Arguably the most dynamic city on earth, London has for centuries, in the areas of finance, literature, politics, art and theater, been the center of the world. As the capital of the United Kingdom, it ruled at its peak about a quarter of the world that may be one of the many reasons London still is a beloved setting for a novel or a short story. Distinguished writers such as Samuel Johnson, Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, Oscar Wilde and Virginia Woolf all have an allurement of this city. As Samuel Johnson said: When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford. However, things are seldom what they seem, and some writers have touched on the darker sides of life in London, for instance in the
…show more content…
In the two extracts, Little Dorritt by Charles Dickens and Villette by Charlotte Brontë, one will notice that the same contrasting attitudes comes forth. In the extract from Little Dorritt the picture of a melancholy and dark city immediately strikes the reader with the first line describing London as gloomy, close, and stale. Charles Dickens' attitudes to London through the text is far from what one would call positive and optimistic. It seems like he tries to paint the picture of hopeless, despairing and dark clouds floating over London, letting very little light shine through. In contrast to Little Dorrittt, the extract from Villette gives London different characteristics, making it seem like they are talking about two completely different cities. The starry-eyed character in Villette seems to have a fascination with London, and the extract gives a feeling that she might not be from the city. Everything is depicted as beautiful with almost no harm in it; an example is the street being narrow, perfectly quiet, and not …show more content…
Perspective the main device that makes the two texts diverge, and it is not arbitrary. For instance, in Little Dorritt we see Charles Dickens using an objective viewpoint whilst in Villette Charlotte Brontë uses a more subjective one. The power of the objective viewpoint is that you get to read about the real physical London. However, in Villette we find this creative and subjective view of London seen through the eyes of the character rather than a camera capturing every little single detail. The main difference in effect this gives is that in Little Dorritt the reader may get the feeling that the attitudes expressed; truly is the author’s, whilst in Charlotte Brontë’s novel that it is the character’s attitudes rather than the authors. However, by making an interpretation one could say that Charlotte tries to express herself through her fictional character. Another scenario might be that Charlotte is trying to express the incapability of the character by depicting her view as purely optimistic and cordial, but this interpretation is a wild guess considering the fact that there is so little we know about the novel and the
In the two extracts, Little Dorritt by Charles Dickens and Villette by Charlotte Brontë, one will notice that the same contrasting attitudes comes forth. In the extract from Little Dorritt the picture of a melancholy and dark city immediately strikes the reader with the first line describing London as gloomy, close, and stale. Charles Dickens' attitudes to London through the text is far from what one would call positive and optimistic. It seems like he tries to paint the picture of hopeless, despairing and dark clouds floating over London, letting very little light shine through. In contrast to Little Dorrittt, the extract from Villette gives London different characteristics, making it seem like they are talking about two completely different cities. The starry-eyed character in Villette seems to have a fascination with London, and the extract gives a feeling that she might not be from the city. Everything is depicted as beautiful with almost no harm in it; an example is the street being narrow, perfectly quiet, and not …show more content…
Perspective the main device that makes the two texts diverge, and it is not arbitrary. For instance, in Little Dorritt we see Charles Dickens using an objective viewpoint whilst in Villette Charlotte Brontë uses a more subjective one. The power of the objective viewpoint is that you get to read about the real physical London. However, in Villette we find this creative and subjective view of London seen through the eyes of the character rather than a camera capturing every little single detail. The main difference in effect this gives is that in Little Dorritt the reader may get the feeling that the attitudes expressed; truly is the author’s, whilst in Charlotte Brontë’s novel that it is the character’s attitudes rather than the authors. However, by making an interpretation one could say that Charlotte tries to express herself through her fictional character. Another scenario might be that Charlotte is trying to express the incapability of the character by depicting her view as purely optimistic and cordial, but this interpretation is a wild guess considering the fact that there is so little we know about the novel and the