SUMMARIES
Nonsens bij Dickens
In his paper 'Nonsense in Dickens', Tigges holds
forth that Dickens is not essentially a nonsense
writer in the sense that Lewis Carroll and Ed
ward Lear were. However, he did use various
nonsensical techniques (such as inversion* extre
me overstatements, unsolved ambiguities (puns),
a random order of parts of a whole), but these
were used as figures of speech only: within their
contexts, the quoted passages can always be
restored to common sense.
Dickens's career ran parallel with the develop
ment of nineteenth-century nonsense literature
and a chronological survey of his work shows a
gradual transition from an essentially optimistic
fear to increasing alienation and despair. The
ideas and knowledge following from the Industri
al Revolution awoke a sense of comical futility in
Dickens and the contemporary nonsense writers.
Van Eeden and Dickens
In his paper Van Suchtelen wishes to inspire
literary scholars to study differences and similari
ties between Dickens and the nineteenth-century
author Frederik van Eeden. Although it is an
established fact that Van Eeden knew Dickens's
works, nothing has been published on the influen
ce of Dickens on Van Eeden since Jan Eontijn
(1900) and Gerben Comjon (1947). What both
authors certainly had in common was a compassi
on for the poor, but Van Eeden did not manage a
convincing portrayal of the lower classes; unlike
Dickens, he was better at describing the rich.
Since their writing techniques, too, were very
different, a juxtaposition of both authors' books
would make a grateful subject for research.
Interview
Foreseeing the German invasion, Dr H.C.D. de
Wit, now a retired Biology Professor, accepted a
job in South Africa. When Transvaal became
manifestly pro-German, he moved to Java (Indo
nesia, then a Dutch colony) Not foreseeing the
Japanese invasion he landed in a concentration
camp, where he spent considerable time inventing
fun and games for the teenagers, such as role-
play, singing and acting. On occasion of Christ
mas he translated A Christmas Carolwhich was
duly performed. The translation remained in a
crate for many years, until it was translated in
1967.
Douglas Jerrold
Despite having been mentioned in Forster's Life
various time, the name of Douglas Jerrold will
not carry much meaning for the average Dutch
Dickensian. In the nineteenth century, however,
he was known and appreciated both in England
and in the Netherlands. Dickens and Jerrold were
great friends, partly because of their shared love
of theatre. Together they founded The Daily
News in 1845 and they were both actively invol
ved in charity, striving for social reforms: Jerrold
was a prolific writer who established his fame as
a humorist and a satirist, especially with Mrs
Caudle's Curtain Lectures (1846). Mrs Caudle
became a household word for the caustic and
endlessly nagging type of wife and evoked sharp
reactions from female contemporaries.
Liefdesgeschiedenissen bij Dickens
A resumé of a lecture given at the meeting of the
Haarlem Branch, October 1993. For easy refe-*
rence, the lecture focuses mainly on the various
love stories in David Copperfield: Amy and
Steerforth form a sharp contrast to Dr Strong and
his wife Annie who is suspected of loving her
cousin Jack Maldon; likewise to the story of Miss
Larkins who also chooses to marry an older man.
Both are well-considered marriages, as opposed
to David's marrying Dora, an impulsive act,
which takes a fair lot of adaptation on David's
part. Still it cannot be considered a mistake, since
it helped David develop, to free himself from his
mother. Dickensian love stories have many som
bre aspects, but again and again happiness fol
lows. As Dickens grew older, this happiness
became more and more self-involved.
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