Charles Dickens Whats being done?
Dickens 2012 Website
“Dickens 2012 is an international celebration of the life and work of Charles Dickens which will take place to mark the bicentenary of his birth, which falls on 7 February 2012. A number of international institutions and organisations are partners of Dickens 2012 who work together to deliver a programme of events and activities to commemorate this very special anniversary. Although a writer from the Victorian era, Dickens’s work transcends his time, language and culture. He remains a massive contemporary influence throughout the world and his writings continue to inspire film, TV, art, literature, artists and academia. Dickens 2012 will see a rich and diverse programme of events taking place in the run up and throughout the whole of 2012. Find out what Dickens 2012 events are taking place near you by visiting the Events Calendar and follow us on Twitter for updates on the bicentenary plans�
Majority of the relevent information seems to be a collection of descriptions of what is happening in different places be it exhibitions or workshops. The navigation is poor and there is no option for the user to look for specific information regarding certain areas, and as the website is advertising events worldwide this could be like finding a needle in a haystack.
As it is early days a lot of the links to different activity catagories bring up generic statements vaguly describing what is going to be happening without going into any real detail. As events become more concrete I assume information will be updated. However due to the bad usibilty of the website im not holding my breath.
Philidelphia Free Library
And don't forget that Dickens' taxidermic pet bird of which Edgar Allen Poe wrote the infamous poem, "The Raven," is an artifact on display at Philadelphia's Free Library.
Book Description You know from my previous books that I often write about young people who have experienced significant challenges in history. All of them have been resilient and resourceful, and have found ways to use their misfortunes to help others. My newest book continues that theme, but for the first time, I’m writing about someone who became famous. I am pleased to be introducing Charles Dickens and the Street Children of London, my seventh nonfiction book for young readers. Until I lived in London for a few months and studied Dickens, I had not realized that he had an ulterior motive at work in many of his novels: he wanted to inspire the upper classes to work for social changes to help the poor. His special interest was impoverished children, for he had once been one of them. So, for example, Oliver Twist focused the spotlight on dire conditions in the workhouses and slums, while Nicholas Nickleby exposed the brutalities of the Yorkshire boarding schools-and so forth. My book takes you into the life of Dickens as he does battle with his pen on behalf of the poor. In the process, you will watch him become one of the greatest social reformers of his or any age. I hope you will enjoy it. Andrea Warren