--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A Dickens character to me is a theatrical…" description: "\"“A Dickens character to me is a theatrical projection of a character. Not that it isn't real. It's real, but in that removed sense. But Sherlock Holmes..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fb/rex-stout-2846_characters_a-dickens-character-to-me-is-a-theatrica_1292870.png" --- # A Dickens character to me is a theatrical projection of a… ![“A Dickens character to me is a theatrical projection of a character. Not that it isn't real. It's real, but in that removed sense. But Sherlock Holmes is simply there. I would be astonished if I went to 221 1/2 B Baker Street and didn't find him." [ An Invitation to Learning , January 1942]” quote by Rex Stout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fb/rex-stout-2846_characters_a-dickens-character-to-me-is-a-theatrica_1292870.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fb/rex-stout-2846_characters_a-dickens-character-to-me-is-a-theatrica_1292870.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fb/rex-stout-2846_characters_a-dickens-character-to-me-is-a-theatrica_1292870.png) > ““A Dickens character to me is a theatrical projection of a character. Not that it isn't real. It's real, but in that removed sense. But Sherlock Holmes is simply there. I would be astonished if I went to 221 1/2 B Baker Street and didn't find him." \[ An Invitation to Learning , January 1942\]”” [Rex Stout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rex-stout/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A fictional character can feel both constructed and authentic, while iconic figures like Sherlock Holmes seem undeniably present in reality. **In simple terms:** Fiction can feel real; iconic characters seem truly present. Key Takeaway Recognize the blend of artifice and authenticity in storytelling. Themes literature character analysis fiction vs reality iconic figures Mood thoughtful analytical curious Type critical observational When to use this quote - reading literature - film adaptations - role‑playing games - creative writing - public speaking Key Concepts Narrative construction authenticity cultural perception Questions to Reflect On - How do you differentiate between theatrical projection and genuine presence? - What makes a fictional character feel real to you? A Different Perspective The perception of authenticity varies across cultures and personal experience. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Characters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/characters/) [Larger than life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/larger-than-life/) [Novels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novels/) [Presence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/presence/) [Realism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realism/) [Sherlock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sherlock/) [Sherlock holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sherlock-holmes/) ## Related quotes > [A Dickens character to me is a theatrical projection of a character. Not that it isn't real. It's real, but in that removed sense.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rex-stout/a-dickens-character-to-me-is-a-theatrical-projection-of-a-character/) [Rex Stout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rex-stout/) > [ “It is impossible for any Sherlock Holmes story not to have at least one marvelous scene. \[ An Invitation to Learning , January 1942\]” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rex-stout/it-is-impossible-for-any-sherlock-holmes-story-not-to-have-at-least/) [Rex Stout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rex-stout/) > [The incredible thing happens at the beginning of the story always, you notice, not the end. 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I thought about explaining that to Mouse,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-butcher/the-cab-of-the-truck-heated-up-nicely-its-windows-fogging-i-felt-like/) [Jim Butcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-butcher/) > [ \[Sherlock Holmes:\] The temptation to form premature theories upon insufficient data is the bane of our profession. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/sherlock-holmes-the-temptation-to-form-premature-theories-upon/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) > [“To Sherlock Holmes she is always the woman. I have seldom heard him mention her under any other name.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/to-sherlock-holmes-she-is-always-the-woman-i-have-seldom-heard-him-3/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) > [“Holmes laughed. "Watson insists that I am the dramatist in real life," said he. 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Not that it isn't real. It's real, but in that removed sense.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rex-stout/a-dickens-character-to-me-is-a-theatrical-projection-of-a-character/) [Rex Stout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rex-stout/) > [“To pronounce French properly you must have within you a deep antipathy, not to say scorn, for some of the most sacred of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rex-stout/to-pronounce-french-properly-you-must-have-within-you-a-deep/) [Rex Stout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rex-stout/) > [A man may debar nonsense from his library of reason, but not from the arena of his impulses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rex-stout/a-man-may-debar-nonsense-from-his-library-of-reason-but-not-from-the/) [Rex Stout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rex-stout/) [Explore all 148 Rex Stout quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rex-stout/) ## More Characters quotes > [This may sound strange, but although I feel like I know everything about my characters, the brand of shampoo they use, how many cavities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-honeyman/this-may-sound-strange-but-although-i-feel-like-i-know-everything/) [Gail Honeyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-honeyman/) > [I'm not a huge social media kind of guy, so I don't really know, I don't really ever get... at least in real life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-stroma/i-m-not-a-huge-social-media-kind-of-guy-so-i-don-t-really-know-i-don/) [Freddie Stroma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-stroma/) > [I am tired of our characters being so incomplete. 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