dissertation ideas

[megancombe]

Hello,
I'm looking for some ideas on novels I can study for my 4th year university dissertation.
I've chosen victorian novels as my subject, preferably British, and thought about delving into representations of innocence in these novels. I originally thought about using 'Tess of the D'Urbevilles' and finding texts to contrast and compare.

Any ideas?
Help!

Thanks
Megan

[nome1486]

I hope these novels fit your idea of "Victorian". Though they were all written during the reign of Queen Victoria, there might be a wide variety in styles and subjects.

Charles Dickens wrote several novels about the struggles of innocent orphans in Victorian England--Nicholas Nickleby, David Copperfield, and Oliver Twist--though I've only read Oliver Twist, and I don't know if you'll find what you need in them. Another Victorian author that comes to mind is George Eliot, especially her novels Silas Marner and The Mill on the Floss. Again, I've only read Silas Marner and don't know if it's exactly what you're looking for. It's about a man (Silas Marner) who becomes miserly when his best friend betrays him, but he opens his heart again to a small supposed orphan--who is actually the illegitimate child of a prominent local citizen. Silas Marner is somewhat innocent in his worldly knowledge, and he and the young child form a contrast to the child's far-from-innocent father. From what I've heard, The Mill on the Floss sounds like it might be useful to you--it's evidently about a young woman whose energy and passion for life clash with her society's strict rules of decorum. Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights were also written during the Victorian era. I really should read some of these...

Good luck on your dissertation!

[Arteum]

Hello, megancombe!

I am very much into classical British literature and we might discuss a thing or two together if you don't mind ;-) Please write me a private message if you're interetsed.

What exactly do you mean by "innocence"? I bet the best and the most well-known description of innocence (as being artless, ignorant and faithfully following the morals of the time) in British literature was given by S. Richardson in his "Pamela" and later by H. Fielding in his "Joseph Andrews". Although these two famous novels belong to a period somewhat preceding the Victorian era, they may prove rather helpful for comparison.

[chrissy]

Tess of the D'Urbervilles would be excellent to write an essay about. Vanity Fair may be helpful on the topic of innocence as well. It's a compare and contrast of two women's lives, one could be considered innocent, the other devious. Moll Flanders by Defoe could be considered the antithesis of innocence although it may be too early to be Victorian. If I were writing this I'd probobly look at the three principle characters in Tess Alec D'Urberville, Angel Clare and Tess Durbeyfield and look at how fate shaped their actions as well as double standards and how society itself took away Tess's innocence. D