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The Mystery Of Edwin Drood
''The Mystery of Edwin Drood'' is the final novel by Charles Dickens, originally published in 1870. Though the novel is named after the character Edwin Drood, it focuses more on Drood's uncle, John Jasper, a precentor, choirmaster and opium addict, who lusts after his pupil, Rosa Bud. Miss Bud, Edwin Drood's fiancée, has also caught the eye of the high-spirited and hot-tempered Neville Landless. Landless and Edwin Drood take an instant dislike to each other. Later Drood disappears under mysterious circumstances. The story is set in Cloisterham, a lightly disguised Rochester. Upon the death of Dickens on 9 June 1870, the novel was left unfinished in his writing desk, only six of a planned twelve instalments having been written. He left no detailed plan for the remaining instalments or solution to the novel's mystery, and many later adaptations and continuations by other writers have attempted to complete the story. Summary The novel begins as John Jasper leaves a London ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era.. His works enjoyed unprecedented popularity during his lifetime and, by the 20th century, critics and scholars had recognised him as a literary genius. His novels and short stories are widely read today. Born in Portsmouth, Dickens left school at the age of 12 to work in a boot-blacking factory when his father was incarcerated in a debtors' prison. After three years he returned to school, before he began his literary career as a journalist. Dickens edited a weekly journal for 20 years, wrote 15 novels, five novellas, hundreds of short stories and non-fiction articles, lectured and performed readings extensively, was an indefatigable letter writer, and campaigned vigorously for children's rights, for education, and for other social ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Quicklime
Calcium oxide (CaO), commonly known as quicklime or burnt lime, is a widely used chemical compound. It is a white, caustic, alkaline, crystalline solid at room temperature. The broadly used term "'' lime''" connotes calcium-containing inorganic materials, in which carbonates, oxides and hydroxides of calcium, silicon, magnesium, aluminium, and iron predominate. By contrast, ''quicklime'' specifically applies to the single chemical compound calcium oxide. Calcium oxide that survives processing without reacting in building products such as cement is called free lime. Quicklime is relatively inexpensive. Both it and a chemical derivative (calcium hydroxide, of which quicklime is the base anhydride) are important commodity chemicals. Preparation Calcium oxide is usually made by the thermal decomposition of materials, such as limestone or seashells, that contain calcium carbonate (CaCO3; mineral calcite) in a lime kiln. This is accomplished by heating the material to above ,Merck I ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Luke Fildes
__NOTOC__ Sir Samuel Luke Fildes (3 October 1843 – 28 February 1927) was a British painter and illustrator born in Liverpool and trained at the South Kensington and Royal Academy Schools. He was the grandson of the political activist Mary Fildes. Illustrator At the age of 17, Fildes became a student at the Warrington School of Art. Fildes moved to the South Kensington Art School where he met Hubert von Herkomer and Frank Holl. All three men became influenced by the work of Frederick Walker, the leader of the social realist movement in Britain. Fildes shared his grandmother's concern for the poor and in 1869 joined the staff of ''The Graphic'' newspaper, an illustrated weekly began and edited by the social reformer, William Luson Thomas. Fildes shared Thomas' belief in the power of visual images to change public opinion on subjects such as poverty and injustice. Thomas hoped that the images in ''The Graphic'' would result in individual acts of charity and collective s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shilling
The shilling is a historical coin, and the name of a unit of modern currencies formerly used in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, other British Commonwealth countries and Ireland, where they were generally equivalent to 12 pence or one-twentieth of a pound before being phased out during the 20th century. Currently the shilling is used as a currency in five east African countries: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Somalia, as well as the ''de facto'' country of Somaliland. The East African Community additionally plans to introduce an East African shilling. History The word ''shilling'' comes from Old English "Scilling", a monetary term meaning twentieth of a pound, from the Proto-Germanic root skiljaną meaning 'to separate, split, divide', from (s)kelH- meaning 'to cut, split.' The word "Scilling" is mentioned in the earliest recorded Germanic law codes, those of Æthelberht of Kent. There is evidence that it may alternatively be an early borrowing of Phoenic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Moffatt (actor)
Albert John Moffatt (24 September 1922 – 10 September 2012) was an English character actor and playwright, known for his portrayal of Hercule Poirot on BBC Radio in twenty-five productions and for a wide range of stage roles in the West End from the 1950s to the 1980s. Moffatt's parents wished him to follow a career in a bank, but Moffatt secretly studied acting and made his stage debut in 1944. After five years in provincial repertory theatre he made his first London appearance in 1946. In the early 1950s he was cast in small parts in productions headed by John Gielgud and Noël Coward, and achieved increasingly prominent roles over the next decade. He was a member of the English Stage Company, the Old Vic, and the National Theatre companies. His range was considerable, embracing the classics, new plays, revue and pantomime. Moffatt began broadcasting on radio in 1950 and on television in 1953. His most enduring role was that of Agatha Christie's Belgian detective, Hercu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ian Holm
Sir Ian Holm Cuthbert (12 September 1931 – 19 June 2020) was an English actor who was knighted in 1998 for his contributions to theatre and film. Beginning his career on the British stage as a standout member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, he later transitioned into a successful and prolific screen career. On film he portrayed a variety of both supporting and leading characters, earning critical acclaim and many accolades in the process. Holm won the 1967 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor for his performance as Lenny in ''The Homecoming'' and the 1998 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor for his performance in the title role of ''King Lear''. He was nominated for seven BAFTA Awards, winning Best Actor in a Supporting Role twice for '' The Bofors Gun'' (his film debut) and ''Chariots of Fire'' (as a running coach). His latter performance as athletics trainer Sam Mussabini was also nominated for an Academy Award. His other well-known film roles include Ash in '' Ali ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasting House, London. The station controller is Mohit Bakaya. Broadcasting throughout the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands on FM, LW and DAB, and on BBC Sounds, it can be received in the eastern counties of Ireland, northern France and Northern Europe. It is available on Freeview, Sky, and Virgin Media. Radio 4 currently reaches over 10 million listeners, making it the UK's second most-popular radio station after Radio 2. BBC Radio 4 broadcasts news programmes such as ''Today'' and '' The World at One'', heralded on air by the Greenwich Time Signal pips or the chimes of Big Ben. The pips are only accurate on FM, LW, and MW; there is a delay on digital radio of three to five second ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Leon Garfield
Leon Garfield FRSL (14 July 1921 – 2 June 1996) was a British writer of fiction. He is best known for children's historical novels, though he also wrote for adults. He wrote more than thirty books and scripted '' Shakespeare: The Animated Tales'' for television. Life Garfield attended Brighton Grammar School (1932–1938) and went on to study art at Regent Street Polytechnic, but his studies were interrupted first by lack of funds for fees, then by the outbreak of World War II.Copson. He married Lena Leah Davies in April, 1941, at Golders Green Synagogue but they separated after only a few months. For his service in the war he joined the Royal Army Medical Corps. While posted in Belgium he met Vivien Alcock, then an ambulance driver, who became his second wife (in 1948) and a well-known children's author. She also greatly influenced Garfield's writing, giving him suggestions, including the original idea for ''Smith''.Natov, 5. After the war Garfield worked as a biochemical ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Mystery Of Edwin Drood (musical)
''The Mystery of Edwin Drood'' (or simply ''Drood'') is a musical based on the unfinished Charles Dickens novel. Written by Rupert Holmes, the show was the first ever Broadway musical with multiple endings (determined by audience vote). The musical won five Tony Awards out of eleven nominations, including Best Musical. Holmes received Tony awards for Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score. The musical debuted as part of the New York Shakespeare Festival in August 1985, and following revision, transferred to Broadway, where it ran until May 1987. Two national tours and production in London's West End followed. The Roundabout Theatre Company revived the musical in 2012. History Inspiration The musical ''Drood'' is derived from two major inspirations: Charles Dickens' final (and unfinished) novel, ''The Mystery of Edwin Drood'', and the British pantomime and music hall traditions that reached the height of their popularity in the years following Dickens' death. Di ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Claude Rains
William Claude Rains (10 November 188930 May 1967) was a British actor whose career spanned almost seven decades. After his American film debut as Griffin (The Invisible Man), Dr. Jack Griffin in ''The Invisible Man (1933 film), The Invisible Man'' (1933), he appeared in such highly regarded films as ''The Adventures of Robin Hood'' (1938), ''Mr. Smith Goes to Washington'' (1939), ''The Wolf Man (1941 film), The Wolf Man'' (1941), ''Casablanca (film), Casablanca'' and ''Kings Row'' (both 1942), ''Notorious (1946 film), Notorious'' (1946), ''Lawrence of Arabia (film), Lawrence of Arabia'' (1962), and ''The Greatest Story Ever Told'' (1965). He was a Tony Award-winning actor and was a four-time nominee for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Rains was considered to be "one of the screen's great character stars" From McFarlane's ''Encyclopedia of British Film'', London: Methuen/BFI, 2003, p.545 who was, according to the ''All-Movie Guide'', "at his best when playing culture ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Verger
A verger (or virger, so called after the staff of the office, or wandsman (British)) is a person, usually a layperson, who assists in the ordering of religious services, particularly in Anglican churches. Etymology The title of ''verger'' arises from the ceremonial rod they traditionally carried known as a virge (from the Latin , "branch, staff, rod"; see virgule). The Maces of State used in the House of Lords and the House of Commons of the British Parliament are examples of another modern use of the medieval virge. In former times, a verger might have needed to use his virge to keep back animals or an overenthusiastic crowd from the personage he was escorting or even to discipline unruly choristers. History The office of verger has its roots in the early days of the Church of England's history. The Order shares certain similarities with the former Minor Orders of Porter and Acolyte. Historically, vergers were responsible for the order and upkeep of a house of worshi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dean (Christianity)
A dean, in an ecclesiastical context, is a cleric holding certain positions of authority within a religious hierarchy. The title is used mainly in the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion, and many Lutheran denominations. A dean's assistant is called a sub-dean. History Latin '' decanus'' in the Roman military was the head of a group of ten soldiers within a ''centuria'', and by the 5th century CE, it was the head of a group of ten monks. It came to refer to various civil functionaries in the later Roman Empire.''Oxford English Dictionary'' s.v.' Based on the monastic use, it came to mean the head of a chapter of canons of a collegiate church or cathedral church. Based on that use, deans in universities now fill various administrative positions. Latin ''decanus'' should not be confused with Greek ''diákonos'' (διάκονος),' from which the word deacon derives, which describes a supportive role. Officials In the Roman Catholic Church, the Dean of the Coll ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
