No novelist has ever captured more poignantly the brightness and
magic and terror of the world as seen through the eyes of a child.
~ Edgar Johnson
Beginning in January, I am
participating in the One Page a Day Challenge. Hopefully by the end of
the year, I'll have 365 pages worth editing.
I’m also trying to follow My Plan for 2014. I may need therapy in December. Oh wait…
oday marks
two very different anniversaries, with one thing in common: they both involve
Englishmen.
Two
hundred + two years ago, Charles Dickens was born.
And a mere
fifty years ago today, The Beatles landed on our shores in a rocking British invasion.
Thank
goodness we patched things up after that whole mishap in 1812.
It’s also
the birthday of Laura Ingalls Wilder, but she’s not British, so she only gets a
candle and a cupcake.
And since
most people are already inundated with Beatles anniversary mania (ladies, don’t
try to hide ~ we saw the pictures!), I’m going to focus today’s Top Five on
dear old Charlie.
He is
apparently a literary god in England ~ there are museums, societies, reading
groups dedicated solely to Dickens. You
would think he was the only English author of note. Even more so than William Shakespeare, which
for this American, seems weird. Not that
I don’t love Dickens ~ I do. But Willy
was no slouch!
Maybe
Dickens has a better PR guru.
Whatever
the reason, his work has staying power, as evidenced that all the books
highlighted below have been made into at least one movie or PBS special.
Even as a child, the image of Miss Habersham
sitting in the midst of rotting cake in her faded wedding gown was creepy and
striking. I was with Pip in thinking I
knew who his benefactor was. But it was
the dusty wedding dress that has stayed with me ~ a sad picture of rejection
and madness.
Another childhood favorite, I read
my rare, tattered hardback copy several times.
My mother had a vinyl of the 1968
film soundtrack with Mark Lester, Ron Moody, Oliver Reed, and I fell
in love with Mark, and would sing along with Shani Wallis’ Nancy.
Every child feels embattled at
times, and to read a story about an orphan who suffers tremendously and is
saved at the end was comforting.
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Image credit: Google Images + MDeigh
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“It was the best of times, the worst
of times…” The most romantic figure of
my childhood was Sydney Carton, the Englishman who takes Charles Darnay’s place
on the guillotine. I cried buckets of
childish tears, thinking Lucie was very silly to not love him, but at the same
time, I admired the depth of his courage and love.
No greater love hath man….
Hopefully we’re past that point
where you see the title of this book and think magic, illusion and smoldering
eyes. When I see this, I see Uriah Heep
saying, “Very ‘umble, sir” and think, Heep rhymes with creep, ugh!
I also thought Dora was a bit of
dunce and could never figure out why David married her. Must have been the great hair.
Such a fitting name. And such a great novel with incredible
layers. My favorite line: “Bored to
death with this place, bored to death with my life, bored to death with
myself."
I can understand, mi’lady. I have days like that.
What? A Christmas Carol didn’t make the list!? Blasphemy!
Everyone with half an appreciation for
Christmas movies, George C. Scott, Patrick Stewart, or the Muppets is familiar
with the Christmas Carol. Which just
proves the staying power of Dickens’ storytelling. In all his works, he had a social agenda. But it came second to the story.
And that’s how an artist impacts his world ~
by being true to the art first.
Well done, sir, and happy 202nd
birthday.
Oremus pro invicem,
~
Mikaela
What
is your favorite Dickens’ novel?
