Ecocritical Analysis Of Hard Times By Charles Dickens
ECOCRITICAL ANALYSIS OF 'HARD TIMES ' BY CHARLES DICKENS.
INTRODUCTION:
Charles Dickens was one of the most important social commentators who used fiction effectively to criticize economic, social, and moral abuses in the Victorian era. He showed compassion towards the vulnerable and disadvantaged segments of English society, and contributed to several important social reforms. Dickens was successful in exposing the ills of the industrial society including class division, poverty, bad sanitation, and the experience of the metropolis. Dickens has used 'Hard Times ' as a store room of social conscience. This novel contains a bitter diagnosis of the condition of England. When Dickens published 'Hard Times ' in 1854, he was only 42, and yet for almost half his life he had been acclaimed as a public figure. The book shows the English society and is aimed at highlighting the social and economic pressure of the times. 'Hard Times ' was written against a backdrop of a changing economic environment in England. Gone was the cottage industry of Georgian England in which families labored together in the home. Men, women, and children were forced to work long hours in unhealthy conditions in the factories in the times of Industrial Revolution. Over crowdedness produced dust heaps everywhere, creating unsanitary living condition and, unfortunately, contaminating water sources. Those at the helms of the large factories collect huge amounts of wealth while factory hands worked harder for minimal wages. The Victorian England in which Dickens lived was fraught with massive economic turmoil, as the Industrial Revolution sent shockwaves through the established order. Dickens several times used his art as a lens to focus attention on the plight of the poor and to attempt to awaken the conscience of the reader. 'Hard Times ' is set in the industrial smokestacks and factories of Coketown. Indeed, 'Hard Times '
INTRODUCTION:
Charles Dickens was one of the most important social commentators who used fiction effectively to criticize economic, social, and moral abuses in the Victorian era. He showed compassion towards the vulnerable and disadvantaged segments of English society, and contributed to several important social reforms. Dickens was successful in exposing the ills of the industrial society including class division, poverty, bad sanitation, and the experience of the metropolis. Dickens has used 'Hard Times ' as a store room of social conscience. This novel contains a bitter diagnosis of the condition of England. When Dickens published 'Hard Times ' in 1854, he was only 42, and yet for almost half his life he had been acclaimed as a public figure. The book shows the English society and is aimed at highlighting the social and economic pressure of the times. 'Hard Times ' was written against a backdrop of a changing economic environment in England. Gone was the cottage industry of Georgian England in which families labored together in the home. Men, women, and children were forced to work long hours in unhealthy conditions in the factories in the times of Industrial Revolution. Over crowdedness produced dust heaps everywhere, creating unsanitary living condition and, unfortunately, contaminating water sources. Those at the helms of the large factories collect huge amounts of wealth while factory hands worked harder for minimal wages. The Victorian England in which Dickens lived was fraught with massive economic turmoil, as the Industrial Revolution sent shockwaves through the established order. Dickens several times used his art as a lens to focus attention on the plight of the poor and to attempt to awaken the conscience of the reader. 'Hard Times ' is set in the industrial smokestacks and factories of Coketown. Indeed, 'Hard Times '
Bibliography: Charles Dickens. Hard Times,1854. Introduction by Robert Donald Spector, Bantam Classic, April 1981. Greg Garrard.Ecocriticism, Routledge Publication, 2004. Keith Sagar. Literature andtheCrime Against Nature. Chaucer Press, November 2005. Spark Notes Editors. “SparkNote on Hard Times.” SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes. Ashton, T. S. The Industrial Revolution 1760-1830. New York: Oxford University Press, 1968. Enotes Editors. “Essays on Hard Times”. enotes.com. www.ukessays.com www.shmoop.com www.wikipedia.com www.studentplus.com