A Week of Dickens: Resources on His Life, Works, Walks, and London : Faith, Fiction, Friends (Reblog)

This post is sure to delight all lovers and loyal fans of Charles Dickens.  Did you know that if you have an Amazon Kindle, you can buy the entire collection of Dickens' works for < $5? Good literature that's priceless and inexpensive. Can it get any better? 😄

Faith, Fiction, Friends: A Week of Dickens:
Resources on His Life, Works, Walks, and London

 

The blog post offers a curated collection of resources for exploring the life, writings, and legacy of Charles Dickens. It begins by noting Dickens’s enduring popularity and recommends starting with his novels, which remain widely available in print and digital formats. The author highlights major biographies, including early works by John Forster and G.K. Chesterton, as well as modern studies by Peter Ackroyd, Michael Slater, and Claire Tomalin. 

The post also points readers to online resources such as the Dickens Fellowship, the Charles Dickens Museum, and the Dickens Journals Online project. It includes links to BBC features and reviews of related books. For those visiting London, the author describes several Dickens‑themed walking guides, tours, and historical routes that illuminate the city Dickens knew. Overall, the post serves as a comprehensive starting point for readers interested in Dickens’s life, works, and the London landscapes that shaped his writing.

Related articles:

• Anne With an E Is the Best Kind of Adaptation
• Dickens Junction Mystery Series
• Walking Dickensian London: Twenty-Five Original Walks Through London's Victorian Quarters (Interlink Walking Guides)

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Quotes and Notes : Women in History: Countess of Blessington

Quotes found at Thoughtful Mind that may provide a peek into this gentle lady’s true nature:

• “Prejudices are the chains forged by ignorance to keep men apart.”

• “Superstition is only the fear of belief, while religion is the confidence.”

If you like to collect quotes or short biographical notes about women throughout history in various walks of life, please add this post to your collection.

Margaret, Countess of Blessington (1789 – 1849); Artist: Sir Thomas Lawrence (1769 – 1830); Wikimedia Commons

Marguerite (Power) Gardiner, Countess of Blessington was an Irish novelist.  A woman of high society, she was well known, particularly among literary circles as she had a literary salon at Gore House, Kensington.  One might think from the portrait she led a protected and cherished life, but a quick review of a few biographical facts will reveal much that can not be seen just looking at pretty face.  Deemed a woman of “rare beauty, generosity, and wit”, she wrote essays and sketches of London life.  She and the Romantic English poet, Lord Byron, appear to have been very close friends.  Her husband introduced them.  She wrote a book about their conversations.  There was at least the “appearance” of a friendship, however, some say she lived in her own world of make-believe when it came to their relationship.

To know more about the Countess here are a few suggested bio links:

• Wikipedia;
• Encyclopedia Brittanica;
• The Wallace Collection;
• HistoryToday.com;
• Famous Affinities of History.

A Journal Of The Conversations Of Lord Byron With The Countess Of Blessington (1893)

(NOTE:  Blog post first appeared at Dispensable Thoughts, Fri, 7 Mar 2014.) 

Related articles

• Top Ten Male Authors(thetoptens.com)

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• Famed phrases were wrongly credited to William Shakespeare by Oxford English Dictionary(dailymail.co.uk)

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MAYA ANGELOU - STILL I RISE

Honoring Dr. Maya Angelou, 
American Author & Poet (1928 - 2014).  

“I speak to the black experience, but I am always talking about the human condition -- about what we can endure, dream, fail at, and still survive.” ― Maya Angelou (Quote Source)

Celebrating Ms. Angelou's contributions to literature.  She has earned her rightful place among the great poets and writers, not just in American literature, but in world literature.  He writings speak to the soul and heart of every individual and about the life of every human being, not just to the African-American experience.

Image credit: President Barack Obama presenting Maya Angelou with the Presidential Medal of Freedom : Wikipedia; Public Domain

• Maya Angelou - her life and poetry

• Maya Angelou: The Poetry and Life of Reinvention

• Dr. Maya Angelou: BLACK IN TIME: A Moment In OUR History

Cartoon quotes from famous folks who inspire us - Presented to you by ZenPencils.com. 

Discovered this site because it showed up in the post stream via Tumblr.com. This artist has taken one of Maya Angelou's well-known poems - “Phenomenal Woman” - and presented it in comic strip format. Their artistic endeavor was … in a word … phenomenal!  ~  View the entire comic strip.

Review This!: A Knight in Shining Armor ~ A Romantic Book Review (REBLOG)

Reblogging a post link for Review This! because Jude Deveraux is one of my favorite historical romance novelists (although not all of her romance books are historical); plus I'm a sucker for stories about knights. :) 

Book Review:  A Knight in Shining Armor
| Review This!

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• Good Reads: Christmas and Romance Are a Perfect Pairing

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