Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Marvin D. L. LansverkLangley, Rodney Christopher2015-05-122015-05-122004https://scholarworks.montana.edu/handle/1/8451The 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.enDickens, Charles, 1812-1870.--Criticism and interpretationLanguage and languagesThesisCopyright 2004 by Rodney Christopher Langley