paper, the True Sun, on its inception in
March 1832. Work for these two papers
engaged him until the autumn of 18347;
simultaneously, he began producing
fictional 'sketches', which were
published in the Monthly Magazine. Late
in 1834 Dickens gave up writing for the
True Sun and the Mirror of Parliament
and began working on the liberal
Morning Chronicle - initially continuing
as a parliamentary reporter, but later
writing some theatre reviews and
covering election campaigns. In a later
speech, Dickens admitted that during
this time he felt "the genuine
fascination of that old pursuit" of
journalism8. Certainly, this early
apprecticeship provided him with a
solid base in journalistic practice.
Between December 1833 and December
1836 Dickens wrote sixty sketches,
which were to be revised and collected
as Sketches by Boz (1836). The
unexpected success of this volume may
have played a large part in helping
Dickens decide that writing fiction
could be a profitable career. Meanwhi
le, Richard Bentley approached him,
asking him to become editor of a new
journal - Bentley's Miscellany. On
November 4 1836 he accepted the post
of editor. On the 5th, he resigned from
the Morning Chronicle. Despite the fact
that he was heavily involved in writing
The Pickwick Papers at this time, Dickens
threw himself into editing the
Miscellany. He commisioned work, saw
the magazine through the presses and
wrote for it. This last had been part of
the understanding between Bentley and
Dickens, but Dickens' sheer enthusiasm
for the project was such that he was
soon in conflict with Bentley over the
issue of editorial control. From the first
issue Dickens produced to the last, as
Harry Stone says, "the two men waged
an unrelenting guerilla war".
Extraordinary Gazette.
BENTLEY'S MISCELLANY,
The conflict arose from Dickens'
particular conception of journal
editorship. For Dickens, the journal was
an extension of himself, "a projection of
his tastes and abilities. He chafed under
an agreement which gave him total
responsibility but denied him total
authority"9. Bentley insisted on
interfering in editorial business - as he
was contractually entitled to do - and
Dickens found this intolerable. He
finally resigned as editor in May 1839,
writing a farewell address for publica
tion in the magazine in which he
complained that it "had always been
literally 'Bentley's' Miscellany, and
35
SPEECH OF HIS MIGHTINESS
ON OPENING THE SECOND NUMBER
OF
edited by boz."
On Wednesday, the first of February, the House
(of Bentley) met for the despatch of business, in pur
suance of the Proclamation inserted by authority in
all the Morning, Evening, and Weekly Papers, ap
pointing that day for the publication of the Second
Number of the Miscellany, edited by lloz."
The second number of Bentley's Miscellany
