Charles Dickens Characters

Cross-linked list of over 1500 Charles Dickens characters

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See Charles Dickens' characterssorted by the novel in which they appear

Bumble the beadle by Kyd — Bumble the Beadle

Charles Dickens' characters are some of the most memorable in fiction. Often these characters were based on people that he knew:Wilkins Micawber(Pugh, 1912, p. 182) andWilliam Dorrit(Pugh, 1912, p. 339) (his father),Mrs Nickleby(Pugh, 1912, p. 186) (his mother).

There were a few instances where Dickens based the character too closely on the original and got into trouble, as in the case ofHarold Skimpole inBleak House, based on Leigh Hunt(Ackroyd, 1990, p. 651), andMiss Mowcher inDavid Copperfield, based on his wife's dwarf chiropodist(Johnson, 1952, p. 674-675).

Characters such asScrooge (miserly) andPecksniff (hypocritically affecting benevolence) became defining terms in everyday vernacular.

Charles Dickens' friend and biographer,John Forster, said that Dickens made "characters real existences, not by describing them but by letting them describe themselves"(Forster, 1899, v. 2, p. 343).

Names of Dickens' characters are some of the most unique in fiction. Characters such asSweedlepipe,Honeythunder,Bumble,Pumblechook, andM'Choakumchild are recognizable as Dickensian even by those unfamiliar with the stories.

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Learn more about Charles Dickens:

Charles Dickens' Best Characters

Charles Dickens Characters

Cross-linked list of over 1500 Charles Dickens characters