Dickens's Construction of the Search for Identity in Great Expectations

Abstract

This thesis reviews Dickens’s construction of the search for identity that is apparent in his novel Great Expectations. A brief analysis of the socio-economical background of Victorian England and Dickens’s personal life demonstrate how several factors have considerably influenced writing Great Expectations. This research focusses on the different literary devices which Dickens uses to emphasise the theme of identity. The thesis is accompanied by an original piece of creative writing in the form of a fictional autobiography. The literary devices that have been identified during the close reading of the extracts of GreatExpectations have been used in this piece of writing. The use of these literary devices is discussed in the exegetical statement.