Creating a Legacy

Creating a Legacy

In 1858 Dickens set out on his first tour reading extracts and newly created scenes from his stories to paying audiences. Dickens had performed his work in public before but only for charity. Initially he focussed on his Christmas books — A Christmas Carol was in his repertoire from his first charity performance in December 1853 until his last ever performance on 15 March 1870. But he soon expanded to include scenes from The Pickwick Papers, Nicholas Nickleby, David Copperfield and Dombey and Son. 

Whilst there was a financial motive for Dickens’s reading tours — his first tour consisted of 87 readings and raised £3,000, over £300,000 in today’s money — Dickens also recognised the importance of creating his own legacy. Through the tours, Dickens not only reached a new audience by presenting his work in a different format but also kept his stories fresh and vivid in his audience’s minds by enhancing their natural drama.

Dickens’s reading tours filled a demand for dramatic versions of his work in the last decade of his life and helped secure his stories’ place in popular culture.