Dickens Tag

From Alexandra at Of Trims and Frills and Furbelows.  This is part of "Dickens Week" that she is hosting at her blog! 


1.       How were you first introduced to Dickens?


I watched some versions of A Christmas Carol as a kid, and a little later I read Great Expectations & Oliver Twist.  I became a real Dickens fan when I read Nicholas Nickleby.  :)


2.       Which is your favorite Dickens novel?

Nicholas Nickleby. 


3.       How many Dickens adaptations have you seen?

At least 16!  :)  My family and I love watching Dickens.  The plot twists, quirky/scary/wonderful characters, British actors and actresses...Dickens movies are the kind of movies you can watch innumerable times.  And there's such a balance of humor and drama that you don't feel sad at the ending (usually).


4.       Which Dickens adaptation is your favorite?  

Hard to choose one...they're most of them equally brilliant.  I guess the ones that particularly stand out to me are Bleak House (2005), A Tale of Two Cities (1989), and Little Dorrit (2008).  Such great characters and character portrayals.  Little Dorrit has fantastic cinematography & sets, too.

But there are many more I like.  Martin Chuzzlewit (1994) gets points for being the creepiest film I've ever seen (well, up there with Sherlock: The Great Game).  The '80s and '90s saw a lot of good Dickens adaptations.  Can't forget Our Mutual Friend. 


5.       Have you seen multiple versions of A Christmas Carol?  Which version is your favorite?

I've seen 5 versions:  Mickey Mouse, Alastair Sim, Disney (Jim Carrey), a local theater production, and a one-man version at the York Castle Museum.  For a filmed version, Alastair Sim's version is by far the most intelligent and well-done, and my favorite live production was the one-man performance--highly abridged but also well-done.

6.       Who is your favorite Dickens hero and (if applicable) who does your favorite portrayal of him?

Well, as I said on Dickensblog, mine are subject to change from day to day...there are just so many great characters.  :)  Some of my favorites:

1. John Jarndyce.  Book version, or played by Denis Lawson (aka Captain "Dreadnought" Foster). 
2. Nicholas Nickleby.  Book version. 
3. Arthur Clennam.  Portrayed by Matthew Macfadyen.
4. Herbert Pocket!

7.       Who is your favorite Dickens heroine and (if applicable) who does your favorite portrayal of her?

Amy Dorrit, played by Claire Foy.  She's a truly admirable character--dedicated to her father, kind to everyone, and faithful to Arthur Clennam even when she thinks she won't see him again.


8.       Who is your favorite Dickens villain and (if applicable) who does your favorite portrayal of them?

Tulkinghorn, played by Charles Dance.  He appears to be so polite and respectable, when in reality he's a ruthless persecutor. 


9.       Have you seen any musical adaptations of any of Dickens’ stories? If so, which is your favorite song from it? 


10.   Do you have a favorite Dickens quote? If so, what is it?

Off the top of my head:

No man of sense who has been generally improved, and has improved himself, can be called quite uneducated as to anything. - Daniel Doyce, Little Dorrit

And this quote is very famous, but I do think it is so true, even today:

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way - in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.