Abbott, Dickens, Emily Bronte e Hardy a confronto

EDWIN ABBOTT ABBOTT

Comparison between Abbott, Dickens, Bronte and Hardy.

•    VISION OF WOMEN :
Abbott : In his book “Flatland” women are the lower class and they’re represented as lines. They’re very dangerous and are thought to be also stupid creatures. They have to show always their position, in order to prevent incidents, moving their back and sounding a “peace-cry”.
Dickens : Women are represented in two ways : as round or flat characters. They can be indifferent and cold as Mrs Mann, a flat character, or kind and gentle as Nancy and Rose Maylie , round characters.
Bronte : Her women are full of passions and feelings, but are also fragile and insecure. They commit errors and sometimes prefer to follow their mind instead of their heart.
Hardy : The main woman in Hardy’s “Tess of the D’Urbervilles” is Tess, a humble girl, persecuted by a cruel destiny. She’s a strong character, who accepts the conditions of her life. She’s a victim and she always “chooses not to choose”.

Il romanzo nell'età vittoriana: caratteristiche

CHARLES DICKENS

VISION OF NATURE:
Abbott : Nature in Abbott is made of geometrical figures.
Dickens : He does not describe nature in his works.
Bronte : Nature is not very important for her, but in a certain way it describes the feelings of the characters. The wild landscape reflects their violent passions and the desolate scenery of the Yorkshire moors are reflected in the psychological conflicts of the characters.
Hardy : The natural landscape reflects the various moments of joy and sorrow in Tess’s life and her emotions. Sometimes it stands out as a cruel, indifferent contrast. For example, Tess falls in love with Angel in Summer, she’s abandoned by him in November and she’s executed on a July morning, when the sun “smiled on pitilessly”.

EMILY BRONTE

NARRATOR :
Abbott : The narrator is first person and he’s one of the characters of the story, Mr Square. So he tells the story by his point of view, narrating his own experiences.
Dickens : The narrator is third person and he’s omniscient. He tells the story with great sarcasm, showing the opinion of the author.
Bronte : There are two different narrators : one is Nelly Dean, who tells the story of Catherine and Heathcliff to Mr Lockwood, and the other is Mr Lockwood the same. Nelly includes her opinions in the narration, while Mr Lockwood only writes down, in the form of a journal, what Nelly says.