Farewell Series of Readings

Charles Dickens, as well as writing, had a passion for performance and directed this passion into reading his work publicly in theatres that held thousands of people (Callow para 4). Dickens began public reading in the 1840s, but by 1868, he was ready to retire as he was becoming too weak to continue performing (Callow para 3-6). Dickens put a notice in All the Year Round so that readers of the periodical would understand that he wished to retire from public reading: “the determination of Mr. Dickens finally to retire from Public Reading” (Dickens 216). This notice is found at the end of the August 8, 1968 installment of the All the Year Round, after the final chapter of The Moonstone. Readers of All the Year Round would have just read the final installment of The Moonstone, a series they had so long been following, and then they would read Dickens’ retirement notice. There would be a grand sense of finality for the audience after reading the August 8,1868 installment of All the Year Round and it would make The Moonstone feel concluded, despite the final line of the section suggesting that the Moonstone would have more adventures.