VICTORIAN LITERATURE AND SOCIAL CHANGE: THE REFLECTION OF SOCIETY IN DICKENS’S WORKS
Keywords:
Victorian Literature, Charles Dickens, Social Transformation, Industrial Growth, Urban Development, Social Inequality, Poverty, Social Criticism, 19th-Century England, Reform and JusticeAbstract
This study examines the intersection of Victorian literature and social
transformation, with a particular focus on the works of Charles Dickens. His novels
provide a vivid portrayal of nineteenth-century English society, addressing issues such
as industrial growth, urban expansion, poverty, social inequality, and the hardships
faced by the working class. Through detailed character development, complex
narrative structures, and pointed social commentary, Dickens not only represented the
realities of his era but also sought to influence public awareness and encourage social
reform. By analyzing selected works, including Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, and
Hard Times, this paper highlights how Dickens’s literature functions as both a
reflection of
References
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3. Dickens, Charles. Hard Times. London: Bradbury & Evans, 1854.
4. Dickens, Charles. Bleak House. London: Bradbury & Evans, 1853.
5. Briggs, Asa. Victorian Cities. London: Penguin Books, 1990.
