# Edmund Sparkler — Little Dorrit character guide

> Edmund Sparkler in Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Sparkler, Mr. Sparkler, Edmund

**First appearance:** 0035-xxxiii-mrs-merdle-s-complaint

## Snapshot

A ruddy, slow-witted gentleman whose mother's social ambition steers him toward Fanny Dorrit, he is proof that a good heart and an empty head can still cause damage.

## Who they are

Sparkler drifts through the novel's drawing-rooms like a well-meaning weather balloon, blushing, agreeing, and occasionally proposing. His pursuit of Fanny Dorrit is managed almost entirely by his mother and by Fanny herself, and he never quite understands the game he is a piece in. Dickens uses him to skewer the marriage market — and to show that even a fool can be a kind one.

## In the story

### [Mr. Merdle's Complaint](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/little_dorrit_se/chapters/xxi-mr-merdle-s-complaint)

Mrs. Merdle's son from her first marriage, described as chuckle-headed and monomaniacal in offering marriage to undesirable young ladies. He is considered a suitable son-in-law for Society.

### [Mrs. Merdle's Complaint](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/little_dorrit_se/chapters/xxxiii-mrs-merdle-s-complaint)

Called by his mother to support her complaint about Mr. Merdle's manner; he vaguely recalls hearing it noticed by 'fellers'.

### [Something Right Somewhere](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/little_dorrit_se/chapters/vi-something-right-somewhere)

Sparkler is hopelessly infatuated with Fanny, following her gondola and making a spectacle of himself at the Casino.

### [Taking Advice](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/little_dorrit_se/chapters/xiv-taking-advice)

Sparkler is appointed to the Circumlocution Office, is mocked by Gowan, and becomes increasingly submissive to Fanny, showing a fraternal demeanor toward Amy.

### [No Just Cause or Impediment Why These Two Persons Should Not Be Joined Together](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/little_dorrit_se/chapters/xv-no-just-cause-or-impediment-why-these-two-persons-should-not-be-joined-together)

Proposes to Fanny, is stunned by Mr. Dorrit's grand speech, and is largely unnoticed at the wedding.

### [XVIII: A Castle in the Air](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/little_dorrit_se/chapters/xviii-a-castle-in-the-air)

Present at the farewell, dutifully waits to shake hands with Mr. Dorrit.

### [The Evening of a Long Day](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/little_dorrit_se/chapters/xxiv-the-evening-of-a-long-day)

Fanny's husband, who is awkward and absent-minded, drawing her irritation.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/little_dorrit_se/characters/sparkler
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/little_dorrit_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/little_dorrit_se/characters