Humanities

Gender politics and Victorian literary representation of the body: a distant reading of the body in Charles Dickens's works

H. Chen and Q. Xu

Dive into 19th-century discourse on the human body through the lens of Charles Dickens's works. This research conducted by Houliang Chen and Qianwen Xu employs corpus linguistics to reveal the intricate vocabulary of Victorian authors and highlights the gender disparities in agency depicted in Dickens's narratives. Discover how time, space, and etiquette shape the portrayal of bodies in this captivating analysis!

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Abstract

This paper analyzes the 19th-century discourse surrounding the human body, focusing on Charles Dickens's works and contemporary writings. Using corpus linguistics, it investigates the vocabulary used to describe the body, revealing that Victorian authors, including Dickens, frequently used nouns associated with time and space, emphasizing etiquette in physical actions. A gender-based analysis of verbs highlights disparities in agency between male and female bodies in Dickens's work.

Publisher

Humanities & Social Sciences Communications

Published On

Jun 24, 2024

Authors

Houliang Chen, Qianwen Xu

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