In this episode, I look at FTX through the lens of two Dickens novels: Martin Chuzzlewit and Little Dorrit. Wait, don’t go! I swear, it’s more interesting than it sounds. Heh. Charles Dickens knew business fraud and the boom-and-bust of the Victorian London business scene, capturing it very well in his novels. The base motives at the heart of these schemes keep rolling on.
Episode Links
My 2014 article: Dickens and Business Fraud
June 2018 post: The Wisdom of Dickens
Prior podcast episode: Fraudulent Life Insurers
Dickens Productions
Martin Chuzzlewit
There’s a very good BBC miniseries version of Martin Chuzzlewit, which includes the Anglo-Bengalee in all its glory. That was the BritBox link, and evidently, you can buy the miniseries in streaming video. I own it on DVD.
In this production, Montague Tigg/Tigg Montague is played by Pete Postlethwaite.
Little Dorritt
Similarly, BBC has an excellent production of Little Dorritt. Fabulous cast - Claire Foy as the title character, Matthew Macfadyen as Arthur Clennam, Andy Serkis as the malevolent Rigaud (in the novel, the character is absurd, but he makes it work). For Dickens, you always need a great ensemble cast. I just picked out the three big names, but you will recognize many of the actors if you watch a lot of BBC drama.
Alas, they don’t really focus on the business fraud so much, and the whole Circumlocution Office business, which of course is the highlight of the novel for somebody like me.
FTX, Dickens, and Business Fraud