“The Life of Charles Dickens” by John Forster: Between Biography, Hagiography, and the Institution of Legacy Introduction: The First Biographer as the Architect of Myth The three-volume biography “The Life of Charles Dickens” (1872-1874), written by his closest friend and executor John Forster, is not just the first biography of the great writer but a key cultural act in the construction of his canonical image for the Victorian and subsequent eras. This work, unique in its access to materials (letters, diaries, manuscripts, personal conversations), served several functions simultaneously: documentary evidence, a posthumous tribute, a tool for controlling reputation, and a literary monument to their friendship. Its analysis allows us to understand how the image of the national genius is formed and canonized. 1. Unique Source: Monopoly of Access and Methodology Forster possessed unprecedented rights and resources: Exclusive access. Dickens appointed Forster his literary executor, handing over all his manuscripts, galley proofs, business and personal correspondence (some of the latter Forster destroyed to “protect private life”). He was the only person to know all the details of the creative process, finances, and many personal dramas. The method of “documented biography”. Forster was one of the first in England to build a narrative on abundant citation of Dickens' own letters and diaries, creating the effect of an “autobiography dictated by the author”. This gave the text undeniable authority, but at the same time, it gave the biographer enormous power — to choose what to cite and what to omit. Personal witness. As a participant or direct witness of most of the described events (from literary plans to family disputes), Forster wrote from the position of an insider, which was both a strength and a weakness of the work. 2. Image Construction: “Friend of the Poor” and Literary Titan Forster consciously built a certain, purified image that became the canon for decades: Su ... Read more