LITTLE DORRIT

IR IR (HANDLE) Web Site

Search this article

Description

Dickens was in the first half of his forties when he wrote Little Dorrit. By that time he had established his reputation, and the proceeds from his novels were enormous. As far as one could see, it appeared he was satisfied in every way. From about the summer in 1853, however, he began to show signs of discontent and irritation, which may be attributed to his unhappy married life and his social maladjustment. In Little Dorrit we can detect the disillusionment and discontent which must have been felt by him about this period of his life. In Dickens's novels, as may easily be explained by his experience in early life, we often come across descriptions of the prison. In this novel, however, the prison occupies a more important position than in any other of his novels. Indeed, the prison is made the main symbol of this novel. Dickens saw the world as a prison. The first half of the novel is mainly concerned with Mr. Dorrit's life in the Marshalsea Prison, while in the second half, although he is out of prison, he is figuratively none the less a prisoner. Furthermore, several important characters in this novel are also imprisoned mentally. Little Dorrit, the heroine of this novel, is interesting, because she belongs to the tradition in the English novel of the Christian heroine, including among others Clarissa, Amelia, Fanny Price and Milly Theale.

Journal

Keywords

Details 詳細情報について

Report a problem

Back to top