Temporizing Dickens

This essay shows how Dickens's experiences as a parliamentary and newspaper reporter influenced the style of his early fictional work. Drawing on reports in Hansard, The Times, and the Morning Chronicle, it explores how representations of public speaking in Dickens's fiction attempt to negotiate between party-political topicality and a satire which looks beyond the author's immediate political commitments. In particular, it examines Dickens's interest in addresses to the moment in political oratory, and shows how this interest leads to a consideration of how time should be depicted and clocked in ‘A Parliamentary Sketch’ and The Pickwick Papers.