Welcome to Dickens Week...and a Tag!

Hello everyone, and welcome to Dickens Bicentennial Celebration Week! I am so excited about this week and have so much planned! 

Charles Dickens' works have touch so many people through the past two centuries, and I'm no exception! He's been my favorite author for the past ten years, and revisiting several of his novels the past few months in prep for this week has just reminded me why I love his works so much!

His characters are some of the most vivid and unforgettable in literature, with their colorful descriptions and sometimes zany names (who can forget Ebenezer Scrooge, Fagin, Sydney Carton, or Miss Havisham?), and his novels have influenced society and culture even to this day. His A Christmas Carol was one of the key elements in the shaping of the Christmas culture as we know it today, and Oliver Twist and Nicholas Nickleby did their parts in helping along various social reforms, for example.

Great Expectations (2011)

Since the focus of this blog is primarily costume dramas and films adapted from literature, I wanted this blog event to focus primarily on the adaptations there have been over the years of his works. From blockbuster musicals to stories made so many times, there's even been versions with puppets and talking mice...Dickens has had a huge part in the film/stage adaptation realm. And that's what this week's all about!

So! For the first day, I've made a shortish tag and added my own answers. Enjoy!
  

1.       How were you first introduced to Dickens?

2.       Which is your favorite Dickens novel?

3.       How many Dickens adaptations have you seen?

4.       Which Dickens adaptation is your favorite?

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

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

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

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

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?

And here's my answers...

A Tale of Two Cities (the musical)

1.       How were you first introduced to Dickens?

Like I’m sure most people are, it was through A Christmas Carol for as far back as I can remember. My other-than-A Christmas Carol experience was reading A Tale of Two Cities for the first time when I was thirteen.

2.       Which is your favorite Dickens novel?

Definitely A Tale of Two Cities. Hands down.

3.       How many Dickens adaptations have you seen?

Good grief. Ummmm…at least sixteen different adaptations (several are different versions of a story). The novels I’ve seen adaptations of are…

-A Christmas Carol (6)
-A Tale of Two Cities (2)
-David Copperfield (4)
-Great Expectations (2)
-Oliver Twist (2)
-Nicholas Nickleby
-Our Mutual Friend
-Bleak House
-Little Dorrit

Bleak House (2005)

4.       Which Dickens adaptation is your favorite?

Argh. Ummmmm…I really haven’t found a Dickens adaptation that’s my favorite (other than A Christmas Carol...more on that below)…since there’s never really been a really good version of Tale done yet (more on that later this week…), although the musical came close IMO. I really enjoyed Bleak House, though.  And the various versions of David Copperfield (again, more on that later :-)) 

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

Well, my very favorite is the classic 1951 version starring Alastair Sim as Scrooge. Classic, and as much as a staple as the Christmas tree and Dad’s fudge. But I must say…that The Muppets Christmas Carol is a close second! Michael Caine is IMO almost as good as Alastair Sim, and for a film full of puppets it stays amazingly true to both the plot, dialogue, and spirit of the story. I'd recommend it as much as I would the 1951 version!   

James Barbour in A Tale of Two Cities (the musical)

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

Sydney Carton, definitely. Even though I guess he’s technically more of an “anti-hero” (the guy who’s not technically heroic but does some deed by the end to redeem himself).  And to date, my favorite portrayal has to be James Barbour’s in the musical version. Personal life aside, the guy did an incredible job in his portrayal, and to date has the best balance of Sydney’s character in the book.

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

Hmmmmmmm. Dickens heroines are usually not that…you know, interesting. J But I’d have to say that my favorite wavers between Amy Dorrit (as portrayed by Claire Foy) and Bella Wilfer (as portrayed by Anna Friel).

Nicholas Nickleby (2002)

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

Goodness. That’s tough. There are so many different Dickens villains from bad boys to the comical villains to downright cold-blooded murderers that it’s hard to choose. Being the multi-choice loving person that I am, I’m going to divide them into subcategories. :-P

Bad-boy: James Steerforth (Anthony Andrews)
Comical Villain: Fagin (Ben Kingsley) - although Mr. Squeers (and Jim Broadbent's portrayal) almost steals that spot!
Bad-to-the-Core Villain:  Hm! That’s tough. Probably Bill Sykes, although I’ve yet to see a portrayal of him that’s quite spot-on…I adore Charles Dance’s Mr. Tulkinghorn, but is he technically a villain? Mr. Murdstone is another, and I will admit to being partial to Anthony Andrews' portrayal of him as well. More on that later this week. J  
Female Villain: Madame Defarge (Natalie Toro)

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

      Hmmmmm. That’s a hard choice. Probably “I Can’t Recall” from A Tale of Two Cities .

Little Dorrit (2008)

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

Oh, my goodness, so many! I’ll share just three...you know how it is, you have tons but when it comes down to it you can’t remember any :-P

It is a fair, even-handed, noble adjustment of things, that while there is infection in disease and sorrow, there is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good-humor. – A Christmas Carol

And it was always said of him that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us. – A Christmas Carol

And this last one just…gives me chills every single time I read it. J

It is a far, far better thing I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest I go to than I have ever known. – A Tale of Two Cities    

Our Mutual Friend (1998)

So! Now it’s your turn. If you would like, please answer the questions on the tag on your blog, then leave a link in the comments on this post so I can read the answers! So excited for this week!