Fall 2012: Dickens novels course

The syllabi for ENG 329, Dickens novels course, is now available on my website, in .pdf format.  Click here.  This should be a great course.  It's timed to coincide with Dickens' 200th birthday and related celebrations.  Looking forward to a great semester.

For those in the course, be sure to read John Forester's Life of Charles Dickens, Book 1, chapter 2 (pages 11-19) about the author's early life.  Here's a link to that section in the book.

Dickens's 200th birthday celebration begins

Charles Dickens's 200th birthday celebration began this week, but it's destined to last the entire year.  Dickens is beloved in England and all over the world.  As part of the celebrations, I'm teaching a course on Dickens in Fall 2012.  Other events include:

• The celebration began in Westminster Abbey on Feb. 7 featuring his relatives, Ralph Finness and members of the British monarchy.
• Prince Charles and Camilla traveling to the Dickens House to look at where he wrote some of the books.
• BBC's Great Expectations series Christmas 2012
• Numerous conferences throughout the world
• Film celebrations of books adapted into film
• Library exhibits, such as this one at the Morgan in New York.

More details on numerous Dickens celebrations can be found at Dickens 2012.

Gillian Anderson, in center, looking at a book by Dickens with Prince Charles and Camilla

Google named adapted for Dickens 200th birthday