Household Words
Encyclopedia
Household Words was an English weekly magazine
edited by Charles Dickens
in the 1850s which took its name from the line from Shakespeare "Familiar in his mouth as household words" — Henry V
.
, thereby ensuring a wide readership. The publication's first edition carried a section covering the paper's principles entitled, "A Preliminary Word":
Theoretically, the paper championed the cause of the poor and working class
es, but in fact addressed itself almost exclusively to the middle class
. Only the name of Dickens, the journal's "conductor," appeared;. Articles were unsigned (although authors of serialized novels were identified) and, in spite of its regularly featuring an "advertiser," unillustrated.
In order to boost slumping sales Dickens' serialized his own novel, Hard Times
, every week between April 1 and August 12, 1854. It had the desired effect more than doubling the journal's circulation and encouraging the author who remarked that he was, "Three parts mad, and the fourth delirious, with perpetual rushing at Hard Times".
That Dickens owned half of the company and his agents, Forster and Wills, owned a further quarter of it was insurance that the author would have a free hand in the paper. In 1859, however, owing to a dispute between Dickens and the publishers, Bradbury and Evans, it was replaced by All the Year Round
in which he had greater control.
The journal contained a mixture of fiction and nonfiction. A large amount of the non-fiction dealt with the social issues of the time.
Other contributors to Household Words included author James Payn
.
A complete key to who wrote what and for how much in Household Words was compiled in 1973 by Anne Lohrli, using an analysis of the office account book maintained by Dickens' subeditor, W. H. Wills.
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
edited by Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
in the 1850s which took its name from the line from Shakespeare "Familiar in his mouth as household words" — Henry V
Henry V (play)
Henry V is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to be written in approximately 1599. Its full titles are The Cronicle History of Henry the Fifth and The Life of Henry the Fifth...
.
History
Household Words was published every Wednesday from March 1850 to May 1859. Each number cost a mere tuppenceTuppence
Tuppence may refer to:* Two pence in pre-decimal British coinage. Or, the specific coins:** Two pence ** Two pence...
, thereby ensuring a wide readership. The publication's first edition carried a section covering the paper's principles entitled, "A Preliminary Word":
Theoretically, the paper championed the cause of the poor and working class
Working class
Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
es, but in fact addressed itself almost exclusively to the middle class
Middle class
The middle class is any class of people in the middle of a societal hierarchy. In Weberian socio-economic terms, the middle class is the broad group of people in contemporary society who fall socio-economically between the working class and upper class....
. Only the name of Dickens, the journal's "conductor," appeared;. Articles were unsigned (although authors of serialized novels were identified) and, in spite of its regularly featuring an "advertiser," unillustrated.
In order to boost slumping sales Dickens' serialized his own novel, Hard Times
Hard Times
Hard Times - For These Times is the tenth novel by Charles Dickens, first published in 1854. The book appraises English society and is aimed at highlighting the social and economic pressures of the times....
, every week between April 1 and August 12, 1854. It had the desired effect more than doubling the journal's circulation and encouraging the author who remarked that he was, "Three parts mad, and the fourth delirious, with perpetual rushing at Hard Times".
That Dickens owned half of the company and his agents, Forster and Wills, owned a further quarter of it was insurance that the author would have a free hand in the paper. In 1859, however, owing to a dispute between Dickens and the publishers, Bradbury and Evans, it was replaced by All the Year Round
All the Year Round
All the Year Round was a Victorian periodical, being a British weekly literary magazine founded and owned by Charles Dickens, published between 1859 and 1895 throughout the United Kingdom. Edited by Dickens, it was the direct successor to his previous publication Household Words, abandoned due to...
in which he had greater control.
The journal contained a mixture of fiction and nonfiction. A large amount of the non-fiction dealt with the social issues of the time.
Serialized works
Prominent works that were serialized in Household Words included:- A Child's History of EnglandA Child's History of EnglandA Child's History of England is a book by Charles Dickens. It first appeared in serial form in Household Words, running from January 25, 1851 to December 10, 1853. Dickens also published the work in book form in three volumes: the first volume on December 20, 1851; the second, December 25, 1852;...
by Charles DickensCharles DickensCharles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
published from January 25, 1851 - December 10, 1853 - CranfordCranford (novel)Cranford is one of the better-known novels of the 19th century English writer Elizabeth Gaskell. It was first published in 1851 as a serial in the magazine Household Words, which was edited by Charles Dickens.-Plot:...
, North and SouthNorth and South (1854 novel)North and South is an Industrial novel by Elizabeth Gaskell. It first appeared as a twenty-two-part weekly serial from September 1854 to January 1855 in the magazine Household Words. It was published as a book, in two volumes, in 1855....
and My Lady LudlowMy Lady LudlowMy Lady Ludlow is a long novella by Elizabeth Gaskell. It appeared in the magazine Household Words in 1858, and was republished in Round the Sofa in 1859, with framing passages added at the start and end.It recounts the daily lives of the widowed Countess of Ludlow of Hanbury and the spinster Miss...
by Elizabeth GaskellElizabeth GaskellElizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell, née Stevenson , often referred to simply as Mrs Gaskell, was a British novelist and short story writer during the Victorian era... - The Song of the Western MenThe Song of the Western Men"The Song of the Western Men" was written by Robert Stephen Hawker. It is also known by the title of "Trelawny".Hawker wrote the song in 1824, telling of events that took place in 1688. When the song first appeared many thought it to be a contemporary record of events, although in fact the song...
by Robert Stephen HawkerRobert Stephen HawkerRobert Stephen Hawker was an Anglican priest, poet, antiquarian of Cornwall and reputed eccentric. He is best known as the writer of The Song of the Western Men with its chorus line of And shall Trelawny die? / Here's twenty thousand Cornish men / will know the reason why!, which he published... - The Dead Secret and A Rogue's Life by Wilkie CollinsWilkie CollinsWilliam Wilkie Collins was an English novelist, playwright, and author of short stories. He was very popular during the Victorian era and wrote 30 novels, more than 60 short stories, 14 plays, and over 100 non-fiction pieces...
Collaborative works
Dickens would also collaborate with other staff writers on a number of Christmas stories and plays for seasonal issues of the magazine. These included:- The Seven Poor Travellers in the Extra Christmas Number (14 December, 1854) with Wilkie Collins, Eliza Lynn LintonEliza Lynn LintonEliza Lynn Linton , was a British novelist, essayist, and journalist.-Life:The daughter of a clergyman and granddaughter of a bishop of Carlisle, she arrived in London in 1845 as the protégé of poet Walter Savage Landor. In the following year she produced her first novel, Azeth, the Egyptian;...
, Adelaide Anne ProcterAdelaide Anne ProcterAdelaide Anne Procter was an English poet and philanthropist. She worked on behalf of a number of causes, most prominently on behalf of unemployed women and the homeless, and was actively involved with feminist groups and journals. Procter never married, and some of her poetry has prompted...
(under the name "Mary Berwick"), and George Augustus Henry SalaGeorge Augustus Henry SalaGeorge Augustus Henry Sala , English journalist.-Biography:Sala was born in London; his father being the son of an Italian who came to London to arrange ballets at the theatres, and his mother an actress and teacher of singing...
. - The Holly Tree Inn in the Extra Christmas Number (15 December, 1855) with Wilkie Collins, William HowittWilliam HowittWilliam Howitt , was an English author.He was born at Heanor, Derbyshire. His parents were Quakers, and he was educated at the Friends public school at Ackworth, Yorkshire. His younger brothers were Richard and Godrey whom he helped tutor. In 1814 he published a poem on the Influence of Nature and...
, Harriet Parr, and Adelaide Anne Procter. - The Wreck of the Golden Mary in the Extra Christmas Number (6 December, 1856) with Wilkie Collins, Percy Hetherington Fitzgerald, Adelaide Anne Procter, Harriet Parr, and Rev. James White.
- The Frozen DeepThe Frozen DeepThe Frozen Deep was a play, originally staged as an amateur theatrical, written by Wilkie Collins along with the substantial guidance of Charles Dickens in 1856...
A play written with Wilkie Collins and initially performed in the converted schoolroom of Dickens's London residence, Tavistock House (6 January, 1857) - The Lazy Tour of Two Idle Apprentices an non-seasonal collaboration (3-31 October, 1857) with Wilkie Collins
- The Perils of Certain English Prisoners in the Extra Christmas Number (7 December, 1857) with Wilkie Collins
- A House to Let in the Extra Christmas Number (7 December, 1858) with Elizabeth Gaskell and Adelaide Anne Procter.
Other contributors to Household Words included author James Payn
James Payn
James Payn , was an English novelist.-Family:Payn's father, William Payn , was clerk to the Thames Commissioners and at one time treasurer to the county of Berkshire...
.
A complete key to who wrote what and for how much in Household Words was compiled in 1973 by Anne Lohrli, using an analysis of the office account book maintained by Dickens' subeditor, W. H. Wills.
External links
- The Dickens Journals Online (beta site), an online edition of all Dickens's journals that is currently looking for editors