It is important to keep in mind the world Dickens lived in while writing, because this is the essence of his inspiration. Victorian London, while mid-stride into the Industrial Revolution, was steadily growing into a crime infested haven of class differentiation. Common newspaper stories of the day reflect the working class lifestyle endured by the majority of Londoners, which often included poverty and hunger. Dickens himself, father of his own large brood, knew all too well the plight of the lower classes for whom he mainly wrote.

Dickens uses the situations of the middle to lower middle classes to mirror, indeed mock, the upper class in their light. In all of Dickens' novels, he makes an obvious point of allowing characters to be known within the context of their social standings. Good examples of this can be seen in Our Mutual Friend, published in 1865. Lizzie's lifestyle is illustrated in great depth, as are the differences between her standing and the changing status of the Boffins. In a novel such as Bleak House (1853), the interweaving of social class structure and the many varied plots produce an amazing commentary on Victorian London. Dickens uses his entertaining serial to make a case before London and its socialites. The filth and destitution of the chimney sweeps is paralleled with the high fashionability of the would-be aristocracy. This is one of Dickens most important contributions to the society for which he wrote.

The Dickens Page
The Victorian Web
Victorian Studies

Back to Claire's Swingin' Home Page