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1-1-1971

The Social Criticism of Charles Dickens: A Point of
View
V. Christine McCarthy

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McCarthy, V. Christine, "The Social Criticism of Charles Dickens: A Point of View" (1971). Open Access Dissertations and Theses. Paper
4952.

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THE SOCIAL CRITICISM
OF
CHARLES DICKENS:
A POINT OF VIEW

THE SOCIAL CRITICISM
OF
CHARLES DICKENS:
A POINT OF VIEW

BY
V. CHRISTINE MCCARTHY

A Thesis
Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree
Master of Arts
McMaster University
September 1971

MASTER OF ARTS
(English)

MCMASTER UNIVERSITY
Hamilton, Ontario.

TITLE:

The Social Criticism of Charles Dickens: A Point of View

AUTHOR:

Va Christine McCarthy, B.A o

SUPERVISOR:

(McMaster University)

Dr. M.L. Ross

NUMBER OF PAGES:

v, 76

SCOPE AND CONTENTS:

This thesis deals with Dickens ' social criticism in Oliver Twist (1838), Dombey and Son (1846), Hard Times (1854) and
Little Dorrit (1855). The major considerationis the discrepancy betto1een Dickens ' stated intentions and his achievement as a social critic. The analysis of the four novels revolves around an examination of the characterization, the explicit and implicit levels of meaning, and the escapist tendencies in the fiction.

ii

ACKNOl>1LEDGEMENT

I would like to thank Dr. M.L. Ross and Dr. J. Ferns whose interest and attention were invaluable throughout the writing of this thesis.

iii

Bibliography: Tillotson. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1966 (first published as a book in 1840). London: Oxford University Press, 1966 (first published as a book in 1848). --------. Hard Times. Introduction by Dingle Foot. London: Oxford University Press, 1966 (first published as a book in 1854). London: Oxford University Press, 1966 (first published as a book in 1857). New York: Barnes and Noble, Inc., 1936; reprinted 1960. Company Limited, 1964~ -------- Limited, 1964. Books, 1967. Chapman and Hall Limited, 1913. London: Chatto and Windus, 1965. of Missouri Press, 1963. H. Revell Company, 1905. and Company, 1968. Ithica: Cornell University Press, 1961. and Sons Limited, 1927. Century. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1962. Press, 1960. Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1970. Chat to and Windus, 1970. Chat to and Windus, 1965. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1958. Arnold Limited, 1967.