Notes In The Margin

A very interesting article discussing the actual diet at poor houses and workhouses during the 1830s, and addressing the question of whether Oliver Twist would indeed have wanted some more.

For the record, the folks on the DICKENS-L mailing list feel that the article is somewhat light on actual research material, and ignores numerous other studies, including several investigations prior to the 1934 Poor Law act which Dickens was responding to. Some of these investigations concerned bills of delivery not actually matching what was delivered, and others concerned rats finding the rancid meat before the orphans did. Delightful stuff. Just goes to show you can't believe everything you read in the BMJ. ;-)

The following very interesting remark came across the Dickens mailing list this morning. I reproduce it in full, since I can't state it more clearly than Patrick did:

Friends of the Dickens Forum: We never cease marveling at the perennial, widespread popularity of Dickens, and--the point here--the variety and uncritical means people find to connect themselves, even profit by, the popularity. We were taken aback this morning by an item passed on to us by Harry Moskovitz, an assiduous Dickensian. Here is the notice: ---- The Man Who Invented Christmas, Being The True Story of How Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol Rescued His Career and Revived Our Holiday Spirits. Author Les Standiford will speak about his new book, The Man Who Invented Christmas, Being The True Story of How Charles Dickens "A Christmas Carol" Rescued His Career and Revived Our Holiday Spirits. Publishers Weekly notes, "Standiford (The Last Train to Paradise) covers an impressive amount of ground, from the theological underpinnings of Christmas to Dickens's rocky relations with America, evolving copyright laws and an explanation of how A Christmas Carol became responsible for the slaughter of more turkeys than geese in the months of November and December." Host: _Henry Flagler Museum_ (http://www.flaglermuseum.com/) ------ Standiford, we learn elsewhere, is best known as a mystery writer, now alert to what the public will read about Dickens. In this instance he has pounced upon the often stated journalistic claim that Dickens invented Christmas. That David Parker published an excellent study of the claim in 2005, refuting it thoroughly, must be the inconvenient fact that Standiford would ignore. Parker's fine book is _Christmas and Charles Dickens_, published by AMS press and reviewed, with a measured quality of scholarly competence, in the _Dickens Quarterly_ of September, 2006 . The review may be read on the web by asking Google to find "David Parker and Dickens." Your editor, Patrick McCarthy Emeritus, UC Santa Barbara

Unfortunately, as later noted on the list, Parker's book "Christmas and Charles Dickens" is hard to come by, and tends to cost around $150. But if you're looking for Christmas gift ideas for me ...

Last night we drove up to Oxford, OH, to see Giles Davies perform his night of Dickens. It was absolutely worth the drive.

He started with a piece from The Uncommercial Traveler, in which he, playing Dickens, discussed his visits to Boston and New York, in (I believe) 1859. This piece was very funny - although people at the time found it quite insulting.

Then, after the intermission, he did an excerpt from Oliver Twist, going from just before Nancy's murder, up to Bill Sykes hanging himself. It was gripping, and although he was playing 4 different characters throughout the piece, he was very convincing, and perfectly in character with each one.

If you get the opportunity to see Giles Davies, it's worth driving a little out of your way to go see him.

Tonight I'll be doing my annual unabridged Christmas Carol reading. Fairly small gathering this time, due to timing, and lots of people traveling. I haven't put a lot of time into it this year, but I think it'll be fun. It always is. I might record it again this year, if I get my act together early enough in the day.