Mr. Merdle
E948355
Mr. Merdle is a wealthy and seemingly respectable financier in Charles Dickens's "Little Dorrit," whose fraudulent schemes and eventual downfall expose the corruption and moral bankruptcy of high society.
All labels observed (1)
| Label | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Mr. Merdle canonical | 1 |
Statements (48)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
antagonist
ⓘ
fictional character ⓘ financier ⓘ literary character ⓘ |
| appearsIn | Little Dorrit NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| associatedWith |
City of London finance
ⓘ
high society in Little Dorrit ⓘ |
| connectedTo | Marshalsea debtors' prison (indirectly through financial ruin) NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| createdBy | Charles Dickens NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| deathCause | suicide ⓘ |
| deathContext | after exposure of his fraud ⓘ |
| deceives |
British upper class
ⓘ
government officials ⓘ investors ⓘ |
| engagesIn |
Ponzi-like schemes
ⓘ
fraudulent financial schemes ⓘ speculative investments ⓘ |
| fate | suicide ⓘ |
| firstPublishedIn | Little Dorrit (serial publication 1855–1857) NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| gender | male ⓘ |
| hasRelationshipType | husband of Mrs. Merdle ⓘ |
| hasRelationshipWith |
Fanny Dorrit
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Mrs. Merdle NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| influences | fortunes of many characters in Little Dorrit ⓘ |
| literaryFunction |
critique of blind trust in reputation
ⓘ
embodiment of systemic financial corruption ⓘ satire of financial speculation ⓘ |
| narrativeRole |
catalyst for financial collapse
ⓘ
exposes gullibility of society ⓘ |
| nationality | British ⓘ |
| occupation | financier ⓘ |
| perceivedAs | pillar of society ⓘ |
| reputation |
financial genius
ⓘ
great man of business ⓘ |
| setInPeriod | Victorian era ⓘ |
| socialStatus |
respectable in appearance
ⓘ
wealthy ⓘ |
| symbolizes |
corruption in the financial system
ⓘ
hollowness of social prestige ⓘ moral decay of the upper classes ⓘ |
| themeInWork |
corruption of high society
ⓘ
financial speculation ⓘ fraud ⓘ moral bankruptcy ⓘ |
| trueNature |
fraudster
ⓘ
swindler ⓘ |
| undergoes |
financial collapse
ⓘ
public disgrace ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.