Sketches by Boz
Charles Dickens, LCI
eBook
(lci-eBooks, Nov. 11, 2013)
Sketches by "Boz," Illustrative of Every-day Life and Every-day People (commonly known as Sketches by Boz) is a collection of short pieces published by Charles Dickens in 1836 accompanied by illustrations by George Cruikshank. The 56 sketches concern London scenes and people and are divided into four sections: "Our Parish", "Scenes", "Characters", and "Tales". The material in the first three of these sections is non-fiction[citation needed]. The last section comprises fictional stories. Originally, the sketches were published in various newspapers and periodicals from 1833–1836.The popularity of Dickens’ writings was enhanced by the regular inclusion of detailed illustrations to highlight key scenes and characters. The stories typically featured two black-and-white illustrations per instalment, plus an illustrated cover design for the wrapper. The images were created with wood engravings or metal etchings. Dickens worked closely with several illustrators during his career, including George Cruikshank, Hablot Knight Browne (aka "Phiz"), and John Leech, although Browne is typically considered to be most strongly identified with Dickens’ stories. The accuracy of the illustrations was of utmost importance to Dickens, as the drawings portrayed the characters just as he envisioned them, and they gave valuable insight to the reader about the characters’ personalities and motives, as well as the plot.The Mudfog Papers relates the proceedings of the fictional 'The Mudfog Society for the Advancement of Everything', a Pickwickian parody of the British Association for the Advancement of Science[1][2] founded in York in 1831, one of the numerous Victorian learned societies dedicated to the advancement of Science. Like The Pickwick Papers, The Mudfog Papers claim affinity with Parliamentary reports, memoirs, and posthumous papers. The serial was illustrated by George Cruikshank.The fictional town of Mudfog was based on Chatham in Kent, where Dickens spent part of his youth. Mudfog was described by Dickens as being the town where Oliver Twist was born and spent his early years when the story first appeared in 'Bentley's Miscellany' in February 1837, making it a continuation of The Mudfog Papers, but this allusion was removed when the story was printed in book form.