"How does Dickens' create mystery and suspense in his writing?"
"How does Dickens' create mystery and suspense in his writing?" Charles Dickens was born in Portsmouth in 1812. Most of his books were written in the mid-eighteen hundreds and some of them include Great Expectations, Hard Times, and Little Dorrit. The three I will be referring to are Oliver Twist, The Signalman and A Christmas Carol. Back in Dickens' time there was a lack of education, a huge wealth divide between the rich and the poor, and the environment was unpleasant compared to todays. Dickens' creates mystery and suspense in his books through techniques of writing language, the background, the characters, and the weather. Dickens often has moralistic themes to his books, in A Christmas Carol, Scrooge changed from being a horrible man who hated Christmas, into a nice, pleasant gentleman, who came to like Christmas. One of Dickens' main techniques is his use of language. He used elaborate descriptions, alliteration, repetition, listing and onomatopoeia. An example of his elaborate descriptive writing is shown in 'A Christmas Carol' - "A squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner." Another example of Dickens use of language is also in 'A Christmas Carol' -"The phantom slowly, gravely, silently approached." This is an example of tripling, and the word 'gravely' again refers to death. This piece of writing certainly does create mystery and
Duffy obviously takes the figure of Miss Havisham from Dickens's Great Expectations. But the question then is: why? to what effect? what, in this pre-existing figure, presents itself as an opportunity for the writer? how is Duffy's figure different fro...
Duffy obviously takes the figure of Miss Havisham from Dickens's Great Expectations. But the question then is: why? to what effect? what, in this pre-existing figure, presents itself as an opportunity for the writer? how is Duffy's figure different from Dickens's? One simple thing: The title is Havisham, rather than Miss Havisham - which is how the character is always referred to throughout Great Expectations. Why, to what effect? Perhaps Miss defines the character socially - whereas the poem concentrates on the nature of the character's individual feelings - the character's psychological/sexual nature, rather than her social being. The absence of the formal title also makes the 'feel' of the poem blunter, more simply there, perhaps. Duffy's poem gives Miss Havisham a body, a knot of desires which Dickens does not attempt. beloved sweetheart bastard The poem begins as if addressed to the jilting bridegroom. It doesn't continue in this direct address - by the end of the poem the male figure will have become a male corpse - any male (generalised), and radically rendered into an object (no longer even alive). The most striking thing about the first sentence is the combination of 'love' (beloved sweetheart) and hatred (bastard). Dickens's character is motivated by revenge alone - against the male sex in general. Duffy is interested in the unstable combination of desire
Dickens utilizes language to present his characters in 'Great Expectations'. The key female character is Miss Havisham who I consider has endured extremely in her life. Her dress is described as 'trodden ragged', which suggests she also was badly treated.
Dickens utilizes language to present his characters in 'Great Expectations'. The key female character is Miss Havisham who I consider has endured extremely in her life. Her dress is described as 'trodden ragged', which suggests she also was badly treated. Dickens portrays Miss Havisham using the theme of deterioration, by writing that she had 'shrunk to skin and bone', and 'her stockings were once white now yellow'. This also indicates that Miss Havisham is frozen in time and can't get over what happened to her long time ago. Dickens writes that Miss Havisham has 'withered' and her body has a 'collapsed form', which is 'corpse like' because she has not repositioned herself since she got rejected on the day of her marriage. In consequence of lack of movement her muscles are deteriorating. Her body is 'stooped', which also shows deterioration, because for a long time her body hasn't moved, and her back has curved due to this. Dickens also conveys Miss Havisham through the theme of loss. For example, Miss Havisham's clothes are 'grave clothes', which have 'lost' their 'lustre' and have 'no brightness left'. This informs me that the clothes have been worn out and the 'grave clothes' suggest that she has lost someone close to her and hasn't got over it. The flower also had 'no brightness left' in it and she has been wearing it for so long that its colour has faded as well. Pip
How does Dickens use setting to convey the mood in the opening chapters of Great Expectations?
How does Dickens use setting to convey the mood in the opening chapters? The opening chapters of any novel are key in introducing the reader to the storyline. There are numerous ways in which to attach the reader early on in, and to, the novel. The opening chapters are where the reader will become acquainted with key characters, become involved in the characters' lives, and get an overall feeling/mood about the novel. It is important that these opening chapters, then, are skilfully written so that the reader becomes involved in all aspects of the novel to come. The main settings in the opening chapters of Great Expectations are that of the churchyard, Pip's home, and the marshes. Each of these settings deliver a sombre mood, which is especially evident in those settings based outside. This is because the wide-open spaces are harsher than those inside, and Pip is less familiar with them. The external world also offers Dickens to experiment with the idea of Pip being afraid of things he cannot see, and therefore gives Pip an unsettled feeling, which is passed on to an involved reader. Dickens begins Great Expectations with Pip at his family's gravestones in the churchyard. Despite the fact the scene is largely about death, the mood is briefly lifted by Pip's light-hearted description of the graves before him. This informs us that Pip has experienced loss and death at an early
Coketown described by Charles Dickens - Criticism
Coketown by Charles Dickens - Criticism This passage has come across a monotonous and dull town surrounded by industrialization. There is no colour, no aesthetic beauty but just buildings and factories that are an eyesore to the whole town. This town was once a nice place and it was a town of 'red brick' but because of all the smoke, dust and dirt it has now all changed to black brick. There is no life left in the inhabitants of the town. They are just servers to the town and they aren't even considered the characters of the passage. They are dehumanized and instead the buildings are the characters that take over. The buildings seem to literally take over the human qualities and are given priority and superiority to the people. There is no change or difference between one building and another. 'The Jail might have been the infirmary; the infirmary might have been the jail'. There is a sense of sameness and uniformity. Other people get life out of what Coketown sacrifices. The people of this town are stuck with this lifestyle forever as there doesn't seem to be any way out if it. The town is literally doomed. There is the image of 'serpents' which give off the evil part to this town. It is almost as if the people are under the influence of this evil task master from which the inhabitants can never hope to escape. There is also the image of 'water' which is usually the
Presentation of Estella
Stephen Huyton Janis Bill - English Explore the representation of Estella's behaviour towards Pip here and elsewhere in the novel. In the extract of Great Expectations given Estella's behaviour towards Pip is presented to be snobbish and rather patronising, this is generally presented by the use of speech but also her actions. Estella's tone when speaking about and to Pip seems very much like she is looking down her nose at him, 'with this boy! Why he is a common labouring boy'. The word common connotes that Pip is very low in social class, when at this time social class was very highly regarded. The use of the exclamatory sentence, 'with this boy!' suggests that Estella seems to think she is too high in the social class to play cards with Pip. After Miss Havisham orders Pip to shout of Estella, Dickens writes that she, 'came along the dark passage just like a star', the simile of Estella being like a star connotes that she is out of reach as stars are not able to be reached and also that she is cold but beautiful to look at; in this instance her personality is cold but Estella to look at is very pretty. This simile also connotes that she is bright and shining. Stars are seen in the night sky so they are bright and the shine in the dark, which Estella is described as doing when she walks down the 'dark passage';
Both stories studied concentrate on how people appear to others. Discuss the way each writer uses comic elements to achieve a serious effect
Both stories studied concentrate on how people appear to others. Discuss the way each writer uses comic elements to achieve a serious effect Prejudicial judgements are the central point which both stories concentrate on using comedy. 'Mrs Turner Cutting the Grass' and 'The Purple Plieus' are both written in different historical and cultural backgrounds.Mrs Turner and Me Coombes are both victims of prejudicial judgements. Other characters in the story and the reader itself have judged both characters harshly. Carol Shields uses comedy to examine the nature of prejudicial judgements. Whereas using comedy, H.G.Wells explores the main character, in order for us to mock them. Both stories use comic elements to manipulate the response of the reader towards the characters. This is a key technique used in both texts to influence our thoughts. The stories are similar in that each plot develops from people conflicting views of each other. As we begin reading "Mrs Turner Cutting the Grass," we see her as a comic character, who appears to us as a unique yet amusing character to us. We start off laughing at Mrs Turner, but when her history is exposed, we are no longer laughing at her .We sympathise with her. Carol Shields uses comic elements to achieve a serious effect. However, when we have more knowledge on Mr Coombes domestic history is exploited we mock him. Carol Shields
The Poor Relation by Charles Dickens and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty by James Thurber – Compare the Treatment of a “Fictitious World” by Both Authors
The Poor Relation by Charles Dickens and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty by James Thurber - Compare the Treatment of a "Fictitious World" by Both Authors In both The Poor Relation and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, the main story revolves around the main character's tendency to live in a fantasy world. In this way the two short stories are very similar. However, the way the two authors, Dickens and Thurber, have treated this main theme is quite different. Firstly, the two stories are not the same. In The Poor Relation, Dickens has told the pitiful and yet undeserving story of a poor relative who's life has mostly been a disaster, though which he has lost everything, including his friends and companions. The story is set in the 19th Century, at a middle-class family's gathering. The "poor relation" stands up and tells his "story". He starts by reminding the family about what they have seen of his life. He then goes on to claim that this is not the truth and that his real life is far different to anything they could have imagined. This is when he explains about this real life in great detail. However, Dickens adds a twist in the end. It turns out that the poor relation's claim that he leads a secret life is actually false and it is simply his fantasy life; the life he wished he had led. His real life was in fact the one he had described at the beginning, a
Using Chapters 1-3 of 'Hard Times', discuss Dickens presentation and criticism of the Education for the Labouring class
Using Chapters 1-3 of 'Hard Times', discuss Dickens presentation and criticism of the Education for the Labouring class. Dickens presents his criticism of the education for the labouring class in a sarcastic manner. He has created the classroom as a factory. The purpose of the education in Coketown is to root out the innocence and imagination of young children so they will grow into utilitarian robots expecting nothing more than the drudgery of industrial life. Dickens uses specific methods to put his point across of 'bad education' by using negative views. This is done with exaggeration because he wants the reader to think the same as what he thinks so it seems like education was extreme and intense. In 'Hard Times', the teachers fulfil the excessive teaching skills as they just want the 'little vessels' to be filled with facts. Dickens also presents a contrast between two children to show how differently each child gets treated because of their background or their attitude towards things other than facts. Another method that he uses is making the characters stand out through their names to symbolise their personality. Throughout chapters 1-3, Dickens emphasises on the word 'facts' because he wants to continuously present and criticise the education for the labouring class. 'Now, what I want is, Facts. Teach these boys and girls nothing but Facts. Facts alone are wanted in
Social class in Great Expectations and its effect upon the characters
"Great Expectations is primarily a novel about the social class divisions amongst characters which ultimately reflects upon their outlook and perception of others". Explore this concept and explain how Wilde's 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' illuminates this idea. Dickens explores the concept of social class from the opening chapters and emphasises how it has a profound effect on the central characters in the novel. The first sentence in the novel is significant in that Pip has named himself as a result of his inability to pronounce his real name; 'I called myself Pip and came to be called Pip'. Pip's inability to pronounce his real name, referred to in the opening sentence of the novel, signifies his initial lack of education and reflects his social class. Moreover, as the novel develops, Dickens highlights Pip's pursuit of becoming a 'gentleman' by assigning a different identity to him as he ascends the social ladder; Herbert Pocket re-names him 'Handel', which suggests that now Pip has left behind his working class background; he must now adopt a new persona, albeit a character that has a very superficial outlook. This clearly indicates Dickens' desire to illustrate the social class divisions perhaps not only in the novel, but also in Victorian England and consequently how it has the potential to alter a person's individuality. Another example of the social class