There was a servant in that house, a man who, I understood, was usually with Steerforth, and had come into his service at the University, who was in appearance a pattern of respectability. I believe there never existed in his station a more respectable-looking man. He was taciturn, soft-footed, very quiet in his manner, deferential, observant, always at hand when wanted, and never near when not wanted; but his great claim to consideration was his respectability. He had not a pliant face, he had rather a stiff neck, rather a tight smooth head with short hair clinging to it at the sides, a soft way of speaking, with a peculiar habit of whispering the letter S so distinctly, that he seemed to use it oftener than any other man; but every peculiarity that he had he made respectable. If his nose had been upside-down, he would have made that respectable. He surrounded himself with an atmosphere of respectability, and walked secure in it. It would have been next to impossible to suspect him of anything wrong, he was so thoroughly respectable. Nobody could have thought of putting him in a livery, he was so highly respectable. To have imposed any derogatory work upon him, would have been to inflict a wanton insult on the feelings of a most respectable man. And of this, I noticed- the women-servants in the household were so intuitively conscious, that they always did such work themselves, and generally while he read the paper by the pantry fire.
Such a self-contained man I never saw. But in that quality, as in every other he possessed, he only seemed to be the more respectable. Even the fact that no one knew his Christian name, seemed to form a part of his respectability. Nothing could be objected against his surname, Littimer, by which he was known. Peter might have been hanged, or Tom transported; but Littimer was perfectly respectable.
Last week at an excellent Phoenix Writers’ session on Zoom, we read through the extract above from Dickens’ favourite novel, David Copperfield. Pam gave a brilliant discussion of the above extract and we all found the inspiration to write immediately. Thank you, Pam, for the really helpful inspiration as I have found the anchoring generated by repetition so useful in my own writing.
The use of Dickens in creating your own writing cannot be underestimated, not least because Dickens read his work aloud to ensure the sounds of his writing resonated with the meaning and delivered powerful effects.
So let’s look at the extract and think about how it can help you in your GCSE writing work.
When you read the description of Steerforth’s servant, Littimer, you are immediately aware of Dickens use of repetition. He repeats the word ‘respectable’ over and over to ensure that we notice the degree to which the servant must be respectable!
But of course, the more we read the word respectable, the less we trust its literal meaning. Repetition brings irony and doubt. Repetition creates comedy and rhythm too. The need for such an exhibition of respectability suggests that Littimer is using his pronounced facade of respectability to veil other, less respectable behaviours. It is the delight of the technique that is so distinctive. We feel we are making our minds up about a character as he performs his respectability. Self-hood is performed here rather than felt.
Respectability is a disguise and is revealed to be nothing more than a means to hide his respectable role as a procurer for Steerforth.
Repetition brings the duplicity of Littimer to the attention of the reader in a powerful and ironic manner. It is a technique that writers can utilise in their own writing and is also great fun!
If you want to explore duality or even hypocrisy, then do consider how repetition might assist you. Let your characters act out or perform their secrets in a way that leaks the truth despite themselves!
