A Study on Charles Dickens from a Psychoanalytical Perspective

Jiang, Jindi(강금비),Baek, Nak-Seung(백낙승) 강원대학교 인문과학연구소 2014 인문과학연구 Vol.0 No.41

이 논문의 목적은 찰스 디킨스가 글을 쓰는 과정에서 어렸을 때 받았던 정신적 외상이 그의 자서전적 작품 속에 어떻게 반영되어 있는지를 고찰하는데 있다. 또한 지금까지 디킨스의 정신적 외상과 관련된 연구를 토대로 디킨스가 받은 구체적인 정신적 외상이 어떠한 형태로 표면화 되어있는지를 살펴보고, 작가가 글을 쓰는 과정에서 어린 시절에 받았던 정신적 외상을 어떻게 극복하게 되었는지를 프로이트의 정신분석이론을 바탕으로 고찰한다. 첫 번째 장에서는 다각적으로 연구된 디킨스에 관한 비평이 어떻게 디킨스의 외상을 설명하고 있는지를 분석하고, 두 번째 장에서는 디킨스의 외상에 직접적인 영향을 끼쳤다고 볼 수 있는 구두공장에서의 경험이 어떻게 정신적 외상으로 이어지는지를 구체적으로 조망하고, 디킨스가 글을 쓰면서 어떻게 그 외상으로부터 벗어났는지를 밝히고, 세 번째 장은 그의 자서전적 소설 올리버 트위스트, 데이비드 카퍼필드, 그리고 위대한 유산에서 디킨스의 정신적 외상이 어떻게 창조적인 문학성으로 발현되었는지를 살펴보고 이에 따른 작가의 정신적인 성장의 중요성에 대해 논의한다. The purpose of this paper is to illuminate how Charles Dickens’ childhood traumas are reflected in his autobiographical novels ? Oliver Twist, David Copperfield and Great Expectations. This research is mainly based upon Freudian psychoanalysis theory. With an in-depth exploration of Dickens’ responses towards his traumatic incident, the paper defines the core of the traumas and surveys how the defense mechanisms function to counterbalance Dickens’ childhood trauma only through the medium of art. Introductory part of this paper takes a brief look at the past criticisms on Dickens and clarifies the task of the paper. Section two deals with Dickens’ traumatic experiences, including his parents’ influence on his growth and his experiences in Warren’s Blacking factory which leaves him a permanent scar for humiliation, and reveals the origin of his trauma and its healing process. Section three discusses how Dickens manages to transfer his childhood trauma into his literary creativity, especially in his three autobiographical novels: Oliver Twist, David Copperfield and Great Expectations. The paper attempts to look into the fact that writing serves primarily as a mental therapy for Dickens to gain his salvation. In view of Freudian psychoanalytical approach, his creation of autobiographical novels apparently does much toward a self-treatment to overcome his traumas.

디킨즈의 여성인물에 대한 페미니스트 비평 재고

김현숙 水原大學校 2016 論文集 Vol.30 No.-

This article aims to reconsider the development of Feminist criticism on Dickens’s female characters. From the first, Dickens’s female characters were criticized as nonrealistic and unattractive. His female heroines were Especially criticized as representing the typical Victorian angel of the house, the idol of Victorian women ideology. Resultingly, Dickens was appreciated as problematic in that he repeated the comtemporary women ideology. Early feminist criticism strengthened this traditional view on Dickens female characters and Dickens himself. They decided Dickens as one of the representative men of the Victorian patriarchal society. However, Later feminist criticism, combined with New Historicism, Marxism, and Linguistics, focused on the more complicated sides of Dickens’s female characters. They focused on Dickens’s understatements hidden in the representation of female characters, which subverted the traditional values of Victorian patriarchal society. As the result, Feminist criticism on Dickens expanded the horizons of Dickens criticism.

디킨스와 가십의 정치학

박금희(Geumhee Park) 19세기영어권문학회 2010 19세기 영어권 문학 Vol.14 No.2

This article aims to examine Charles Dickens's attitude towards common people and find out what his real politics toward public was like. Dickens is usually known as a social critic or even a social reformer, but actually, he seems to be conservative politically. He himself announced he would write in common people's shoes, but he always considered mass stupid people and tried to educate or enlighten them through his novels. Especially, to Dickens, poor workers in cities were a kind of violent mob and people to threaten his existing social system. His negative attitude towards common people is reflected on his novels literally. Dickens, as a popular writer, uses a variety of parodic devices in an attempt to hide such a negative attitude in his novels. One of them is a parodic use of gossip including common people's ethical and political opinions. Accordingly, in this article, we made an observation about parodic uses of gossips hybridized in his novels, The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, David Copperfield, Little Dorrit, and The Mystery of Edwin Drood in the point of view of M. M. Bakhtin who considered gossip as common views of mass. As Bakhtin mentioned, Dickens parodically used such gossips and succeeded in criticising both ruling and ruled classes at the same time. Nevertheless, by criticizing common people and neglecting their opinions consistently under the prejudice that common people are stupid and violent, he exposed his political conservatism about common people. Especially, in the narration of his last and unfinished novel, Edwin Drood Dickens's negative attitude towards common people appears to be much stronger more complicated with racialism after witnessing the violence of the colonized people through the Indian Mutiny Rebellion of 1857.

The Politics of Insignificance in Dickens’s Cityscape

최정선 19세기영어권문학회 2020 19세기 영어권 문학 Vol.24 No.2

Discussing Our Mutual Friend, this essay will explore Charles Dickens’s representation of street characters with an examination of his use of a street-leveled viewpoint. Between a panoramic viewpoint in watching the city from the highest position at one glance and a street-leveled viewpoint in observing pedestrian activities in the streets, Dickens, as I argue, seems to rely on a street-leveled viewpoint in his reading the city. Dickens constructs various kinds of urban characters relevant to the space of the street, where some individuals show off their domination, some others make living, and others enjoy urban architecture. Dickens’s characters, including Fledgeby, often utilize the politics of insignificance on which they intentionally act invisible and voluntarily appear illegible in order to protect themselves and thrive without being watched. Arguing that the politics of insignificance can be a means for the marginalized to find a way to prevail, this paper focuses on Fledgeby as one of the insignificant characters, who deserves our critical attention. Fledgeby, who is presented as a decoy, puppet, and an aid to ‘more significant’ characters, reverses our judgment of himself by showing his ability to manipulate others and capitalize on the knowledge he gathers from the street. In other words, his politics of insignificance is a success because acting small helps him to be a free agent who defies social order.

『데이빗 코퍼필드』에서의 광대들

박금희 ( Geum Hee Park ) 한국영미문화학회 2009 영미문화 Vol.9 No.1

This article aims to illuminate the comic characters and their humor in Dickens`s novel David Copperfield in Bakhtinian point, and to clarify what the humorous characteristics are, and how they contribute to his reinforcement of socially critical messages in this novel. So far this novel has been called the only one of Dickens`s comic novels, even though it includes lots of social critical meanings. But it is true that Dickensian critics couldn`t make sure of the clear reasons why it is both very interesting and critical. Furthermore, it is also true that this novel has been criticized as a clumsy one in the realistic, psycho-analytic, dramatic angle. This approach to Dickensian comic characters through Bakhtinian fool, clown, and rogue concepts here could make up for or correct such criticisms, and reevaluate Dickens`s humor and social criticisms in the context of general public culture. Bakhtin believes oppression by social ideologies prevent us from having good mutual relationships and divides our society. He thinks laughter liberates us from such oppression and restores our good relationships. As he applied his concepts based on the laughter of Middle Ages to Rabelais`s novels, and examined what the authentically liberating power in Rabelais`s laughter is, this article could clarify the liberating power of laughter by Dickens`s comic characters, such as Mr and Mrs Micawber, Dick, Miss Betsey Trotwood and Miss Mowcher. In this novel, they often lead comic happenings, and such happenings are very similar to carnival-amusements including burning the dummy of the czar who has oppressed his or her citizenry. Especially, Dickens`s comic characters`s social criticisms, in the case of this novel, contain many complaints of social marginers, even though he has been labelled as being conservative politically. They always criticize the ideological absurdities in their society through the humorous words and behaviors in their comic happenings, like those of a carnival fool or clown in his or her amusements. This shows Dickens achieves both laughter and social criticism in David Copperfield by using Rabelaisian characterization-devices based on his general public culture. Like Bakhtin and Rabelais, Dickens seems to have believed that when we all truly liberate ourselves from the oppression of social ideologies, we can have desirable relationships between ourselves, and also solve social problems positively.

디킨즈의 두 도시 이야기: 개인과 집단의 트라우마와 치유

이복기 대한영어영문학회 2017 영어영문학연구 Vol.43 No.3

In this paper Charles Dickens’s A Tale of Two Cities is analyzed in terms of its description of and dealing with its major characters’ traumatic experiences: Doctor Manette’s, Madame Defarge’s, and Sydney Carton’s. We argue that Dickens describes the individual traumatic experience not because he wants melodramatic effects, but because he attempts to delve into it in order to find the causes of French Revolution. Also, Dickens makes connection between individual experience of trauma and its social and political dimension. Through the analysis of Dickens’s attempt, we can acknowledge that the mega political event could be originated from severe individual traumas when they are not treated properly. We cannot find the effective way to prevent the revolutionary crash, but we can appreciate Sydney Carton’s vision of the community of “perennial mourning” as a possible treatment of individual and communal trauma.

The Railroad in Dombey and Son: Dickens's Notion of Progress and Morality

김형희 한국영미어문학회 2009 영미어문학 Vol.- No.90

Published during the decade of social and economic disturbance of the 1840s, Dombey and Son represents Dickens's optimistic view of the Industrial Revolution. Especially, the railroad is the embodiment of his vision for the future. Dickens vividly and enthusiastically describes the sight of the railroad construction. In addition to the physical appearance of the building site, the railroad takes various roles to convey what Dickens wishes to say as a social reformer, which include class distinctions and morality. Mr. Dombey's despondence on the train, withholding his heartful appreciation of the new era, resorting to death, signifies his failure in his business, and his morality resulted from anachronistic sentiment and attitude. In contrast with the Dombey household, the Toodles represent an ideal family. Together with the symbolic meaning of their clean house, Polly's humanity as a wet nurse is beyond Mr. Dombey's attempt to limit their relationship only in pecuniary concern. Unlike Mr. Dombey's rigidity with unflinching pride and the collapse of his firm, Mr. Toodle's optimistic attitude and his success, getting a professional job as an engine man, reflects his adaptability and triumphant living during the dynamic change of society. In this sense, Dickens's happy resolution in Dombey and Son is not so much erroneous as consistent with his sanguine outlook on socioeconomic reform. Published during the decade of social and economic disturbance of the 1840s, Dombey and Son represents Dickens's optimistic view of the Industrial Revolution. Especially, the railroad is the embodiment of his vision for the future. Dickens vividly and enthusiastically describes the sight of the railroad construction. In addition to the physical appearance of the building site, the railroad takes various roles to convey what Dickens wishes to say as a social reformer, which include class distinctions and morality. Mr. Dombey's despondence on the train, withholding his heartful appreciation of the new era, resorting to death, signifies his failure in his business, and his morality resulted from anachronistic sentiment and attitude. In contrast with the Dombey household, the Toodles represent an ideal family. Together with the symbolic meaning of their clean house, Polly's humanity as a wet nurse is beyond Mr. Dombey's attempt to limit their relationship only in pecuniary concern. Unlike Mr. Dombey's rigidity with unflinching pride and the collapse of his firm, Mr. Toodle's optimistic attitude and his success, getting a professional job as an engine man, reflects his adaptability and triumphant living during the dynamic change of society. In this sense, Dickens's happy resolution in Dombey and Son is not so much erroneous as consistent with his sanguine outlook on socioeconomic reform.

찰스 디킨스의 『미국 여행기』에 나타난 환경에 대한 인식

김택중 ( Tag Jung Kim ) 한국현대영어영문학회 2012 현대영어영문학 Vol.56 No.2

Charles Dickens is a social critic of the Victorian England, and his social criticism is mostly based on his belief that one`s living conditions can determine his or her moral status. It is well known that his novels clearly show his strong interest in such environmental issues as housing, sanitation, water pollution, urbanizing development, and so on. Dickens believes that although science may destroy nature and humans` living conditions, it also has a power of restoring living environment to its ideal state. Nature, he also understands, has a meaning when there are people living harmoniously with it. And that is why he is so concerned with people and their living conditions. American Notes, his travelogue to America to which not many critics have paid attention in this regard, also reveals his concern with environmental problems. This paper demonstrates how seriously Dickens criticizes sanitary problems in American cities and the reckless, incomplete development performed in inland frontiers. (Chungnam National University)

찰스 디킨스의 『이탈리아의 초상』에 나타난 가톨릭

김택중 ( Kim Tag-jung ) 한국현대영어영문학회 2017 현대영어영문학 Vol.61 No.1

It is generally known that Charles Dickens disliked the Roman Catholicism. However, Dickens did not hate Catholicism itself, but rather its established religious affiliations. In this regard, he did not like any form of religion, the Roman Catholicism or the Church of England, when it asserts its violent and authoritative privileges at the sacrifice of human rights and freedom. Pictures from Italy is one of Dickens`s rare travel pieces. It is also the work that has been rarely dealt with by critics. This travelogue contains Dickens`s experiences and thoughts in his travels from France, Switzerland, and Italy during the period of 1844 and 1845 and shows his ideas about religion, the Roman Catholicism, profusely and distinctly. Therefore, Pictures from Italy is a work that we cannot ignore but have to discuss seriously when we talk of Dickens and religion. This paper aims to read this travelogue in view of his ideas and positions on Catholicism in detail. (Chungnam National University)

Comical Operation of Dismemberment on Novel Characters

Sea Hyunjoo 한양대학교 수행인문학연구소 2011 수행인문학 Vol.41 No.2

Charles Dickens's Our Mutual Prieud is permeated with laughter, humor, and elements of self-parody which M. M. Bakhtin refers to as the result of novelization, and it is undoubtedly due to Dickens's ironic way of presenting his characters to the readers. Dickens rarely introduces his characters straightforwardly either in an approving or disapproving way. He tries to bring their hidden part to light and to show how it is different from their facade. The difference between their surface and center arouses laughter, which provides readers with insightful knowledge of the truths as wel! as emotional and moral satisfaction. Dickens's "comical operation of dismemberment" on his characters is made possible because he takes quite a different authorial position from that of epic writer, who, according to Bakhtin, speaks about a past that is to him inaccessible, in the reverent point of view of descendent. Dickens, on the contrary. speaks about the present, his contemporaries. Since there exists no absolute distance between the author himself and his objects, he can observe them freely and closely. Novel writer Dickens makes good use of generic tactics of the novel, that is parody and travesty, and their etfect laughter to destroy the epic and any hierarchical distance and to investigate his object far more freely and familiarly.