Drawing from a photo on Wikipedia.
Quote from Popular Quotations for All Uses, edited by Lewis Copeland, 1942 Ed.
Charles Dickens - Feb 7, 1812 to Jun 9, 1870. Author. A belated HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
I haven't read as much Dickens as I should have by now, in fact, A Christmas Carol is the extent of my readings and that was done when I was in elementary school. Oh, I take that back, A Tale of Two Cities was required reading in high school. I always thought I would like to dig into Martin Chuzzlewit because the name intrigued me. I think I tried David Copperfield and Great Expectations, but saw the movies instead. Of course, if I had known back then that he was born two days before me father, he might have been a hero of mine. Just joking, but me Pa always said he was three days older than A. Lincoln of Feb 12 fame, being born on Feb 9. He was always making jokes like that.
If I'd been alive in 1842 when Dickens came to the U.S., I could have had a conversation with him about his pet raven, Grip. I could've asked him how he ever caught that damn bird in the first place, and in the second place, how did he teach it to speak English? I would have told him that he should have taught it to speak French and let it fly off to Paris for a long weekend or longer. Maybe it would have become lost over the English channel and the prevailing winds could have carried it to Bermuda, a much better climate than England, I hear.
"If the law supposes that," said Mr. Bumble, "the law is a ass, a idiot." These lines could be used in about any Western. I can hear John Wayne, instead of Mr. Bumble, saying it to Glen Campbell, the Texas Ranger in True Grit. He could have worked them in somehow. Or maybe it would fit into Judge Roy Bean's conversation better as he sentences the bad guy to hang, "If the law supposes that, the law is a ass, a idiot."
Enjoyed a Christmas Carol. The only other Dickens I've read has been some of his short stories, like the signalman. Good tale.
ReplyDeleteOur school made quite a production of Christmas Carol and it was a lot of fun.
DeleteMy daughter Haddie had to read OLIVER TWIST this semester [she is in 8th grade] and I was fascinated by the informative intro to the edition she checked out from our local library. It told about how Dickens secured his literary position with TWIST, an immediate hit, which he wrote at the tender age of 25!! Unbelievable.
ReplyDeleteAlso, it discussed how Dickens is still sometimes considered an anti-semite for his portrayal of Fagin in that novel [basically a Jewish underworld "fence' character.] That was unfortunate indeed, although the intro discussed many varying approaches to this.
Finally, I was struck by the overall bitter sadness of the great writer's own life. No wonder he wrote about so many sad and misunderstood boys like Oliver, David Copperfield and the like.
Oscar... If I could go with you back to one of his 19th century tours of America, I would make dead sure we both got tickets to see him live! Apparently his readings were so dramatic and intense that scholars actually think they shortened his life!
Anyway, great post as usual, friend :)
I'd enjoy an evening with Dickens, as well. There's a 10-part doc of his travels in America. I'd like to see that... As for reading, it was Great Expectations in high school and Bleak House (bleak indeed) in college. Also enjoyed the video of the stage play based on Nicholas Nickelby.
DeleteDickens writings to me were all on the downside of life, but I would have bought tickets to see him for sure. His readings must have been pretty hard on him. He must've put it all into each character as he read along.
DeleteDickens is someone I know more from the films but A TALE OF TWO CITIES I've read several times. It remains brilliant.
ReplyDeleteI too keep thinking I should read more Dickens - I'll try to fit him in.
ReplyDeleteMe too, Patsy, but it might be Little Jimmy Dickens.
Deletemy Dear Sweet Oscar,
ReplyDeleteI have to say I'm sorry...I didn't see the post that you gave me an award on...I went back where I saw you got Valance's Oscar award but I didn't see the award you gave me. If Valance hadn't told me (TWICE - because I thought he was tell me HE gave me the aware and I told him I saw it and thanked him - then he made it clear it was you who gave me a second award!) I wouldn't have known.
I'm trying to keep up with the blogs but it isn't easy when I'm trying to write 3500 words a day to get a book out a month. So I tend to miss a post now and then...I hope you'll forgive me. I am grateful for the award. (HUGS)
And I hope to get a post up about it soon!
Hugs
Hawk
I thought maybe you had so many awards that you would just ignore it, but your writing is more important - a book a month, wow! that's a lot of words! Good luck with it!
DeleteYup, three thousand words a day. And she even takes a breath between some of them.
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