A Dickens of a Backlist!

February 13, 2012

When you were a kid and letting your mischievous side show, did your mom ever say, "Oh, you little Dickens!" Ever wonder where that phrase came from? Charles Dickens! You were channeling a little Artful Dodger, the streetwise young pickpocket from Oliver Twist.

More than a few of Charles Dickens’ great characters are cultural icons these days. Miss Haversham from Great Expectations is the cautionary tale for what happens when you can’t get over a guy. Mr. Scrooge from A Christmas Carol, the stingiest man on the planet, right? Oliver from Oliver Twist was the poster-child for huggable, brave, little orphans. Doesn't everybody know the boy who asked, "Please sir, may I have some more?"

Charles Dickens’ stories inspired countless movies and plays (Literally countless, I tried, got to fifty with no end in sight and gave up). How many versions of A Christmas Carol can you bring to mind without even trying? Muppets, Disney, Bill Murray, Jim Carrey….  The Kansas City Rep’s been doing the play for over thirty years to sold out houses. How long has it been since you read the book? Have you ever read it?

My backlist suggestion for this month is check out: A Tale of Two Cities or Great Expectations, Nicholas Nickleby or David Copperfield, Oliver Twist or…anything by Dickens. If you own an eReader, don't just check them out, own them for free! Dickens' works are in the public domain and available to you through the Gutenberg Project. Enjoy!

Laura M.
Kearney Branch