Social Sensitivity
Dickens in David Copperfield is not as concerned as he usually is with “the condition of England question,” Thomas Carlyle’s term for Dickens’ concern with […]
Month: October 2008
Topics for Discussion
1. Is David Copperfield’s childhood at all like that of American children in the 19th century? 2. Could an Edward Murdstone exploit today a young […]
Ideas for Reports and Papers
1. Freud admired Dickens both as a writer and for his insights into the mystery of the human personality. David Copperfield was his favorite novel […]
Related Titles and Adaptations
Ten years after completing David Copperfield Dickens wrote his second bildungsroman, Great Expectations (1860-1861). There is little optimism despite the title in this work, and […]
About the Author
Born on January 11, 1903, in Pietermaritzburg, Natal, South Africa, Alan Paton evolved as an eloquent spokesman against apartheid and a great humanitarian. In 1935, […]
Setting
Cry, the Beloved Country is set in the rural village of Ndotsheni, home of Stephen Kumalo, and in the city of Johannesburg. The contrast between […]
Themes and Characters
The underlying theme of Cry, the Beloved Country, as in all of Paton’s works, involves the unifying power of love and the divisive force of […]
Literary Qualities
Cry, the Beloved Country’s distinctive style incorporates diction and symbolism that complement the religious simplicity of the protagonist, Stephen Kumalo. A simple village parson, Kumalo […]
Social Sensitivity
Apartheid stands as the novel’s primary social concern. With his subtle and sympathetic treatment of this particular issue, Paton established a tradition in South African […]