Richard 'Dick' Swiveller is a fictional character in the 1841 novel ''

The Old Curiosity Shop ''The Old Curiosity Shop'' is one of two novels (the other being ''Barnaby Rudge'') which Charles Dickens published along with short stories in his weekly serial ''Master Humphrey's Clock'', from 1840 to 1841. It was so popular that New York r ...

'' by

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...

. Initially a comical accessory to the antagonists in the novel, he undergoes a transformation, becoming a key helpmate bridging the depiction of the main characters that are either mostly villainous or goodly in nature.

Character

Initially, Swiveller is the easily manipulated friend of Frederick Trent, the wastrel older brother of

Nell Trent Nell Trent, also referred to as Little Nell, is a fictional character in the 1841 novel ''The Old Curiosity Shop'' by Charles Dickens. The novel's main character, she is portrayed as infallibly good and virginal. An orphan, she leads her grandfath ...

; the clerk of

Sampson Brass Sampson Brass is a fictional character in the 1841 novel ''The Old Curiosity Shop'' by Charles Dickens. He is a corrupt attorney who affects feeling for his clients, whom he then cheats. Among his clients is the villainous Daniel Quilp, the novel's ...

until he is dismissed, and the guardian and eventual husband of the Marchioness. He delights in quoting and adapting literature to describe his experiences. Laid back in character. he seems to have few worries despite owing money to just about everybody. The Marchioness playing cards

Fred Trent wants Swiveller to marry Fred's sister Nell, so he'll have the supposed fortune of their grandfather. They have to wait, since Nell is too young to marry. When the destitute Nell and her grandfather leave London Swiveller is befriended by the villainous

Quilp Daniel Quilp is one of the main antagonists in the novel ''The Old Curiosity Shop'' by Charles Dickens, written in 1840. Quilp is a vicious, ill-tempered and grotesque dwarf and is the villain of the story. Quilp is as near as Dickens ever came to ...

, who to keep him under his eye helps him gain employment as a clerk with the unscrupulous siblings Sally and

. While at the Brasses he meets their little half-starved servant who does not know her own name or age, whom he nicknames "the Marchioness". Swiveller says to her, "Why how thin you are? What do you mean by it?" He instantly rushes to the nearest

public house A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

and returns with a boy, "...who bore in one hand a plate of bread and beef, and in the other a great pot, filled with some very fragrant compound, which sent forth a grateful steam, and was indeed choice

purl A persistent uniform resource locator (PURL) is a uniform resource locator (URL) (i.e., location-based uniform resource identifier or URI) that is used to redirect to the location of the requested web resource. PURLs redirect HTTP clients using H ...

, made after a particular recipe which Mr Swiveller had imparted to the landlord, at a period when he was deep in his books and desirous to conciliate his friendship." He teaches her to play

cribbage Cribbage, or crib, is a card game, traditionally for two players, that involves playing and grouping cards in combinations which gain points. It can be adapted for three or four players. Cribbage has several distinctive features: the cribbag ...

and she later repays his kindness to her by nursing him through a fever. Following Fred's departure from the story Swiveller becomes more independent and eventually is seen as a strong force for good. He becomes aware of the Brasses' villainy and, with the help of the Marchioness, exposes a plot to frame Kit Nubbles and secures his release from prison. Later he inherits money from his aunt, puts the Marchioness through school, renames her 'Sophronia Sphynx' and ultimately marries her. Dickens, Charles. ''The Old Curiosity Shop'', Chapter 73 His transformation from an idle and vacant youth to a key helpmate bridges the depiction of the main characters that are either mostly villainous or goodly in nature.

Notable portrayals

Laurence Harvey Diane Cilento The Small Servant Alcoa Hour 1955

Actors who played the character in early performances on stage include William J. Le Moyne and James Lewis. Other actors to play the role in film and television include: *Willie West in ''

'' (1914) *Colin Craig in ''

'' (1921) *

Reginald Purdell Reginald Purdell (4 November 1896 – 22 April 1953) was an English actor and screenwriter who appeared in over 40 films between 1930 and 1951. During the same period he also contributed to the screenplays of 15 feature films, such as '' Th ...

in ''

'' (1934) *

Laurence Harvey Laurence Harvey (born Zvi Mosheh Skikne; 1 October 192825 November 1973) was a Lithuanian-born British actor and film director. He was born to Lithuanian Jewish parents and emigrated to South Africa at an early age, before later settling in th ...

in 'The Small Servant' episode of ''

The Alcoa Hour ''The Alcoa Hour'' is an American anthology television series that was aired live on NBC from 1955 to 1957. The series was sponsored by Alcoa. Overview Like the ''Philco Television Playhouse'' and ''Goodyear Television Playhouse'' that had prec ...

'' (1955) *

Anton Rodgers Anthony "Anton" Rodgers (10 January 1933 – 1 December 2007) was an English actor and occasional director. He performed on stage, in film, in television dramas and sitcoms. He starred in several sitcoms, including ''Fresh Fields'' (ITV, ...

in ''

'' (1962) *

David Hemmings David Edward Leslie Hemmings (18 November 1941 – 3 December 2003) was an English actor and director. He is best remembered for his roles in British films and television programmes of the 1960s and 1970s, particularly the 1966 mystery film ' ...

in ''

Mister Quilp ''Mister Quilp'' is a 1975 British musical film directed by Michael Tuchner and starring Anthony Newley, David Hemmings and Jill Bennett. It is based on the 1841 novel ''The Old Curiosity Shop'' by Charles Dickens, under which name it was als ...

'' (1975) *Granville Saxton in ''

'' (1979) *

Adam Blackwood Adam Blackwood (1539–1613) was a Scottish author and apologist for Mary, Queen of Scots. Early life He was born in 1539 in Dunfermline, Scotland, to William Blackwood and Helen Reid. The great-nephew of Robert Reid, Bishop of Orkney (1541-1 ...

in ''

'' (1995 TV film) * Geoff Breton in ''

'' (2007)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Swiveller, NDick Charles Dickens characters Literary characters introduced in 1840 The Old Curiosity Shop Male characters in literature Male characters in film Male characters in television Fictional people from the 19th-century Fictional English people