Dickens and Thackeray: Punishment and ForgivenessAttitudes toward punishment and forgiveness in English society of the nineteenth century came, for the most part, out of Christianity. In actual experience the ideal was not often met, but in the literature of the time the model was important. For novelists attempting to tell exciting and dramatic stories, violent and criminal activities played an important role, and, according to convention, had to be corrected through poetic justice or human punishment. Both Dickens' and Thackeray's novels subscribed to the ideal, but dealt with the dilemma it presented in slightly different ways. At a time when a great deal of attention has been directed toward economic production and consumption as the bases for value, Reed's well-documented study reviving moral belief as a legitimate concern for the analysis of nineteenth-century English texts is particularly illuminating. |
From inside the book
Results 1-3 of 55
... interest to most men , have ( unless they are connected with gain or loss of money ) no interest for me . But now , I swear , I mix up with the loss , his triumph in telling it . If he had brought it about , —I almost feel as if he had ...
... interest . All those associated with the Court are shown to benefit from postponing judgment— something very different from withholding judgment . The Court of Chancery is thus a parody of Christian mercy , energized not by charity but ...
... interest . But forgiveness goes beyond self - interest . By pitying De la Motte , she demonstrates the deeper humanity that is the energetic source both for her imperious judgments upon others and for her willingness to acknowledge ...
Contents
Attitudes Toward Punishment and Forgiveness | 3 |
Some of the contents of this study appeared elsewhere in different form Mate | 28 |
Education | 30 |
Copyright | |
25 other sections not shown