Depictions of London from the Perspectives of Dickens and Wordsworth

Having read many texts for the course, two of the more eye opening readings came from both Charles Dickens in Night Walks and William Wordsworth in The Prelude, Book 7. In both of these works, the authors portray London in similar manners and yet they also have some distinct differences amongst them as well. In Dickens’ work, he discusses how he comes about these walks stating, “Some years ago, a temporary inability to sleep, caused me to walk about the streets all night” (Dickens). In his work, he discusses the people associated with different parts of town, encountering the homeless, the drunks, and the violent people that stumbled onto the streets of London in the early hours of the morning. He discusses where the violence occurs and reveals that the Haymarket is the worst kept part of London. Dickens alludes to the idea that while London may be a lively city, it may not be as great as everyone portrays it to be. Wordsworth also alludes to this idea in his work. In Book 7 of Wordsworth’s The Prelude, we move forward in time six years where Wordsworth continues his narrative by revealing that he was once a temporary resident but now he plans on becoming a permanent one. Wordsworth depicts London based off of a typical walk in the quiet side streets, similar to Dickens. Wordsworth encounters street entertainers, singers, shows, performances, and many other types and races of people that one would encounter in certain neighborhoods. He brings up the monuments to be seen and the museums and art galleries that surround him. Wordsworth’s work seems to take on a more admiring approach of London and the sights and sounds it has to offer. And yet while the major difference between Dickens’ work and Wordsworth’s is the depiction of London and the connotation used, Wordsworth refers to London at one point in this book as an “ant hill,” which to me is a negative connotation and paints a more negative picture of London in my head. Maybe Wordsworth is trying to relate the amount of people and the hustle and bustle of London to an ant hill, or similarly to Dickens, maybe he is also portraying London to be a city that is not as great as everyone may think.