the diary of a nobody by george and weedon grossmith

It helped to establish a genre of humorous popular fiction based on lower or lower-middle class aspirations, and was the forerunner of numerous fictitious diary novels in the later 20th century. In an era of rising expectations within the lower-middle classes, the daily routines and modest ambitions described in the Diary were instantly recognised by its contemporary readers, and provided later generations with a glimpse of the past that it became fashionable to imitate.Īlthough its initial public reception was muted, the Diary came to be recognised by critics as a classic work of humour, and it has never been out of print. Most of its humour derives from Charles Pooter's unconscious and unwarranted sense of his own importance, and the frequency with which this delusion is punctured by gaffes and minor social humiliations.

The Diary was the brothers' only mature collaboration. Before embarking on his stage career, Weedon had worked as an artist and illustrator.

He also established a national reputation as a piano sketch entertainer and wrote a large number of songs and comic pieces. George originated nine of the principal comedian roles in the Gilbert and Sullivan operas over 12 years from 1877 to 1889. The Diary records the daily events in the lives of a London clerk, Charles Pooter, his wife Carrie, his son William Lupin, and numerous friends and acquaintances over a period of 15 months.īefore their collaboration on the Diary, the brothers each pursued successful careers on the stage. It originated as an intermittent serial in Punch magazine in 1888–89 and first appeared in book form, with extended text and added illustrations, in 1892. The Diary of a Nobody is an English comic novel written by the brothers George and Weedon Grossmith, with illustrations by the latter.

The diary of a nobody by george and weedon grossmith