--- 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/c69/rex-stout-2846_baker-street_a-dickens-character-to-me-is-a-theatrica_401216.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 221½ B Baker Street and didn't find him.” quote by Rex Stout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c69/rex-stout-2846_baker-street_a-dickens-character-to-me-is-a-theatrica_401216.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c69/rex-stout-2846_baker-street_a-dickens-character-to-me-is-a-theatrica_401216.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c69/rex-stout-2846_baker-street_a-dickens-character-to-me-is-a-theatrica_401216.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 221½ B Baker Street and didn't find him.” [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. The quote reflects on how fictional characters can feel both theatrical and real, existing as mental constructs that influence perception. **In simple terms:** Fictional characters feel both theatrical and real; they shape how we see the world. Key Takeaway Recognize the power of imagination in interpreting reality. Themes fiction perception imagination literature Mood reflective thoughtful Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - writing - reading - creative thinking - analysis of media Key Concepts character construction psychology narrative Questions to Reflect On - How do you differentiate between a character's symbolic meaning and literal existence? - What role does imagination play in your daily decisions? A Different Perspective Characters may not exist physically, limiting their impact on tangible outcomes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Baker street](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baker-street/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Projection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/projection/) [Sherlock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sherlock/) [Sherlock holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sherlock-holmes/) [Streets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/streets/) [Theatrical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatrical/) ## 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-2/) [Rex Stout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rex-stout/) > [In those days Mr. Sherlock Holmes was still living in Baker Street and the Bastables were looking for treasure in the Lewisham Road.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-those-days-mr-sherlock-holmes-was-still-living-in-baker-street-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I remember when I was a kid, I loved Sherlock Holmes. I thought Arthur Conan Doyle was one of the greatest writers, because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stan-lee/i-remember-when-i-was-a-kid-i-loved-sherlock-holmes-i-thought-arthur/) [Stan Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stan-lee/) > [I'm not a detective from Baker Street or an old lady who solves crimes while she's knitting in an easy chair. I'm just a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mizuki-nomura/i-m-not-a-detective-from-baker-street-or-an-old-lady-who-solves/) [Mizuki Nomura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mizuki-nomura/) > [The sax solo as we know it today would not exist without Gerry Rafferty. His 1978 soft-rock classic 'Baker Street' has to be the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-sheffield/the-sax-solo-as-we-know-it-today-would-not-exist-without-gerry/) [Rob Sheffield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-sheffield/) > [...Holmes, who loathed every form of society with his whole Bohemian soul, remained in our lodgings in Baker Street, buried among his old books,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/holmes-who-loathed-every-form-of-society-with-his-whole-bohemian-soul/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) > [“...the cab of the truck heated up nicely, its windows fogging. I felt like a Dickens character. 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/) > [Can you feel that there is something in you that is at war, something that feels threatened and wants to survive at all cost,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/can-you-feel-that-there-is-something-in-you-that-is-at-war-something/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [But there can be no grave for Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson...Shall they not always live in Baker Street? Are they not there this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-starrett/but-there-can-be-no-grave-for-sherlock-holmes-and-doctor-watson-shall/) [Vincent Starrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-starrett/) > [The incredible thing happens at the beginning of the story always, you notice, not the end. A Sherlock Holmes story is never a trick…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rex-stout/the-incredible-thing-happens-at-the-beginning-of-the-story-always-you/) [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/) > [Of course the modern detective story puts off its best tricks till the last, but Doyle always put his best tricks first and that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rex-stout/of-course-the-modern-detective-story-puts-off-its-best-tricks-till/) [Rex Stout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rex-stout/) > [Every Sherlock Holmes story has at least one marvelous scene.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rex-stout/every-sherlock-holmes-story-has-at-least-one-marvelous-scene/) [Rex Stout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rex-stout/) > [I think one or two of the later Holmes stories are among the best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rex-stout/i-think-one-or-two-of-the-later-holmes-stories-are-among-the-best/) [Rex Stout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rex-stout/) > [“Kit: We could go to Baker Street. We are in London. Ty: To 221B Baker Street?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/kit-we-could-go-to-baker-street-we-are-in-london-ty-to-221b-baker/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) ## More by Rex Stout > [A person who does not read cannot think. He may have good mental processes, but he has nothing to think about. You can feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rex-stout/a-person-who-does-not-read-cannot-think-he-may-have-good-mental/) [Rex Stout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rex-stout/) > [If I'm home with no chore at hand, and a package of books has come, the television set and the chess board and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rex-stout/if-i-m-home-with-no-chore-at-hand-and-a-package-of-books-has-come-the/) [Rex Stout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rex-stout/) > [To say that man is a reasoning animal is a very different thing than to say that most of man's decisions are based on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rex-stout/to-say-that-man-is-a-reasoning-animal-is-a-very-different-thing-than/) [Rex Stout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rex-stout/) > [“Frankly, I wish I could make my heart quit doing an extra thump when Wolfe says satisfactory, Archie. It's childish.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rex-stout/frankly-i-wish-i-could-make-my-heart-quit-doing-an-extra-thump-when/) [Rex Stout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rex-stout/) > [What good is an obscenity trial except to popularize literature?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rex-stout/what-good-is-an-obscenity-trial-except-to-popularize-literature/) [Rex Stout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rex-stout/) > [In a world that operates largely at random, coincidences are to be expected, but any one of them must always be mistrusted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rex-stout/in-a-world-that-operates-largely-at-random-coincidences-are-to-be/) [Rex Stout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rex-stout/) > [“everything from war to picnics depends on the weather, as Wolfe remarked”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rex-stout/everything-from-war-to-picnics-depends-on-the-weather-as-wolfe/) [Rex Stout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rex-stout/) > [The more you put in your brain, the more it will hold -- if you have one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rex-stout/the-more-you-put-in-your-brain-the-more-it-will-hold-if-you-have-one/) [Rex Stout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rex-stout/) > [“When we turned right on Thirty-fifth Street our suffix came along. By the time we rolled to the curb in front of Wolfe's house…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rex-stout/when-we-turned-right-on-thirty-fifth-street-our-suffix-came-along-by/) [Rex Stout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rex-stout/) > [What the tongue has promised, the body must submit to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rex-stout/what-the-tongue-has-promised-the-body-must-submit-to/) [Rex Stout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rex-stout/) > [The Glass Key is better than anything Hemingway ever wrote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rex-stout/the-glass-key-is-better-than-anything-hemingway-ever-wrote/) [Rex Stout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rex-stout/) > [Genius is fine for the ignition spark, but to get there someone has to see that the radiator doesn't leak and no tire is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rex-stout/genius-is-fine-for-the-ignition-spark-but-to-get-there-someone-has-to/) [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/) > [“Nothing is obvious in itself. Obviousness is subjective.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rex-stout/nothing-is-obvious-in-itself-obviousness-is-subjective/) [Rex Stout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rex-stout/) [Explore all 148 Rex Stout quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rex-stout/) ## More Baker street quotes > [“Kit: We could go to Baker Street. We are in London. Ty: To 221B Baker Street?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/kit-we-could-go-to-baker-street-we-are-in-london-ty-to-221b-baker/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [In those days Mr. Sherlock Holmes was still living in Baker Street and the Bastables were looking for treasure in the Lewisham Road.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-those-days-mr-sherlock-holmes-was-still-living-in-baker-street-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [...Holmes, who loathed every form of society with his whole Bohemian soul, remained in our lodgings in Baker Street, buried among his old books,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/holmes-who-loathed-every-form-of-society-with-his-whole-bohemian-soul/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) > [I remember when I was a kid, I loved Sherlock Holmes. I thought Arthur Conan Doyle was one of the greatest writers, because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stan-lee/i-remember-when-i-was-a-kid-i-loved-sherlock-holmes-i-thought-arthur/) [Stan Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stan-lee/) > [“Lastly, it should be noted that the nostalgia which the reading public maintains for my former Baker Street address does not exist in me.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-cullin/lastly-it-should-be-noted-that-the-nostalgia-which-the-reading-public/) [Mitch Cullin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-cullin/) > [“One night--it was on the twentieth of March, 1888--I was returning from a journey to a patient(for I had now returned to civil practice),…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/one-night-it-was-on-the-twentieth-of-march-1888-i-was-returning-from/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) > [The sax solo as we know it today would not exist without Gerry Rafferty. His 1978 soft-rock classic 'Baker Street' has to be the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-sheffield/the-sax-solo-as-we-know-it-today-would-not-exist-without-gerry/) [Rob Sheffield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-sheffield/) > [“My dear fellow, you may laugh, but I give you my word that I shall be very glad to have you back safe and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sir-arthur-conan-doyle/my-dear-fellow-you-may-laugh-but-i-give-you-my-word-that-i-shall-be/) [Sir Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sir-arthur-conan-doyle/) > [“During World War II, a secret apartment in London was maintained by the office of the Special Operations Executive. Within it, operatives created false…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-j-wagner/during-world-war-ii-a-secret-apartment-in-london-was-maintained-by/) [E.J. Wagner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-j-wagner/) > [“It's the Baker Street division of the detective police force... There's more work to be got out of one of those little beggars than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/it-s-the-baker-street-division-of-the-detective-police-force-there-s/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) > [“My wife was on a visit to her aunt's, and for a few days I was a dweller once more in my old quarters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/my-wife-was-on-a-visit-to-her-aunt-s-and-for-a-few-days-i-was-a/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) > [I'm not a detective from Baker Street or an old lady who solves crimes while she's knitting in an easy chair. I'm just a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mizuki-nomura/i-m-not-a-detective-from-baker-street-or-an-old-lady-who-solves/) [Mizuki Nomura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mizuki-nomura/) > [“Life is infinitely stranger than anything which the mind of man could invent. 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Benn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-r-benn/) > [“One night--it was on the twentieth of March, 1888--I was returning from a journey to a patient (for I had now returned to civil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/one-night-it-was-on-the-twentieth-of-march-1888-i-was-returning-from-2/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) [Browse all 16 Baker street quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baker-street/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "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. 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