Universal Dickens An Approach to Global Archives on the Author’s Worldwide Circulation Through Cultural

Abstract

Charles Dickens has been one of the most representative authors of English literature, alongside Shakespeare, and his impact on readers has undoubtedly transcended national borders. Thanks to this popularity, several movements have emerged in the two centuries since his death seeking to reevaluate the author and the dialogue he fostered with diverse cultures. One such example is the Global Circulation Project, an educational map that traces the cultural exchanges surrounding the circulation of Dickens’s novels in various countries around the world. Another is the archive of Professor Ada B. Nisbet, who attempted to compile a comprehensive Dickens study guide for students and teachers, which ultimately became The Dickens Project. The circulation of Dickens’s work outside his usual spheres, such as England and the United States, demonstrates the numerous possibilities that a work offers within the context of cultural exchange. Tools such as translation, adaptation, specialized criticism, and the formation of specific communities around the author reveal unique relationships with the cultures in which they are embedded.
For example, this was the case in New Zealand and Australia, where the colonial relationships fostered by the author served as a symbol and political tool of the British Crown to ensure cultural domination were evident. Particularly in New Zealand, from the colony’s founding, the merchant and landowning elites formed the Pickwick Papers Club and forged a connection to the homeland through the emergence of new periodicals. In socialist Poland, academic movements influenced the reading of the author, emphasizing social criticism and rejecting capitalism. This was facilitated by reviews from specialized critics and the introduction of the novels to promote the image of a socialist Dickens. Outside of Europe, Chinese translations stood out, omitting certain passages and reinforcing aspects of the characters to align with the cultural values of the general Chinese public under the restructuring of the party. In Japan, the author was warmly received and even had his own archive at the University of Tokyo, as well as adaptations of his works into manga, a very popular format in the country. In several Latin American countries, Dickens’s influence was evident, particularly his engagement with social issues such as poverty and child labor, especially in novels like Oliver Twist and David Copperfield.