Our Mutual Friend is the last novel Charles Dickens completed during his lifetime; The Mystery of Edwin Drood was left incomplete when the author died in 1870. The novel was published in 20 parts spread over 19 months (the final installment was a "double issue"), beginning in May 1864 and concluding in November 1865. Each installment included two illustrations and a selection of advertisements. This form of publishing had been devised early in Dickens's career and used regularly up until the mid 1850s. At that point, Dickens moved to publishing his novels largely in weekly (as opposed to monthly) serial form; his return to the older format with Our Mutual Friend meant that he now had to...
Join Now to View Premium Content
GradeSaver provides access to 2368 study guide PDFs and quizzes, 11018 literature essays, 2792 sample college application essays, 926 lesson plans, and ad-free surfing in this premium content, “Members Only” section of the site! Membership includes a 10% discount on all editing orders.
