No Thoroughfare

Dickens, Charles, 1812-1870Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.6

Word count: 271K words
Chapters: 28

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.No Thoroughfare by Wilkie Collins and Charles DickensAuthor: Dickens, Charles, 1812-1870,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Aug 1, 1998

Editor's review

No Thoroughfare, co-written by Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins, first appeared as a Christmas story and bears a clear theatrical quality. The story revolves around mistaken identity, inheritance, and scheming, with tight pacing and skillfully set suspense; the strengths of both authors—Dickens's character portrayal and Collins's plot momentum—interweave in the text. Its value lies in letting readers see how Victorian popular narrative balanced sentimentality with craft, and it also offers a sample for observing how two novelists collaborated. The length is moderate, making it a lightweight entry point for understanding 19th-century British sensation fiction. While reading, pay attention to the detailed groundwork laid when characters are introduced; many foreshadowings only emerge in later chapters.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy works by Dickens or Collins
Literature enthusiasts interested in Victorian popular sensation fiction
English literature students who want to study how the two authors collaborated
Learners who need a medium-length English original for extracurricular reading

Not a good fit for

Readers who seek profound social critique and disdain plot-driven works
Those weary of classic tropes such as mistaken identity and inheritance schemes
Beginners whose English reading ability is not yet sufficient for 19th-century long sentences

Reading tips

Before reading, learn about the background of the Christmas story and its stage adaptations to better grasp the stylistic features.
Note the differences in the two authors' styles and try to guess who wrote each chapter.
When character relationships become complicated, jot down identities and family relations to avoid confusion.
After finishing, compare it with related stage adaptation materials to appreciate the text's theatricality.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Was this book completed by Dickens alone?

No. It was a collaboration between Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins, who conceived it together and shared the writing; the story was first published as a Christmas story and was later adapted for the stage.

What are the main highlights of the story?

The highlights lie in the plot design interweaving mistaken identity and inheritance schemes, and the narrative tension created by the two authors' complementary styles. It does not aim for profound social analysis but excels in suspense, coincidence, and dramatic scenes.

Is it suitable for whole-class reading?

It can serve as supplementary reading for Victorian popular fiction. With moderate length and a clear plot, it is suitable for discussing plot structure and collaborative writing, but teachers need to provide background notes to help students understand the historical context.

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About the author

Dickens, Charles, 1812-1870 Author

Charles Dickens (Dickens, Charles, 1812-1870) is one of the most influential novelists in the history of English literature. The library holds 115 of his works, including novels, novellas and short stories; representative titles include The Pickwick Papers, Oliver Twist, David Copperfield and A Christmas Carol. He was known for serialized fiction, with plot twists and vivid characters, and he used humor and satire to portray Victorian society, paying particular attention to poor children, the lower classes and education, and his works often convey warmth and moral concern. In the library his works are often classified under "inspirational growth," and many of his novels have been adapted for stage and screen and are widely circulated. Public information about the details of his life is limited, so no speculation is offered here.