Nr 22 Oct 2008 ------London Particular

The Dickens Fellowship Newsletter ______

“...HE MUST BE, VIRTUALLY, ABOUT rd th TWO HUNDRED YEARS OLD, AT Other meetings will take place on : 23 April, 18 May, 8 th September, 7th October, 12 th PRESENT.” (David Copperfield, November and 8th December. Chapter 54)

In 2012, a great sporting event will take place “EVERYBODY WAS DRESSED FOR A FANCY in Britain...a Pickwickian Cricket Match. This is BALL THAT WAS NEVER TO LEAVE OFF...” (A just one of many events scheduled, or mooted, Tale of Two Cities ,Book II, Chapter 7) to commemorate the bicentenary of ’s birth. Some of these events will be Victorian dress is not essential, but is known to Fellowship members already, but encouraged, should you wish to attend Mr plans for many others are under way, Fezziwig’s Ball , an evening of Victorian dance in including: aid of the Charles Dickens Museum and Great Ormond Street Hospital, which takes place on ** Dickens Film Festival (London, British Film Tuesday 2 nd December at 6.30 pm in Barnard’s Institute) Inn Hall, Holborn. ** A major Dickens exhibition at the Museum of London Whilst the Ghost of Christmas Past may not be ** Dickens Street Festival (Bloomsbury) present, the spirit of Christmas pas (de deux) will ** Dickens New Poetry Award surely be, as the Arbeau Dancers guide you ** Dickens Christmas Fair (London) through music and moves familiar to Dickens and his characters, including the Sir Roger de ...and many more. However, the programme is Coverley, The Dashing White Sergeant and the still flexible, and there are plenty of Polka. No previous experience necessary. opportunities for Fellowship members to suggest additional events. Please send any Tickets: £25, to include seasonal buffet and a suggestions to the website: glass of wine. www.dickens2012.org or write to Joan Dicks and Lee Ault, Joint For further information or to book tickets please General Secretaries, at 48 Doughty Street, contact the Museum on 020 7405 2127 ext 202 or London WC1N 2LX email [email protected] *****

“YOU MAKE A MERRY-MAKING OF THIS, EVERY MONTH....” ( Barnaby Rudge , Chapter *****. 77) “Then you were to pay up your subscription, The programme of monthly events for 2009 is get your card of membership...” Edwin Drood , being finalised, but the first three events at Chapter VI Barnard’s Inn Hall will be: Please note that the membership renewal form Monday 19 th January : Social evening, plus for those registered with Central Branch is introduction to A Tale of Two Cities and ‘Dear being sent out with this issue of The London Fellowship’, letters from famous people Particular. Just like Mr in his Tuesday 17 th February : Jerry Cruncher’s Honest dealings with his kind-hearted attorney Mr Trade - Druin Burch, author of Digging Up the Perker, we hope that you will have “an Dead anxious desire to come to a pecuniary Wednesday 25 th March : Film Adaptations of A settlement...” Tale of Two Cities – Michael Eaton *****

Fellowship website: www.dickensfellowship.org when an undergraduate at Cambridge, in the “Yes, Popery!” ...you may cry out, as you famous Pickwick examination, instigated by politely request a place at the table of Pope Joan the poet C. S Calverley. Skeat finished runner- players (as featured in Pickwick ) - just one of a up to the novelist Walter Besant, who in later potpourri of entertainments at the Victorian years felt qualified, perhaps by virtue of that Games Evening on Friday 21 st November at the exam result, to write the story “The Death of Charles Dickens Museum. Other activities include Samuel Pickwick”... which is itself germane to cribbage (as played by Dick Swiveller and the the subject of clippings because it began with Marchioness), Dickensian Consequences (a a (spoof) obituary from an 1862 newspaper : variation on the popular pen and pencil game) and a Victorian quiz. “We regret to announce the death, at an advanced age, of Mr Samuel Cost to include food and wine: £12 to Friends of Pickwick, F.R.S., F.R.A.S., F.R.S.I, the Charles Dickens Museum (£15 to non- F.R.L.S, corresponding member of Friends.) Places are strictly limited. To book please contact 0207 4052127 ext 202 or email: many foreign learned societies, [email protected] formerly chairman of the Pickwick Club, which took place at his “You shall win, however the game goes.” residence at Dulwich on the night (Little Dorrit, Chapter 30) th of April 30 .”

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***** DICKENS IN THE NEWS “I wonder no public-house has been set up with my portrait for the sign...” (Edwin Drood, The Daily Telegraph ran an important article by Chapter VIII) Robert Douglas-Fairhurst on 21 st October commenting on the relevance of Little Dorrit and Allan Clack has informed The London Particular other works by Dickens to the era of the credit about an intriguing piece of Dickensiana he crunch: “ For Dickens himself...money meant recently spotted. “In Northington Street, a stone’s far more than the power to buy and sell. throw from the Charles Dickens Museum, it is Money brought people together and split somewhat startling to come across a large framed them apart; it turned ordinary people into painting of Charles Dickens attached to a street models of generosity or monsters of greed; wall! It is above a small nondescript office it kept the world moving and was forever building on the corner of Kirk Street and there is threatening to make it spin out of control.” no indication of what the painting is doing there.”

Coincidentally, on the same day, the newspaper Allan explains that, until a few years ago, a public ran a story about the proceedings of the Swedish house called The Charles Dickens stood on the Committee responsible for awarding the Nobel site, though no trace of it survives, apart from its Prize for Literature, and this also mentioned Little inn sign. “The painting looks somewhat lonely Dorrit. It seems that during their deliberations, the and ghostly,” says Allan, ”but Dickens would Committee avoids naming writers, but instead surely be amused to see his portrait on a wall uses codenames. Thus, Harold Pinter was “Harry where he lived, worked and walked.” Potter”, whilst Doris Lessing was “Little Dorrit”.

A Final Thought.... ***** ------Contributions of clippings from members are “Then does she twirl and twine, a pastoral always welcome, though the supply has nymph of good family, through the mazes of dwindled in recent months. Sometimes an the dance.” Bleak House , Chapter LXVI item appears in a newspaper which, whilst not directly related to Dickens, could be used to highlight matters related to The Inimitable, and Please send any contributions, news clippings etc these cuttings too would be appreciated. For to the London Particular editorial address: instance on October 7 th , The Times mentioned Stephen Jarvis, 1 Riverine, Grosvenor Drive, in its “On this Day” column the death in 1912 Maidenhead, Berks SL6 8PF, UK. Email: of the etymologist Walter William Skeat. His [email protected] Dickensian connection is via his participation,

Fellowship website: www.dickensfellowship.org