''Master Humphrey's Clock'' was a weekly periodical edited and written entirely by
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and Social criticism, social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by ...
and published from 4 April 1840 to 4 December 1841. It began with a
frame story
A frame story (also known as a frame tale, frame narrative, sandwich narrative, or intercalation) is a literary technique that serves as a companion piece to a story within a story, where an introductory or main narrative sets the stage either fo ...
in which
Master Humphrey tells about himself and his small circle of friends (which includes
Mr. Pickwick
Samuel Pickwick is a fictional character and the main protagonist in ''The Pickwick Papers'' (1836-37), the first novel by author Charles Dickens. One of the author's most famous and loved creations, Pickwick is a retired successful businessman ...
), and their penchant for telling stories. Several short stories were included, followed by the novels ''
The Old Curiosity Shop
''The Old Curiosity Shop'' is the fourth novel by English author Charles Dickens; being one of his two novels (the other being ''Barnaby Rudge'') published along with short stories in his weekly serial ''Master Humphrey's Clock'', from 1840 t ...
'' and ''
Barnaby Rudge
''Barnaby Rudge: A Tale of the Riots of Eighty'' (commonly known as ''Barnaby Rudge'') is a historical novel by English novelist Charles Dickens. ''Barnaby Rudge'' was one of two novels (the other was ''The Old Curiosity Shop'') that Dickens pub ...
''. It is generally thought that Dickens originally intended ''
The Old Curiosity Shop
''The Old Curiosity Shop'' is the fourth novel by English author Charles Dickens; being one of his two novels (the other being ''Barnaby Rudge'') published along with short stories in his weekly serial ''Master Humphrey's Clock'', from 1840 t ...
'' as a short story like the others that had appeared in ''Master Humphrey's Clock'', but after a few chapters decided to extend it into a novel. Master Humphrey appears as the first-person narrator in the first three chapters of ''The Old Curiosity Shop'' but then disappears, stating, "And now that I have carried this history so far in my own character and introduced these personages to the reader, I shall for the convenience of the narrative detach myself from its further course, and leave those who have prominent and necessary parts in it to speak and act for themselves."
Master Humphrey is a lonely man who lives in London. He keeps old manuscripts in an antique
longcase clock by the chimney-corner. One day, he decides that he would start a little club, called Master Humphrey's Clock, where the members would read out their manuscripts to the others. The members include Master Humphrey; a deaf gentleman; Jack Redburn; retired merchant Owen Miles; and Mr. Pickwick from ''
The Pickwick Papers
''The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club'' (also known as ''The Pickwick Papers'') was the Debut novel, first novel serialised from March 1836 to November 1837 by English author Charles Dickens. Because of his success with ''Sketches by Bo ...
''. A mirror club in the kitchen, ''Mr. Weller's Watch'', run by Mr. Weller, has members including Humphrey's maid, the barber and Sam Weller.
''Master Humphrey's Clock'' appeared after ''
The Old Curiosity Shop
''The Old Curiosity Shop'' is the fourth novel by English author Charles Dickens; being one of his two novels (the other being ''Barnaby Rudge'') published along with short stories in his weekly serial ''Master Humphrey's Clock'', from 1840 t ...
'', to introduce ''
Barnaby Rudge
''Barnaby Rudge: A Tale of the Riots of Eighty'' (commonly known as ''Barnaby Rudge'') is a historical novel by English novelist Charles Dickens. ''Barnaby Rudge'' was one of two novels (the other was ''The Old Curiosity Shop'') that Dickens pub ...
''. After ''Barnaby Rudge'', Master Humphrey is left by himself by the chimney corner in a train of thoughts. Here, the deaf gentleman continues the narration. Later, the deaf gentleman and his friends return to Humphrey's house to find him dead. Humphrey has left money for the barber and the maid (no doubt by traces of love that they would be married). Redburn and the deaf gentleman look after the house and the club closes for good.
In the portion of ''Master Humphrey's Clock'' which succeeds ''The Old Curiosity Shop'', Master Humphrey reveals to his friends that he is the character referred to as the 'single gentleman' in that story.
Story order
''Master Humphrey's Clock'' was a weekly serial that contained both short stories and two novels (''The Old Curiosity Shop'' and ''Barnaby Rudge''). Some of the short stories act as frame stories to the novels so the ordering of publication is important.
Although Dickens's original artistic intent was to keep the short stories and the novels together, he himself cancelled ''Master Humphrey's Clock'' before 1848, and stated in a preface to ''The Old Curiosity Shop'' that he did not wish the story to be tied down to the miscellany where it began.
[Charles Dickens - Preface to ''The Old Curiosity Shop'', 1848 Cheap Edition] Most later anthologies published the short stories and the novels separately. However, the short stories and the novels were published in 1840 in three bound volumes under the title ''Master Humphrey's Clock'', which retains the full and correct ordering of texts as they originally appeared. The illustrations in these volumes were by
George Cattermole and
Hablot Browne
Hablot Knight Browne (10 July 1815 – 8 July 1882) was a British artist and illustrator. Well known by his pen name, Phiz, he illustrated books by Charles Dickens, Charles Lever, Augustus Septimus Mayhew and Harrison Ainsworth.
Early life
Of Fr ...
, better known as "Phiz".
* "Master Humphrey, from His Clock-Side in the Chimney Corner I"
* "The Clock-Case: Introduction to the Giant Chronicles"
* "First Night of the Giant Chronicles"
* "Correspondence I"
* "Master Humphrey, from His Clock-Side in the Chimney Corner II"
* "The Clock-Case: A Confession Found in a Prison in the Time of Charles the Second"
* ''
The Old Curiosity Shop
''The Old Curiosity Shop'' is the fourth novel by English author Charles Dickens; being one of his two novels (the other being ''Barnaby Rudge'') published along with short stories in his weekly serial ''Master Humphrey's Clock'', from 1840 t ...
'' I
* "Correspondence II"
* "Master Humphrey’s Visitor"
* "Mr. Pickwick's Tale I-II"
* "Further Particulars of Master Humphrey’s Visitor"
* "The Clock"
* ''The Old Curiosity Shop'' II-IV
* "Mr. Weller’s Watch"
* ''The Old Curiosity Shop'' V-VIII
* "Master Humphrey, from His Clock-Side in the Chimney Corner III"
* ''The Old Curiosity Shop'' IX-LXXIII
* "Master Humphrey, from His Clock-Side in the Chimney Corner IV"
* ''
Barnaby Rudge
''Barnaby Rudge: A Tale of the Riots of Eighty'' (commonly known as ''Barnaby Rudge'') is a historical novel by English novelist Charles Dickens. ''Barnaby Rudge'' was one of two novels (the other was ''The Old Curiosity Shop'') that Dickens pub ...
'' I-LXXXII
* "Master Humphrey, from His Clock-Side in the Chimney Corner V"
* "The Deaf Gentleman from His Own Apartment"
External links
''Master Humphrey's Clock'' available at
Internet Archive
The Internet Archive is an American 501(c)(3) organization, non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including web ...
. 3-volume original bound edition, illustrated. Includes all the stories in their published order.
Project Gutenberg etextof the frame story and short stories (the novels are in separate etexts)
*
G. K. Chesterton's discussion of ''Master Humphrey's Clock''in ''Appreciations and Criticisms of the Works of Charles Dickens''
by Michael Steig at
Victorian Web – an article on Dickens's collaboration with his illustrators during this period.
References
{{Charles Dickens
1840 establishments in England
1841 disestablishments in England
Chapman & Hall books
Defunct literary magazines published in the United Kingdom
Literature about deaf people
Magazines established in 1840
Magazines disestablished in 1841
Weekly magazines published in the United Kingdom
Works by Charles Dickens