Dickensblog

'A Christmas Carol' news

It's a little early yet, but there's already plenty of news about A Christmas Carol! 

• Two new illustrated editions of the story are due out September 15: one illustrated by Yelena Bryksenkova, from Chronicle Books, and the other illustrated by Roberto Innocenti, from Creative Editions.
• I missed this when it happened in June, but Danny Kuhn has released a novel titled Fezziwig: A Life, about Scrooge's first employer. It's the first in a projected series called The Fezziwig Legacy. Here's an article that gives some plot details.
• And another new Christmas Carol-related series, Ebenezer Scrooge Mysteries, kicks off in October, when L. J. Oliver releases The Humbug Murders. This book also involves Fezziwig, or rather his ghost, who prompts Scrooge to investigate his (Fezziwig's) murder. The story will also feature characters from other Dickens works, as well as Dickens himself.

'The Dickens and Darwin Conspiracy' trailer now available

A trailer has been released for the special new mission from Assassin's Creed Syndicate, featuring Charles Dickens and Charles Darwin. IGN has the trailer and more information here!

Living 'Oliver!'

Syrian refugee children in Jordan will be performing in a new production of Oliver! next month. The teenage boys who will play Oliver and the Artful Dodger tell ARA News that the show "is a great play to do" because the story reflects their real lives so well.

The Gradgrindian vision

John Mark Reynolds (whom I know personally) has an interesting blog post up about how Dickens had a "prophetic vision of Western education: the rise of Gradgrind" in Hard Times. There are some good insights here, but I'm not sure whether I wholly agree with his remark that "Against Gradgrind, Dickens had nothing positive to say" -- meaning, I take it, that he offered no alternative vision of how education should be.

It wasn't Dickens's purpose in this novel to compare and contrast differing approaches to education. But it's worth nothing that in other books, perhaps most notably David Copperfield, he did offer portraits of good schools where pupils were inspired and encouraged by good teachers, which effectively serve as a counter to the Gradgrind idea of school.

That's my opinion, anyway. Would be interested to hear some of yours!

Dickens and cricket

In Cricket Country, Arunabha Sengupta carefully traces the many links between Dickens and the beloved British sport. 

R.I.P. George Cole

We've lost another member of the 1951 Christmas Carol cast (after having lost Patrick Macnee (young Marley) last month). George Cole, who played young Scrooge, died August 5 at age 90. 

(Image courtesy of Aveleyman. Thanks to The Buzfuz for the tip.)

Yet another 'Oliver' adaptation

'Tis the season for new versions of Oliver Twist, apparently. The Tehran Times reports that Iranian director Hossein Parsai is planning a modernized new musical stage adaptation.

Charles Dickens investigates again

Dickens is teaming up with Superintendent Jones in another novel. Death at Hungerford Stairs, the sequel to J. C. Briggs's The Murder of Patience Brooke, is due out on Kindle August 15. Cumbria Crack has a brief profile of the author and the series.

From the book pile: 'Death and Mr. Pickwick'

Stephen Jarvis's Death and Mr. Pickwick is not quite like any other novel I've ever read. I'll explain why in a moment. 

First, I need to tell you something about the characters and plot. The novel gives a fictionalized account of the life of Robert Seymour, the first illustrator of The Pickwick Papers. Written in a rambling and episodic style, like Pickwick itself, Jarvis's book thoroughly examines not just Seymour's life, but also the myriad of influences on his life and work -- the world he grew up in, the artists whose work he saw and the writers whose work inspired his own art, his employers and relatives and friends. In particularly minute detail, he recounts everything in Seymour's life and work (for instance, a habit of drawing plump men, an interest in fishing, a meeting with a particularly gullible person) that might have any relation to anything in Pickwick.

There's a reason for this. Jarvis is trying to make the case that Pickwick really belongs to Seymour and not to Dickens. He gives us long passages with Seymour imagining the story and carefully plotting each detail of his pictures for it -- the fact that an author will be needed to provide words to go with the illustrations is almost an afterthought. And once that author is found -- 24-year-old Charles Dickens, fresh off the success of Sketches by Boz -- he will spoil everything for Seymour. 

'Great Expectations' in 12 words and 12 pictures

That's the premise for Cozy Classics Great Expectations by Jack and Holman Wang, a new board book for children due out next year. It'll be an entry in the Cozy Classics series, which has already done Oliver Twist.