What did the novels of Charles Dickens focus on?
1 Answer
Dickens dealt with a whole series of issues facing Britain in the Victorian period up to his death.
Explanation:
Poverty is a recurring feature of Dickens work. The semi-autobiographical David Copperfield describes David's early life in a factory similar to Dickens' own experience. Linked to this is the VIctorian attitude to poverty as symbolised by the workhouses. Dickens was bitterly opposed to such an approach. He highlights this in Oliver Twist and in Scrooge's references to the workhouses in A Christmas Carol
Debt also features heavily in Dickens' work reflecting again his own experiences because of his father's debts. At that time debtors were held in prisons until they could pay off their debts. This could last for years. Examples dealing with this issue would be Mr Micawber in David Copperfield and William Dorrit in Little Dorrit held in the Marshalsea debtors prison.
Dickens was also heavily critical of the excesses of industrialisation and capitalism and the values which they reflected. This can be seen in Martin Chuzzlewit when Martin loses everything in a fraudulent scheme in the USA (Dickens was not a fan of America). Also in the same novel Montague Tigg rises from a ne'er do well to a very successful businessman on the back of a massive fraud.
Dickens was also highly critical of attitudes towards education for example Wackford Squeers master of Dotheboys Hall in Nicholas Nickleby and David Copperfield's experiences at Salem House at the hands of Mr Creakle and Mr Tungay.
Finally Dickens was heavily critical of the legal system, the most famous example being the case of Jarndyce versus Jarndyce in Bleak House. Other famous lawyers include Spenlow and Jorkins in David Copperfield and Jaggers in Bleak House.
