Characterization in The Pickwick Papers
             In "'I thought of Mr. Pickwick, and wrote the first number': Dickens and the Evolution of Character", Robert L. Patten concentrates on the characters in The Pickwick Papers and their development throughout the novel. He points out many techniques Dickens employed in their depiction, and shows readers how Dickens effectively uses different forms of characterization to turn The Pickwick Papers into a novel rather than the "popular" serial publication it was intended to be.
             Patten begins his critique by pointing out that Dickens "felt obliged to defend the change" (18) of the character of Mr. Pickwick. Dickens argued that this only came from the "readers' greater familiarity with Mr. Pickwick" (Patten 18) throughout the novel rather than an actual change. Patten then goes on to question why Dickens felt he had to defend these changes with a series of questions to the reader. One of the questions he asks is "Was it because . . . changes . . . might be another indication of the improvisatory nature of Pickwick's composition?" (Patten 18) This question is answered in the ensuing pages. The question brings up the fact that the serial publication of The Pickwick Papers resulted in inconsistencies in the novel that extended even beyond character. In outlining the production of a nineteenth century popular novel, Victor Ouimette points out that "genuine character was sacrificed in favor of sudden, inexplicable change" (Ouimette 392). Patten expands on this thought, saying that "[Winkle and Snodgrass] change because their characters . . . didn't fit in the novel Dickens evolved" (18).
             Following this, Patten goes on to explain the different ways Dickens illustrates the characters. Some examples are "attitude was conveyed through stance, movement, and gesture" and "class and voc...