Deception in Dickens' Little Dorrit

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This critically original analysis of Little Dorrit sees Dickens' novel of imprisonment to be a cunning presentation of deception in the self and society. Through a close reading of the artistic elements that cohere to form the unity of this novel, the author uncovers Dickens' duplicitous strategies in narrative, theme and characterization. Professor Rotkin's psychological approach focuses rewardingly on the equivocal portraits of Dickens' central characters, in terms of their anti-heroic traits, which Dickens camouflages for Victorian readers. This incisive study expands our understanding of Dickens' «conscious artistry» in his experiment with theme and structure that signals his movement away from the Victorian ideal toward a modern twentieth century world view.