Ten of the best wills in literature

At the Guardian, John Mullan named ten of the best wills in literature.

One entry on the list:

Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens

John Harmon's rich father makes a weird will requiring him to marry Bella Wilfer, whom he has never met. His wealth comes from London's rubbish heaps, and when the son appears drowned the will devolves the money on to the working-class Mr and Mrs Boffin, who seem corrupted by their sudden affluence. Meanwhile, villainous Silas Wegg discovers an alternative will.

Read about the other titles on the list.

Our Mutual Friend appears on Iain Sinclair's list of five top novels on the spirit and history of London, Richard Francis' list of the top 10 pubs in literature, and Sophie Ward's six best books list.

In the season two finale of Lost, the character Desmond says he carries around Charles Dickens' Our Mutual Friend because he wants that to be the last book he reads before dying.

--Marshal Zeringue