Commentary on Dickens' Bleak House

Commentary on Dickens' Bleak House

Dickens proves himself to be a true master of description through his

novel 'Bleak House'. The book represents what seems to be the highest

point of his intellectual maturity, portraying a dismal city under

attack by dismal weather tied by perfectly dismal laws. Dickens opens

chapter one by introducing literary devices such as personification,

phonological features and repetition to his description, thus setting

the scene whilst stressing the mood he is trying to convey.

The usage of the present tense rather than the past removes the linear

dictation by time and restricts knowledge to situation rather than

chronology. To refer to the end (or non-end) of the fog would allow

the reader to share knowledge with the narrator, and assume that by

the next chapter, it would all be gone. 'Fog everywhere' shrouds the

reader's view, not only physically, but also emotionally. By applying

a present tense to this chapter, Dickens has removed the idea that the

fog has limits, it becomes immovable as it has no ends. In doing so,

Dickens controls the reader in accepting its presence and learning to

benefit from the thinner areas.

Within 'Bleak house', Dickens employs a religious lexis, subtly

drawing the reader's attention to themes of law and justice. 'Never

can there come fog too thick.' Placing specific emphasis on the word

'never', this sermon-like way of communicating with the reader gives a

solemn air to the sentence. Understanding this lexis, further draws

our attention to how fog can hide crime, allow people to act invisibly

leaving everything unseen, thus portraying a symbol of injustice.

Dickens del...

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... tempo, taking

in each and every word thus allowing more time to create that vital

mental image.

'Bleak House' has many linguistic features warped into its text, some

of which contribute to the visual side of the mental picture, some on

the phonological side allowing the reader to hear their own individual

versions of the different sounds, and some which allow the reader to

empathise with the writer. I feel the devices could contribute into

making a potentially positive novel, however Dickens being Dickens

utilises his expert use of authorial techniques allowing himself to

subtly yet successfully criticise the social injustice and crime of

his time. It is through the use of profound imagery that he is able to

make such negative ideas most prominent in the minds of the readers,

portraying an overall 'bleak' image.