Dream Children: A Reverie
-Charles Lamb
This passage is from Charles Lamb's essay, “Dream Children: A Reverie”. The
essay narrates Lamb's reflections on his childhood, family, and memories
through the imagined conversation he has with his two imaginary children,
Alice and John.
James Elia, which is Charles Lamb’s pen name, is telling a story to his
imaginary children, Alice and John. They ask him about their great-
grandmother, Mrs. Field, and the large house she lived in.
Mrs. Field, their great-grandmother, was not the owner but the caretaker of a
grand house. The actual owner had built a newer, more fashionable house and
left the old one in Mrs. Field’s care. Elia describes the charm and beauty of this
house from his childhood. He mentions a carved chimney piece that told the
story of two orphaned children from the “Ballad of the Children in the Wood”,
whose cruel uncle left them in the woods to die. The ghosts of these children
were rumoured to haunt the house, though Mrs. Field wasn’t afraid of them
because she believed they were innocent souls.
Mrs. Field was a tall, graceful, and strong woman. Even though she suffered
from cancer, which caused her pain, she remained brave and kind-hearted. She
wasn’t scared of sleeping alone in the big, supposedly haunted house, unlike
Elia, who admits he was too frightened to do so.
Mrs. Field was so loved and respected by many people that her funeral was
well-attended. Elia describes her grace, and while he talks about her ability to
dance, Alice, his imaginary daughter, makes a small dancing movement with her
feet. He praises Mrs. Field’s courage and faith, contrasting it with his own fears.
Elia recalls how his grandmother allowed him and his brother to play in the
large gardens during the holidays. He loved wandering around the house and the
gardens, sometimes staring at the marble statues of the Twelve Caesars until
they felt alive. While he enjoyed the beauty of the place, other children would
have focused on the fruits in the garden, like grapes. Hearing this, John, who
was about to eat grapes, puts them down, feeling embarrassed.
Elia talks about his uncle, John L., who was strong, handsome, and Mrs. Field's
favourite. He was a skilled horseman and joined the hunters. Elia was lame-
footed and would often be carried on John L.'s back for long distances.
However, John L. also became lame later in life, and Elia regretted not being as
kind to his brother as John L. had been to him. When John L. passed away, Elia
