The Politics Of Space In Little Dorrit

Little Dorrit is a Charles Dickens' late novel work that widely depicts the evils of the society during the British history in the Victorian era.The academic studies on this novel are mostly derived from Marxism,New Historicism,and feminism while specific research on space is rarely seen.This thesis analyses the imprisoned state in the physical,mental,and social space from the perspective of Henri Lefebvre's space theories.All the space concepts in Little Dorrit are related to the imprisonment.During the economic growth of the Victorian era,it is full of diversity,openness,liberty,and civilization.However,the utilitarianism and rational principle made the living space of people confined,the mental space alienated,and the social space suppressed,constituting the imprisoned space in Little Dorrit.The progress in Victorian era which many people during that time were eager for resulted in the imprisonment of human and societal development.This paper is divided into three parts such as introduction,body,and conclusion.The introduction focuses mainly on the life story of Charles Dickens,literature review,and the space theories.The body includes three chapters:The first chapter describes the physical space of the London streets,rental houses,and the prison cell in Little Dorrit.The open streets show the people's economic positions and the class differences.The rented houses highlight the people's personal and economic freedoms.The prison shows the deprivation of personal differences.With all these,the physical space serves as a tool that imprisons people.The second chapter discusses the alienated spirit in the mental space.Kinship and marriage are based on money and profits.The upbringing and education are the investments for the children's repayment.These cause the alienation and fetishism of kinship.Marriage is like a trade for people and follows the principle of equivalent exchange.It makes people turn like goods and machines during the industrial revolution.The rationalism and fetishism of relationship deprive the people of their freedom as human beings,imprisoning their pursuit for development.The third chapter analyses the social space in the novel.The monopoly of the commercial capital and governmental bureaucracy restricts the development of the middle and lower classes.The economics and capital are under the control of the minority of the capitalists.Even by sophisticated scientific mathematics,lower and middle classes are still insulated from the capitalist circle,which means they can't achieve the economic development and independence.The bureaucratic management causes the dysfunction and degradation of the government,which limits the people's political development.Therefore,the social space is the oppressive imprisonment for both the middle and lower classes.In the conclusion,the fetishism,trades,and dysfunction of space cause the imprisonment of the living states and spirit,and the regression of society.In the Victorian era,it is the ‘progress' that imprisons the different classes and limits the social development.