Members of the Melbourne Dickens Fellowship hold regular meetings at The Faichney Room
Toorak Uniting Church, 603 Toorak Rd, Toorak, Victoria starting 7:30pm for 7:45pm
We welcome visitors. Please just come along & announce yourself. (Map)
If you have any questions or are interested in joining, please CONTACT US
Upcoming presentations and speakers are also listed on the home page.
Date |
Event / Presentation |
|---|---|
Friday February 12th |
The Dickens 209th Birthday Commemoration Dinner: Guest Speaker: Cenarth Fox.6:30pm for 7:00pm, University House, University of Melbourne |
Wednesday March 17th |
Introduction to A Tale of Two Cities: Elisabeth Neales |
| In this introduction to A Tale of Two Cities, Elisabeth Neales will outline the plot and introduce the main characters. Short readings by members of the Fellowship will remind those who have not read the novel recently and introduce it to those who have never read it. |
|
Wednesday April 21st |
(1) Class, Costume and Revolution: Elna Estcourt(2) Revenge of the Tricoteuses: Veronica Delafosse |
| (1) In A Tale of Two Cities Dickens wrote: “Dress was the one unfailing talisman and charm used for keeping all things in their places”. In the 18th Century France led the rest of Europe in trends and dress. Class and fashion were inextricably linked, but, with the Revolution came the breakdown of Class. Fashion was part of the fallout – or was it just a new beginning? (2) How the machinations of a previous generation of Evrémondes make Therese Defarge and her knitting women seek retribution. |
|
Wednesday May 19th |
The Stink of Two Cities: Brian Ruck |
| Details how the growing population produced and dealt with the variety of sources of smells in Paris and London. | |
Wednesday June 16th |
Hidden Personalities: Characters in Dickens’s A Tale of Two Cities: Alan Dilnot |
Click this link to listen to Alan’s presentation on Hidden Personalities: Characters in Dickens’s A Tale of Two Cities(Duration: 47:09 minutes – due to COVID-19 restrictions this was a virtual meeting via Zoom) |
|
Wednesday July 21st |
The President’s Night: Gilbert and Dickens (with apologies to Sullivan): Frances Hutson |
Click this link to listen to Frances’s presentation on Gilbert and Dickens (with apologies to Sullivan)(Duration: 36:15 minutes – due to COVID-19 restrictions this was a virtual meeting via Zoom) |
|
Wednesday August 18th |
(1) Dickens and Some of his Murderers: Alan Dilnot(2) Nominations for Office Bearers and Committee |
Click this link to listen to Alan’s presentation on The Murderers Sykes and Jonas(Duration: 23:41 minutes – due to COVID-19 restrictions this was a virtual meeting via Zoom) Click this link to listen to Alan’s presentation on The Murderers Hortense and Headstone(Duration: 20:31 minutes – due to COVID-19 restrictions this was a virtual meeting via Zoom) |
|
Wednesday September 15th |
(1) Annual General Meeting and Elections(2) Did Dickens get his History Right?: Elisabeth Neales |
A Tale of Two Cities is an historical novel set in the time of the French Revolution. This talk investigates whether Dickens was accurate in his historical interpretation, with particular reference to the causes of the revolution, the storming of the Bastille, the reign of terror and the guillotine.
Click this link to listen to Elisabeth’s presentation on Did Dickens get his History Right?(Duration: 35:54 minutes – due to COVID-19 restrictions this was a virtual meeting via Zoom) |
|
Wednesday October 20th |
Dickens’s Relationship with France: Patricia Wiltshire |
Meeting was held virtually over Zoom.This was an exploration of Charles Dickens’s relationship with France through the many things he wrote about the country and its people in his writing and personal correspondence. People can be assured, there will plenty to hear from Dickens himself. |
|
Wednesday November 17th |
Dickens and Art in the NGV: Nita Jawary |
Meeting was held virtually over Zoom.A virtual tour of the National Gallery of Victoria examining works linked to Charles Dickens. While Nita gave this talk many years ago when she first joined, several members have asked for it again. Says Nita:”Now that both we and the gallery have been in lockdown, it seems like a good time to pull Dickens and Art in the NGV out of cold storage. I look forward to sharing it with you”. Click this link to listen to Nita’s presentation on Dickens and Art in the NGV(Duration: 1:15:29 minutes – due to COVID-19 restrictions this was a virtual meeting via Zoom) |
|
Wednesday December 15th |
Christmas Party (for Members) |
| Traditional Readings, Quiz, Singing, and Supper (under current COVID-19 restrictions). | |