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The Divided Consciousness In Charles Dickens' Hard Times, Earl Paul Seymour

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

What I shall do in this paper is apply Frye’s concept of romance to Hard Times, i.e., Frye's defining romance as a device for using archetypes. The novel, as Frye sees it, is a vehicle whereby “realism” or life-like representation is applied. Hard Times contains “stylized figures” which thematically and formalistically support the dehumanization concept Dickens is portraying. Thus Dickens turned, as it were, toward a potentially revolutionary form within which to accomodate what is in many ways his most original piece of writing.