Charles Dickens A to Z : The Essential Reference to His Life and Work
All of Dickens' characters and more
Alphabetical cross-linked list of more than 400 Dickens' characters:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Dickens' characters are some of the most
memorable in fiction. Often these characters were based on people that he
knew: Wilkins Micawber and William
Dorrit (his father), Mrs. Nickleby
(his mother). In a few instances Dickens based the character too closely
on the original and got into trouble, as in the case of Harold
Skimpole in Bleak House, based on Leigh Hunt, and Miss
Mowcher in David Copperfield, based on his wife's dwarf chiropodist.
Characters such as Scrooge (miserly) and Pecksniff (hypocritically affecting benevolence) became defining terms in everyday vernacular.
 |
Names of Dickens' characters are some of the most unique in fiction. Characters such as Sweedlepipe, Honeythunder, Bumble, Pumblechook, and M'Choakumchild are recognizable as Dickensian even by those unfamiliar with the stories.
According to John R. Greenfield, in his Dictionary of British Literary Characters, Dickens created 989 named characters during his career. The list below represents only a portion of the characters in Dickens' works and is not meant to be all-inclusive.
When you see this symbol
click to see an original illustration of the character. Then use the Back
button in your browser to return to the page.
