Playing Hamlet to Miss Havisham's Ghost: Theatricality and Embodied Allegory in Great Expectations.

  • Published In: Dickens Quarterly, 2024, v. 41, n. 4. P. 513 1 of 3

  • Database: Academic Search Ultimate 2 of 3

  • Authored By: Fanucchi, Sonia 3 of 3

Abstract

Dickens's attitude to the theater was contradictory: at times he took the position of a realist, uncompromisingly mocking the sensational and uncanny dimensions of Melodrama, but at other times he was drawn precisely to the mystique of the stage. In this paper I explore the "ghostly" dimensions of Miss Havisham in Great Expectations , suggesting that she invokes the haunting, allegorical power of the melodramatic actress. I argue that her self-assigned role as an actress renders her simultaneously supernaturally vivid and fraudulent, connecting her with the theatrical imposters mocked in Wopsle's Hamlet spoof. This has broader implications for what have been described as the unreal and transcendent qualities of Dickens's characters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Additional Information

  • Source:Dickens Quarterly. 2024/12, Vol. 41, Issue 4, p513
  • Document Type:Article
  • Subject Area:History
  • Publication Date:2024
  • ISSN:0742-5473
  • DOI:10.1353/dqt.2024.a947505
  • Accession Number:181733144
  • Copyright Statement:Copyright of Dickens Quarterly is the property of Johns Hopkins University Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Looking to go deeper into this topic? Look for more articles on EBSCOhost.