July 9, 1996 Contact: Barbara McKenna (408) 459-2495; mckenna@ua.ucsc.edu

Linda Hooper (408) 459-2103; linda_hooper@macmail.ucsc.edu

LONDON SCHOLAR TO PRESENT PUBLIC TALK ON DICKENS AND CHRISTMAS ON JULY 29

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SANTA CRUZ, CA--Charles Dickens is the writer most closely associated with Christmas. In fact, many consider him responsible for defining the modern form of the holiday in England and the U.S. In a talk titled "Dickens and Christmas," London scholar David Parker will explain why. The talk takes place on Monday, July 29, at 7 p.m. in Kresge Town Hall at the University of California, Santa Cruz. The talk free and open to the public.

Parker, curator of London's Dickens House Museum, will discuss how the modern concept of "Christmas spirit"--charity for the poor, renewal of one's spirit, celebrations with family--were popularized by Dickens's Christmas books, among them A Christmas Carol.

His talk is presented as part of the annual Dickens Universe, a weeklong conference taking place July 28 to August 3 at UCSC. The conference brings together Dickens aficionados--both professional and amateur--to look closely at a work by Dickens. Along with lectures by world-renowned scholars, the Universe presents performances, film screenings, Victorian teas, sherry hours, and a book fair. The conference is open to the public.

For more information on the talk or the conference, call the Dickens Project at (408) 459-2103. More information on the conference and the talk can also be viewed at the Web site: http://hum.ucsc.edu/dickens/Universe.96.html.

This release is also available on the World Wide Web at UCSC's "Services for Journalists" site (http://www.ucsc.edu/news/journalist.html).

Editor's note: For an interview with David Parker, contact Linda Hooper at (408) 459-2103.

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