Wednesday, March 14, 2012

A Victorian Celebration Sign-up Post!


Welcome to the sign-up post for A Victorian Celebration, an event taking place this June and July! I'm really excited about this event, especially because I have been planning it for months. The Victorians are very near and dear to my heart. Some of my very favorite writers come from the era, and I still have many others to discover. During the months of June and July, I'm only going to be reading titles from this time period. I hope you'll decide to join me for a text or two.

The Victorian era in literature refers to the time that Queen Victoria was ruling in Britain (1837-1901). It was a time period of great peace and prosperity for Britain and allowed for a lot of artistic and literary expression. Generally speaking, Victorians are only the British authors who published during this time period. However, some like to group American writers and others into the mix since their work can be closely tied together.

To give you an idea of what writers I am talking about, some of the most well-known Victorian writers include: Charles Dickens, George Eliot, Wilkie Collins, William Makepeace Thackeray, Anthony Trollope, and the Bronte sisters. Others include Lewis Carroll, Robert Louis Stevenson, Anna Sewell, and the Brownings. There are countless more, but these are the big hitters and those most commonly referred to as Victorians.

For this event, the goal is to read as many Victorian pieces as you wish during the months of June and July. I will have posts going up throughout the event on different authors, as well as my own reviews on Victorian pieces and biographies of writers. There will also be prizes (lots of them) that will go up throughout the two month event. If you are going to participate, you can read a novel from the era, a biography on a writer or Queen Victoria herself, or anything else pertaining to the era. All posts will help you qualify for prizes, which I'll explain as we get closer to the event's starting line!

(Important: I will allow you to read books by non-British writers if they were written during the time period of the Victorians, but for certain prizes those books won't count-more on that as the starting date appears).

To sign up, all you need to do is comment below with your intentions. :) Then, feel free to grab a button, spread the word, and help me get bloggers signed up. Events like this are more fun with more participants!

If you sign up by May 1, 2012, you will be entered to win YOUR CHOICE of the following (Victorian) Penguin Clothbound books:
  • Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
  • A Christmas Carol and Other Christmas Writings by Charles Dickens
  • Bleak House by Charles Dickens
  • Hard Times by Charles Dickens
  • Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
  •  A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
  • The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
  • Middlemarch by George Eliot
  • Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell
  • Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
  • Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
  • Tess of D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy
You can still sign up after May 1, but you won't be entered to win one of those titles (don't worry, plenty more prizes during the event!). The book will be shipped via The Book Depository, so as long as they deliver to your country, you will qualify to win the sign-up prize!

I hope you'll consider joining, and I look forward to lots of reading come June and July!

*I am looking for bloggers interested in writing guest posts or hosting a giveaway related to the event. If you are interested, please e-mail me at aliteraryodyssey (at) gmail.com so I can talk it over with you!*

95 comments:

  1. Count me in! I listed tons of Victorians on my Classics Club list so it'll be fun to have a couple of months focusing particularly on that.

    I'm be happy to help with a giveaway or maybe guest post. I'll email you.

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  2. Oh man, perfect timing! I just posted a list of my favorite Victorian novels yesterday. I am in! I was already planning on reading The Moonstone, The Mill on the Floss, Villette and maybe Vanity Fair this year. I'd love to get my hands on Gaskell's bio of Charlotte Bronte and read that too. Thanks for hosting this Allie! I can't wait.

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  3. Definitely count me in - there are loads of Victorian books on my classics club like kristi so an event for tackling some of them is very welcome, thanks Allie :)

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  4. Sounds good to me - I think I'll tackle Middlemarch. We'll see how that goes. :P

    Cheers,
    Alyson

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    1. Made a blog post about it!

      http://for-the-reading.blogspot.com/2012/03/victorian-celebration.html

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  5. I several Victorian novels on my Classics Club list so this is perfect! Thank you for putting this together Allie!

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  6. I'm in! I just posted my plans for the event here:

    http://jillianreadsbooks2.wordpress.com/2012/03/14/a-victorian-celebration-im-joining-this-summer/

    I'm excited about this! Thanks for hosting, Allie. :D

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  7. I'm in! Really looking forward to making a dent in my Classics Club list. Thanks for hosting. :-)

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  8. I'm in. I'll be taking a class on Little Dorrit in June & July and have wanted to read Trollope's "The Warden," Eliot's "Mill on the Floss," and the new biography of Dickens.

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  9. I'm in! I've been saving Bleak House for this event, and I'm sure I can find some other Victorians on my Classics Club list. ;)

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  10. Hmm, I think I am in. It will be good motivation to get me back in the game after my pregnancy hiatis. By then, the twins will be a couple months old so I should be able to fit a little reading in. ;)

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  11. Yes, count me in Allie! I will combine my Classic Club list with this Victorian Celebration. There are 2 Dickens novels I'm going to read: The Old Curiosity Shop and Martin Chuzzlewit; and the new biography of Dickens. Also Stevenson's Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde and Sewell's Black Beauty.

    I'll post about this later. Thanks for hosting this lovely event!

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    1. This is my post: http://klasikfanda.blogspot.com/2012/03/victorian-celebration.html

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  12. Allie, I forgot to ask, must I write the reviews or posts for this event in English? See, I'm an Indonesian, and I am now trying to introduce classics reading to my followers. That's why I always post in my language. Will it be a problem?

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  13. count me in! great "challenge"

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  14. Well, I'm in, I have a TON of Victorians on the tbr shelf so that's a no-brainer. Now I just need to narrow the list. . . . so many Victorians, so little time! Probably a Trollope and maybe Hardy, I need to tackle Return of the Native, so that might be just the time. Or maybe another Dickens. . . I just finished Chuzzlewit so by June/July I might be ready for Our Mutual Friend!

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  15. I'm in, too. I definitely need some motivation to read the Brontës. Maybe I'll do one Brontë (Wuthering Heights?) and The Mill on the Floss as a reward!

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  16. Yes, I'd like to participate. I may read some poetry---Browning---and some Trollope.

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  17. Wonderful idea! To say I'm looking forward to it would be the understatemt of the century. I LOVE the Victorians. Needless to say, I'm in! :D

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  18. I would love to try out the Bronte sisters. For some reason they scare me, so I need to change that. I've been reading lots of Victorian novels lately, but none of the true staples that make the period so beloved. Looking forward to the event!

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  19. Count me in as well. Since completing my degree (*gasp*) twelve years ago, I have not picked up a classic in a very long time!

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  20. I'm in! This is perfect since there are quite a lot of Victorians on my Classics Club list! I'm just wishing it was already summer :)

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  21. This is so great! I have several possible titles on my bookshelf. I know I'll be reading A Tale of Two Cities and possibly Jane Eyre.

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  22. I've been reading a lot of contemporary books lately, while I deal with new job stress, but in a month or two I'll be wanting to go back in time, so I am in and checking my Classics Club list to see which books I might read.

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  23. I'm in! Here's my signup post: http://howlingfrog.blogspot.com/2012/03/victorian-celebration.html

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  24. Ok, I'm in. I think I'll aim for three books, which should help me round out my goal to read more classics... I also have a biography of Dickens I've been itching to read lately.

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  25. Allie you know I'm in. I love me some Victorian Lit. AND I'll be off in the summer!

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  26. I plan to read contemporary books with a Victorian setting. I have a pile of them to choose from. :) I'm very much looking forward to this event!

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  27. I am so up for this! Need to work out my intentions still, but Hardy will be a big focus :)

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  28. I'm so excited!!!! Here's my post about the event.

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  29. Count me in! I have hardly read any Victorian lit, so this will give me a chance to read Charlotte Bronte, Collins, Dickens, and Trollope for the first time.

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  30. Count me in. Quite a number of the authors are on my Classics Club list, although there are a number of non-British authors also on there.

    I will be putting up a post later about the event. Maybe I will attempt to re-read Middlemarch...

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    1. For those needing a little help, you can refer to this website: http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/index.html

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    2. I will finish up Anna Karenina and re-read Middlemarch.

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  31. I am looking forward to this! http://thestorygirlbookreviews.blogspot.com/2012/03/new-challenges.html

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  32. I love Victorian Lit and have been wanting to experience Trollope...tons of other options on my shelf too, so I'll definitely be joining in.

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  33. I'd been wanting to re read Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights this year and here is the perfect opportunity. Plus maybe a smattering of poetry.

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  34. I'm in! I have quite a few Victorian novels still hanging around on my TBR shelves. Sounds fun!

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  35. I am very excited about this, having just joined The Classics Club, I think I will be reading a wide variety of Victorian literature over the upcoming months/years

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  36. This is GREAT! This totally fits my plans to read some Thomas Hardy, George Eliot, Wilkie Collins and Brontës and... everything! Thanks for this amazing opportunity :)

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  37. I am in, of course. I'm hoping to read a Victorian novel every month this year. So I'll just have to read a few extra this summer :)

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  38. Joining now. I practically live in the Victorian era every time I pick up a novel. In fact, I have read 3 Bronte biographies, which shows you how obsessive I am.

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  39. I am thoroughly amazed that you have the energy to organise the next fantastic event after the Shakespeare month!
    Since the Victorian era is practically the coolest period ever, I am of course joining and excited :D

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  40. I am in. Love the Victorians. :)

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  41. Cool. I love this time period. I'm in. Here's my post:

    http://50yearproject.wordpress.com/2012/04/20/a-victorian-celebration/

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  42. Count me in! This is a terrific idea. :-)

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  43. I'm in! Great idea. My sign-up post is at my reading challenge blog here: http://truebookaddictchallenges.blogspot.com/2012/04/victorian-celebration.html

    Thanks for hosting!

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  44. Will all the prizes (not just the sign up prizes) be shipped by Book Depository?

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  45. I am SO excited about this! I'm FINALLY going to read Tess of the D'Urbervilles, and I might tackle Middlemarch too. Who knows?!

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  46. Sign me up. This is my first organized blog event, and I love the Victorians, so I thought this would be a great place to start, now to pick what to read...

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  47. I really want to do this! I've got a couple of Bronte books on my Classics Club list and haven't read any Victorian literature pretty much since university so yay! Exciting! :-)

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  48. I'm in! So many authors here I want to read.

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  49. Hi Allie, count me in! However, I will write my posts in my native language (Indonesian), I hope that won't be a problem.
    I will include the link of my post soon.

    Melisa @ surgabukuku.wordpress.com

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    1. Finally I built up my list for this event here: http://surgabukuku.wordpress.com/2012/06/08/a-victorian-celebration-june-july-2012/

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  50. I'm in. Wuthering Heights needs to get crossed off the list

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  51. http://figandthistle.blogspot.com/2012/05/victorian-celebration-and-summer.html

    Oliver Twist for me! This will be fun!

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  52. I'm in. I hope to read George Eliot's Felix Holt, George Gissing's Born in Exile, and Anthony Trollope's Miss Mackenzie.

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  53. Ok, I'm in!! Do books about the Pre-Raphaelite painters count, or is it just Victorian writers? How about history books about the time, do they count? Or is it just books published (novels especially) in the Victorian era?

    I'll do a post shortly, and come let you know when it's up. Thanks for doing this!

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    1. All of those count!

      Glad to have you joining in!

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    2. Here is my post! Thanks so much, I'm looking forward to it. I'm delighted that history books of that time count too :-)

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  54. I am joining. It's wonderful, since I always love Victorian Era. Hope I will have plenty of time on June and July to read those beautiful works.

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  55. I'm definitely joining. I think I understand the Victorian sentiments even better than those of my own era! Besides I love the way they tell stories, the lush prose and the wonderful sense of community you get only in a Victorian novel.

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  56. My co-blogger and I want to do this. Sounds like great fun!

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  57. Just stumbled across this. Count. Me. In. I'm actually doing a PhD on Victorian Christmas Literature at the moment, but I still have a number of shameful gaps in my reading (ssssh, keep it quiet), so this will be the perfect motivation for me to get those seen to. Looking forward to it!

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  58. I'm in, although I might be focusing a bit more on non-fiction about the Victorians more so than the novels... (Just bc I have read quite a few of them, not bc I don't think they are any good!)

    Looks like you have a lot of participants and so looking forward to the whole thing. Thanks for doing the legwork to organize this. I know it takes time and effort.

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  59. I'm in, I'm reading non British work bt Leo Tolstoy "Family Happiness"

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  60. I'm in, I will be reading some Gaskell and Dickens. here is my sign up post http://srivallip.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/victorian-celebration-2012.html

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  61. Please count me in as I am started with Reading Dracula by Bram Stoker and will add my list of Victorian novel so soon.

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  62. I'm excited to take part in my first-ever blog event! Victorian books on my TBR shelf include Gaskell's amazing Wives and Daughters and Cranford, Collins' The Woman in White, and Stevenson's Treasure Island. I've also been dying to read George Eliot for the first time ever. Thanks for putting this event together! I'm really looking forward to great conversations.

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  63. I'm late getting here but plan on reading Daniel Deronda by Eliot and The Moonstone by Collins. Thanks for hosting!

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  64. I'm joining. There are lots of Victorian novels I want to read and I'm sure I'll have time for at least one or two of them in June and July!

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  65. I would like to join! I'll be reading Jane Eyre. I've started this book and put down several times--I think this event will keep me motivated. Thanks. :)

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  66. Alright, I'm late but I'm in.

    I started Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte today, so might as well, right?!

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  67. I'm in... Better late than never, right? :)
    I'll start with Emily Bronte

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  68. Here via the Classics Club and I'd like to join. Starting with either Eliot's Mill on the Floss or Hardy's Tess of the Ubervilles.

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  69. P.S. Does Edger Allan Poe counts as Victorian???

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  70. Thanks for hosting, Allie! Here go my plans!

    http://booksandreviews.wordpress.com/2012/06/01/a-victorian-celebration-first-post/

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  71. I'm signing up, a bit tardy, but I'm in. Thank you!
    My first read will be: Ruth by Elizabeth Gaskell. I'll be posting about this endeavor @ http://impressionsinink.blogspot.com
    Thank you!

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  72. I'd like to join this challenge. I'm also in the War Through The Generations-WWI Challenge and the Ireland Challenge. I only e-mail-no blogs, tweets or whatever! I'm currently reading The Last Pre-Raphaelite- Edward Burne Jones and the Victorian Imagination by Fiona MacCarthy.It's quite interesting.

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  73. Forgot to mention- I don't read for the give-aways, just like to follow along. Your blogs are great and I enjoy following them for book reviews, lists, great pictures and insights into lit. Thanks.

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  74. Bit late but would also like to sign up. I may only manage a book a month (and that seems optimistic given that most of my possibles are Big Books) but it will be nice to expand my Victorian reading.

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  75. I would like to sign up as well (a bit late like Jo). I've been interested in renewing my friendship with the authors from this period for awhile and it's time to start! I love the great images on your site(s) too.

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  76. A bit late, but I'd love to sign up! I'm already trying this summer to both clean out my TBR pile and read more classics...

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  77. Hello! Am a bit late in signing up for this celebration, but I'm excited. Thank you!

    Here is my list: http://mademelani.wordpress.com/2012/06/08/june-and-july-2012-a-victorian-celebration-reading/

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  78. I'm late to join in, but I didn't want to sign up and not read anything. As it happens I am reading Wuthering Heights, and I realised that that is a Victorian title :) So I am quite excited to join in :D

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  79. Hey! I'd like to sign up. I know I'm late but I miss my classics so I know I'll have loads of fun, :)

    Here's a link to my side of the challenge...

    http://ireadthatonce.blogspot.com/p/reading-challenges.html

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  80. I love Victorian literature! I'm in!

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  81. I can't believe I hadn't signed up. Count me in thank you.

    marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

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  82. How charming, my favorite era and all of my favorite books.

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  83. delited to find you via Roof Beam Reader as i was signing up for Austen in August!
    happy to participate & will get something added to your linky asap!
    buttoning you to my sidebar and tweeting as well.. @_eHope

    TY for hosting :)

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