Dickens the Vagabond and the Tradition of Nightwalking
Dickens the Vagabond and the Tradition of Nightwalking

Author(s): Michael Hollington
Subject(s): Theoretical Linguistics, Applied Linguistics, Studies of Literature, Philology, History of Art, British Literature
Published by: Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego
Keywords: Charles Dickens; nightwalking; vagabond; darkness; city
Summary/Abstract: In the context of the history of city streets by night, this essay explores the importance of Dickens’s night walking, when he sought inspiration for his writing in the London streets and their denizens, preferably in foul and dark weather, with sordid sights on display. Passages of Dickens’s novels which reflect this fascination are subjected to in-depth analysis which in particular draws attention to the centrality of the idea of the vagabond, and demonstrates the importance for Dickens of senses other than the visual – of hearing, odour, touch and even taste.

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