| Description |
Nineteenth century Britain truly was the best of times and the worst of times. The transformation of an economy based on the ownership of land to a modern urban economy based on trade and manufacturing resulted in dramatic changes in peoples' lives. Charles Dickens, the most popular novelist of this time, used his creative powers to portray the effect that industrialization was having in human terms. Through his novels he illustrates the tension that developed between the many new social classes that came into being during that era. The task of this paper will be to examine the class system of Victorian England, and then to analyze Dickens' contribution to this subject. Specifically, he argues that unhappiness will come to those who make their sole aim in life the improvement of their position on the social ladder, and also to those who fail to understand the worth of individuals from all classes. |
