The thesis deals with Dickens' commitment to expose and criticise the inequities of the British legal system in the 19th century. It provides insight into Dickens' fictional account of the Court of...Show moreThe thesis deals with Dickens' commitment to expose and criticise the inequities of the British legal system in the 19th century. It provides insight into Dickens' fictional account of the Court of Chancery and the Jarndyce and Jarndyce lawsuit in "Bleak House", and into the harmful effects of the criminalisation of the poor in "Great Expectations". Furthermore, it offers an analysis of specific moments of the novels in order to demonstrate Dickens' role in raising his readers' awareness of the social injustices of their time.Show less
This MA thesis explores the independence of the working heroines in Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre (1847), Anne Brontë’s The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (1848), and Thomas Hardy’s Far from the Madding...Show moreThis MA thesis explores the independence of the working heroines in Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre (1847), Anne Brontë’s The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (1848), and Thomas Hardy’s Far from the Madding Crowd (1874). The heroines establish and maintain their independence by performing the profession of governess, artist, or farmer, while the love interests threaten the women's independence by encroaching upon their professions. This thesis shows that all three novels are simultaneously ahead of their time in relation to the working women and very much of their time in relation to Victorian conventions.Show less
