Abstract
The rational man construed by Enlightenment thought sneered at the idea that the world was a haphazard place and instead highlighted the predictability of natural and even social phenomena. As Ian Hacking explains, after the Enlightenment, the tendency was to formulate laws that uncovered the operation of physical forces and even the economy. Yet sometimes the sciences, too, acknowledged and even theorized risk and probability. In this milieu, Charles Dickens welcomed the ability to acknowledge unpredictability. In Dombey and Son, in contrast to the protagonist, a formidable entrepreneur, women and the lower classes accept that the wheel of fortune is at work all around them. Even as Dickens critiques the denial of randomness, he portrays speculators who take advantage of unpredictability in a negative light. Further, the novel recognizes and satires the categorization of haphazardness as an Oriental trait. In embracing unpredictability, the novel valorizes the art of storytelling, which must provide uncertainty and suspense.
References
- Clark, Robert. (1984). “Riddling the Family Firm: The Sexual Economy in Dombey and Son.” ELH: English Literary History 51:1, 68-84.
- Dickens, Charles. (2001). Dombey and Son. Oxford University Press, New York.
- Hacking, Ian. (1990). The Taming of Chance. Cambridge University Press, New York.
- Holway, Tatiana M. (1992). “The Game of Speculation: Economics and Representation.” Dickens Quarterly 9:3, 103-115.
- Levine, George. (1998). Darwin and the Novelists: Patterns of Science in Victorian Fiction. Harvard University Press, Cambridge.
- Malthus, Thomas. (1951). Principles of Political Economy. Augustus Kelley, New York.
- Mill, John Stuart. (1909). Principles of Political Economy. Longmans, New York.
- Patten, Robert L. (1979). Charles Dickens and His Publishers. Oxford University Press, London.
- Rajan, Rajeswari Sunder. (2002). “‘The Shadow of That Expatriated Prince’: The Exorbitant Native of Dombey and Son.” Victorian Literature and Culture 19, 85-106.
- Robbins, Bruce. (1986). The Servant’s Hand: English Fiction From Below. Columbia University Press, New York.
- Said, Edward. (1994). Culture and Imperialism. First Vintage Books, New York.
- Stewart, Garrett. (2000). “The Foreign Offices of British Fiction.” MLQ: Modern Language Quarterly, 61:1, 181-206.
- Toise, David T. (1999). “‘As Good As Nowhere’: Dickens’s Dombey and Son, the Contingency of Value, and Theories of Domesticity.” Criticism 41:3, 323-48.
- Van Wyk Smith, Malvern. (2000). “‘What the Waves Were Always Saying’: Dombey and Son and Textual Ripples on an African Shore.” Ed. Wendy S. Jacobson, Dickens and the Children of Empire. Palgrave, New York.
- Zwinger, Lynda. (1985). “The Fear of the Father: Dombey and Daughter.” Nineteenth-Century Fiction 39:4, 420-440.
Abstract
Aydınlanma düşüncesi tarafından canlandırılan rasyonel adam figürü, dünyanın rastgelelikle dolu bir yer olduğu düşüncesine gülüp geçer ve doğal ve sosyal olayların tahmin edilebilir olduğunun altını çizer. Ian Hacking’in açıkladığı gibi, Aydınlanma’dan sonraki eğilim fiziksel güçlerin ve hatta ekonominin işleyişini çözen kanunlar kuramlamak doğrultusundaydı. Ne var ki, bazen bilim dalları da riskin ve olasılığın varlığını kabul etti ve kuramlaştırdı. Özellikle Dombey ve Oğlu’nda belli olduğu üzere, Charles Dickens belirsizliği kabul etme yeteneğini yüceltti. Bu romanda, heybetli bir işadamı olan Dombey’in aksine, kadınlar ve alt sınıflar feleğin çarkınının gücünü kabul ederler. Dickens talihin hayattaki rolünü reddedenleri eleştirse de, belirsizliği kendi çıkarı için kullanan yatırımcılara da olumsuz yaklaşır. Ayrıca, bu roman rastegeleliğin toplumda genelde bir doğulu özelliği gibi görüldüğünün farkındadır ve romans türünde serüvenleri Londra’nın göbeğine getirerek bunu hicveder. Öngörülmezliği kucaklamak suretiyle, belirsizlik ve heyecanlı bir bekleyiş sunmak zorunda olan öykü anlatma sanatına değer katar bu roman.
References
- Clark, Robert. (1984). “Riddling the Family Firm: The Sexual Economy in Dombey and Son.” ELH: English Literary History 51:1, 68-84.
- Dickens, Charles. (2001). Dombey and Son. Oxford University Press, New York.
- Hacking, Ian. (1990). The Taming of Chance. Cambridge University Press, New York.
- Holway, Tatiana M. (1992). “The Game of Speculation: Economics and Representation.” Dickens Quarterly 9:3, 103-115.
- Levine, George. (1998). Darwin and the Novelists: Patterns of Science in Victorian Fiction. Harvard University Press, Cambridge.
- Malthus, Thomas. (1951). Principles of Political Economy. Augustus Kelley, New York.
- Mill, John Stuart. (1909). Principles of Political Economy. Longmans, New York.
- Patten, Robert L. (1979). Charles Dickens and His Publishers. Oxford University Press, London.
- Rajan, Rajeswari Sunder. (2002). “‘The Shadow of That Expatriated Prince’: The Exorbitant Native of Dombey and Son.” Victorian Literature and Culture 19, 85-106.
- Robbins, Bruce. (1986). The Servant’s Hand: English Fiction From Below. Columbia University Press, New York.
- Said, Edward. (1994). Culture and Imperialism. First Vintage Books, New York.
- Stewart, Garrett. (2000). “The Foreign Offices of British Fiction.” MLQ: Modern Language Quarterly, 61:1, 181-206.
- Toise, David T. (1999). “‘As Good As Nowhere’: Dickens’s Dombey and Son, the Contingency of Value, and Theories of Domesticity.” Criticism 41:3, 323-48.
- Van Wyk Smith, Malvern. (2000). “‘What the Waves Were Always Saying’: Dombey and Son and Textual Ripples on an African Shore.” Ed. Wendy S. Jacobson, Dickens and the Children of Empire. Palgrave, New York.
- Zwinger, Lynda. (1985). “The Fear of the Father: Dombey and Daughter.” Nineteenth-Century Fiction 39:4, 420-440.
Details
| Primary Language | English |
|---|---|
| Subjects | Literary Theory |
| Journal Section | Articles |
| Authors | |
| Publication Date | October 19, 2020 |
| Acceptance Date | June 19, 2020 |
| Published in Issue | Year 2020 Issue: 41 |
