Monday 24th September  6.30-9.00pm

Dickens and His Fallen Women

A talk by Veronica Walker

Of the many ways that women were portrayed in the 19^th century, the notion of the fallen woman was one which held equal fascination and repulsion for Victorian Society. Providing rich and dramatic subject matter, the theme of the fallen woman was a popular choice for many writers and artists of the day. The same was true of Dickens and the fallen woman appears frequently amongst the pages of his novels. These women, influenced by those he encountered in the busy streets of Victorian England, have become some of his most enduring characters. Dickens had an affinity with the working classes and was a champion of the underdog. As such, he also sympathized with the plight of those women for whom his stories echoed an unfortunate reality. In 1846, he helped to establish a home for the reclamation of London prostitutes, with the aim of removing them from further harm and encouraging them towards morality and redemption. Veronica Walker’s talk will explore the connection between Dickens and the fallen woman, in both his fiction and in his reality.

£7 (with wine & nibbles) - Book by ‘phone, email, in person and with Eventbrite