I’m lecturing this morning in Writing New York on Horatio Alger’s 1868 novel Ragged Dick, the prototypical pull-yourself-up/luck-and-pluck boy book about a boot black who makes good. It may be appropriate, then, that I woke up, post-Grammys, having had a nightmare that Justin Bieber was filming a new 3D musical adaptation of the novel. Though isn’t that what his movie is essentially supposed to be anyway? And hasn’t it already been done? To wit:

For other Ragged Dick-related posts, click here and here.