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16 - The theatre

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 August 2012

Marty Gould
Affiliation:
University of South Florida
Sally Ledger
Affiliation:
Birkbeck College, University of London
Holly Furneaux
Affiliation:
University of Leicester
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Summary

From the wafer-kneed Wopsle of Great Expectations to the gin-swilling ‘Infant Phenomenon’ of Nicholas Nickleby, Dickens's novels take frequent aim at the theatre's denizens. The frequency of references to the stage in Dickens's fiction reflects the contemporary cultural significance of the theatre and further attests to Dickens's personal theatrical interests and connections. To speak of Dickens and theatre, then, one must attend to three areas: the theatre as it appeared in Dickens's own time, as it informs his fiction, and as it intersected with his personal life.

There is, to be sure, a strongly antitheatrical prejudice in much of Dickens's writing. In ‘Private Theatres’ (Sketches by Boz, 13), Dickens catalogues the low types who operate and attend such venues: ‘dirty boys, low copying clerks … shop-boys … and a choice miscellany of idle vagabonds. The proprietor of a private theatre may be an ex-scene painter, a low coffee-house keeper, a disappointed eighth-rate actor, a retired smuggler, or uncertified bankrupt.’ If we add to this list the ‘pale, dissipated-looking creatures’ he discovers lounging about Astley's stage doors (Sketches by Boz, 11) or the ‘habitual drunkard[s]’ and ‘host of shabby, poverty-stricken men’ with whom he populates the sets of Christmas pantomimes (Pickwick Papers, ch. 4), we might conclude that Dickens held a singular disdain for the theatre. And yet such an assessment would seem hasty if we were to consider Dickens's close relationships with actors, or his avid theatre-going, or his own playwriting and acting efforts.

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2011

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  • The theatre
  • Edited by Sally Ledger, Birkbeck College, University of London, Holly Furneaux, University of Leicester
  • Book: Charles Dickens in Context
  • Online publication: 05 August 2012
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511975493.018
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  • The theatre
  • Edited by Sally Ledger, Birkbeck College, University of London, Holly Furneaux, University of Leicester
  • Book: Charles Dickens in Context
  • Online publication: 05 August 2012
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511975493.018
Available formats
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Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • The theatre
  • Edited by Sally Ledger, Birkbeck College, University of London, Holly Furneaux, University of Leicester
  • Book: Charles Dickens in Context
  • Online publication: 05 August 2012
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511975493.018
Available formats
×