The Dickens Project
The University of Melbourne is the first Australian university to affiliate with the Dickens Project. Each August* we will select a graduate student to attend the Dickens Universe at UC Santa Cruz. The Universe is a gathering of scholars, postgraduate students, teachers and members of the public, all of whom share a love of Dickens. Each year events are concentrated around one Dickens novel, and participants attend lectures seminars and films relating to that text. The Universe offers the chance for postgraduate students to meet and attend classes with some of the world's top Victorian scholars. In addition, students are given the opportunity to team-teach classes and participate in professional workshops. The week culminates with a conference attended by scholars from all over the world.
If you are interested in representing the University of Melbourne at next year's Dickens Universe, please contact Grace Moore.
For more information about the Dickens Project and its activities see the Dickens Project's website.
*Subject to continued funding.
Previous Participants
- 2007 Kristine Moruzi
- 2006 Elizabeth Angel
- 2005 Alex Murray
The Australasian Victorian Studies Association aims to promote the activities and research of scholars in the Victorian period.
Kristine Moruzi: 2007 Dickens Universe participant
I was thrilled to have a chance to attend such an event. The Dickens Universe is unlike any other conference I have attended. The many focused discussions on Charles Dickens' The Pickwick Papers helped me to further my understanding of both the text and its role in the development of the Victorian novel. Because these discussions happened in many different ways with many different people, including both junior and senior academics, other postgraduate students, and Dickens' aficionados, the Universe provided a wonderful opportunity to establish a community of like-minded Dickens' fans and scholars who celebrate the many facets of Dickens and his work. A two-day symposium at the end of the week offered a broader discussion of genre within the Victorian context and helped me to situate my own work on girls' periodicals in the nineteenth century.
I came away from the week enthused about my place within the community of scholars who are interested in Dickens as well as the culture and literature of the nineteenth century. I was able to speak with many well-known scholars about their own work as well as my own, and I came away with some valuable contacts in the field of Victorian studies. In addition, it was very exciting to meet other postgraduate students and to continue developing the networks that I have begun to establish here in Australia.
As part of the Dickens Universe, I was also given the opportunity to teach a class on "Victorian contexts" in partnership with an experienced academic. This was invaluable to me, especially since I have not yet had the opportunity to tutor at the University of Melbourne. It was exciting to be back in the classroom and it was helpful to learn techniques to manage a class of diverse students.