New York Times Steals FICRY’s Thunder by Deeming Dickens Newly Relevant

By Giulia Pines • July 7, 2009

George Cruikshank: Illustrator. Charles Dickens' The adventures of Oliver Twist. London: Bradbury & Evans, 1846.

In the New York Times’ “Idea of the Day” blog, editor Tom Kuntz postulates that the work of Charles Dickens is experiencing a resurgence. He positions Dickens’s novels, with their intricate, very often finance-fueled plot lines about paupers, orphans, and misfits as the perfect works for the post FICRY-age. According to Kuntz, Dickens will eclipse Jane Austen as the author of the decade, experiencing the kind of newfound popularity that can only lead to a bad chick lit spin-off.

There just are two things wrong with this assertion, however. First of all, Dickens has never really been unpopular. The author was the rock star of his day, and his novels continue to spawn sequels, prequels, movies, plays, and Muppet films galore. Secondly, we hate to say it, but, well, we thought of it first. Way back in May, we published “Statements from Bernie Madoff’s Victims Like the Worst Dickens Novel You’ll Ever Read.” Now, it seems, other news sources are jumping on the bandwagon, but they shouldn’t forget who started the trend.

Categories: Arts and Entertainment, Print
Tags: Dickens, Idea of the Day, Jane Austen, New York times, novel, orphans, paupers, The adventures of Oliver Twist

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New York Times Steals FICRY's Thunder by Deeming Dickens Newly Relevant [caption id="attachment_3241" align="aligncenter" width="344" caption="George Cruikshank: Illustrator. Charles Dickens' The adventures of Oliver