Our Mutual Friend is the last of Charles Dickens' novels, published serially between 1864 and 1865. Like many of Dickens' works, it addresses social concerns like how the poor and destitute are treated, but tempers these more serious themes with humor and satire. The novel opens with the retrieval of the body of a drowned man from the Thames river—a body which is identified as that of John Harmon, heir to his father's huge fortune. What happens to this fortune and to the other people named in the will make up a large part of the complex plot. Though Our Mutual Friend wasn't especially well regarded at the time of publication, its critical reputation has improved in later years. It has been adapted into several silent films, but its length and the complexity of its plot make it more suitable for long-form television, with several successful adaptations having been made. Charles Dickens (died 1870) was one of the most distinguished authors of the Victorian age. Their work has endured across generations and continues to be read and studied worldwide. As a work of classic literary fiction, Our Mutual Friend exemplifies the narrative craft and social insight that defined great storytelling of its era. Literary fiction of this period was characterized by careful attention to character psychology, social milieu, and the moral questions that animated public discourse.
