Deciphering Dickens

Charles Dickens left behind a remarkably complete record of his literary output, including not just handwritten drafts for most of the major novels but also marked-up page proofs, serial publications, illustrations, theatrical adaptations and records of his own legendary performances from his work. These manuscripts, many of which were gifted to the V&A by Dickens's agent and executor John Forster, are a uniquely powerful resource not just for showing the hand of history's greatest novelist but for revealing that author's mind at work: the dense thicket of revisions allows us to see his first thoughts, changes of mind and innumerable refinements of expression.

The Dickens archives present an almost unique resource for understanding the entire process of textual composition, production, reproduction and dissemination, using an exceptionally famous author and going from 'planning to proofs'.

For more information about the project, see: https://www.vam.ac.uk/info/deciphering-dickens