G. W. M. Reynolds Society

*Update – an incorrect version of this post was emailed earlier. See below for the amended version.

I am sure that some of you know that I am the author of the novel Death and Mr Pickwick, which tells the story behind the creation of The Pickwick Papers. In Death and Mr Pickwick, my original intention was to give coverage to GWM Reynolds, but considerations of space meant that I had to cut out all the material about him: I deeply regretted this, but the Pickwick phenomenon is such a vast topic that certain things, alas, had to be dropped.  However, I would like to make amends for the omission of Reynolds by actively promoting the work of the GWM Reynolds Society on the Death and Mr Pickwick facebook page

www.facebook.com/deathandmrpickwick

This page has become the most active Dickensian group BY FAR, exploring all aspects of The Pickwick Papers and Death and Mr Pickwick. I should perhaps say that the material on the page is not intended to be a transient thing in the normal manner of social media: I am gradually transferring all the posts to e-flipbooks, creating a kind of ‘online museum’ of Pickwickiana and Death-and-Mr-Pickwick-iana.  14 volumes of the posts are already available online and in the longer term my intention is to move towards the creation of an online Journal of Death and Mr Pickwick Studies, which would provide the opportunity for in-depth analysis and investigation, and go far beyond the level of facebook posts.

To introduce the GWM Reynolds Society to the followers of my page,  I think it would be a good idea for members to send me some short statements about why Reynolds is fascinating. The statements might range from a single sentence to a paragraph or two. There could be general statements about the importance of Reynolds, but I would also like plenty of very specific examples of things in Reynolds’ life and works that are of interest.  If you are too busy to write something, then simply send me a few lines from a Reynolds work that you like. There could also be visual material, or even videos.  As a general rule, though, the material shouldn’t be too ‘academic’, and the emphasis should be on stimulating people’s interest.  I will collate and edit all the material I receive and  then produce a series of posts about the Society on the Death and Mr Pickwick page.

Please send any material to: stephenjarvis@hotmail.com

If you could aim to get all the submissions to me by the end of the first week of January, the posts could then appear shortly afterwards.

And of course, I hope too that you will start following the Death and Mr Pickwick facebook page! If you have never read Death and Mr Pickwick,  then here is an article about it in The Atlantic magazine https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/06/was-dickens-a-thief/392072/ and here is a review in the British newspaper The Independent:  https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/death-and-mr-pickwick-by-stephen-jarvis-book-review-thrilling-search-for-mr-pickwick-and-those-who-10256163.html 

Best wishes

Stephen Jarvis