The Pickwick Papers · Character
Nathaniel Winkle
A would-be sportsman whose green shooting-coat and confident boasts collapse into comic ineptitude whenever a gun, horse, or pretty face is involved.
supporting
Also known as Mr. Winkle, Winkle, Mr. Nathaniel Winkle
First appearance: The Pickwick Papers
As a supporting figure in The Pickwick Papers, Nathaniel Winkle is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.
A sporting member of the Pickwick Club, often involved in mishaps related to his pretensions.
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Winkle is one of the four founding Pickwickians, presented in the club's proceedings as the member whose ruling passion is fame in field, air, and water. His flaw is a vanity that outruns his ability: he claims sporting…
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See Nathaniel Winkle in The Pickwick PapersCharacter Web
18 connectionsA slice of how Nathaniel Winkle sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.
Relationship types
- Other
Character groups
- Pickwickians and associates
- Servants and landladies
- Trial legal figures
- Lobbs family and romance
- Protagonist
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Open in readerNarrative arc
Story tension across the book.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
This excerpt marks the dramatic climax because it delivers the emotional and psychological peak of Sam Weller’…
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Nathaniel Winkle appears across 24 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.
- The Pickwick Papers
- The Pickwickians
- The First Day's Journey, and the First Evening's Adventures; with Their Consequences
- A New Acquaintance—The Stroller's Tale—A Disagreeable Interruption, and an Unpleasant Encounter
- A Field Day and Bivouac—More New Friends—An Invitation to the Country
- A Short One — Showing How Mr. Pickwick Undertook to Drive, and Mr. Winkle to Ride, and How They Both Did It
- An Old-Fashioned Card-Party—The Clergyman's Verses—The Story of the Convict's Return
- How Mr. Winkle, instead of shooting at the pigeon and killing the crow, shot at the crow and wounded the pigeon; how the Dingley Dell cricket club played All-Muggleton, and how All-Muggleton dined at the Dingley Dell expense; with other interesting and instructive matters.
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Chapter companion notes
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See Nathaniel Winkle in The Pickwick Papers