Pt 23 - Sylvia Lopez
Reading The Moonstone as a complete paperback novel is vastly different from experiencing it as a serialized work in a Victorian magazine. Much like watching weekly episodes of a streaming show, Victorian readers consumed the story chapter-by-chapter as it was released in separate issues. In addition, these magazines were not solely dedicated to the story; they included other articles, stories, advertisements, and even illustrations, all of which influenced how the audience interpreted the serialized content. Wilkie Collins's The Moonstone, often celebrated as the first modern English detective novel, reveals the influence of publication contexts on a reader's interpretation through its serialized releases in the U.S. through Harper's Weekly and in the U.K. through Charles Dickens's All the Year Round. In the U.S., Harper's Weekly added to the novel a framework of subtle political propaganda, advertisements, and consumerism, reflecting the Civil War-era tensions and Radical Republican agendas, shaping readers’ perspectives on racial and political issues. Mary Elizabeth Leighton and Lisa Surridge, in their article The Transatlantic Moonstone: A Study of the Illustrated Serial in Harper's Weekly, state that Harper’s inclusion of articles, advertisements, and visual narratives made The Moonstone into a broader cultural conversation, enhancing its role for political and social commentary. On the contrary, the U.K.’s All the Year Round, under Dickens’s writing and guidance, emphasized deep narratives with minimal distractions, placing The Moonstone as a centerpiece of immersive storytelling. I argue that The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins demonstrates how publication context shaped reader's interpretations, with Harper's Weekly in the U.S. inserting the novel in political propaganda and consumerism reflective of Civil War-era tensions, while Dickens’s All the Year Round in the U.K. prioritized immersive, literature-focused storytelling. This contrast highlights the influence each publication had with its respective audiences.
The serialized publication of The Moonstone in Harper's Weekly unfolded during one of the most politically charged periods in U.S. history: the Reconstruction period following the Civil War. During this time, tensions between Radical Republicans in Congress and President Andrew Johnson over civil rights and Reconstruction policies culminated in his impeachment in 1868, symbolizing broader struggles over race and power. The reported illustration depicts a clear and powerful image of the Republican Convention in sension, in which they publicly nominated General Ulysses S. Grant as a presidential candidate, who was in favour of Congress's Reconstruction policies – particularly the adoption of state constitutions in the South that guaranteed civil and political equality. Although equality was still a long way to go, this event set a major change for America at the time in terms of imperialism and racial equity, which is interesting considering The Moonstone chapter presented in the issue and how Erza Jennings was introduced to the readers. Harper's Weekly, deeply engaged in these debates, used its platform to shape public opinion, embedding The Moonstone within this fraught cultural and political landscape. Leighton and Surridge argue that the novel’s themes of imperialism and racial tension mirrored anxieties about racial integration and Reconstruction, while its serialized suspense paralleled the national drama of political uncertainty and societal transformation (Leighton and Surridge 218). Harper's Weekly played an active role in shaping public opinion during this period, embedding The Moonstone within the era’s complex cultural and political landscape. By framing the story within the broader debates about race and power, Harper's Weekly encouraged its readers to see The Moonstone not just as a mystery, but as a lens to engage with the pressing issues of the time. In doing so, Harper's Weekly shows how serialized publication could function as a tool for cultural commentary and political influence, aligning The Moonstone with Reconstruction narratives and inserting its suspenseful drama within the larger story of America's challenging future.
Through its strategic placement of The Moonstone alongside political commentary and illustrations, Harper's Weekly effectively blurred the lines between entertainment and propaganda. The character of Ezra Jennings is central to this dynamic, with his description in the novel heavily emphasizing his ethnic features, as Franklin refers to him as “the most remarkable-looking man that [he has] ever seen” (Collins 312). This portrayal reflects the period's imperialist mindset, as British writers influenced by Britain’s colonization of India began incorporating Indian and mixed-race characters into literature like The Moonstone. However, such depictions were often marked by derogatory language. Jennings’s appearance is described as a “freak of nature” (Collins 312), a term that, according to explanatory notes, means the “problematic” perception of mixed-race individuals (Collins 506). Further, Jennings is described as having a “gipsy complexion” (Collins 313), though the original manuscript indicates he was initially described as a man with African American or Caribbean features due to the manuscript saying he has “the nigger’s complextion.” (Collins 506). Despite these derogatory descriptions, the accompanying illustration presents Jennings in a surprisingly softened and dignified manner. His features are not exaggerated or villainized; instead, he is depicted with a gentle expression, and the wrinkles harshly described in the text are not as prominent. This contrast is striking, particularly because the illustration appears before Jennings is fully described in the novel, as Leighton and Surridge also point out, "The illustrations could be taken in at a glance, before readers ever started looking at the letterpress" (Leighton and Surridge 211). The visual portrayal of Jennings as approachable and trustworthy subverts the racialized language used in the text, positioning him as a character who brings no harm to Franklin or Betteridge. This subtle tactic aligns with Harper’s Weekly’s broader approach to propaganda. By visually depicting Jennings—a character who could be perceived as having African American or Caribbean features—as a trustworthy figure, the publication echoed the political stance of Radical Republicans advocating for equality during the Reconstruction. Additionally, as Leighton and Surridge note, the novel’s sensational elements—such as the theft and return of a culturally significant gem—mirrored American narratives of justice, resonating with a nation grappling with its own Reconstruction challenges (Leighton and Surridge 234). Through this strategic illustration, Harper’s Weekly directly engaged readers, shaping their perspectives on Jennings’s ethnic identity and connecting the novel’s themes to broader social and political debates of the time.
Compared to the propaganda-heavy narrative in Harper’s Weekly, Dickens’s All the Year Round offered a more cohesive and immersive reading experience, prioritizing storytelling over external distractions due to the little-to-no illustrations within the issue. In this excerpt titled “Ague and its Cause,” an unknown author describes in detail about scientific discoveries they have been making and recording them, research such as medicine and microscopic examinations. Instead of bombarding readers with illustrations or propaganda, the magazine paired serialized fiction with thoughtful articles such as “Ague and its Cause,” which delved into the environmental and biological roots of disease. This article, which treated physical illness as a puzzle to be solved through observation and rational inquiry, mirrored The Moonstone’s exploration of hidden societal and moral "illnesses," like colonial exploitation, through the mystery of the stolen diamond. Leighton and Surridge argue that serialized works like The Moonstone both shaped and reflected Victorian intellectual thinking with methodical discovery (Leighton and Surridge 224). While Harper’s Weekly framed the novel with political illustrations, All the Year Round created a focused literary environment that emphasized storytelling as a moral take. Articles within the issue like "Ague and its Cause" complemented this approach, linking the pursuit of scientific truths to The Moonstone’s own themes of moral and societal investigation. This pairing offered Victorian readers not only entertainment but also a lens for understanding and solving the hidden complexities of their world.
The British serialization of The Moonstone in All the Year Round fostered an intimate and immersive reading experience, encouraging readers to engage deeply with its themes and narrative. Unlike Harper’s Weekly, which interspersed its chapters with advertisements and illustrations, All the Year Round presented a cohesive literary environment with no distractions, allowing readers to focus on the text. The "Farewell Series of Readings" by Charles Dickens, as described in All the Year Round, holds significant emotional weight because it marks a deliberate conclusion to Dickens’s public engagement with his readers. In contrast, the stories featured in Harper’s Weekly were heavily based on the political issues relevant to America. The inclusion of Charles Dickens’s "Farewell Series of Readings" in the same issue added an emotional and meaningful touch, serving as a heartfelt goodbye to his audience while echoing themes of finality and loss. Ezra Jennings’s introduction in Chapter 4 provided a narrative “cliffhanger,” his mysterious role hinting at the resolution of hidden truths, which mirrored All the Year Round’s storytelling strategy. Readers, already emotionally connected by Dickens’s farewell, were compelled to continue engaging with the story to uncover how these threads would resolve. This strategy contrasted with Harper’s Weekly’s more fragmented approach, as the British serialization prioritized engagement through text alone. Essays like “Ague and its Cause,” paired within the issue, further reinforced this intellectual framing, encouraging readers to explore both scientific and moral investigations. Collectively, these elements positioned The Moonstone in All the Year Round as not merely entertainment, but as a reflection of Victorian literary and cultural values, giving readers a story that was both deeply moving and thought-provoking.
In conclusion, the publication contexts of The Moonstone profoundly shaped how readers interpreted the story, reflecting on the cultural and political landscapes of the U.S. and U.K. Through Harper’s Weekly, the novel was more than just entertainment—it was tied to the intense political debates of Reconstruction, using illustrations and suspenseful storytelling to engage readers with contemporary racial and political issues. In contrast, Dickens’s All the Year Round emphasized immersive storytelling and intellectual reflection, allowing Victorian readers to dive deeply into the story without distractions while also encouraging reflection on societal and moral questions. These two approaches highlight how the format and context of publication can influence the way a story is understood and appreciated. The Moonstone remains a groundbreaking detective novel, and its serialized history adds another layer of richness to its legacy, showing just how much the medium can shape the message.
Works Cited
Collins, Wilkie. The Moonstone. Oxford University Press, 2019. Print.
Leighton, Mary Elizabeth and Lisa Surridge. "The Transatlantic Moonstone: A Study of the Illustrated Serial in Harper's Weekly." Victorian Periodicals Review, vol. 42 no. 3, 2009, p. 207-243. Project MUSE, https://dx.doi.org/10.1353/vpr.0.0083
Unknown Author. "Ague and Its Cause." All The Year Round. 6 June 1868, p. 606, Dickens Journals Online, https://www.djo.org.uk/all-the-year-round/volume-xix/page-606.html
Unknown Author."Farewell Series of Readings." All The Year Round. 6 June 1868, p. 620, Dickens Journals Online, https://www.djo.org.uk/all-the-year-round/volume-xix/page-620.htm
Unknown Author. “He took a slip of paper from his pocket, and handed it to Betteredge." Harper's Weekly, 6 June, 1868: p. 357. https://ezproxy.lib.ucalgary.ca/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=h9m&AN=67541318&site=ehost-live&kw=true&acc=false&lpId=divl014&ppId=divp0005&twPV=&xOff=0&yOff=0&zm=fit&fs=&rot=0&docMapOpen=true&pageMapOpen=true
Unknown Author. “The Republican Convention In Session.” Harper's Weekly, 6 June, 1868: p. 361. https://ezproxy.lib.ucalgary.ca/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=h9m&AN=67541318&site=ehost-live&kw=true&acc=false&lpId=divl014&ppId=divp0009&twPV=&xOff=0&yOff=0&zm=fit&fs=&rot=0&docMapOpen=true&pageMapOpen=true