California
Annual Dickens Universe: A Conference of 19th Century Literature
Program No. 4650RJ
Immerse yourself in the world of 19th-century literature and learn about the authors through lectures, group discussions and Victorian events at the annual Dickens Universe.
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7 days
6 nights
17 meals
6B 5L 6D
4
No Evening Lecture, Early Film Screening
Santa Cruz, CA
5
Last Day Afternoon Tea, Evening Entertainment, Grand Party
Santa Cruz, CA
6
Usual morning activities, Auction, and Victorian Dance
Santa Cruz, CA
7
Departures After Breakfast
Santa Cruz, CA
At a Glance
The Dickens Universe is an annual gathering of scholars, teachers and members of the general public who share a love of Dickens’s novels and his era. The festive week-long program includes lectures by distinguished scholars, small seminars, films, teas and Victorian dancing. Enrollment is limited. Register early!
Activity Level
On Your Feet
Walking up to a mile or more each day on a hilly terrain between apartment, dining facilities and lecture rooms. Classrooms, dining and lecture halls are all accessible via ramps or elevators. The apartments are not equipped with elevators.
Best of all, you’ll…
- Explore the novel in small discussion groups and lectures by distinguished international faculty.
- Enjoy afternoon tea served by the Friends of the Dickens Project.
- Immerse yourself in the world of Dickens at a grand party and an evening of Victorian dancing.
Featured Expert
All trip experts
Mark Gordon
Mark Gordon, a retired children’s librarian from New York City Public Schools, moved to Santa Cruz in 1992. He has been active in educational work his whole adult life and earned a graduate degree from Pratt Institute in Library Science. In Santa Cruz, in addition to being on the board of the Friends of the Dickens Project, Mark is also a very active board member of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at UC Santa Cruz. He is married with two daughters and three grandchildren.
Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.
John O. Jordan
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John Jordan is a research professor of literature at the University of California, Santa Cruz and the director of The Dickens Project. His primary research interests include Victorian literature and culture, Charles Dickens and narrative theory. John is the author of "Supposing Bleak House" and co-editor, with Robert Patten and Catherine Waters, of the "Oxford Handbook of Charles Dickens."
Mark Gordon
View biography
Mark Gordon, a retired children’s librarian from New York City Public Schools, moved to Santa Cruz in 1992. He has been active in educational work his whole adult life and earned a graduate degree from Pratt Institute in Library Science. In Santa Cruz, in addition to being on the board of the Friends of the Dickens Project, Mark is also a very active board member of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at UC Santa Cruz. He is married with two daughters and three grandchildren.
Courtney Mahaney
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Courtney Mahaney can frequently be found with scissors in her hand, from secateurs to dressmaker’s shears. When she is not gardening or sewing, Courtney takes her beagle, Millie, on therapeutic visits to area nursing homes, and serves as a court-appointed special advocate for a foster youth. She loves literature and exploring antiquarian bookstores. A native Vermonter, she now calls Santa Cruz home.
Renée Fox
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Renée Fox is Assistant Professor of Literature, Co-Director of the Dickens Project, and Co-Director of the Center for Monster Studies at UC Santa Cruz. She is the author of 'The Necromantics: Reanimation, the Historical Imagination, and Victorian British and Irish Literature' (The Ohio State University Press, 2023). Her published work has appeared in such journals as 'Victorian Studies,' 'Victorian Poetry,' 'Nineteenth-Century Contexts,' 'Irish University Review,' and 'New Hibernia Review,' as well as in several edited volumes and critical editions.
Suggested Reading List
(1 books)
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Annual Dickens Universe: A Conference of 19th Century Literature
Program Number: 4650
The Old Curiosity Shop
We recommend the most recent Penguin Classics edition so that everyone can be “on the same page,” but if you already have an edition you enjoy, please bring that.