INTRODUCTION
In the month of June of the year 1992 Haarlem was for four days the meeting place of the
great Dickensian family. Just as the Chuzzlewit family gathered in Pecksniff's tiny village
near Salisbury and held a harmonious and memorable meeting, so the Dickensians flocked
to Haarlem from all the corners of the world and celebrated their annual conference. On
Friday the 14th of June a series of lectures was given around the theme: the reception of
Dickens in Europe. Distinguished scholars from various European countries have shed
their light on the subject. Four of these lectures have been printed in this special volume
of The Dutch Dickensian, preceded by the Immortal Memory which has been proposed by
the President of The Haarlem Branch. Now that the texts are written in the language
Charles Dickens inimitably adorned and immortalized, I hope that this volume may reach
many Dickens enthusiasts all over the world.
Groningen, July 1993 J.H.A. Lokin, President of The Dickens Fellowship
Harmonious little Family Party at Mr. Pecksniff's
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