Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins collaborated in writing "No Thoroughfare" for the 1867 Christmas edition of "All the Year Round." While it does notCharles Dickens and Wilkie Collins collaborated in writing "No Thoroughfare" for the 1867 Christmas edition of "All the Year Round." While it does not have a Christmas theme, family and love are important elements in the story. Starting in London, it involves orphans, motherly love, mistaken identities, a romance, and forgery. Then the story moves to the Swiss Alps for some exciting intrigue and danger along the treacherous mountain passages. A sinister villain, a brave heroine, and some comic Dickens characters keep the story moving in this melodramatic novella.
The novella was adapted into a stage play which enjoyed a successful run. I read both the novella and the play. While the novella gives more detail, I can imagine the sometimes "over the top" melodrama working especially well on the stage. While it is not Dickens' or Collins' best work, "No Thoroughfare" is fun and entertaining. I read this with the Dickensian group....more
Charles Dickens was the editor of the publication "Household Words" when the special Christmas 1856 edition was published. Dickens (writing as a sea cCharles Dickens was the editor of the publication "Household Words" when the special Christmas 1856 edition was published. Dickens (writing as a sea captain) and Wilkie Collins (writing as the first mate) wrote the exciting framing stories about the shipwreck of the Golden Mary. The framing stories included the voyage of the ship, the shipwreck, and the survivors' ordeal in lifeboats in frigid temperatures. They never gave up hope that they would be spotted by another ship. These sections of the adventure story are called "The Wreck" (Dickens and Collins) and "The Deliverance" (Collins). A long sea voyage was very risky for the travelers, and a shipwreck was not uncommon. I enjoyed this suspenseful tale with interesting characters traveling to the California Gold Rush.
"A Message from the Sea" was published in the December 13, 1860 Christmas edition of the literary journal "All the Year Round." It was a collaborative"A Message from the Sea" was published in the December 13, 1860 Christmas edition of the literary journal "All the Year Round." It was a collaborative effort mainly written by Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins with help from Robert Buchanan, Charles Allston Collins, Amelia Edwards, and Harriet Parr.
American Captain Jorgan visits a family in a charming fishing village in Cornwall. He found a letter in a bottle during his last voyage, and wanted to deliver it to the family. The letter was written by a family member who was lost at sea, and had some troubling news. The collaborative effort also contains some ghost stories, and a harrowing shipwreck so it should have kept the interest of people of many ages. Stories were often read aloud back in the 19th Century since some people were illiterate. I found "A Message from the Sea" to be very entertaining, and also enjoyed the themes of honesty and family love.
Reading the Complete Story: Some editions of "A Message from the Sea" only contain Chapters 1, 2, and 5--the chapters written by Dickens. It really will not make sense unless you also read Chapter 4, "The Seafaring Man," which is free on the Wilkie Collins website.
Chapter 3 contains several stories within the main story which were written by other authors working for Dickens, and is less essential to the plot. I found Chapter 3 at the "All the Year Round" achieves online. Check out Sara's review for a connection to a Kindle version of the whole novella....more
Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins collaborated on writing "The Lazy Tour of Two Idle Apprentices." It was first published in serial form in "HouseholCharles Dickens and Wilkie Collins collaborated on writing "The Lazy Tour of Two Idle Apprentices." It was first published in serial form in "Household Words" after the good friends went on a walking tour together. The book features two characters--the energetic Francis Goodchild (Dickens), and the extremely idle Thomas Idle (Collins) who is sidelined after spraining his ankle climbing a mountain in Cumberland.
Three chapters of the book are amusing and exaggerated tales as the two men poke fun at themselves. Readers familiar with the two authors' lives will especially enjoy the humor. The walking tour also acts as a frame for a mystery story and a ghost story which both have wonderful supernatural Gothic elements. Some of the five chapters were more successful than others, but it was an enjoyable book overall. 3.5 stars....more