Thomas Peckett Prest

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Thomas Peckett (or Preskett) Prest (probable dates 1810–1859) was a British hack author. He was a prolific producer of penny dreadfuls and was known as a skilled author in the horror genre.[1] He is now remembered as the co-creator (with James Malcolm Rymer) of the fictional Sweeney Todd, the 'demon barber' immortalized in his The String of Pearls, as well as the co-author with Rymer of Varney the Vampire. He wrote under pseudonyms including Bos, a takeoff of Charles Dickens' own pen name, Boz. He also was noted to have a style similar to Dickens.[2] Before joining Edward Lloyd's publishing factory, Prest had made a name for himself as a talented musician.

Style

Prest was noted to follow a similar style to Dickens, often outright imitating his work like he did with Oliver Twist.[2][3] His work was also noticed to not have as strong a narrative or continuity throughout its story, little description and lots of action in order to ensure people would keep returning week after week and not grow bored.[3] He also was noted to avoid the social commentary that Dickens often had as an important element of his work.[2] It is possible he also borrowed idea from French folklore as the character Sweeney Todd has been noted to bear similarities with a popular French folktale at the time of it being published.[1]

Authorship question

The String of Pearls is usually attributed to either Prest or James Malcolm Rymer, however other contenders such as George Mcfarren or Edward Lloyd have been suggested.[2][1] The first claim of Prest being the author came in 1894 followed by a 1901 response claiming that Rymer was the true author.[4] Although historically attributed to Prest recently arguments have been made that Rymer should be considered the true author of The String of Pearls.[1][4][5] It is commonly noted that these works were cooperatively written and so they usually are both considered co-authors of the piece.[4][5]

Bibliography

  • The Miller and His Men; or, The Bohemian Banditti (1831)
  • The Penny Pickwick (1839) (lampoon of The Pickwick Papers)
  • Gallant Tom: or, the Perils of a Sailor (1841)
  • The Life and Adventures of Oliver Twiss, the Workhouse Boy (1841) (lampoon of Oliver Twist)[2][3]
  • David Copperful (a lampoon of David Copperfield)
  • Nickelas Nicklebery (a lampoon of Nicholas Nickleby)
  • Ela, the Outcast; or, The Gipsy of Rosemary Dell. A Romance of Thrilling Interest (1841)[4]
  • The Hebrew Maiden; or, The Lost Diamond (1841)
  • Ernestine de Lacy; or, The Robber's Foundling. An Old English Romance (1842)
  • Adeline; or, The Grave of the Forsaken. A Domestic Romance (1842)
  • The Smuggler King; or, The Foundling of the Wreck. A Nautico-Domestic Romance (1844)
  • Gilbert Copley, the Reprobate. A Domestic Romance (1844)
  • The String of Pearls: A Romance (1846)
  • The Death Ship, Or, The Pirate's Bride and the Maniac of the Deep: A Nautical Romance (1846)
  • The Jew and the Foundling: A Romance (1847)
  • The Harvest Home: A Romance (1850)
  • The Brigand; or, The Mountain Chief: A Romance (1851)
  • The Robber's Wife: A Domestic Romance (1852)
  • Schamyl; or, The Wild Woman of Circassia. An Original Historical Romance (1856)
  • The Maniac Father; or, The Victims of Seduction
  • Varney the Vampire, or the Feast of Blood
  • Vice and its Victims; or, Phoebe the Peasant's Daughter
  • The Sketch Book (imitation of Dicken's Sketche's by Boz)[6]
  • The Gipsy of Rosemary Dell[4]

External links

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Simpson, Jacqueline (2008). "Seeking the Lore of the Land". Folklore. 119 (2): 131–141. doi:10.1080/00155870802056936. JSTOR 40646446. S2CID 162117834.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Weltman, Sharon Aronofsky (2011). "Boz versus Bos in "Sweeney Todd": Dickens, Sondheim, and Victorianness". Dickens Studies Annual. 42: 55–76. doi:10.7756/dsa.042.003.55-76. JSTOR 44371462.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Zemka, Sue (2010). "The Death of Nancy "Sikes," 1838–1912". Representations. 110 (1): 29–57. doi:10.1525/rep.2010.110.1.29. JSTOR 10.1525/rep.2010.110.1.29.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Rymer, James Malcolm; Collins, Dick (2010). "Introduction". Sweeny Todd; The String of Pearls. Wordsworth Editions. ISBN 978-1-84022-632-4.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Haugtvedt, Erica (2016). ""Sweeney Todd" as Victorian Transmedial Storyworld". Victorian Periodicals Review. 49 (3): 443–460. doi:10.1353/vpr.2016.0027. JSTOR 26166527. S2CID 164738572.
  6. ↑ Schlicke, Paul (2005). ""Risen Like a Rocket": The Impact of "Sketches by Boz"". Dickens Quarterly. 22 (1): 3–18. JSTOR 45292003.
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