Dickens and Ben Jonson

The relationship of Dickens to Ben Jonsons comedies has not been discussed as much as his relationship to Shakespeare, and this article makes a case for suggesting that it is as important. Dickenss interest in the character of Bobadill, which he acted, and his knowledge of The Alchemist, which he had thoughts of staging, and his interest in the phenomenon of Bartholomew Fair are explored here, with a sense of what Jonsons language and the city-based nature of his writing add to Dickens, in producing especially the figure of the braggart, a character-type, emerging from a 'humour', which runs throughout Dickens, and which is examined through an attention to many of the novels and the journalism. It is hoped that the research here will suggest more work to be done, while filling a gap in the existing scholarship. © 2012 The Author. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the English Association; all rights reserved.