Past Events
Kvinderne i Dickens’ romaner
Charles Dickens is often criticized for writing stereotypical and submissive female characters, yet many of his female figures were anything but that.
In this lecture, author and art historian Lucinda Dickens Hawksley, Charles Dickens’ great-great-granddaughter, sheds new light on the often overlooked female characters in his novels. She explores women who were independent, had careers, or broke with the norms of the time regarding how a woman was expected to behave.
A fascinating look at 19th-century Great Britain and the strong women Dickens both knew and wrote about.
NB: The lecture will be held in English.
Author, lecturer, and Charles Dickens expert Lucinda Hawksley on the diverse, powerful and fascinating women in the works of Dickens.
Charles Dickens is often accused of writing only unbelievably compliant and domesticated women in his novels, but many of his female characters have very strong personalities and fascinating lives, reflecting the strong and interesting women Dickens knew.
Lucinda Hawksley is an author, art historian, broadcaster, lecturer, and an expert on the writings and the life of Charles Dickens, of whom Hawksley is also a descendant, being the great-great-great-granddaughter of the celebrated author.
The event is in English.
Lucinda will be at the Charles Dickens Museum to speak about Dickens’s daughter, Mamie Dickens. Mamie was the second of Charles and Catherine Dickens’s children. Always the dutiful daughter, her nickname within the family was “mild Gloster”. When her parents separated, Mamie became her father’s housekeeper and something of a local celebrity in Kent. After Dickens’s death, however, everything changed. Mamie left her family, moved to Manchester and lived a scandalous new life, which is still shrouded in secrecy. In this talk, her great-great-great granddaughter Lucinda Hawksley will look at the life of the lesser-known Dickens daughter.
There will be the opportunity for a short Q+A following the talk.
Join author and broadcaster (and Austen lover) Lucinda Hawksley for an intimate salon, discussing all things Sense and Sensibility!
Over an elegant repast of tea and cake, Lucinda will share some of her favourite scenes, characters and moments from the novel, and lead a lively discussion on everything from running down hills in the rain to secret engagements, flannel waistcoats and ivory toothpick cases. Who do you love and who do you love to hate in Jane Austen’s first published novel? Do you secretly sympathise with Mrs John Dashwood, or have a fondness for Sir John Middleton? And of course – are you team Sense or Sensibility?
Step aboard for an epic voyage of discovery. Let us take you on an adventure through history, from the far?flung travels of Charles Dickens, brought to life by his great-great-great granddaughter Lucinda Hawksley; to Midge Gillies’ compelling account of the trailblazing aviators who fought to be the first women to fly across the Atlantic; via Nicholas Jubber’s exploration of the world’s shadowy corners, where legends of giants, dragons, ogres, zombies, ghosts, and demons still live rooted in memory.
Did you know that Charles Dickens was a regular visitor to Manchester? Or that he visited the Portico Library in 1844? That he performed on stage in the city, that Manchester played a crucial role in the creation of one of his most famous books, or that his much-loved sister made her home here?
Come along to the Portico Library on 7 March to hear Lucinda Hawksley (great great great granddaughter of Charles and Catherine Dickens) uncover more about the author’s connections with the city.
There will be a chance to see some first editions of Dickens’ books and his sign in in the Portico Stranger’s Book. This is a fundraising activity for Portico Reunited.
An incredible opportunity to meet writer and broadcaster Lucinda Dickens Hawksley, the great-great-great-granddaughter of Charles Dickens. Lucinda will explore the life and enduring influence of her celebrated ancestor, with exciting insights into his continuing relevance to today’s audiences.
Refreshments and book sales will be available on the night.
All ages (under 16s must be accompanied by an adult).
Celebration event. Advance booking essential.
Lucinda’s talk is entitled ‘The Original Boz: the Life and Lies of Augustus Dickens’.