The Illustrated World of Charles Dickens is an online resource bringing together works from UNC-Chapel Hill collections to form a critical context for PlayMakers’ production of Nicholas Nickelby. Temporary installations at the Ackland Art Museum and the Rare Book Collection at Wilson Library will offer viewers a chance to see the original serials of Nicholas Nickelby and works of art that accompanied Dickens’ novels, in addition to a host of other related visual material. The Illustrated World, a collaboration between PlayMakers, the Ackland, and the Rare Book Collection, is designed to maximize the impact of cultural programming at Carolina and showcase the rich holdings of these institutions. With scholarly contributions from Marc Napolitano of the Department of English and Comparative Literature, The Illustrated World serves as an opportunity to reexamine the links between art, theater, and literature in Dickens’ England.

The Ackland installation is comprised of drawings, sketches, and illustrations from the Museum’s permanent collection located in the Museum’s new Study Gallery on the second floor (Nov. 4 – Dec. 6). The installation features works by Dickens’ chief artistic collaborators and examines the early Victorian culture in which theatre, art, and literature were closely linked.

At Wilson Library, the Rare Book Collection installation (Nov. 2, 2009  – January 2, 2010) is comprised of a full complement of the original serial editions of Nicholas Nickelby (1838-1839) and two early theatrical adaptations of the novel, written and performed before Dickens had even released the full text.
 
Special Event, “Scibblings, Sketches, and Stagings: The Progress of Dickens’s Art in the Victorian Popular Consciousness.”

Marc Napolitano, PhD
(UNC Chapel Hill, Department of English and Comparative Literature)
 
Lunch with One: Wednesday, December 2, 2009, 1-2pm
Ackland Art Museum (Click Here for more details.)
Bring lunch and enjoy an hour of inspiration and information during a lunch hour lecture.