Sketches by Boz

### Veröffentlichung

1833-1836 in Zeitungen und Zeitschriften;; als Buch: 1836 (in zwei Bänden); in einem Band 1839

### Verleger

John Macrone, St. James's Square

**Sketches by Boz, Illustrative of Every-Day Life and Every-Day People** (Skizzen von Boz, Bilder aus dem Alltagsleben; in deutscher Übersetzung auch als *Londoner Skizzen* erschienen)  ist der Titel eines Buches, in dem Stimmungsbilder, Charakterskizzen und Kurzgeschichten gesammelt sind, die Charles Dickens zwischen 1833 und 1836 in verschiedenen Londoner Zeitungen und Zeitschriften veröffentlicht hatte. In Buchform erschienen die Skizzen 1836 in zwei Bänden sowie später, 1837, in einem Band.

In deutscher Sprache erschienen als *Londoner Skizzen*, übersetzt von H. Roberts, Weber, Leipzig 1839

## Die wichtigsten Personen

### Our Parish

* The Three Miss Browns
* Mr. Bung, a broker (Gehilfe des Auspfänders), candidate for beadle
* Mr. Dawson, a surgeon
* Fixum (aliias Smith) Bungs master (ein "Auspfänder")
* Mrs Johnson Parker,, the founde rof al Ladies Society
* Captain Purday, a bluff, half-pay naval officer
* Mr. Robinson, a gentleman in a public office
* Simmons, a parish beadle
* Mr Thomas Spruggins, unterlegener Kandidat für das Amt des Gemeindedieners
* Mrs Spruggins, seine Ehefrau
* William, a young man, who overtastks himself in supporting a widowed mother
* The Four Miss Willises,, four sisters woh seem to have no seperate existence

### Scenes

* Mr. William Barker, a waterrman, afterwords an omnibus cad
* The Captain, a sparre, squeaking, drinking old man
* Dando, a boatman
* Mr. Green, an aeronaut, in Vauxhall-Gardens
* Mr. Henry, a pawnbroker near Drura-Lane
* Jane, the Hebe of *Bellamy's*
* Jem Larkins, an amateur actor in the genteel comedy line
* Mr. Loggins, an amateur actor who takes the part of *Macbeth*
* Mary, a quallelsome woman in the *Seven Dials*
* Nicholas, butler of *'Bellamy's*
* Sarah, a vixenish woman, who falls out witth Mary
* Thomas Sludberry, a litttle red-faced man, in the comic line
* Mr. Sluffen, a speaker at the Max-day chimney-sweeps' dinner
* Mr. Smuggins, s round faces man, in the comic line
* Honest Tom, a metropolitan member of the House of Commons
* Miss Woolford, a circus-rider at Astley's

### Characters

* Bella, a young girl, forced into a life of crime
* Signor Billsmithi, a dancing-master
* Miss Billsmithi, his daughter
* Mr. Augustus Cooper, a young man in the oil and colour business
* Mr. Dobble, a clerk in a public office
* Miss Julia Dobble, his daughter
* Mr. John Dounce, a retired glove and brace maker
* Mr. Ellis, a sharp-nosed man, with a soft voice
* Emily, a hardened and depraved young woman
* Miss Jemima Evans, a shoe-binder and straw-bonnet maker
* Mr. Harris, a law-stationer
* Mr. Jennings, a robe-maker
* Mr. Jones, a barrister's clerk
* Miss Amelia Martin, an ambitious milliner and dressmaker
* Mr. Thomas Potter, a clerk in the city
* Mr. Rogers, a *palrour orator*, with a confident manner

Mr. Smith, a poor clerk, a passive and enduring man

* Mr. Robert Smithers, a clerk in the City
* Mr. Tupple, a junior clerk
* Mr. Samuel Wilkins, a carpenter

### Tales

##### The Boarding House

* Mrs. Bloss, the wealthy widow of a cork-cutter
* Mr. Calton,, a vain, selfish, superannuated beau
* Mr. John Evenson, a morose and discontented man
* Mr. Gobler, a lazy, selfish hypochondriac
* Mr. Septimus Hicks, a tall, white-faced, spectacles young man
* Mrs. Maplesone, a shrewd, enterprising, good-looking widow of fifty
* ,Miss Julia und Miss Mathilda Maplesone, ihre Töchter
* Mr. Frederick O'Bleary , ein patriotischer ire
* Mr. Simpson, an empty-headed young man
* Mr. Tibbs, a short man with a long face
* Mrs. Tibbs, his wife; mistress of the boarding-house
* Mr. Alfred Tomkins, clerk in a wine-house
* Mr. Wisbottle , a clerk in the Woods and Forest Office
* Dr. Wosky , a medical man

### Mr. Minns and his Cousin

* Mr. Brogson, an elderly gentleman
* Mr. Octavius Budden, a retired corn-chandler
* Mrs. Amelia Budden, his wife
* Mr. Jones, a sharp, talkative little man
* Mr. Augustus Minns, a clerk in Somerset House; an old bachelor

### Sentiment

* Mr. Theodosius Butler, a supposed wonderful genius
* Mrs. Amelia Crumpton, ; a very tall, thin, precise maiden lady
* Ms. Maria Crumpton; her sister, and exact counterpart
* Mr. Dadson, writing-master at the Miss Crompton'' school
* Mrs. Dadson, his wife
* Cornelius Brook Dingwall, Esq., MP, a haughty, portentous man
* Mrs. Brook Dingwall, his wife
* Miss Brook Dingwall, their romantic daughter
* Mr. Hilton, master of the ceremonies at the hall
* Miss Emily Smithers, the belle of Minerva House
* Miss Caroline Wilson, her bosom friend

### The Tuggses of Ramsgate

* Lieutenant Slaughter, a friend of Captain Waters
* Mr. Joseph Tuggs, a little pursey London grocer
* Mrs. Tuggs; his wife, in charge of the cheese dpartment
* Miss Charlotte Tuggs, their only daughter
* Captain Walter Waters, a pretended military man, and a sharper
* Mrs. Melinda Waters, his wife

### Horatio Sparkins

* Mr. Jacob Barton, brother of Mrs. Malderton, a grocer
* Mr. Plamwell, a friend of Mr. Malderton's, a little toad-eater
* Mr. Malderton, a successfull speculator
* Mrs. Malderon, his wife, a little fat woman
* Miss Marianne and Miss Teresa Malderton, their daughters
* Mr. Frederick and Mr. Thomas Malderton, their sons
* Mr. Horatio Sparkins, a young man of dashing manners and appearance

### The Steam Excursion

* Mrs. Briggs, a widow lady
* Miss, Miss Julia and Miss Kate Briggs, her daughters
* Mr. Alexander and Mr. Samuel Briggs, her sons
* Mr Edkins, a young gentleman of the Inner Temple.
* Mr. Hardy, a stunt,, middle-aged gentleman; a practical joker
* Captain Helves, a military gentleman with a bass voice
* Mr. Percy Noakes, a smart law-student
* Mrs. Taunton, a good-looking widow of fifty
* Miss Emily and Miss Sophia Taunton, her daughters

### The Great Winglebury Duel

* Miss Emily Brown, a young lady with more than one lover
* Mr. Horace Hunter, rival of Mr. Trott for the hand of Miss Brown
* Miss Julia Manners, a buxom and wealthy woman of forty

## Inhalt

In der Ausgabe *The New Oxford Illustrated Dickens* (1957) sind die Skizzen in vier Hauptgruppen gegliedert: "Our Parish" (*Unsere Pfarrgemeinde*), "Scenes" (*Szenen*), "Characters" (*Charaktere*) und "Tales" (*Erzählungen*).

Beispiele für die gesammelten Skizzen, aus denen sich Art und Charakter der Texte ersehen lässt, sind etwa *Die Straßen am Morgen, Die Straßen am Abend, Scotland Yard, Droschkenstand, Schnapsläden, Londoner Vergnügungen,Der Fluss, Kriminalgericht, Jahrmarkt in Greenwich* sowie, bei den Charakterskizze*n, Der Hilfspfarrer, Die alte Dame, Der Küster, Der Schulmeister, Unser Nachbar nebenan* usw.

In der Literaturkritik gilt das Buch als realistisches Bild der frühviktorianischen Wirklichkeit im damaligen London. Bei der Darstellung der sozial Aufsteigenden und ihrer Bediensteten nimmt Dickens überwiegend die Perspektive der Letzteren ein. Für Armut, Krankheit, Gewalt, Verbrechen, Schmutz und Korruption macht er eine ungerechte Sozialordnung verantwortlich. Insbesondere im bekanntesten Stück der Sammlung, *A Visit to Newgate*, wird der Journalist Dickens zum Zeitkritiker.

## Weblinks

* Artikel in der englischsprachigen Wikipedia