Dickens: History in an Hour

While the second and third instalments of The Pickwick Papers suffered from poor sales, the fourth brought a dramatic change in fortunes as Dickens introduced the new character, Sam Weller. As Pickwick grew in popularity, Dickens set out writing The Strange Gentleman, a burletta (a type of comic opera) that opened at St James’ Theatre on 26 September. A second edition of Sketches of Boz followed in October alongside preparations for the comic operetta, The Village Coquettes. It was also during this month that Dickens resigned from the Morning Chronicle to edit a new monthly magazine, Bentley’s Miscellany.