Dickensblog

From the book pile

• Poems by Charles Dickens (Alma Classics Ltd., 2013 edition).
  
  This is a reprinted edition of a collection first published in 1903, "edited with commentaries by F. G. Kitton." It consists mostly of song lyrics and light verse taken from Dickens's plays, librettos, and books, along with a few "political squibs" and one or two poems written for friends. Kitton's commentaries are interesting and informative, although rather limited in scope -- one can't help wishing that as long as Alma Classics was reprinting the volume, they could have added some updated material on the poems, along with the new biographical sketch at the end.
  
  As for the poems themselves, they are, well, average. The rhyme and meter are fine, the word choices are fine, and the political poems in particular are flavored with the biting wit that social and political issues tended to bring out in Dickens. But it's deeply ironic that, for a writer whose prose was often so lyrical and beautiful as to seem downright poetic, Dickens proved to be merely adequate at the task of writing actual poems. Despite the occasional flashes of cleverness or insight, there's little here that is truly inspiring or memorable. The collection is worth reading for the Dickens completist, but ultimately it has to be admitted that, as a poet, Dickens was one heck of a novelist.

The mysterious Fanny Biggetywitch

Has a non-Dickensian character sneaked into Dickensian? Our guest reviewer John Kyriacou and commenter Lesley Cookman have both written about the character of Fanny Biggetywitch (played by Ellie Haddington) and how they've been unable to place her. I consulted Paul Davis's Charles Dickens A to Z, an excellent guide to the various people, places, and things found in Dickens's works, but found no mention of her. 

BBC One's character profile for Fanny is here, but gives no clue as to her identity. There are several possible explanations: She could be using an alias, with her real name to be revealed at a later date; "Biggetywitch" could turn out to be the married name of a Dickens character called Fanny whom we've only met under her maiden name; she could be the descendant or the ancestor of someone from Dickens's work; or she could simply have been made up.

Because I haven't yet seen the show, and know nothing about the character beyond what's on that page, I don't know which of these scenarios is likeliest to be true. Your thoughts and theories are welcome in the comment section!

'Dickensian' ratings

The show got off to a good start on Saturday, ratings-wise. Both episodes finished in the top 10 for the night, with 5 million and 4.3 million viewers respectively.

Richard Armitage reading new 'David Copperfield' audiobook

The release is scheduled for February 9. Audible has it available for pre-order. In this video, Armitage answers fans' questions about recording the book.

Thoughts on 'Dickensian'

By John Kyriacou, guest blogger

(Note: This post contains some spoilers.)

I watched the first two episodes of Dickensian earlier. My overall impression is that the cast and crew have done a great job, and the series is a treat.

The first episode was almost like eating a huge Christmas pudding in one sitting. Too many characters were introduced and too quickly (less is more, as they say). While it was fun playing "spot the character," this whirlwind of characters might have been a tad confusing for those unfamiliar with Dickens. I think the first two episodes should have been broadcast together, in one chunk, as the second episode slowed the pace, allowing some breathing space.

It's 'Dickensian' day!

The show premieres tonight at 7 p.m. on BBC One! Emily Bowles of York University will be live tweeting it at https://twitter.com/JofVictCulture (that will start at 2 p.m. for us Americans). And over here, I will publish the report from John, our British correspondent, when I get it.

In the meantime, Far Far Away Site has lots of nice stills of the characters; Holly Furneaux has "a cheat's guide to who's who" at the BBC's Love TV blog; and at the Oxford University Press blog, Robert Douglas-Fairhurst, who advised on the series, offers his perspective from behind the scenes.

God bless us, every one!

Merry Christmas, fellow Dickensians!

From the book pile: Christmas edition

• The Further Adventures of Ebenezer Scrooge by Charlie Lovett (Viking, 2015).
  
  What if the newly redeemed Scrooge had remained so constantly filled with Christmas cheer all year long that people started to consider him a pain in the neck? Furthermore, what if Scrooge had decided to try to redeem his old friend Jacob Marley as well? Bestselling author Charlie Lovett tackles these questions in this delightful little novella. He cleverly incorporates, paraphrases, and repurposes much of Dickens's own phrasing from A Christmas Carol and various other works, in this story that sees a turned-around Scrooge turning the tables on many familiar (and now slightly jaded) figures from the original book. Well written, thought-provoking, and great fun.

New 'Christmas Carol' musical available on DVD

I've been alerted via Twitter that Anthony D. P. Mann's new musical adaptation of A Christmas Carol, starring Colin Baker, is now available on DVD and has also been picked up by PBS. Go here for all the details!

A few 'Christmas Carol' tributes

The BBC News Magazine has a piece on why Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol, which features entries from the recent illustration contest; Mo Rocca of CBS News takes a Dickens tour and learns more about the story's background; Maggie Grimason at Weekly Alibi writes about what the book means to her; The Stage reviews a production of a dramatic version at the Charles Dickens Museum, involving one man and one puppet; and the creators of The Muppet Christmas Carol have a delightful interview in The Guardian about the making of their adaptation.