Travelling to Dickens' London

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 17^th century till the middle of the 19^th 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.

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 9^th 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 7^th of February 2012, the day of 200^th 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.

There are only two days left till the end of an exciting exhibition at the Museum of London which explores the connection of Dickens to the city of London. This truly amazing exhibition masterfully makes use of audio-visual equipment to present the life and the fictional world of the Victorian novelist.

For all those who are interested in Dickens as well as in literature in general, this exhibition is a must, since it triggers your imagination and transforms you to the Dickens’ literary world of the Victorian London. This exhibition is beyond doubt artistically presented and inspires its visitors.

A creative touch of the exhibition is the wonderfully imaginative short film about the Dickens’s Night Walks. Charles Dickens being an author who drew his inspiration from the city, and he knew a lot about London, used to walk around the city at night. Those walks gave him a lot to think about and showed him the reality of homelessness, drunkenness and in general motivated him to write about these problems of the society, which unfortunately still exist today.

To all of you out there, use these final days of the exhibition to explore the literary world of Dickens.

Travelling to Dickens' London

Wednesday 13 June 2012

Travelling to Dickens' London: Charles Dickens, eternalized through his works, is...

Charles Dickens, eternalized through his works, is honoured at Westminster Abbey

Friday 8 June 2012

Survey - Dickens' London

Travelling to Dickens' London: Final days of “Dickens and London”

Final days of “Dickens and London”