Thesis Recovered from Obscurity: “Structures of Feeling” and Discourses of Identity and Power Relations through the Peripheral Characters in the Novels of Charles Dickens. by Ivan Pragasan Pillay Supervisor: Dr C.A. Woeber 1 Recovered from Obscurity: “Structures of Feeling” and Discourses of Identity and Power Relations through the Peripheral Characters in the Novels of Charles Dickens Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in English (University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg: 2011) This whole thesis, unless specifically indicated to the contrary in the text, is my own, original work. ____________________ Ivan Pragasan Pillay 2 I dedicate this work to Ma af 3 Acknowledgements This thesis would not have been possible without the abiding grace of Jesus Christ who, as He promised, never did leave nor forsake me. And, lest I forget: My supervisor, Dr Catherine A. Woeber for selflessly going beyond the call of duty to see this work through to its conclusion. Her expertise and professionalism, in setting and maintaining the required standards at all times, has enriched me and I remain indebted to her. My dear friends, the Jogessar family: Jamesy, Rosy, Alice and Sharma who urged me on and picked me up when, at times, it seemed as though the finish was, infinitely, beyond my reach. They were my seconds throughout this, often, gruelling marathon. My son, Courtney Austin and daughter, Claire Ann for believing in me. My mother Pat, aunt Loga and the rest of my family for their unstinting love and support. My colleagues Suren Naidoo and Roy Somaru for never being too far away when it mattered most. The staff of the UKZN Pietermaritzburg campus library, particularly, Celeste John, together with Abdool Gani and John Timms (Inter-Library Loans) for efficient and courteous service. 4 Devasan Naiken (my computer technician) and Krissen Naidoo (Information and Communication Technical Division, UKZN Pietermaritzburg campus,) for technical expertise and assistance. My teachers who played their part in my never-ending journey on the road to learning. I am especially grateful to my teacher of English, Miss L. Pillay (later Mrs Sigamony), Raisethorpe Secondary School (1971-3), who first planted the seed of love for Dickens… I wish to also express my profound appreciation to the trustees of the HWD Manson Memorial Scholarship and the University of KwaZulu-Natal for funding this study. 5 Abstract Many of Charles Dickens‟s peripheral characters have not received critical attention through a de-centered reading in a single, unified body of work. For reasons which are related largely to his biography, Dickens had a deep and abiding interest in the members of the lower classes who feature prominently in his novels. This thesis, on the eve of the bi- centennial anniversary of the author‟s birth, examines his representations of a selection of these characters that appear to have been, to a large extent, forgotten and lie in obscurity, submerged in the vast storehouse of his creations. In his novels, Dickens vociferously champions the rights of the marginalised whilst he, simultaneously, evinces a discerning consciousness of their susceptibility to forms of conduct which he disapproved of. His empathy is, therefore, of a kind which is tinged with distrust, fear and, at times, repulsion. Central to this thesis is Dickens‟s ambivalence towards the proverbial small man/woman which is examined in terms of its genesis, development and resolution. In its engagement with these characters, this study draws, primarily, on the New Historicist (particularly the work of Stephen Greenblatt) and Cultural Materialist approaches to the reading of literary texts and is foregrounded in Raymond Williams‟s formulation of “structures of feeling”. Aligned to this, is Michel Foucault‟s conceptualizations of power. My Introduction defines the parameters within which this thesis is situated. The need for a study of this nature is outlined and an overview of the theoretical positions, intimated above, is presented. The central ideas which link Foucault, Greenblatt and Williams are clearly spelt out and their relevance to Dickens‟s peripheral characters is anticipated. Of the 14 novels discussed, David Copperfield, because of its strong autobiographical connections, is read as most crucial in the shaping of Dickens‟s attitudes towards the lower classes. Chapter 1 is therefore devoted, exclusively, to this novel which serves, initially, as a gateway to this thesis and, thereafter, as its nodal point. Chapter 2 (“Voices in the Crowd”) picks up the links from David Copperfield as it explores the realm of public space. It identifies and draws to the centre those characters that constitute the crowd, as it is seen in 6 everyday contexts. Chapter 3 (“The World of the Public-House”) takes the reader into the Victorian tavern – that microcosm of society where “social energies” are seen to “circulate” in complex configurations. Chapter 4 (“Servants and Dickens‟s Double Vision”) discusses the representatives of the lower classes as they are seen in their roles as servants – a crucial area of Victorian “cultural poetics” and one that was very near to Dickens‟s heart. In my Conclusion I revisit the question of Dickens‟s ambivalence and situate this in the context of the posthumously published, and relatively unknown, The Life of Our Lord. It would seem that many commentators tend to allude to Dickens‟s ambivalence without actually offering a detailed examination of the peripheral characters, as they are seen in different contexts. In bringing together some of the smallest of the small in a unified body of work (for what may possibly be the first time), this thesis offers fresh insights into the ways in which the writer knew and understood the lower classes. 7 Table of Contents Introduction The Speck in the Painted Landscape i. The Speck in the Painted Landscape. 14 ii. Towards an Application of Foucault‟s Power Relations 19 iii. A Case for New Historicism and Raymond Williams in the Twenty-First Century 23 iii. i An Overview of New Historicism and Greenblatt‟s Cultural Poetics. (“Tracking Social Energies”) 26 iii. ii Focus on Raymond Williams and the “Structure of Feeling”: (“Exploring the Cul- de-Sacs”). 30 iv. Getting Closer to Dickens: Bridging the Social and the Psychological. 35 v. Dickens‟s Ambivalence as it Relates to the Peripheral Characters 39 vi. Quo Vadis 42 8 Chapter 1 Part 1: Looking Through David Copperfield 1.1 Why David Copperfield? 46 1.2 Moral and Social Ambivalence: David and His Servants. 48 1.3 Genesis and Growth: Perception and the Shaping of Early Attitudes. 1.3. 1 Early Memories of Blunderstone Rookery 55 1.3.2 David‟s Awareness of “Self” and “Other”: The “Unfortunate” Waiter. 58 1.3.3 Salem House and the Evolution of Consciousness: Mr Mell, Steerforth and Tungay 62 1.3.4 Murdstone and Grinby‟s: The Emergence of Social Prejudice 69 1.3.5 The Road to Dover: The Blending of Fear, Compassion and Empathy. 75 Part 2: Some Theoretical Considerations 1.4 Drawing the Line between Fact and Fiction, Author and Protagonist. 84 1.5 Justifying David Copperfield as Autobiographical Fiction. 89 9 Chapter 2 Voices in the Crowd 2.1 Foreword 91 2.2 The Narratorial Gaze: A Panoramic Overview 94 2.3 Street Theatre and Performativity (The Pickwick Papers) 100 2.4 “A Passion for hunting something... ”: Beneath the Facade of Respectability (Oliver Twist) 107 2.5 Power and Gullibility in Martin Chuzzlewit and Nicholas Nickleby 2.5.1 The Birds of Prey in Martin Chuzzlewit 111 2.5.2 Colonizing the Low and Transforming the Exalted: The Crowd and the Muffin Company in Nicholas Nickleby 116 2.6 Conclusion to Chapter 2 121 10 Chapter 3 The World of the Public-House 3.1 Foreword 128 3.2 Harry the Vendor in Oliver Twist: The Merging of the Old and the New 132 3.3 The Three Jolly Bargemen: Consciousness as a Process in Great Expectations 136 3.4 The Three Cripples in Oliver Twist: Repulsion and Sadness 144 3.5 The Six Jolly Fellowship-Porters in Our Mutual Friend: Moral and Ethical Conscience 150 3.6 Tony Jobling, the Slap-Bang and “Unspeakable Consolation” in Bleak House 154 3.7 Revolutionary Incubators: Barnaby Rudge and A Tale of Two Cities 158 3.8 Conclusion to Chapter 3 165 11 Chapter 4 Servants and Dickens’s Double Vision 4.1 Foreword 170 4.2 Deviancy 4.2.1 Surveillance and the Household Panopticon in Great Expectations and Dombey and Son 175 4.3 Performative Doubles: The Fancy Footmen of Bath (The Pickwick Papers) 4.3.1 John Smauker and the Art of Pretence 187 4.3.2. The Soiree: “Consent and Dissent” 191 4.4 The Ultimate Professionals 4.4.1 The Genteel Cook in Shepherd‟s-Plaid Boots (Nicholas Nickleby) 194 4.4.2 The Analytical Chemist: Dickens‟s Narrative Auxiliary (Our Mutual Friend) 197 4.5 The Devoted and the Faithful 4.5.1 Guardian Angel and Protector: The Allegorical Presence of John Grueby (Barnaby Rudge) 203 4.5.2 “Queer beauty, wery queer beauty”: Phil Squod (Bleak House) 211 4.6 Conclusion to Chapter 4 219 12 Conclusion to Thesis 224 Bibliography 240 13 Introduction i. The Speck in the Painted Landscape One of Dickens‟s most famous novels, probably because it seems to appeal to a much wider readership than most of the others in his oeuvre, is Oliver Twist. Generations of readers, from schoolchildren to the general reading public to critics, have recalled, at some point, the many characters and episodes in this novel. That scene, for example, in which the young orphan Oliver, hungry and nervous, approaches the cook at the workhouse during meal-time and “asks for more” (Chapter 2: 15) is immortalized in the Dickens canon; even those who have never read the novel, are familiar with, or perhaps vaguely conscious of, the boy who dared to ask for more.