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Charles Dickens and Popular Culture (9 Jan. - 9 July 2012)

Senate House Library is marking the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Dickens with an exhibition examining how Dickens fed from and into popular culture. The display comprises items from the Library's rich special collections and others kindly lent by Professor Michael Slater.

Dickens drew upon many sources for his writings: from his own life and experiences, from his observations of his fellow man, and from literature and the theatre. This exhibition looks at the inspiration Dickens drew from his youthful readings of popular literature and exposure to the theatre, and how, in due course, his own output, and the characters he created, fed into popular culture through theatrical, literary and other adaptations and plagiarisms.

• Dickens's early reading
• Dickens and the stage
• Great exploitations: Dickens plagiarised and popularised

shl.specialcollections@london.ac.uk 020 7862 8470