The grotesque in the creation of the dickensian characters : constancy and evolution

• Auteur / Autrice : Kébir Sandy
• Direction : Bernard Toulet
• Type : Thèse de doctorat
• Discipline(s) : Anglais
• Date : Soutenance en 1994
• Etablissement(s) : Limoges

Mots clés

Mots clés contrôlés

Personnages

Critique et interprétation

Dickens, Charles (1812-1870)

Grotesque (littérature)

Résumé

Dickens et son oeuvre ont fait l'objet de multiples interpretations. Ceci est du a la complexite de la personnalite de l'ecrivain et a la richesse de son texte. Il y a cependant un sujet relativement peu aborde, celui de l'evolution du romancier comme artiste du grotesque. C'est le but que nous avons fixe a notre travail ; nous nous sommes appuyes sur l'analyse de nombreux personnages des romans. En tenant compte de sa nature ambigue, la premiere partie propose une definition historique et linguistique du terme ''grotesque'' et une serie d'opinions anciennes et modernes sur la question. Ensuite, nous avons porte attention aux rapports entretenus par dickens avec le theatre populaire et la satire picturale. Sa fidelite a ces traditions grotesques est explicitee dans notre deuxieme partie. Les ouvrages de jeunesse presentent des situations empruntees aux domaines de la pantomime et de la commedia dell'arte. Le caractere excentrique de certains personnages les apparente aux habitants du monde merveilleux d'arlequin et de pantalon, alors que d'autres semblent sortis tout droit des tableaux d'hogarth. Il est notable que, malgre la presence dans l'oeuvre de preoccupations sociales et politiques, cette periode est celle d'une vision generalement optimiste, caracterisee par la presence constante d'une forme tonique d'humour. Cependant, comme nous le montrons dans notre derniere partie, le grotesque dickensien subit un changement radical dans les romans de la maturite. L'humour cede la place a la satire amere et decapante. Les oeuvres ne sont plus peuplees de bouffons mais de creatures terifiantes. En fait, dickens consacre toute son attention au monstrueux et a l'incongru dans sa derniere periode. La situation tragiqsue de l'angleterre pendant les annees cinquante du siecle dernier est sans doute la cause de pareille ''revolution''.

Dickens and his oeuvre have been the target of a welter of different approaches. This is mainly due to the complexity of theman and the richness of his text. Yet there is a subject which has rarely been undertaken : dickens's development as a grotesque artist. This is indeed the aim of this study ; and we have managed to realize it through the analysis of many dickensian characters. Bearing in mind the ambiguous nature of the grotesque, the opening part is meant to offer a historical and linguistic description of the term itself. It also provides a number of ancient and modern views on it. This point clarified, our attention is directed to dickens's relation to some strands of the tradition of the grotesque, namely popular theatre and visual satire. His faithfulness to these traditions is made crystal clear in our second part. The books of youth comprise situations which normally belong to commedia dell'arte and pantomime. Such is the case of some characters ; their eccentricities and idiosyncrasies relate them to the marvellous world of harlequin, pantaloon, clown, and punch ; whereas others seem to have been simply taken frim hogarth's volumes. It should be noted that in spite of the presence of social and political issues, this period remains generally sunny thanks to dickens's fresh, flowing humour. However, as it is discussed in the closing part, in his mature works dickens's grotesque art undergoes a radical change. Sparkling humour leaves its place to bitter, sharp-edged satire ; and the novels are not peopled with buffoons, but terrible creatures. In fact, the monstrous and incongruous received dickens's utmost attention during the last stage of his career. The tragic situation of england in the 1850's is without doubt the principal cause of such a ''revolution''.