The Black Dwarf

''The Black Dwarf'' (1817–1824) was a satirical radical journal of early 19th century Britain. It was published by Thomas Jonathan Wooler, starting in January 1817 as an eight-page newspaper, then later becoming a 32-page pamphlet. It was priced at 4 d a week until the Six Acts brought in by the Government in 1819 to suppress radical unrest forced a price increase to 6d. In 1819 it was selling in issues of roughly 12,000 to working people such as James Wilson at a time when the reputable upper-middle class journal ''Blackwood's Magazine'' sold in issues of roughly 4,000 copies.

Contents

Its provocative content included iconoclastic satire, parodies and humour supporting Reform and working class interests, publishing their popular culture of poetry, ballads and songs to support radical ideas and the culture they supported, as well as reporting speeches and quotations, questions, answers and parodies. It helped to destabilise lower class deference to the political classes and increase their literary sophistication, providing style rather than explicit analysis. An 1817 biblical parody attacked the House of Lords; "The LORD giveth, and the LORDS taketh away. Blessed be the way of the Lords". When the radical William Hone was tried for publishing a parody of parts of the Book of Common Prayer and acquitted in January 1818, Wooler based his response on " This Is the House That Jack Built":

Thomas Jonathan Wooler started publishing ''The Black Dwarf'' as a new radical unstamped journal in response to the Gagging Acts passed by the British government in January 1817. Within three months he was arrested and charged with seditious libel. The prosecution claimed that Wooler had written articles libelling Lord Liverpool's government, but Wooler, defending himself, convinced the jury that though he had published the article he had not written it, and so was not guilty. Throughout, Wooler continued to publish ''The Black Dwarf'' and to use it to argue for parliamentary reform. At a time when ''The Black Dwarf'' was banned, distribution was taken on by Richard Carlile.

After his main patron Major John Cartwright died in 1824 Wooler gave up publishing the journal on a despondent note: "In ceasing his political labours, the ''Black Dwarf'' has to regret one mistake, and that a serious one. He commenced writing under the idea that there was a PUBLIC in Britain, and that public devotedly attached to the cause of parliamentary reform. This, it is but candid to admit, was an error".

Twentieth century revival

''Black Dwarf'' as a title was resurrected in 1968 as a New Leftist publication.

References

External links

Thomas Wooler

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Satirical magazines published in the United Kingdom
Magazines established in 1817
1824 disestablishments in the United Kingdom
1817 establishments in the United Kingdom
Magazines disestablished in 1824
Defunct magazines published in the United Kingdom