G. W. M. Reynolds
George William Macarthur Reynolds, born on July 23, 1814, in Sandwich, Kent, England, was a notable English author and editor. The son of Captain Sir George Reynolds, he attended Dr. Nance's school and later Sandhurst Royal Military College before dropping out at the age of sixteen. After inheriting money from his mother, Reynolds moved to Paris, where he became co-owner and editor of The London and Paris Courier, notably becoming the first to pay the acclaimed writer Thackeray for his contributions. He returned to England in 1836 following bankruptcy and was known for his prolific writing, including works that drew inspiration from Charles Dickens, leading to a well-documented rivalry between the two.
Reynolds was a significant figure in 19th-century literature, particularly recognized for his serialized work, The Mysteries of London, published between 1844 and 1856, which combined elements of gothic fiction with socialist themes. He was also involved in the Chartist movement, advocating for labor reforms. Throughout his career, he established several publications, including Reynolds's Miscellany, and contributed to various magazines, showcasing his diverse literary interests. Married to novelist Susanna Pearson and a father of three, Reynolds ultimately retired from writing in 1860 and served as a church warden until his passing on June 17, 1879. His legacy reflects a blend of literary innovation and social activism, making him a compelling figure in the history of English literature.
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G. W. M. Reynolds
- Born: July 23, 1814
- Birthplace: Sandwich, Kent, England
- Died: June 17, 1879
Biography
George William Macarthur Reynolds was born on July 23, 1814, in Sandwich, Kent, England. His father was Captain Sir George Reynolds of the Royal Navy. The younger Reynolds attended Dr. Nance’s school in Ashford, Kent, before going off to Sandhurst Royal Military College at age fourteen. He dropped out in 1830 after inheriting some money from his mother, the daughter of a naval captain herself. He then went to Paris and became part-owner and editor of The London and Paris Courier, an English-language newspaper. There he became the first editor to pay Thackeray for his writing. It was in Paris that he developed his pro-working class beliefs and wrote his first novel.
By 1836, Reynolds had gone bankrupt and returned to England. He soon began writing novels, contributing to Bentley’s Miscellany and editing The Monthly Magazine. At this time, he also joined the ranks of Charles Dickens’s imitators and plagiarists when he wrote The Pickwick Abroad: Or, The Tour in France a sequel to The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, but without the permission of Dickens. The two eventually developed a feud, and Reynolds accused Dickens of using ghost writers.
Reynolds gave up alcohol in 1840 and edited the magazine Teetotaler from 1840 to 1841. He also became active in the Chartist movement, which attempted reform labor conditions through legislation. He edited The London Journal from 1845 to 1846 and contributed the column Etiquette for the Millions, which gave advice on subjects such as table manners. Unfortunately, he had a falling-out with the publisher, and in 1846 started Reynolds’s Miscellany of Romance, General Interest, Science, and Art (later Reynolds’s Miscellany), in which he serialized Wagner: The Werewolf, an erotic horror novel, in 1847.
Reynolds’s best-known work is The Mysteries of London, which was published weekly in 624 installments from 1844 to 1856 and eventually ran to four and a half million words. It made him one of the most prolific and popular novelists of the time. The story of two brothers, it is a gothic soap opera combining sex and violence with socialist political beliefs and was influenced by the Marquis de Sade and by French writer Eugene Sue’s The Mysteries of Paris. Reynolds claimed to have written every word, although some scholars dispute this.
Reynolds married fellow novelist Susanna Pearson in 1848, and they had three children. He created his own publishing house in 1848 and founded Reynolds’s Political Instructor in 1849 and Reynolds’s Weekly Newspaper in 1850. He retired from writing after 1860 and was a church warden at St. Andrews on Well Street in London when he died on June 17, 1879.