Dickens and Marriage

Today, the literature group went around London and explored a bit of history. Specifically, history about Charles Dickens. Though I doubt many don't know this already, Dickens is a famous Victorian writer; an early celebrity, if you will. Most probably know the story of A Christmas Carol. Well, that's Dickens's book, and apparently self-published because his publisher was stubborn so he decided to publish it anyway. We wandered the city streets with our guide that I can't remember the name of, learning about how Dickens lived and his oddities. It was a very informative tour, and I'm glad we did it, since we read Oliver Twist in the literature course. It was also funny to see how the places connected to some of his novels, such as a church or road.

We also visited a house Dickens once lived in a for two years, as he moved around quite a bit. The house has been turned into a museum about his life, and while short, it was very interesting to walk through and get a glimpse into the life of not only one of the most famous authors in history, but also the life of a Victorian. One thing I noticed about the house is that instead of being wide with large rooms, the house was narrow with several little rooms. There were a total of four floors, including the basement, and every room was no larger than a typical college dorm room. It was strange, but also fascinating because I'm so used to the idea of a house in the US. I grew up in houses that were short, but had very large rooms that could easily fit thirty people. Seeing life in Victorian London for even one person at least says a little something about the culture of the time. Finally, we went to a play titled The Beaux Stratagem, which was a comedy set in the Restoration about... well, people wanting to get married and divorced at the same time. The humor was good, especially near the end, but it wasn't my favorite play of the trip(that award of "Megan's Favorite" goes to 39 Steps). Still, I enjoyed it, and got an ice cream in the middle, which is always a good thing. The ending by far beat the beginning in both humor and intrigue, and I'm glad for it. The ending just felt slightly rushed. For now, I look future events, such as going to Bath. I'm sad that we're approaching the last week of the trip(it's gone by so fast!), but also slightly relieved. For one, my wallet is crying with all the food and souvenir purchases. For another, traveling is wonderful and exhausting. I don't want to leave, but I also kind of want to tackle my brothers in a big hug and rub my face on my cat, so feelings are very mixed. I hope that the next week is just as exhausting and fun as those that have already come, and I'm truly excited for everything to come.