Perhaps his first love among the Victorians was Dickens, on whom he frequently lectured—Hawes: a gentleman of integrity and discretion, possessed of a somewhat laconic wit.
Donald Hawes perhaps knew more than anybody about William Makepeace Thackeray. He was also a noted authority on both Charles Dickens and George Eliot.
Born and raised in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, he retained its distinctive intonation. The son of an elementary school headmaster and church organist, he inherited his love and knowledge of music and opera. He attended Wisbech Grammar School and, following his teaching diploma at the College of St. Mark and St. John in Chelsea, he taught for many years at a secondary school in Southall, Middlesex.
During his spare time, he gained his BA (Hons) in English at Birkbeck College of London University, where he obtained his subsequent degrees. He was greatly influenced by Professor Geoffrey Tillotson (1905–65)—his nineteen entries to the...
