Thackerayana: Notes and Anecdotes — Context and Discussion

Voyage from India -- Touching at St. Helena -- School days at the Charterhouse -- Early Reminiscences -- Sketches in School Books -- Boyish Scribblings -- Favourite Fictions -- Youthful Caricatures -- Souvenirs of the Play 1

Early Favourites -- The 'Castle of Otranto' -- Rollin's 'Ancient History' 18

Thackeray's last visit to the Charterhouse -- College days -- Pendennis at Cambridge -- Sketches of Universities -- Sporting subjects -- Etchings at Cambridge -- Pencillings in old authors -- Pictorial Puns -- The 'Snob,' a Literary and Scientific Journal -- 'Timbuctoo,' a Prize Poem 47

Early Favourites -- Fielding's 'Joseph Andrews' -- Imitators of Fielding -- The 'Adventures of Captain Greenland' -- 'Jack Connor' -- 'Chrysal; or, the Adventures of a Guinea' 71

Continental Rambles -- A Stolen Trip to Paris -- Residence at Weimar -- Contributions to Albums -- Burlesque State -- German Sketches and Studies -- The Weimar Theatre -- Goethe -- Souvenirs of the Saxon city -- 'Journal kept during a Visit to Germany' 89

Thackeray's Predilections for Art -- A Student in Paris -- First Steps in the Career -- An Art Critic -- Introduction to Marvy's 'English Landscape Painters' -- Early Connection with Literature -- Michael Angelo Titmarsh, a contributor to 'Fraser's Magazine' -- French Caricature under Louis Philippe -- Political Satires -- A Young Artist's life in Paris -- Growing Sympathy with Literature 114

'Elizabeth Brownrigge: a Tale,' 1832 -- 'Comic Magazine,' 1832-4 -- 'National Standard and Literary Representative,' 1833-4 -- 'Flore et Zéphyr, Ballet Mythologique,' 1836 -- On the Staff of 'Fraser's Magazine' -- Early Connection with Maginn and his Colleagues -- The Maclise Cartoon of the Fraserians -- Thackeray's _Noms de Plume_ -- Charles Yellowplush as a Reviewer -- Skelton and his 'Anatomy of Conduct' -- Thackeray's Proposal to Dickens to illustrate his Novels -- Gradual Growth of Thackeray's Notoriety -- His Genial Admiration for 'Boz' -- Christmas Books and Dickens's 'Christmas Carol' -- Return to Paris -- Execution of Fieschi and Lacénaire -- Daily Newspaper Venture -- The 'Constitutional' and 'Public Ledger' -- Thackeray as Paris Correspondent -- Dying Speech of the 'Constitutional' -- Thackeray's Marriage -- Increased Application to Literature -- The 'Shabby Genteel Story' -- Thackeray's Article in the 'Westminster' on George Cruikshank -- First Collected Writings -- The 'Paris Sketch-Book' -- Dedication to M. Aretz -- 'Comic Tales and Sketches,' with Thackeray's original Illustrations -- The 'Yellowplush Papers' -- The 'Second Funeral of Napoleon,' with the 'Chronicles of the Drum' -- The 'History of Samuel Titmarsh and the great Hoggarty Diamond' -- 'Fitzboodle's Confessions' -- The 'Irish Sketch-Book,' with the Author's Illustrations -- The 'Luck of Barry Lyndon' -- Contributions to the 'Examiner' -- Miscellanies -- 'Carmen Lilliense' -- 'Notes on a Journey from Cornhill to Grand Cairo,' with the Author's Illustrations -- Interest excited in Titmarsh -- Foundation of 'Punch' -- Thackeray's Contributions -- His comic Designs -- The 'Fat Contributor' -- 'Jeames's Diary' 124

Increasing reputation -- Later writings in 'Fraser' -- 'Mrs. Perkins's Ball,' with Thackeray's Illustrations -- Early Vicissitudes of 'Pencil Sketches of English Society' -- Thackeray's connection with the Temple -- Appearance of 'Vanity Fair,' with the Author's original Illustrations -- Appreciative notice in the 'Edinburgh Review' -- The impression produced -- 'Our Street,' with Titmarsh's Pencillings of some of its Inhabitants -- The History of Pendennis,' illustrated by the Author -- 'Dr. Birch and his Young Friends,' with illustrations by M. A. Titmarsh -- 'Rebecca and Rowena' -- The Dignity of Literature and the 'Examiner' and 'Morning Chronicle' newspapers -- Sensitiveness to Hostile Criticism -- The 'Kickleburys on the Rhine,' with illustrations by M. A. Titmarsh -- Adverse bias of the 'Times' newspaper -- Thackeray's reply -- An 'Essay on Thunder and Small Beer' 161

Commencement of the Series of Early Essayists -- Thackeray as a Lecturer -- The 'English Humourists of the Eighteenth Century' -- Charlotte Brontë at Thackeray's Readings -- The Lectures repeated in Edinburgh -- An invitation to visit America -- Transatlantic popularity -- Special success attending the reception of the 'English Humourists' in the States -- 'Week-day Preachers' -- Enthusiastic Farewell -- Appleton's New York edition of Thackeray's Works; the Author's introduction, and remarks on International Copyright -- Thackeray's departure -- Cordial impression bequeathed to America -- The 'History of Henry Esmonde, a story of Queen Anne's Reign' -- The writers of the Augustan Era -- The 'Newcomes' -- An allusion to George Washington misunderstood -- A second visit to America -- Lectures on the 'Four Georges' -- The series repeated at home -- Scotch sympathy -- Thackeray proposed as a candidate to represent Oxford in Parliament -- His liberal views and impartiality 171