Category:Household Words: A Weekly Journal
Title: Household Words
Editor: Charles Dickens
Publisher: Bradbury & Evans
Dickens' Household Words, one of the more popular Victorian Literary magazines, published its first volume on Saturday March 30, 1850. The title hailed from Shakespeare’s writings, "familiar in their mouths as household words."[1] The journal was just that. It was widely distributed amongst England’s populace; its readership ranged from 38,000 weekly to 80,000 during the Christmas season. Much of the journal’s fame was due to its editor and creator, Charles Dickens, who was arguably one of the most prominent and acclaimed authors of the period. Rather than specializing in any particular genre, Household Words contained a variety of works: poetry, children’s non-fiction, adventure stories, entertainment pieces, social commentary, and informational texts dealing with the social innovations of the time. Dickens vented much of his social commentary against the government “for its corrupt and incompetent handling…of health, sanitation…and system of public education,” as well as “champion[ing] the cause of the poor and working classes.”[2] Dickens meant for the journal to be accessible to every household, hence the title. He intended it to “be the comrade and friend of many thousands of people, of both sexes, and of all ages and conditions.”[3] In order to achieve this wide range of audience, the magazine had over 380 regular contributors.[4] It included the writings of Charles Dickens, as well as contributions from numerous other young and established writers, including Thomas Carlyle, Wilkie Collins, and Elizabeth Gaskell.[5] Over the course of its publication, the journal additionally published several novels in their entirety. Dickens published Hard Times, Oliver Twist, A Child’s History of England, and "The Lazy Tour of Two Idle Apprentices". Other stories circulated include Wilkie Collins' A Roque’s Life and The Dead Secret, and Elizabeth Gaskell’s "Lizzie Leigh," Cranford, and North and South. The journal also includes a fantastic collection of Victorian Christmas fiction, supplied by Dickens himself and several of his literary colleagues. The journal ended, however, shortly after Dickens’ divorce from his wife, Catherine. To defend himself from accusations of adultery he sought to publish a letter absolving himself of such sins in the journal. His publishers denied him this privilege. As a result Dickens purchased their share in the magazine and merged it with his new journal All the Year Round. [6] The journal was revived in 1881 by Charles Dickens' son and continued to run until 1889.” [7]
Notes
Submitted by: Poole, Barbie: section 1, Fall 2007
Submitted by: Baird, Kristina: section 1, Winter 2009
Submitted by: McArthur, Ian: section 1, Winter 2013
Articles in category "Household Words: A Weekly Journal"
The following 35 pages are in this category, out of 35 total.
