“Darkness is cheap, and Scrooge liked it”: Where Victorian Ghost Stories and Film Analysis Meet

Name: “Darkness is cheap, and Scrooge liked it”: Where Victorian Ghost Stories and Film Analysis Meet
Start: 2024-12-09T17:00:00-05:00
Location: 111 Adams Ave, Lewes, DE, United States, Delaware 19958

Schedule

Mon Dec 09 2024 at 05:00 pm

UTC-05:00

Location

111 Adams Ave, Lewes, DE, United States, Delaware 19958 | Lewes, DE

No Christmas season is complete without Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. From Muppets to classic retellings, this story regularly haunts the silver screen, but what is it about this one Victorian tale that calls to filmmakers for resurrection? A Disney version of this piece, directed by Robert Zemeckis and featuring Jim Carrey, Gary Oldman, and Colin Firth opened in 2009. Although the reviews were mixed, an in-depth analysis demonstrates the film’s use of sound, lighting, and mise en scene brings to the fore that A Christmas Carol is a ghost story in the Victorian tradition. In this lecture, we explore the Victorian practice of telling ghost stories at Christmas and reevaluate Disney’s A Christmas Carol as the seasonal horror story it was meant to be.
This lecture includes showing excerpts of the film. The film will be screened in its entirety on Wednesday, December 11 at 5:00 PM.
Kristen Matulewicz is a seasoned presenter with over 15 years of public speaking experience who effortlessly guides her audience through the challenging art of visual analysis. Recipient of the Delaware Art Educators Association's prestigious M.U.S.E. Educator of the Year award for 2022, Kristen's innovative education approaches have garnered widespread acclaim. Her insights have been featured in top media outlets, including the Delaware State News, Delaware News Journal, and on WDDE Radio, WRDE Coast TV, The 302, and Delmarva Life. As a sought-after guest presenter, Kristen is skilled at unraveling the secrets and splendors of the visual world with expertise and charm. She has spoken at public schools, museums, expos, and universities, captivating audiences of all ages with her personable presentations. With her engaging style and boundless enthusiasm, she brings the Victorian era to life like never before.
This lecture is an offering of the Lewes Public Library Spoken Word Society.
Each individual attending must register.
The Lewes Spoken Word Society (LSWS) celebrates the tradition and artistry of oral storytelling through lectures, performances, discussions, demonstrations, and other publicly-shared experiences. The LSWS is partially funded by the generous support of the Browseabout Books, Cape Henlopen Lodge #2540, John and Sally Freeman Foundation, Sussex County Department of Libraries, M & T Charitable Foundation, Sussex County Council, Rotary Club of Lewes-Rehoboth Beach, and the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts. The Division promotes Delaware arts events on DelawareScene.com.