folks, deep into the Christmas tales of Dickens this week and next; thought I'd treat myself to another look and see how the students like (or dislike) them. Here's just a few rambling questions, in case any of you are in a holiday mood and feel like chatting: I wonder how MT thought of Dickens as a novelist? I don't have a copy of Alan's book handy (sure wish the new edition of MT'sL would appear, are you listening Prof. Gribben?). I wonder what he might have thought of those old Christmas tales -- and also, when or if MT ever really wrote much about Christmas, or used it much as a setting? I also was interested in this little review MT wrote of his visit to hear CD read, in NYC, 1868: "He read David Copperfield. He is a bad reader, in one sense -- because he does not enunciate his words sharply and distinctly -- he does not cut the syllables cleanly, and therefore many and many of them fell dead before they reached our part of the house. [I say "our" because I am proud to observe that there was a beautiful young lady with me -- a highly respectable young white woman.]" (from a nice website: charlesdickenspage.com/twain_on_dickens.html; is this published in a recent edition somewhere? not really sure about that . . . .) For most of the 60s, evidently, CD read those Christmas tales in public readings. But the thing that really caught my eye: why did he call her a "white" woman? I don't really get the reason for emphasizing that -- as if he would be with an African American? or am I just missing something with that? Anyway; if anyone has something to say about MT and Christmas, or CD, I'm interested! thanks, --Hal B. -- Harold K. Bush, Ph.D Professor of English Saint Louis University St. Louis, MO 63108 314-977-3616 (w); 314-771-6795 (h) <www.slu.edu/x23809.xml>