Charles Dickens

Why children’s stories are full of orphans, evil stepmothers and boarding schools thumbnail image

Arts & Culture

Book extract

Why children’s stories are full of orphans, evil stepmothers and boarding schools

While ideas of family are changing, from Charles Dickens to Harry Potter, absent parents endure in children’s literature

Arts & Culture

Did Charles Dickens invent Christmas?

While the Victorian author didn’t actually invent Christmas, he did renew – and redefine – its generous spirit

Arts & Culture

I’m dreaming of a...

Christmas songs and films are ripe with a festive nostalgia. In this edited extract of her book, Analyzing Christmas in Film: Santa to the Supernatural, Dr Lauren Rosewarne looks at some of the reasons for our hankering for yesteryear, real or

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