Realism, Class, and Dickens in 19th-Century Britain

Apuntes

• Subtopic: Class-Based Society and Britain's Status A growing number of voters and a growing state and economy were significant aspects of a class-based society. During this period, Britain held the status of the most powerful empire in the world. Realistic novels aimed to capture everyday life as it was truly lived. Realism focused on the effects of the Industrial Revolution, with authors working to expose societal problems and pretensions. • Subtopic: Charles Dickens and His Literary Style Charles Dickens is known for his harsh depictions of the working class. He sweetened his social criticism with amusingly eccentric characters, engaging storytelling, and sentimental endings. "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens is an illustrated novel that explores themes such as dreams or inheritance and contemporary issues of social injustice and inequality. It follows the "Rags to Riches" trope, telling the old tale of a poor boy who aspires to become someone worthy of the girl of his dreams. The novel is a Bildungsroman and is known for its use of cliffhangers.