The 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Dickens is this Tuesday, February 7. At Special Collections, we are celebrating with a small exhibit on this beloved author’s life and works. The exhibit features first editions of A Christmas Carol and Great Expectations, Nicholas Nickleby in parts, and an original steel printing plate used to …
Charles Dickens’ “Great Expectations” is one of many famous novels which were published 150 years ago, in 1861. Dickens released the novel serially in his magazine “All the Year Round” beginning in December 1860; the novel finished in the August 1861 issue. London publishers Chapman and Hall then released “Great Expectations” in a three-volume book …
William Makepeace Thackeray and Charles Dickens were two of the most eminent Victorian novelists of their generation. They knew each other well, mixing in the same circles, but they were also literary rivals whose differing personalities and viewpoints eventually led to a bitter feud. Both Dickens and Thackeray began their careers as journalists, but Dickens …
As Special Collections celebrates the 200th anniversary of the birth of William Makepeace Thackeray, this blog turns to highlight authors who have been influenced by Thackeray’s writing. The first to be highlighted is Charlotte Brontë. Thackeray was one of Charlotte Brontë’s biggest literary heroes. Smith, Elder and Co., the publisher of Charlotte’s first novel Jane …
Another literary anniversary being celebrated in Special Collections is the 200th anniversary of the birth of British novelist William Makepeace Thackeray. Thackeray was born in India on July 18, 1811, the son of a high-ranking official in the British East India Company. Thackeray made his career as a writer of satirical novels about British society, …
George Eliot’s famous short novel Silas Marner: The Weaver of Raveloe was published two hundred years ago this month. Eliot wrote Silas Marner in five months, between November 1860 and March 1861. The novel is both shorter and happier in tone than her earlier novels, Adam Bede and The Mill on the Floss, which were …
150 years ago this month, London publishing firm Chapman and Hall issued the first monthly part of Anthony Trollope’s Orley Farm. This novel, which concerns a forged will and the corrosive effects of guilt, quickly became a blockbuster hit among the reading public. One factor in its appeal was the illustrations, done by famed pre-Raphaelite …
One intriguing aspect of 19th century British fiction is that many novels were published in serial form before they appeared in book form. Literary luminaries such as George Eliot, Anthony Trollope, and Wilkie Collins published their work in literary magazines, and Charles Dickens pioneered the publication of novels in stand-alone parts. Serializing novels gave the …