Diseases And The Victorian Society:A Study On Dickens’ Bleak House From The Medical Perspective

Disease is an important clue in Bleak House.On the one hand,the novel describes the slums where diseases are prevalent,and the protagonist Esther has also suffered from infectious diseases.On the other hand,those who are deeply involved in lawsuits and charities also show psychological diseases.Starting from these diseases,this thesis analyzes how Dickens criticizes “social ills” through the physiological and psychological diseases of characters.First of all,by analyzing the etiology and clinical symptoms of the infectious diseases that the protagonist Esther got,this thesis explores the direct and fundamental causes of the Victorian pandemic,especially the outbreak of smallpox virus.The direct reason is that the poor sanitary conditions caused by the popular burials system at that time in England resulted in the continuous outbreak of smallpox virus and other infectious diseases,which could not be spared by all sectors of society.The fundamental reason is that in the process of urbanization,the old mechanism does not adapt to the new needs,and when the problems of urban health and environmental pollution are exposed,they cannot be effectively and properly solved.The incompetence and indifference of social system caused the outbreak of infectious diseases.In addition to physical diseases,Dickens also describes the psychological diseases of the characters.Mrs.Jellyby,who works for charity,is extremely callous and indifferent to her family,but is committed to building a “happy life” for the African people.Her professional habits make her personality tend to split.This dual character is the psychological deformity and change of people under the rule of alien forces.Richard Carston,who was subject to the case of Jarndyce and Jarndyce,knew that the case persecuted the whole family,but he still couldn’t control himself to devote all his energy and money tothe case,and finally he collapsed and died of depression.From the perspective of the litigant in Jarndyce and Jarndyce case,the author shows the damage of the legal machine,the Chancery Court,to human beings.The psychological pathological changes in Bleak House are not only the product of physiological pathological changes,but also the product of culture and society.Therefore,the multiple writing of diseases constitutes a different “sick” society in Dickens’ works.The body has lost its former vitality,infectious diseases are more frequent,and the underlying mental illness has become another major obstacle.The thesis holds that Dickens in Bleak House actually analyzes the social pathology of London from two aspects of physiological and psychological diseases,and tries to put forward his own reform plan for the morbid social system.Although the writer is limited by the times and class consciousness,his “prescription” may not go directly to the “focus” of the society,but Dickens’ examination and analysis of Victorian society from the perspective of medicine is still of practical significance today.