One of Britain's greatest ever writers, Charles Dickens is most associated with Victorian London and in particular the misery and poverty we call Dickensian, so he hasn't - up until now - been much used as a literary brand. Now on an industrial estate in the rather run down town of Chatham in Kent where the writer grew up, Dickens World is opening, a theme park dedicated, so it says, to giving a flavour of life in Dicken's England.
The centrepiece is a boat ride through an elaborate interactive stage set of picturesque slums and their associated smells, to conjure up an illusion of real Victorian life - and misery. It's ignited a familiar debate of entertainment versus education. While critics have attacked the trivialisation of Dickens's legacy, the organisers reply that the writer was a great popular entertainer who would have heartily approved of such a theme park.
The critics say the real Dickens experience is in the books - and trips down fake Victorian sewers won't get people reading. But it is of course ultimately a business proposition, investing 120 million dollars, and predicting 300,000 visitors a year. That shows a lot of confidence in both the pulling power of Dickens and of theme park versions of misery and poverty.
New Words (Từ mới)
associated with
làm liên tưởng tới
a literary brand
nhà văn nổi tiếng mà tên tuổi có thể được sử dụng vào việc kinh doanh
giving a flavour of life
cho thấy bức tranh của xã hội
centrepiece
trung tâm điểm
to conjure up
làm hiện ra như có phép thuật
ignited a familiar debate
khơi gợi lại cuộc tranh cãi quen thuộc
trivialisation
làm cho nhỏ bé, tầm thường
legacy
di sản
heartily
một cách chân thành, nhiệt tình
the pulling power
sự cuốn hút