Wish Mrs Stowe was in the pillory

In an earlier post, I wrote about the controversy provoked by Harriet Beecher Stowe's article The True Story of Lady Byron’s Life, which was published in The Atlantic Monthly in September 1869. Decades after the death of the famous British poet Lord Byron, Stowe accused him of having had an incestuous affair with his half-sister Augusta Leigh. Her essay resulted in a huge scandal, both in Britain and America, with Stowe being criticised by many of her peers, including Charles Dickens.

Dickens strongly disapproved of the publication of Stowe's article. In the following note to his American publisher and friend James T. Fields, he briefly touches upon the issue. At the time, Fields was the chief editor of The Atlantic Monthly but is believed to have been abroad when Stowe's essay was submitted; the decision to publish it was likely made by assistant editor William Dean Howells. 

Incidentally, James T. Fields and his wife Annie were friends with both Dickens and Stowe.

Transcript:

Wednesday Sixth October, 1869.

My dear Fields

Delighted to enjoy the prospect of seeing you and yours on Saturday. Wish you had been at Birmingham. Wish you were not going home. Wish you had had nothing to do with the Byron matter. Wish Mrs Stowe was in the pillory. Wish Fechter had gone over when he ought. Wish he may not go under when he oughtn't.

With love

Ever affectionately yours

Charles Dickens

****

Note:

Charles Fechter was an Anglo-French actor and a prominent figure in the London theatre world. At the time of Dickens' letter, he was struggling financially and artistically in England and was preparing to move to America. Earlier that year, Dickens had written a glowing article about Fechter in The Atlantic, seeking to boost the actor's reputation and help pave the way for his American career.

Image letter via Internet Archive

Original source: Memories of a hostess: a chronicle of eminent friendships, drawn chiefly from the diaries of Mrs. James T. Fields (1922), by M. A. DeWolfe Howe

Image top: Charles Dickens in his Study, an 1859 painting by William Powell Frith;  via Wikimedia Commons