November 22, 2004

Christmas continues to be a Dickens of a holiday

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – No matter how flashy the holiday season gets, the Victorian-era spirit of Charles Dickens will always be present, says a Purdue University English professor.

"Dickens continues to be one of the chief spokespersons for the holiday season," says William J. Palmer, an English professor who studies Charles Dickens and film.

Dickens' influences permeate the holiday, Palmer says. For years, people have celebrated the holiday season in Dickens' style with Victorian-era decorations in their homes or in their communities. Now, people can even eat like Dickens.

"In the last five years, some of the most popular Dickens items have been cookbooks and guides for drink mixes," Palmer says. "This is not surprising because his novels are filled with food and drink, especially his Christmas stories. Just think about the large turkey Scrooge brings the Cratchit family on Christmas Day."

Dickens (1812-1870) published "A Christmas Carol" in 1843. The story is about a wealthy London miser, Ebenezer Scrooge, who is visited on Christmas Eve by three spirits who warn him that his lack of charity and kindness will lead to an eternity of suffering. Scrooge changes his ways and makes amends with the people in his life, including his poor employee Bob Cratchit, the father of Tiny Tim.

"Everyone knows the story of 'A Christmas Carol,' but few have ever read Dickens' book," Palmer says. "The tone of the story is very dark because of its political attacks and display of corporate selfishness, but you will not see many productions include those characteristics from Dickens' real text. Today's audiences are more interested in the special effects of the three ghosts that visit Scrooge."

Even fewer people are familiar with Dickens' other holiday stories – "The Chimes," 'The Battle of Life," "The Haunted Man," "The Ghost's Bargain" and "The Cricket on the Hearth." He also wrote "Great Expectations," "Oliver Twist," "Hard Times" and "A Tale of Two Cities."

Palmer, who adapted "A Christmas Carol" for a street theater play in 1999, says directors focus on what will entertain the audience. Directors can opt for a faithful interpretation of the 19th century story or a more contemporary feel.

Palmer, who studies Dickens and his relationship to crime, has written four Victorian-era murder-mystery novels with Dickens as the main character. The most recent, "The Dons and Mr. Dickens: The Strange Case of the Oxford Christmas Plot," was published in 2000.

CONTACT: Palmer, (765) 494-3729, wjpalmer@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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