Dickensblog

Birthday party for 'A Christmas Carol'

Dickens's Christmas classic is turning 175 this year! The Dickens Museum is hosting a celebration with Lucinda Dickens Hawksley the evening of December 19, including "mulled wine, mince pies and tales of Christmases past." If you're in the area, click here to buy tickets!

The whole story

On the 148th anniversary of Dickens's death, Prarthana Mitra of Qrius has written a nice tribute to "one of the prolific English novelists of all time, in whose works are enshrined all the ugly facets of Victorian England."

That description is perfectly true as far as it goes, but it tells only half the story. Dickens's portrayal of the ugly side of life wouldn't have been nearly as effective or as lasting had it not come to us alongside his portrayal of its beauty. The sordidness and starvation in Oliver Twist and David Copperfield cannot quench hope; the hatred and violence of A Tale of Two Cities are unable to conquer the power of love and sacrifice. Scrooge wouldn't be fully Scrooge without his ultimate redemption. Even the lowest street-sweeper, brought down by poverty, neglect, and disease, dies with dignity when Dickens is telling his story. 

Had Dickens not been able to portray the whole story of life with both its joys and sorrows, had he not seen beauty as well as ugliness, he wouldn't have been mourned as he was. And he wouldn't be loved as he still is today.

Happy 206th, Mr. Dickens!

Just in time for Charles Dickens's birthday, his Doughty Street home, now the site of the Dickens Museum, has been named one of Britain's "10 greatest music and literary places." Congratulations to our beloved author on this well-deserved honor. 

And here's a quote from a birthday tribute by Navanita Varadpande: "A brilliant wordsmith and an affectionate narrator, he holds our hands while walking us through the streets of London, nudging us to look into a dark Victorian workhouse or pointing us to the vulnerable segments of the English society." For that brilliance and that affection, we honor him today and always.

Happy 25th anniversary to 'The Muppet Christmas Carol'!

The beloved film -- one of the best Christmas Carol adaptations of all, if you ask me -- was released on this date in 1992. The Telegraph (subscriber-only), The Independent, and Entertainment Tonight have all published articles that celebrate it.

If you have fond memories or favorite lines from The Muppet Christmas Carol, please share!

When Dickens died

In honor of the 147th of the anniversary of Dickens's death today, the Guardian has an article about how the death and funeral were reported at the time. As the Observer wrote in an op-ed shortly after his death, “To all of us, to young and old, to rich and poor, the tidings which saddened England on Friday, came home like the news of a friend’s death.”

In memory of Georgina Hogarth, 'the active spirit'

Today marked the centenary of Georgina Hogarth's death on April 19, 1917. The sister of Charles Dickens's wife, Catherine, Georgina is something of an enigma. In the bitter split between Charles and Catherine, Georgina sided with her brother-in-law and chose to stay with him and the children, for reasons that are still not entirely clear. There were rumors of an affair between the two, but according to the most reliable sources, they were nothing but close friends. Dickens called Georgina "the active spirit of the house," and though it was said in a sad and troubling context, it's still a high tribute to a woman who provided some stability and comfort to the children who no doubt sorely needed it.

Commemorating Georgina Hogarth

Next Wednesday, April 19, will mark the centenary of the death of Dickens's sister-in-law Georgina Hogarth. The Dickens Fellowship will commemorate her in a graveside ceremony, to which all are welcome. Click here for details.

Congratulations to Charles Dickens Page!

According to The Buzfuz e-newsletter, our friend David Perdue is celebrating the 20th anniversary of his website, the invaluable Charles Dickens Page. Happy anniversary, David, and thanks for all you do for us Dickensians!

Another Dickens birthday party

Kevin Quinn, of the Friends of Dickens New York, reports that the group will celebrate Dickens's birthday this Saturday, Feb. 11, at McGee's. All are welcome to join! The party will run from 12:30 to 4 p.m., and everyone is asked to contribute $40 to the cost of the food. 

Happy 205th, Mr. Dickens!

"From Dickens himself readers wanted more and he gave it, prodigiously. The huge sweep of his novels makes them as extensive as cities, as complex as labyrinths, and as comforting as fires to sit beside. Over the eight hundred pages and, for his first readers, the eighteen months of serial publication, a Dickens novel builds a parallel world to run alongside our own, an ample and welcoming family to be part of our daily lives."

Jenny Hartley, Charles Dickens: An Introduction