5.2 Charles Dickens and Social Criticism

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Notes

Charles Dickens (1812 to 1870) wrote novels that exposed poverty, child labor and uncaring institutions.

In Oliver Twist (1838), hungry workhouse boy Oliver asks, "Please, sir, I want some more."
In Hard Times (1854) the schoolmaster Gradgrind says, "Now, what I want is, Facts." Dickens satirizes an education that ignores imagination and feeling.
Dickens uses caricature (exaggerated traits), vivid names and humor.
A Tale of Two Cities (1859) opens with antithesis and parallelism: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times."

Practice

What is Dickens criticizing with Gradgrind's demand for "Facts"?

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times" is an example of:

A Dickens character is described as having a nose as sharp as a razor and a voice like a rusty saw, and he is always hunched over his money. This technique is:

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