Comparing Characters in Charles Dickens Bleak House and Great Expectat

Dynamic and Static Characters in Charles Dickens' Bleak House and Great Expectations    `Bleak House' and `Great Expectations' are novels in which Charles Dickens develops a range of characters whose behavior, although dramatic, is somewhat far-fetched and implausible. However, it is precisely this implausibility, which allows Dickens to make powerful statements indicative of the condition of Victorian England. Dickens has a flair for giving characters exactly the amount of life required for their purpose in the novel. A tangible, dynamic character is likely to be multifaceted and intricate, however there are very few of these in `Bleak House' or `Great Expectations.' A few characters are complex, but static and incapable of development. The way in which characters in the novels occupy their space is interesting, in that it adds to the drama, although in most cases it boosts the unlikelihood of the character. By examining some of the characters from each novel, it can be seen how this dramatic effect is achieved. Mr. Bucket is an undercover detective. All three characters that he pursues in the novel ultimately end up dead. From his first introduction into `Bleak House,' he seems to be more mythical and illusory, rather than tangible. His first appearance in the novel is when he materializes, from nowhere, in front of Mr. Snagsby: Mr. Snagsby is dismayed to see, standing with an attentive face between himself and the lawyer, at a little distance from the table, a person with a hat and stick in his hands, who was not there when he himself came in, and has not since entered by the door or by either of the windows. It is not the case that Mr. Snagsby simply did not witness Mr. Bucket entering;... ...o be rather monotonous. Nevertheless, these are all memorable characters from `Bleak House' and `Great Expectations' and serve their purpose in the novel well. Works Cited and Consulted: Crawford, Iain. "Pip and the Monster: the Joys of Bondage." Studies in English Literature 28 (1988): 625-45. Dickens, Charles. Great Expectations. Ed. Edgar Rosenberg. New York: Norton, 1999. -----------   Bleak House.   New York: Penguin, 1985. French, A.L   " Imprisonment: The Case of Great Expectations." Discussions of Charles Dickens, 82-92.   William R. Clark, ed.   Boston: D.C. Heath & Co., 1961. Letwin, Shirley Robin. The Gentleman in Trollope: Individuality and Moral Conduct. Cambridge, MA: Harvard UP, 1982. Platz, Norbert H. "The Symbolic Dynamics of the Gentleman Idea in the Victorian Novel." Literaturwissenschaftliches 38 (1997): 147-65. Comparing Characters in Charles Dickens' Bleak House and Great Expectat Dynamic and Static Characters in Charles Dickens' Bleak House and Great Expectations    `Bleak House' and `Great Expectations' are novels in which Charles Dickens develops a range of characters whose behavior, although dramatic, is somewhat far-fetched and implausible. However, it is precisely this implausibility, which allows Dickens to make powerful statements indicative of the condition of Victorian England. Dickens has a flair for giving characters exactly the amount of life required for their purpose in the novel. A tangible, dynamic character is likely to be multifaceted and intricate, however there are very few of these in `Bleak House' or `Great Expectations.' A few characters are complex, but static and incapable of development. The way in which characters in the novels occupy their space is interesting, in that it adds to the drama, although in most cases it boosts the unlikelihood of the character. By examining some of the characters from each novel, it can be seen how this dramatic effect is achieved. Mr. Bucket is an undercover detective. All three characters that he pursues in the novel ultimately end up dead. From his first introduction into `Bleak House,' he seems to be more mythical and illusory, rather than tangible. His first appearance in the novel is when he materializes, from nowhere, in front of Mr. Snagsby: Mr. Snagsby is dismayed to see, standing with an attentive face between himself and the lawyer, at a little distance from the table, a person with a hat and stick in his hands, who was not there when he himself came in, and has not since entered by the door or by either of the windows. It is not the case that Mr. Snagsby simply did not witness Mr. Bucket entering;... ...o be rather monotonous. Nevertheless, these are all memorable characters from `Bleak House' and `Great Expectations' and serve their purpose in the novel well. Works Cited and Consulted: Crawford, Iain. "Pip and the Monster: the Joys of Bondage." Studies in English Literature 28 (1988): 625-45. Dickens, Charles. Great Expectations. Ed. Edgar Rosenberg. New York: Norton, 1999. -----------   Bleak House.   New York: Penguin, 1985. French, A.L   " Imprisonment: The Case of Great Expectations." Discussions of Charles Dickens, 82-92.   William R. Clark, ed.   Boston: D.C. Heath & Co., 1961. Letwin, Shirley Robin. The Gentleman in Trollope: Individuality and Moral Conduct. Cambridge, MA: Harvard UP, 1982. Platz, Norbert H. "The Symbolic Dynamics of the Gentleman Idea in the Victorian Novel." Literaturwissenschaftliches 38 (1997): 147-65.