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Faculty member to research a little bit of Christmas in July |
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Deanna Woolf |
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Jul 6, 2005 |
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Dr. Melissa Gregory, assistant professor of English, has received the W.M. Keck Fellowship to study works surrounding a Charles Dickens Christmas story at the Huntington Library in San Marino, Calif., this July.
Gregory and Dr. Melisa Klimaszewski, visiting assistant professor of English at Oakland University, will use the library’s holdings in British literature to complete their work on an extensive edition of Dickens’ The Wreck of the Golden Mary.
“Most people are familiar with Dickens’ A Christmas Story,” Gregory writes in the proposal. “Far fewer readers realize that Dickens continued to write Christmas stories afterwards, and that he invited other writers to contribute additional poems and short fiction to them.” The Wreck of the Golden Mary is one such tale, relating the story of shipwreck survivors who spin yarns to pass the time. The story has never been printed in its entirety, according to Gregory, and their edition of the book will restore the tales written by Dickens’ collaborators.
At the library, the two will examine the only known outline of the story, written by Dickens himself. “We’ll also be using the Huntington’s collection of 19th century periodicals, including Dickens’ own Household Words. Finally, we’ll avail ourselves of the Huntington’s extensive collection of Dickens’ letters,” she explained. The magazine contains the earliest printed version of the story, which is important because no manuscript version survived.
Gregory is excited about being able to research at the library. “You just can’t ‘drop by’ the Huntington to do research — it’s actually one of the most exclusive libraries in the United States. It doesn’t admit scholars without significant credentials and letters of introduction,” she said.
In addition to the extensive holdings of British literature, Gregory is looking forward to working near the library’s attached gardens. “That’s not the main reason to do research there, but it sure doesn’t hurt!” she said.
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