February 7, 2012 is the 200th birthday of Charles Dickens.
Dickens was a gregarious man and loved the company of friends. One gets the sense that he would enjoy a big party on his birthday, as indeed he enjoyed frequently throughout his life.
The passage of time and the marking of annual events features largely in his work. We see Scrooge decrying the celebration of Christmas as a time to find another year has passed and us not a penny richer. We see Pip on his birthday, visiting Miss Havisham for his birthday coin, and coming into his own great expectations as he becomes an adult and the wards of Chancery Richard and Ada sneaking off to marry privately on her twenty-first birthday.
This quote from Barnaby Rudge shows one side of how Dickens felt about growing older:
Many happy returns to The Inimitable!
And now a few links to but a sampling of the many celebratory features debuting in this his bicentenary year:
- Google Doodle for the day, with cartoon versions of characters from his works.
- The British Library's Dickens in Context site. The "context" material is fascinating, but also watch the readings by Simon Callow in each section, like this one of him reading the scene of the death of Nancy from Oliver Twist.
- How about a "fiendishly difficulty birthday quiz"? Have at it!
- And here, another video featuring the great Simon Callow, taking us on a tour of Dickens' London.
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