Charles Dickens: Life, Novels, and Social Criticism, Appunti di Inglese

Scarica Charles Dickens: Life, Novels, and Social Criticism e più Appunti in PDF di Inglese solo su Docsity! Charles Dickens ❖Life Charles Dickens was born in Portsmouth in 1812. When he was 10, he and his family moved to London, and soon afterwards his father was imprisoned because he couldn’t pay his debts. Charles found himself alone, working in a factory at the age of 12 and living in a boarding house. The experience gave him lifelong sympathy for the poor which is present in all of his work. He found success reporting on Parliament and writing humorous short articles under the pen name 'Boz'. Because of his wit and popularity, he was asked to provide stories to go with a collection of humorous illustrations of sporting events. This collection became The Pickwick Papers, his wildly successful first novel. Dickens went on to write several novels and numerous articles and short stories. His fiction made him a celebrity. In 1836, he married Catherine Hogarth. In 1858, his public image suffered when he divorced his wife. He had fallen in love with an 18-year-old actress named Ellen Ternan, a girl less than half his age. Although most of the public agreed that his treatment of Catherine was unfair, his readers eventually forgave him and his books continued to sell. Charles Dickens died in 1870. His last novel, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, was never finished. 1 ❖Works •In his novels and articles Dickens attacked injustice and made his readers aware of social issues such as the unfair treatment of the poor, damage caused by industrialisation, deep flaws in the education and legal systems and more. • The popularity of Dickens' first novel established serialisation as the standard form of publication for novels in the Victorian Era. Serialisation made it possible for Dickens to address a unified audience, and his influence was enormous. • As the editor of Household Words and All the Year Round, Dickens also had influence over other writers of the time, both as their publisher and through his reviews. •Dickens' first novels, published between 1837 and 1865, were sometimes criticised for being sentimental and lacking structure. However, they also showed great energy, inventiveness and humour. Novels: - The Pickwick Papers was Dickens' first success and his funniest novel. - Oliver Twist is the story of an orphan born into poverty and his cruel treatment in the workhouse and on the streets. - Nicholas Nickleby - The Old Curiosity Shop - A Christmas Carol (1843), his famous story of a rich, selfish man who learns to be generous after a visit from three ghosts on Christmas Eve. - David Copperfield was his most autobiographical work, in fact, several early chapters contain material from an autobiography that he never finished. •Dickens' later novels tended to be darker. The characters were more complex, and he used imagery and symbolism to reinforce his themes. Novels: - Bleak House is an epic story involving characters from all social classes who are drawn together in a plot involving murder and family secrets. It featured Dickens' only female narrator, Esther Summerson. - Hard Times dealt with the negative effects of industrialisation and satirised the Utilitarian belief that every person and thing must be useful. - Great Expectations is considered to be one of Dickens' best novels, with elements of mystery, adventure and social satire. 2 the beadle, Mr Bumble, reveal their hypocrisy when dealing with poor people, treating them as less than human while believing in their own moral superiority. Most of the novel is set in London, which Dickens presents in all its variety. Oliver experiences the worst of the city's slums but he also sees how the rich live in affluent neighbourhoods such as Mr Brownlow's home of Pentonville. In other scenes, Dickens makes use of familiar London landmarks like Hyde Park and London Bridge. Dickens frequently uses comic irony and exaggeration to criticise Victorian society. His style has been called periphrastic, that is to say, he uses indirect expressions to describe something simple, usually for ironic effect. For example, the theft of Mr Brownlow's handkerchief is called an 'illegal conveyance of... personal property'. As in his other novels, Dickens uses long sentences with multiple clauses and layers of descriptive detail. The language of his characters ranges from low criminal slang to the educated speech of the Maylies and Mr Brownlow. - Themes Poverty is a major theme. Dickens describes the horrifying conditions of the poor in England and attacks the ineffectiveness and hypocrisy of charities. He vividly describes the poverty of the workhouse children, who are given only enough food to keep them alive, and shows that crime results from forcing poor people to choose between stealing and starving. Much of the novel focuses on crime and different types of criminals: some, like Nancy, are forced into crime, and some, like Fagin, seem to be 'natural criminals. Because Nancy was raised by criminals, she believes that she cannot escape her fate. Oliver himself is in danger of being turned into a criminal, although he is naturally good. Another theme is the goodness of the countryside in contrast to the city. When Oliver escapes London to live with the Maylies, he enters a different, happier world. The countryside is a paradise compared to the filth and crime of London; even the poor are happier there. Dickens suggests that living in the country may help to cure the moral evil and hopelessness of slum life. In Oliver Twistand other early novels, he idealised the countryside in ways that writers who had first-hand experience of rural life did not. 5 Hard Times - plot Hard Times is set in the fictional city of Coketown, in northern England. Thomas Gradgrind, a school master, has devoted his life to teaching his students and children that only facts are important. One of his students is Sissy Jupe, the daughter of a circus performer. When her father disappears, Mr Gradgrind takes the girl into his family. As a result of their upbringing, Mr Gradgrind's children, Tom and Louisa, grow up to be unhappy people. Tom drinks constantly and Louisa agrees to a loveless marriage with Mr Bounderby, a wealthy factory owner and banker. Mr Bounderby owns the factory where Stephen Blackpool works. Stephen is in love with Rachel, another worker at the factory, but he can't get a divorce from his abusive first wife. When the other workers try to organise a union, Stephen refuses to join because of a promise he made to Rachel. His friends reject him and he leaves Coketown to look for other work, but not before Tom tricks him into becoming the main suspect of a bank robbery that Tom commits. Meanwhile, Louisa leaves her unhappy marriage and confronts her father, telling him that the way he raised his children has ruined their lives. Mr Gradgrind is shocked and has a complete change of heart. He and Louisa join forces with the circus performers from Sissy's past to help Tom escape from England. At the end of the novel, Mr Gradgrind has become a man who is dedicated to helping the poor. Themes and style The main theme of Hard Times is imagination vs facts. Thomas Gradgrind's teaching closes his children off from their hearts and imaginations. This deforms their personalities and makes them miserable. In contrast, Sissy Jupe and the circus represent the world of the imagination. In Hard Times, Dickens was reacting against Utilitarianism, the philosophy in which all decisions about what is right or wrong are based on how useful an action is. Industrialisation, another important 6 theme, is shown to be a force that destroys both the environment and people's lives. For example, the factory labourers are known as 'hands', implying that their hearts and minds are unimportant. Marriage is another theme. It can bring stability and joy, or it can be a prison. Louisa's marriage is loveless and Stephen's is abusive, but they are unable to escape. It is probably no coincidence that Hard Times was published only a few years before Dickens' own divorce. Characters Thomas Gradgrind is fanatically devoted to facts and suppressing the imagination. However, he shows generosity in taking Sissy into his home and is able to change and learn from his mistakes. His son Tom remains a purely selfish young man, in contrast with Stephen Blackpool, described as a man of 'perfect integrity'. Sissy Jupe's natural goodness allows her to resist Gradgrind's limiting education and remain kind and loving while Tom and Louisa are psychologically damaged by their upbringing. 7