Tag Archives: Charles Dickens

Condemned to Read Dickens, Austen

By Robin Bates | Published: September 2, 2021

A British judge has ordered a white supremacist to read Dickens and Austen. Why these authors.

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Shots That Signal a Promising Future

By Robin Bates | Published: April 7, 2021

I’ve just had my second Covid shot, which has me thinking of Alexander Hamilton’s shot in Miranda’s musical. Pip’s cautious optimism about the future also comes to mind.

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Indecipherable Texts of a Magic Spell

By Robin Bates | Published: April 6, 2021

Murakami’s “1Q84” has a magical passage about the power of literature.

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Scrooge, a GOP Hero

By Robin Bates | Published: December 28, 2020

Republicans are once again defending Scrooge and for good reason: when it comes to wealth inequality, he’s their model.

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Remember the Real Meaning of Christmas

By Robin Bates | Published: November 28, 2020

Jim McPherson’s “Christmas Humbug” reminds us what the Advent season should really be about.

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Trump Finds Covid Victims a Nuisance

By Robin Bates | Published: November 17, 2020

Trump focusing on his own misery while ignoring the millions suffering from Covid is comparable to the French marquis in “Tale of Two Cities.”

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Biden-Trump Invites Dickens Comparisons

By Robin Bates | Published: October 19, 2020

If one thinks of the 2020 election in Dickensian terms, several novels come to mind.

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The Lit That Inspired Van Gogh

By Robin Bates | Published: May 26, 2020

Writers like Stowe, Dickens, Hugo and Maupassant played a pivotal role in the evolution of Van Gogh as an artist.

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Illness in 19th Century Lit

By Robin Bates | Published: March 24, 2020

19th century literature is filled with images of illness. Reading it should make us grateful to the advances in medical science.

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