When writing Oliver Twist, Dickens immersed
himself in the slang of London’s criminal underworld—and that’s probably where
the name for its titular character came from. Twisted, in
Victorian street slang, meant hanged (as in death on a rope)—an ominous
forewarning about where Oliver’s neck may wind up if he keeps on hanging out
with pickpockets and pimps.
Mr.
Pecksniff (Martin Chuzzlewit)
The Pecksniff surname has become near synonymous with hypocrite, thanks in large part to Dickens’ word associations. Even before readers discover how truly hypocritical Mr. Pecksniff is, his name suggests it all: that of a shifty creature who humbly pecks at the ground one moment before haughtily sniffing the air the next, always testing the wind for his next chance to rise in the pecking order.
The Pecksniff surname has become near synonymous with hypocrite, thanks in large part to Dickens’ word associations. Even before readers discover how truly hypocritical Mr. Pecksniff is, his name suggests it all: that of a shifty creature who humbly pecks at the ground one moment before haughtily sniffing the air the next, always testing the wind for his next chance to rise in the pecking order.
David
Copperfield (David Copperfield)
The secret in David Copperfield’s name lies with the initials, D.C. Flip them around and you get C.D., the same initials as his creator’s, Charles Dickens. That’s no coincidence.David Copperfield was Dickens’ fictionalized self, the closest thing he ever got to writing an autobiography.
The secret in David Copperfield’s name lies with the initials, D.C. Flip them around and you get C.D., the same initials as his creator’s, Charles Dickens. That’s no coincidence.David Copperfield was Dickens’ fictionalized self, the closest thing he ever got to writing an autobiography.
Mr. Pickwick (The Pickwick Papers)
It’s clear that Dickens created Mr. Pickwick to be the symbolic “light” of his first novel. (Pickwick is called “another sun” in Chapter 2). But Victorian readers were also invited to consider him as a sort of figurative candle—an old-fashioned tallow candle, to be precise, with a drooping wick that would constantly need to be picked out to stay alight. Any reader of the novel will get Dickens’ symbolism here, namely that Mr. Pickwick is always getting stuck in gloopy situations, only to keep on shining with some pick-me-up help from his friends.
It’s clear that Dickens created Mr. Pickwick to be the symbolic “light” of his first novel. (Pickwick is called “another sun” in Chapter 2). But Victorian readers were also invited to consider him as a sort of figurative candle—an old-fashioned tallow candle, to be precise, with a drooping wick that would constantly need to be picked out to stay alight. Any reader of the novel will get Dickens’ symbolism here, namely that Mr. Pickwick is always getting stuck in gloopy situations, only to keep on shining with some pick-me-up help from his friends.
Boz
Yes, Boz was Dickens’ self-appointed penname, but Boz was as much a Dickensian character in its own right, cloaking the real Charles Dickens in an aura of whimsy and mystery (that helped sell quite a few stories). But it didn’t actually belong to Dickens. Boz began life as Moses, a pet name for Dickens’ younger brother Augustus. It was Augustus’s unique way of pronouncing Moses (through his nose) that transformed it first to Boses, and then later to Boz. Dickens simply borrowed it as an adult (and must have thanked his lucky stars for speech impediments).
Yes, Boz was Dickens’ self-appointed penname, but Boz was as much a Dickensian character in its own right, cloaking the real Charles Dickens in an aura of whimsy and mystery (that helped sell quite a few stories). But it didn’t actually belong to Dickens. Boz began life as Moses, a pet name for Dickens’ younger brother Augustus. It was Augustus’s unique way of pronouncing Moses (through his nose) that transformed it first to Boses, and then later to Boz. Dickens simply borrowed it as an adult (and must have thanked his lucky stars for speech impediments).
