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🦋 Dickens, Sendak

This is an exciting find: when Steerforth is growsing to Copperfield about his lack of ambition and drive, he makes reference to his childhood --

At odd dull times, nursery tales come up into the memory, unrecognised for what they are. I believe I have been confounding myself with the bad boy who "didn't care," and became food for lions --

posted evening of Monday, August 8th, 2011
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Julie L. at Making Light suggests as a source this piece from Punch, 1848:

There was once a Boy, who was a Small, but a Good Boy, and his name was Jack. Now Jack had a snug Place, but he had a great deal of Work to do in his Place, that he might keep it, which it was hard to do at all Times, for there were some who would 'have been glad to get him out. But though Jack was a Good Boy, he was rash, and when he had the wish to do a thing on which he had set his Heart, he would make up his Mind that, let who would say "Nay" to him, he would go on with his Work, and run all Risks to gain his Point. No one could blame Jack for this, when he was right, but it might chance that he would be wrong ; and still he would say all the same, "That he did not care, for he would try and get his Way for all that." So, once on a Time, he met with a fine Brute,* who would roar out and grow fierce if a Slight were to be put on him. But Jack was so rash that he made up his Mind to fly in the Face of this fine Brute, who was, in fact, the King of Beasts, and whose Roar was so loud and so fierce as to strike all who heard it with great Awe. But Jack, who thought the King of Beasts had put on a fierce Look, and set up a fierce Roar in a mere Joke, did still say he did not care, till once Jack came right Face to Face with the King of Beasts, who was in a great Rage, and Poor Jack, who felt he was too weak to brave the Rage of a Brute so bold and so strong, did run back in time from the Course in which he had set out. At least we hope that the Boy Jack will be a Good Boy, and will be so wise as to take our hint, for Jack ought to know by this time that "Don't Care came to a Bad End."

---

*The British Lion.

posted evening of August 8th, 2011 by Jeremy

...But the story is older than that, as there is a reference to it from 1845. Developing...

posted evening of August 8th, 2011 by Jeremy

The original source is apparently The Natural Hiſtory of Tommy and Harry, originally published in Daniel Fenning's Universal Spelling Book in 1760.

Thanks again to Julie L. for tracking this down!

posted evening of August 8th, 2011 by Jeremy

A couple of other takes on the lesson "Don't-care came to a bad end" -- Lewis Carroll uses it to nice effect in Sylvie and Bruno Concluded:

The Gold Stick came forwards. “I attended on His Imperial Fatness,” was the statement made by the trembling official. “I told him of the Lecture and the Banquet—.”

“What followed!” said the Emperor: for the unhappy man seemed almost too frightened to go on.

“His Imperial Fatness was graciously pleased to be sulky. His Imperial Fatness was graciously pleased to box my ears. His Imperial Fatness was graciously pleased to say ‘I don’t care!’”

“‘Don’t-care’ came to a bad end,” Sylvie whispered to Bruno. “I’m not sure, but I believe he was hanged.”

The Professor overheard her. “That result,” he blandly remarked, was merely a case of mistaken identity.”

Both children looked puzzled.

“Permit me to explain. ‘Don’t-care’ and ‘Care’ were twin-brothers. ‘Care’, you know, killed the Cat. And they caught ‘Don’t-care’ by mistake, and hanged him instead. And so ‘Care’ is alive still. But he’s very unhappy without his brother. That’s why they say ‘Begone, dull Care!’”

“Thank you!” Sylvie said, heartily. “It’s very extremely interesting. Why, it seems to explain everything!”

“Well, not quite everything,” the Professor modestly rejoined. “There are two or three scientific difficulties—”

“What was your general impression as to His Imperial Fatness?” the Emperor asked the Gold Stick.

“My impression was that His Imperial Fatness was getting more—”

“More what?”

All listened breathlessly for the next word.

“More PRICKLY!”

Sylvie is referring to this nursery rhyme (or similar, there seem to be a couple of versions):

Don’t care didn’t care,
Don’t care was wild:
Don’t care stole plum and pear
Like any beggar’s child.

Don’t care was made to care,
Don’t care was hung:
Don’t care was put in a pot
And boiled till he was done.

posted morning of August 9th, 2011 by Jeremy

Nice detective work indeed. I wonder if the rhyme might be older than the sob stories which have been invented in order to explain it (like myths)? in any case Sendak did a much better job than the sanctimonious author of Harry and Tommy.

posted afternoon of August 13th, 2011 by marie-lucie

I was reading David Copperfield and came across the same passage that you wondered about: Steerforth's mention of "...bad boy who 'didn't care,' and became food for lions..." and it brought to mind Sendak's Pierre! I have that book on my bookshelf to this day in a little collection called "The Nutshell Library." So I thank you (and your source) for bringing to the internet the only Google hit with an answer to my question about the origin of this idea for both Dickens and Sendak. I am now satisfied. I have the same warm feeling towards you as I always have to librarians so eager to help find answers to even the most obscure questions.

posted evening of August 11th by Amy

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