Little Dorrit · Chapter
Preface to the 1857 Edition explained
In this preface, Dickens reflects on the two years he spent writing Little Dorrit, defending the exaggerated portrayals of the Barnacles, the Circumlocution Office, and Mr.
What happens
In this preface, Dickens reflects on the two years he spent writing Little Dorrit, defending the exaggerated portrayals of the Barnacles, the Circumlocution Office, and Mr. Merdle as grounded in real English experiences such as the Russian war, the Railroad-share epoch, and the public examination of a Royal British Bank. He also describes a visit to the site of the Marshalsea Prison, noting its transformation into a butter shop and Marshalsea Place, and identifies the room where Little Dorrit was born. He concludes by acknowledging his many readers and expressing hope to meet them again.
Themes in this chapter
Bureaucracy and Institutional Corruption
Dickens defends the exaggerated portrayal of the Barnacles and the Circumlocution Office as reflecting real English bureaucratic absurdities.
Wealth and Moral Decline
The conception of Mr. Merdle is linked to financial speculation and bank failures, illustrating moral decay tied to wealth.
Imprisonment and Confinement
Dickens visits the site of the Marshalsea Prison, describing its transformation and the lingering ghosts of its past.
Characters to notice
- Little Dorrit
Dickens identifies the window of the room where Little Dorrit was born and where her father lived so long.
- William Dorrit
Referenced as the father who lived in the Marshalsea room where Little Dorrit was born.
- Mr. Merdle
Dickens defends the extravagant conception of Mr. Merdle as originating after the Railroad-share epoch.
- Ferdinand Barnacle
Part of the Barnacle family and the Circumlocution Office, which Dickens defends as exaggerated fiction.
Key passages
“I have been occupied with this story, during many working hours of two years.”
Dickens spent two years working on Little Dorrit.
Dickens emphasizes the long duration of his work on the novel.
“I found the outer front courtyard, often mentioned here, metamorphosed into a butter shop;”
The outer courtyard of the Marshalsea had been turned into a butter shop.
Dickens describes the physical changes to the prison site.
“I pointed to the window of the room where Little Dorrit was born, and where her father lived so long,”
Dickens identified the window of the room where Little Dorrit was born and her father lived.
Dickens locates the specific room associated with Little Dorrit.