VICTORIAN LITERATURE AND SOCIAL CHANGE: THE REFLECTION OF SOCIETY IN DICKENS’S WORKS

Abstract

Victorian literature served as an essential mirror of the profound social 
transformations occurring in nineteenth-century Britain. Among the era’s most 
prominent authors, Charles Dickens used his novels as vehicles to reveal the struggles 
faced by the lower classes, the injustices created by industrial expansion, and the moral 
tensions that accompanied the rise of modern urban life. In works such as Oliver Twist, 
Hard Times, and Bleak House, Dickens portrays the realities of exploitation, poverty, 
class oppression, and institutional failure with remarkable clarity. Through his richly 
developed characters, detailed settings, and incisive critique of societal structures, he 
not only documented the flaws of Victorian society but also urged readers to reflect on 
the need for compassion, fairness, and reform. This study examines how Dickens’s 
narratives operate simultaneously as artistic expressions and as critical commentaries 
on the social issues of the Victorian age, demonstrating the role of literature in shaping 
public awareness and advocating for humanitarian change.