Dickens, the Dickens Fellowship and the
Dickensian
Margaret Reynolds
The followings which attach themselves
to literary figures are as various, and often
eccentric, as characters of the writers them
selves. In England, the aristocratic society
devoted to the study of Byron is much
preoccupied with the niceties of his
documented (and speculative) love life; the
Browning Society includes relatives from both
the Barrett and the Browning sides of the
family who vie for prominence with friendly
rivalry; the Tennyson society is serious and
scholarly, many of its members being
'amateurs' - in the precise sense of the word
- of Tennyson and his poetry; the concerned
members of the William Morris society visit
great houses with an eye to checking on the
state of the servants quarters circa 1850;
while the Henty society swaps yarns and tales
with the absorption of the schoolboys they
were long ago.
So what peculiar characteristics mark
out the members of the Dickens Fellowship?
Observation suggests that they share an
optimistic outlook on life, a love of the
beautiful and the serene especially in
domestic life, a generous sympathy for those
in unfortunate circumstances, a delight in
language and an interest in food. Two well
known Professors whose work has centred on
Dickens's novels agreed recently on the
collective noun of 'a dingle' to signify a
gathering of Dickensians. With its suggestion
of a jolly noise and its oblique reference to
Dingley Dell, it seems an appropriate choice.
With all this in mind, I have elected to
speak on the subject of food when I address
the 'dingle' of Dutch Dickensians at their
Christmas meeting.
The reasons why I have been asked to
address this gathering need a little more
explanation. In 1903 (I wasn't there) the well
known collector of Dickensiana Frederic
George Kitton proposed that the Fellowship
should institute a magazine 'for Dickens
lovers'. At first it was suggested that the
magazine be called 'Our Mutual Friend', but
the name of The Dickensian was adopted and
a cover was designed in a green to mimic
the covers of Dickens's own distinctive
monthly parts. The first editor was Bertram
Waldron Matz who laboured under the burden
of the editorship from January 1905 until his
death in 1925. He was succeeded by Leslie
Staples, Michael Slater and Andrew Sanders,
all of whom served lengthy periods in the
editorial chair - Dickensian editors are
traditionally long-stayers. Succeeding Dr.
Sanders I became editor in 1987, grateful for
the solidity of the journal's reputation and
yet anxious not to let that become a reason
for complacency. Above all, I was aware
that, as the first woman editor, I should
make it plain to readers and to potential
contributors that women's contributions
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