Dickensblog

Dickens on Good Friday

Often on Good Friday, I try to find and run an applicable quote from Dickens's The Life of Our Lord. This year, the sentence below caught my eye. I think the parenthetical remark in particular is very typical of Dickens -- of what he valued, and what attracted him to Christianity.

"Then he delivered Him to them to be crucified; and they, shouting and gathering round Him, and treating Him (who still prayed for them to God) with cruelty and insult, took Him away."

Faith, Dickens, and Lewis

Gerald Dickens is participating in what sounds like a delightful project: a play about the writing of The Life of Our Lord. Jeffrey Hatcher (The Duchess) is the writer, and Dr. Gary Colledge, writer of God and Charles Dickens and a friend of this blog, is serving as a consultant.

A staged reading was recently done at The Kilns, home of C. S. Lewis (which is extra delightful to me, since I love Lewis as much as I love Dickens!). Gerald Dickens reports on the project on his blog. I truly hope one day I get to see this.

Thanks to The Buzfuz for the tip!

Happy Easter!

Accordingly, Mary Magdalene went and told the Disciples that she had seen Christ, and what He had said to her; and with them she found the other women whom she had left at the Sepulchre when she had gone to call those two disciples Peter and John. These women told her and the rest, that they had seen at the Tomb, two men in shining garments, at sight of whom they had been afraid, and had bent down, but who had told them that the Lord was risen; and also that as they came to tell this, they had seen Christ, on the way, and had held him by the feet, and worshipped Him.

The Life of Our Lord, chapter 11

From the book pile

• The Bedside, Bathtub & Armchair Companion to Dickens by Brian Murray (Continuum, 2009).
  
  Murray has written a fresh, lively, comprehensive treatment of Dickens's life and works -- and all in 171 pages. This fascinating book includes a biographical sketch, synopses of all Dickens's major works along with details about their background and their reception, essays about everything from his religious views to his psychological makeup to his feelings about animals to his rivalry with Thackeray, copious quotes and illustrations, and all sorts of other tantalizing little tidbits. The section "Dickens on Film" in particular is a treasure trove, with critiques and insights on Dickens films from the 1890s all the way to 2005. Thoughtful and readable, this book has something special to offer both longtime Dickensians and those who are new to Dickens's work.


• Dickens, Christianity and The Life of Our Lord: Humble Veneration, Profound Conviction by Gary Colledge (Continuum, 2009).
  
  There are a lot of misconceptions out there about Dickens's religion. Colledge, a pastor and teacher in the U.K., has done us all a valuable service with this book that cuts through the fog to examine what Dickens really believed. He uses The Life of Our Lord as "an index of sorts" to guide him, acknowledging that Dickens wrote it for his children and never intended to publish it, but arguing that it shows how carefully Dickens thought about his faith and which aspects of Christianity he considered most important. Colledge makes a fairly persuasive case against the popular idea that Dickens embraced Unitarianism, and an even stronger case against those who claim that Christianity made little or no difference in Dickens's thinking.
  
  While Murray's book is written for a general audience, Colledge's is definitely in an academic vein, and readers with no interest in religious history or theological hairsplitting will find it hard going. But one can hope that his carefully researched and reasoned study will have an impact on the cultural conversation, and that people will come to realize that Dickens's faith was a deeper, richer, far more vital part of him than one would gather from all the stereotypes and misunderstandings. 

(Thanks to the publisher for review copies of these books.)

Happy Easter!

But Mary Magdalene remained outside the sepulchre, weeping. After a little time, she stooped down, and looked in, and saw Two angels, clothed in white, sitting where the body of Christ had lain. These said to her, "Woman, why weepest Thou?" She answered, "Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him." As she gave this answer, she turned round, and saw Jesus standing behind her, but did not Then know Him. "Woman," said He, "Why weepest Thou? what seekest thou?" She, supposing Him to be the gardener, replied, "Sir! If thou hast borne my Lord hence, tell me where Thou has laid him, and I will take him away." Jesus pronounced her name, "Mary." Then she knew him, and, starting, exclaimed "Master!"-- "Touch me not," said Christ; "for I am not yet ascended to my father; but go to my disciples, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and to your God!"

The Life of Our Lord, Chapter 11

Good Friday

Then he delivered Him to them to be crucified; and they, shouting and gathering round Him, and treating Him (who still prayed for them to God) with cruelty and insult, took Him away.

The Life of Our Lord, Chapter 10