“David Copperfield” (post 5) by Charles Dickens: “Mr. Dick” is an abbreviation of “Mr. Dickens”

Wikipedia has an entry on Mr. Dick (1), but the published commentary it reviews fails to note certain issues.

First, Mr. Dick is not simply a diminutive of the character’s first name, Richard. It is an abbreviation of the author’s name, Mr. Dickens, which, surprisingly, makes this character a kind of spokesman for the author.

Second, the main thing that Mr. Dick does regarding David Copperfield is to second Aunt Trotwood’s notion (post 4) that David’s first name be changed to Trotwood. Thus, this author’s spokesman seconds the idea of giving the protagonist a pseudonym. But what is the significance of pseudonyms?

Pseudonyms are often discussed in this blog, because the names of alternate personalities in multiple personality are pseudonyms. And for an author’s spokesman to give the protagonist a pseudonym raises the issue of multiple personality. Combine this with Dickens’s use of the word “scattered” (see post 3), and the attentive reader will realize that Dickens, either intentionally or inadvertently (due to his multiple personality trait) has raised the issue of multiple personality.

1. Wikipedia. “Mr. Dick.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Dick