Visiting the graves of deceased people is
perceived by some people as something utterly bizarre and strange.
Nevertheless, such trips which started centuries ago first as religious
pilgrimages later also as literary pilgrimages, are still part of travel
itineraries nowadays. The very beginning of literary pilgrimages can be traced
back to the time of the Roman Empire when the Roman poet Virgil was so much
admired by his followers that his house was a constant place of pilgrimage even
during his lifetime. After his death, his tomb became a very important
pilgrimage site. From that time on pilgrimages to the places where poets,
writers and artists were buried were considered to be very inspirational,
spiritual and in most cases educational. From the middle of the 17th
century till the middle of the 19th century “The Grand Tour” was
very popular at first among aristocrats and later among the middle class. The
tour consisted among other things out of trips throughout Europe to the tombs
of great poets and writers. Additionally to that, such literary pilgrimages
were quite trendy among authors and poets. Worth mentioning is the trip of
Oscar Wilde to the grave of John Keats as well as William Wordsworth’s visit to
the tomb of Robert Burns. Those literary pilgrimages left a huge impression on
both Wilde and Wordsworth and inspired them to write poems about their trips.
Consequently, literary pilgrimages to the graves of poets and writers could
pretty much inspire the visitors and is one of the reasons the visits to the tombs
are still quite popular among tourists.
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| Westminster Abbey, 2012 |
Talking about pilgrimages to the graves of
writers, Charles Dickens’s grave is one of the most sought after by the
visitors of Westminster Abbey. Charles Dickens died on the 9th of
June 1870 and was at first buried in Rochester Cathedral. It was soon after
that, ignoring the wish of Dickens to be buried in Rochester, the demand of the
public to move the body was heard and Charles John Huffam Dickens was reburied
in the Poet’s Corner of Westminster Abbey next to all other great British
poets, writers and artists. Being buried in the Abbey is considered to be the
greatest honour the person can receive after his or her death, since it involves
being buried not only next to the finest writers and poets of the British
literature but also next to kings and queens of England and Scotland. However,
Dickens himself did not feel that way and expressed a wish to be buried in “an
inexpensive, unostentatious, and strictly private manner.” Obviously, in
order for the public to be able to visit his grave and worship Dickens, his
wish remained ignored. Nonetheless, some of the particulars of his will were
honoured and there is no memorial next to the grave and the tomb, as well as
the inscription are very plain. Due to that action, the essence of Dickens’s
wish prevailed and he is memorialised mostly through his works.
The grave of Charles Dickens received a lot of
attention especially this year. The most memorable is the ceremony on the 7th
of February 2012, the day of 200th anniversary of Dickens’s birth,
held in Westminster Abbey. On that day Prince Charles and other prominent
people honoured the genius of the Victorian novelist in a wonderful ceremony.
Ralph Fiennes, who personifies Magwitch in the new adaptation of Great
Expectations, read out an extract from Bleak House which seemed like a very
touching contribution to the ceremony. If you want to see a short video from
the ceremony, check out the following link: The Telegraph - Prince Charles lays wreath at Charles Dickens's grave
It is just magnificent that Charles Dickens
still lives not only through his works but in the hearts of his so many
followers and admirers.
In case you are interested in Dickens, if you
wish you can participate in an exciting survey (3-5 minutes long) which tries
to determine Dickens’s influence on literary tourism.
Here is the link: Travelling to Dickens's London
Thank you so much for your support.
nice place
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