Because it’s Dickens’s 200th birthday, and because the Universe has to be nice to me once a year, I got the chance to write about my favorite author in the context of my work here at insideARM.com. There’s a strong connection between Charles Dickens and debt — from characters like Mr Micawber in David Copperfield and the absolutely villainous Harold Skimploe in Bleak House to Dickens’s own childhood spent supporting his family while his father was in debtors’ prison — but I’m not quite sure we’re making the right connection.
Especially in America, where we’re still terrible discussing class and money and debt.
So, head on over to our blog on the Forbes site to read my essay, “Debt and the Single Waif: Charles Dickens as American Debt Analog.” And then, be sure to hit me up in the comments or via email — mbevel at kaulkin dot com — if you want to spend the day talking to me about Dickens because I don’t get this opportunity often and think of the mitzvah you’ll have done.