his brother’s death and used to miss him.

 󰗔 Seven long years:

 The idea of “seven long years” in the story which Lamb narrates to his dream children depicts the seven years of Lamb’s and Ann’s love affair. 

󰗔 Bartrum: 

After rejecting Lamb’s proposal of marriage, Ann married a man whose name was Bartrum. In his dream, Lamb hears the children saying that they were not Lamb’s and Ann’s off springs; rather they were Bartrum’s and Ann’s children. 

󰗔 Lame-footed boy: 

The lame-footed boy in Lamb’s dream story depicts his sister who was mentally retarded. Lamb tells his dream children that their uncle John L – used to carry the lame-footed boy on his back around and would take care of him. This depicts Lamb’s real life wish to have his brother taking care of their retarded sister.

 Lamb’s desires reflected in his dream: 

Desire of marrying Ann:

 Lamb wanted to marry Ann; the lady to whom he proposed. However, she rejected Lamb’s proposal and married Bartrum instead. In his dream, Lamb sees a little girl Alice who looks likes Ann. This reflects Lamb’s desire of marrying Ann.

 Desire of having Children:

 Lamb did not marry in his life, as he had a mentally sick sister to take care of, as well as that the lady he wanted to marry rejected his proposal. However, Lamb longed to have a wife and wanted to have children. This desire of Lamb is evident from the very title of his essay “Dream Children”.

 Desire of having a responsible brother:

 Lamb’s elder brother did not support them and never took the responsibility of his sick sister. In the form of John L – taking care of the lame-footed boy in Lamb’s dream, we observe Lamb’s desire of having his brother as a responsible and caring person towards Lamb and their sister. 

Themes: 

Children Psychology:

 In the essay Dream Children, we say Lamb beautifully depicting children’s psychology as he narrates his dream. Consider the following extract from the essay: 

“…here Alice’s little right foot played an involuntary movement, till, upon my looking grave, it desisted”

 In the above extract, Lamb tells about children’s restless and impatient nature. It is hard for children to sit still and concentrate on what is told to them. In agitation, they start looking here and there, and move their limbs to satisfy themselves. However, when they find someone noticing them, they immediately cease to move. Following is another such example:

 “Here John slyly deposited back upon the plate a bunch of grapes, which, not unobserved by Alice, he had meditated dividing with her, and both seemed unwilling to relinquish them for the present as irrelevant”

 In the above lines, Lamb depicts that food always baits children’s attention. Nothing attracts them more than eatables. Once they find something to eat, they lose their concentration towards every other thing happening to them. This is the innocence of their nature, and they can be easily taken in or satisfied with the offer of a little eatable. 

Nostalgic effect (Memories): 

The theme of memories and past days is quite prominent in this essay. Lamb appears to miss a number of people including his grandmother, his brother, his love Ann and the past days of his childhood he used to spend with his grandmother. 

Loneliness: 

The theme of loneliness appears at the end of essay in the following lines:

 “We are not of Alice, nor of thee, nor are we children at all. The children of Alice called Bartrum father. We are nothing; less than nothing, and dreams. We are only what might have been, and must wait upon the tedious shores of Lethe millions of ages before we have existence and a name”

 “…and immediately awaking, I found myself quietly seated in my bachelor arm-chair, where I had fallen asleep” 

After reading the above lines, the reader turns from happy children story to gloom as it is discovered that all that happened earlier was just a dream, and in reality Lamb is alone and does not have any wife or children.

 The Three different places in the essay:

 In this essay, there are three different settings: 

1) Lamb’s real world (the place where Lamb fell asleep on his arm-chair)

 2) The place in Lamb’s dream (where he was narrating story to is children)

 3) The place in the story which Lamb was narrating to his children in his Lamb

 1) What is the ballad of the children inscribed in the wood and where is is carved? 

Ans: The ballad of the children in the wood is an ancient ballad which was included in "Percy's Reliques". The ballad narrates the sad story of two children who inherited the vast property of their father after his death. But the greedy uncle of those two children hired two murderers to kill the children. But one of the murderers, being kind hearted, left the children alive in the wood and killed the other murderer. The children due to hunger and lack of shelter in the forest died. Then a Robin Red breast saw their dead bodies and covered them with leaves. The story of this ballad was carved out in wood upon the chimney piece of the great hall in the big house in Norfolk where Mrs. Field, the grandmother of Charles Lamb lived. 

2) What is Abbey in the essay "Dream Children: a Reverie"? 

Ans: In "Dream Children: a Reverie" the term 'Abbey' refers to the West Minister Abbey which is the National Church of England. The author Charles Lamb mockingly refers to this term to reveal the foolishness of the owner of the house in Norfolk. The owner of the house destroyed the wooden chimney-piece and carried it away to his other fashionable house. 

3) Who is Lady C ?

 Ans: In Charles Lamb's "Dream Children: a Reverie", Lady C is a fictitious name of a rich fashionable woman. The author actually means to say that pulling down of the wooden chimney-piece by the owner of the house in Norfolk is as foolish an act as might be by Lady C's carrying away the west Minister Abbey to her fashionable drawing room. Ans: In "Dream Children: a Reverie" Charles Lamb says that the funeral ceremony of his grandmother, Mrs. Field was attended both by rich and poor people from the neighbourhood for many miles round because she was loved and respected by all for her kind and religious psyche.

 5) Describe Mrs. Field. 

Ans: Mrs. Field was the grandmother of Charles Lamb, who lived in a great house in Norfolk. Both the rich and poor loved and respected her because of her kind heartedness and religiosity. She was a tall, upright and graceful woman and in her youth she was considered the best dancer. She died of cancer but before death the acute pain could not curb her indomitable spirit which perhaps came from her goodness and religiosity. 

6) What is the significance of the apparition of two infants? 

Ans: The apparition of two infants gliding up and down the staircase seen by Mrs. Field is a retrospective vision of the ballad of the children in the wood, whose story was carved out on the chimney-piece in the Norfolk house where Mrs. Field lived. This reference is to prove the strength of mind of Mrs. Field who was not afraid of the apparition. On the other hand, though Charles Lamb did not see the apparition, he was afraid of it because of his weakness in mind due to his lack of religiosity. 

7) Explain the term "Twelve Caesars" as mentioned in the "Dream Children: a Reverie". 

Ans: The term "Twelve Caesars" taken from Charles Lamb's essay "Dream Children: a Reverie" refers to the twelve Emperors of Rome from Julius Caesar to Domitian or from Caesar Augustus to Antonius Pius. The half busy sculptures of these twelve Roman emperors were seen by Charles Lamb in the Norfolk house where he went to spend his holidays. 

8) Describe the cheerful experience of Charles Lamb in the garden in his holidays. 

Ans: Charles Lamb, in his childhood, spent some cheerful holidays in the spacious garden behind the Norfolk house. He could, as if, establish a psychic communication with the garden. Sometimes he was lying on the fresh grass, being filled with the fragrance of the garden. Sometimes he was bashing in the orangery and was ripened with the food. He stood in front of the yew trees or the firs or was strolling across the garden. He did not pick up fruits because the sight of these gave him a soothing comfort. Also he enjoyed the movements of various fishes in the pond. 

9) Describe the John Lamb, the brother of Charles Lamb. 

Ans: John Lamb was the brother of Charles Lamb. He outdid the latter in spirit and gusto. In stead of meditating in the solitary corners of the garden, he would like to ride on horses and join the hunters. Though he loved the Norfolk house and the garden, these places could not pent up his indomitable spirit. He was the only playmate and the only companion of Charles Lamb. He used to carry the lame-footed author on his back. But this kind-heartedness of John Lamb seemed to the author an act of sympathy rather than kindness. 10) What is the pseudonym of Charles Lamb and where is taken from? Ans: The pseudonym of Charles Lamb is Elia which was the name of an Italian clerk of South Sea House where Lamb had worked for sometime. 11) How did Charles Lamb miss his brother John Lamb? Ans: After the death of John Lamb, Charles Lamb actually missed his brother's existence but not his identity. He wished his brother to be alive again just to spend his lonely hours with him. With all his kindness and crossness his brother left him isolated and though he did not cry for his brother, his memory haunted him for all time. Actually Charles Lamb missed John Lamb not as his brother but as his companion. 

12) How did Charles Lamb present his beloved to his dream children? 

Ans: While the dream children of Charles Lamb began to cry to hear of the sad end of their uncle, Charles Lamb tried to relieve their sorrow by describing how his beloved and their mother actually was. He told them that he had courted their mother for seven long years, sometimes in hope and sometimes in despair. He also told them that their mother was very much shy and it was very difficult for him to win her. 

13) Explain the line "We are nothing, less than nothing and dreams" in Dream Children: a Reverie. 

Ans: The quoted line taken from Charles Lamb's "Dream Children: a Reverie" testifies to the fact that the children described in this essay are nothing but the products of dream or imagination. When the two children grew gradually fainting to Lamb's view, they without any speech impressed upon Lamb the effects of speech that they were nothing or non-existent in this mortal world.

 14) Why are the children called 'Dream Children'? Or, Justify the title of the essay, "Dream Children a Reverie". 

Ans: Charles Lamb's Dream Children: a Reverie weaves its story round the childhood of the author and it is presented through his interactions with his two imaginary children. The children are imaginary in the sense that they have no existence in the world because Charles Lamb was unmarried and he had no children. That the children are the products of dream or imagination is evident from the last portion of the essay, where we ser that the children vanish. Actually, the children are the medium through which the essayist communicates with his own world of imagination and desire. Therefore, the title justified. 

15) How long did Charles Lamb gaze upon the half bust of the Twelve Caesars? 

Ans: When Charles Lamb went to the Norfolk house to spend his holidays, he gazed upon twelve half bust sculptures of twelve Roman emperors in the great hall of the house. He looked at them with rapt attention and seemed to be identified with them. Actually, it was his deep absorption that made him feel that either he was borne to their petrified world or they were borne to his living world. 

16) Trace the elements of humour and pathos in the essay "Dream Children: a Reverie".

 Ans: Charles Lamb's "Dream Children: a Reverie" isca fine amalgam of hilarious humour and deep pathos. In the description of the dream children's reaction to hear of the account of Lamb has a humorous touch. Alice's act of moving her right foot and John's depositing of the bunch of grapes back upon the plate are tinged with juvenile laughter. On the other hand, whe the children reacted at the account of the sad end of their uncle and spoke to Lamb that they were not his children, the mind of the reader is filled with pathos.

 17) In what sense can the essay be called a "Reverie"? 

Ans: Charles Lamb's "Dream Children: a Reverie" is actually the product of the essayist's imaginative mind and through his two imaginary children he actually wants to fulfill his unrequited desire and unquenched thirst for the bliss of family-life. He as a writer, knows very well that in reality his meeting with his children is impossible. But like a schizophrenic person he deliberately denies the reality and is sunk into the depth of imagination or fancy. Therefore, it can aptly be called a "Reverie".