The Spatial Political Narrative Of Public Health In Our Mutual Friend

As the greatest writer of the Victorian era in Britain,Charles Dickens’ s work is a household name in the English-speaking world.Much of his works have a distinct tendency of critiquing capitalism,and much of his fictions have been analyzed by scholars from the perspective of critiquing capitalism.In fact,Dickens’ s constructive views on public health are also worth praising and studying for later generations.In many of his novels,Dickens demonstrates critical and constructive views on public health in British society of 19 th century.Dickens’ s last full-length novel,Our Mutual Friend,also reflects his concern for public health.This thesis will analyze the narrative of public health embodied in the novel’s text from three spatial perspectives: social space,physical space and spiritual space,according to Lefebvre’s theory of spatial politics.This thesis is divided into five chapters.Chapter 1 introduces Dickens,his novels and his work Our Mutual Friend,explaining the purpose,significance and methodology of the study.Chapter 2 introduces domestic and foreign researches on Our Mutual Friend,the narrative of public health and spatial politics.In addition,this part traces the rise of public health in the Victorian era.At the same time,this chapter explains how Victorian writers,including Dickens,use fictional writing to associate public health with literature,medicine,and social control.Chapter 3 systematically elaborates on Lefebvre’s theory of spatial politics,describing the connotations of social space,physical space and spiritual space.Chapter 4 focuses on three aspects of the spatial political connotations of public health in Our Mutual Friend,including social space,physical space,and spiritual space.Firstly,on the level of social space,Dickens takes the city as his theme.London as a international metropolis under the control of capitalist,shows the political restrictions on urban public health.The British public in London tries to create a better living space in the central circle of the city.Under the domination of capitalist economy,the sewage and rubbish from the urban centre are continuously discharged and dumped into the slums,so the living conditions of the marginalised groups are deteriorating day by day.The public loses confidence in the national governance capability.Secondly,on the level of physical space in the novel,the dust heap and the Thames symbolize the modern social circular system,the sinkhole symbolizes the modern sewage treatment system,the hospital for sick children symbolizes the health management system,and the workhouse symbolizes social charities.These physical spaces all show the pros and cons of the rise and reform of public health in Victorian Britain.Finally,on the level of the spiritual space,the narrative of public health embodied in the novel reveals Dickens’ s ideas of sanitary moralism,humanitarianism and medical realism,as Dickens attempts to create a utopian space of public health.Chapter 5 concludes the theme explained in this thesis,revealing the importance of analysing the narrative of public health in Dickens’ s fictional texts from the perspective of spatial politics for the current study of Dickens’ s work and public health research.