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The adage ‘The pen is mightier than the sword’ is universally attributed to Edward Bulwer-Lytton, for a line in his five-act play Richelieu; or the Conspiracy (1839): beneath the rule of men entirely great, the pen is mightier than the sword — for which the play became best known. However, the saying was actually coined Read more
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Here is a brief and necessarily hazy biographical note on the author John Frederick Smith (1803?–1890). He is himself something of a mystery, despite the immense popularity he enjoyed in his day, being described as ‘England’s most popular novelist of the mid-nineteenth century’ (Oxford Dict. Nat. Biography). [J.F. Smith] had a thousand readers where Dickens Read more
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An astute reader of the first chapter wondered whether the red barn of our tale might be the scene of the infamous 1827 murder of Maria Marten, perhaps in order to unfold Maria’s tragic plot. That does not seem to be so, however, given the events that occur in this and the prior instalment, which Read more
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While researching old newspaper archives for a novel set in the Victorian period, I uncovered an intriguing British serialized penny dreadful, The Mystery of the Marsh; or The Red Barn at Deerhurst, which I plan to resurrect in its entirety here on Furin Chime, chapter by chapter. The work is unattributed in the instalments, but Read more
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Reflecting on a post-Tipp-Ex era I ponder questions surrounding the concept of Cyberspace. Remembrance of Tipp-Ex past Be it fortunate or unfortunate, the years locate me at a pivotal time in the evolution of cyberspace. I don’t claim to be among its first denizens. Arpanet, the forerunner of the Internet was “operational” in the United Read more
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