The written word as oral transcription : an examination of Dickens's oral literary style

Abstract

The focus of this thesis is on the oral quality of Dickens's literature. Although Dickens himself can be viewed as large participant in the rise of written culture, I explore the orality of his work in relation to the rise of literacy. By looking at the influence Victorian theatre had on Dickens, his narrative techniques and his characters I trace and examine the oral quality of his work. I feel Dickens was very concerned about the loss of an oral community and ironically used his fiction to explore this topic. I want to suggest that Dickens occupied a unique position in history where he could at once see the death of an oral community and the rise of an alphabetic society.