Charles Dickens was not only fond of animals, he featured many of them in his books and short stories. I took the photo above at the exhibition Faithful Companions: Charles Dickens and his Pets at the Dickens Museum. It shows an illustration for Barnaby Rudge showing Grip the raven, which adds a Gothic element to the tale. The author actually had a pet raven called Grip. It was one of three successive pet ravens he owned and he was very fond of all them.
Animals often symbolise magical or supernatural elements in Dickens' writing, as the exhibition shows. Lady Jane the cat in Bleak House adds to the wizard-like image of her owner, Kook. Dickens' dog Turk gets a part in the ghost story The Mortals in the House, barking to warn of spooky bell-ringing.
Faithful Companions is on until 12th January 2025 at Charles Dickens Museum, 48-49 Doughty Street, London, WC1N 2LX.
My Pagan Eye posts show photos that I find interesting - seasonal images, pagan sites, events, or just pretty pictures. If you want to send me a photo for a Pagan Eye post, please email it to badwitch1234@gmail.com Let me know what the photo shows and whether you want your name mentioned or not. For copyright reasons, the photo must be one you have taken yourself.
Other previous related posts
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2023/05/occult-london-sir-john-soanes-museum.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2024/05/pagan-eye-deptford-jack-in-green-may.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2024/05/pagan-eye-south-london-gets-new-erection.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2022/04/pagan-eye-black-cat-statuette-as-every.html
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