"Periodical Essayist"としてのディケンズ : 『ニコラス・ニクルビー』におけるスケッチ的側面とニクルビー夫人について(関西英文学研究)

抄録

In the preface to Nicholas Nickleby, Charles Dickens calls himself a "periodical essayist," which seems strange if, as recent critics have noted, he really hoped to progress from a sketch writer to a novelist. My aim in this paper is to reveal why Dickens identifies himself with a "periodical essayist," by paying attention to his characteristics as a sketch-writer. As some pieces in Sketches by Boz reveal, what characterizes Dickens as a sketch writer is his instant reaction to the objects. By not caring about serious problems which lurk behind them, he enjoys their unusual appearances. Such attitude can be seen also in the scenes of Dotheboys Hall, in which he tries to evoke laughter from their grotesque appearance, while his main concern is to condemn the seriousness of child abuse. Dickens seems to attain two different aims successfully. However, at the same time, description of Smike reveals its difficulty. In the latter half of the book, Dickens seems to concentrate on developing a melodramatic plot centered on conflict between Nicholas and Ralph, and the narrator ceases to interpolate humorous comments from a different viewpoint from Nicholas. Yet Mrs Nickleby repeatedly makes the melodrama inadequate by deconstructing seriousness of each event with her foolish remarks based on misunderstanding of the circumstance. By presenting her views, Dickens in fact tries to make the reader laugh as he does in the scenes of Dotheboys. From the role of Mrs Nickleby, we can see the reason he identifies himself with a "periodical essayist." Although contemporary critics criticize the lack of coherence in Nickleby, Dickens feels dissatisfied at having to restrain himself from giving a humorous flavor in order to knit together the story coherently. Like Nickleby, his later, well-knitted novels include comic aspects despite seriousness of the theme. Therefore, Dickens evolved as a novelist without restraining viewpoint of a sketch writer.