1836: I Became a Literary Giant in Great Britain

Michelle gradually figured out Dickens's temperament.

Despite his fame, he is ultimately just a 24-year-old young man. He has many virtues: he is warm-hearted, kind, compassionate, expressive, incredibly energetic, and has a great sense of humor. But his flaws are also significant: he is sensitive and overly assertive in his own field, likes to imitate and nitpick, but often unintentionally hurts others.

Dickens himself was clearly aware of this. He once wrote the following in his own epitaph:

"This is where Dickens finally rests in peace; he clearly thought himself very clever."

"I almost wept bitterly over his friend's many mistakes."

"He was perfectly clear-headed—but completely oblivious to his own situation."

"He has quite a few flaws, as all his friends are well aware of."

"It is entirely unintentional, not deliberate, for me to say a good word for him."

Of course, Michelle's biggest impression of him was his overly expressive face... If there were memes in the 19th century, Dickens would definitely be one of the best.

Michelle didn't know where their relationship would lead, but for now, Dickens was indeed a very good friend.

That day, as usual, Michel came to Dickens's house and brought the final chapter of "A Study in Scarlet".

Dickens readings were held as usual.

When they heard Watson complain that Holmes' credit had been stolen by the detective at the end of the story, and Holmes simply calmly took out his violin, Catherine and Mary couldn't help but sigh.

"This ending...it's really leaving us wanting more," Catherine said softly.

"A great story has come to an end."

Dickens closed the manuscript, his face bearing a complex expression of satisfaction and disappointment.

A tragedy born of love, which ultimately ends with a bloody revenge, leaves a lasting impression.

"Is it over just like that?"

Mary's tone was also full of lingering interest: "Will that clever Mr. Holmes encounter any other cases in the future?"

“Of course,” Michelle smiled, took a sip of her tea, and picked up a warm croissant for herself. “London is never short of crime, and Mr. Holmes’ business will certainly never close.”

His answer made Mary's eyes light up again.

Dickens shook his head and sighed, "Michel, I bet that after the publication of Bentley's Miscellany next month, the name Sherlock Holmes will soon be known throughout London."

"Well, I have to thank Charles for recognizing my talent," Michelle said, offering a very tactful compliment.

After all, everyone wants to carry a beautiful sedan chair.

"No, no, no, you deserve it."

Dickens waved his hand, still in high spirits: "I've already decided. I'll use 'A Study in Scarlet' as the cover story for the next issue of 'Bentley's Notebooks.' As for the payment..."

He paused, then held up two fingers:

"Twenty ghats per sheet! As we agreed beforehand! This is the highest fee I can offer within my authority!"

Dickens gave so much!

Michelle's hand trembled slightly as she ate the croissant.

The guinea was a unit of British currency, although it was officially abolished as early as 1813. While pounds, shillings, and pence are more commonly used in daily life, many people in the cultural industry still use it.

One guinea was equal to twenty-one shillings, while one pound was equal to twenty shillings; the difference in price was equivalent to "welfare".

A single printing sheet typically consists of sixteen pages. Based on the length of the serialized edition of "A Study in Scarlet," it would be roughly two printing sheets.

In other words, Dickens offered a hefty price of £42 for the first installment of "A Study in Scarlet".

In those days, a skilled worker earned less than a pound a week. Forty-two pounds was enough for an average family to live on for half a year.

In today's London literary circles, this is definitely considered the standard royalty for a renowned author. Even Dickens himself didn't earn much more.

Upon hearing this number, Catherine, who was standing next to her, gaped in surprise.

Just as Michelle suppressed her overwhelming joy and was about to thank Dickens,

The butler knocked on the door and came in, holding a letter in his hand.

"Sir, an urgent message from Mr. Bentley."

Dickens took the letter and opened it with some doubt. He only glanced at it, and the excitement and smile on his face froze as if doused with cold water.

The atmosphere in the living room changed instantly.

Catherine looked at him worriedly: "Charles, what happened?"

Dickens' brow furrowed. He looked up at Michel, his face showing a mixture of apology and annoyance.

"It's Bentley, the owner of 'Bentley's Notebooks'."

He took a deep breath, seemingly suppressing his anger: "He saw the first draft I submitted for review. He admitted the story was excellent, but he thought the payment was too high."

Michelle: ? ? ?

Sure enough, no capitalist is any good; they should all be hung up like streetlights.

"He felt that a newcomer's work didn't deserve the same royalties as a well-known writer. At most... he was only willing to give a dozen or so ni per print."

"That bastard! He doesn't understand the value of this story at all! He only sees the author's name!"

Dickens's voice carried a suppressed anger; having been an author himself, he knew the importance of royalties to an author. He also felt that *A Study in Scarlet* was worth the price.

Moreover, isn't this a blatant slap in the face to him, the editor-in-chief?

The royalties were cut in half.

Michel's face darkened. It wasn't that he couldn't accept the payment; after all, a few dozen dollars was a huge sum for him. But what bothered him most was the feeling of being slighted.

"Charles, don't be angry. Business is always a give-and-take affair," Catherine comforted Dickens.

"But this isn't business! This is art!"

Dickens stood up agitatedly: "Bentley is nothing but a money-grubbing businessman! He knows absolutely nothing about literature or art! All I've done for the magazine, and this is how he repays me?!"

To find worthy articles for *Bentley's Notebooks*, he read 80 manuscripts that month. This was only a small part of his editorial work; in addition, he had to proofread, revise, and cut articles. He not only had to allocate remuneration to each contributing author but also had to busy himself with writing his own articles every month. Now that he had found a novel of such quality, Bentley was even interfering, which infuriated Dickens.

Am I the professional or are you? Am I the editor-in-chief or are you?

Seeing Dickens's furious outburst, Michelle calmed down instead.

He knew that Dickens and his publisher Richard Bentley had a strained relationship. Dickens felt Bentley interfered too much in his creative process and exploited him, while Bentley felt Dickens demanded too much, was too ambitious, and was unreliable in delivering manuscripts on time. The two had a long history of feuds, which finally broke down completely two years later in 1839. Their relationship even escalated to the point of almost going to court.

Moreover, Dickens was a powerful figure in his own field. When his debut work, *The Boozers' Notebooks*, was published, he had a major argument with the renowned illustrator Crookshank over control of the project until he finally gained control. It's important to note that at that time, Crookshank was far more famous than Dickens; the publisher brought the two together precisely to have Crookshank boost Dickens's career.

In the first edition of *The Boozers' Notebooks*, Dickens praised Crookshank without reservation, but in all subsequent editions, all mentions of him, except for his name, were removed. Crookshank later recalled, "If Mr. Dickens and I met on the same side of the road, either Dickens would change course, or I would." In short, this caused a great deal of unpleasantness between the two.

Take his most popular work, *The Pickwick Chronicles*, for example. Initially, Dickens's job was simply to add text to the illustrations by cartoonist Seymour. However, through Dickens's persistent efforts, the roles were reversed, and the story became the dominant one, with the illustrator creating illustrations based on Dickens's narrative. Of course, without Dickens's involvement, this currently most popular British serialized novel might not be what it is today.

However, the most bizarre thing is that just two days after arguing with Dickens, cartoonist Seymour shot himself at home. It's difficult to say whether Dickens's overly assertive personality in his creative work was related to Seymour's suicide...

Michelle keenly realized that she might have been drawn into the struggle between editor Dickens and boss Bentley.

So, it seems now that I might be an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire...

"Charles, don't get agitated. Perhaps I can talk to him."

Michelle thought for a moment before speaking.

"Why don't you talk to him? He doesn't care about anything but money."

Dickens looked at him with surprise.

"Yes, I want to talk to Bentley."

Michelle nodded calmly: "Since he thinks I'm not worth the fee as a newcomer, then let me personally tell him whether my story is worth the price!"

Michelle had a clear idea: rather than putting Dickens in a difficult position, she would rather face the problem herself.

As a graduate student from the information explosion era, how could he be afraid of battling a 19th-century capitalist?

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