| The topic of this study is Dickens's use of mystery in his novels. Studying the role and illustrating Dickens's treatment of mystery form the main purpose of this study. This study is not concerned with the genre of the mystery novel, but with Dickens's use of mystery both as secrets and as literary metaphor for understanding human nature. It is this aspect of mystery---the mystery of human motivation and the mysteriousness of life's ordinary incidents and situations---that forms the subject of this dissertation.; This study is based on an investigation of references to mystery and secret in Dickens's novels. There are over 1,200 sentences in Dickens's novels and travel books where mystery, secret, and related words are used. In addition to Dickens's literary works and journalism, his letters form another research basis for this study. These sources point out three major ways that Dickens uses mystery. First, Dickens uses mystery as a synonym for secret to create both an atmosphere and humorous effects. Second, Dickens employs mystery as plot. Third, mystery in Dickens's novels functions as a significant theme, illustrating his strong interest in probing into "what lies below the surface of things" and his searching attempts to "find a common root in humanity or society." Dickens discovers in mystery a basic metaphor for what Shelley calls the "unapprehended relations of things." Dickens employs mystery to illustrate "how things fall apart yet come together." Mystery invests us with a sense of reverence and empowerment. Mystery not only forms a large part of our life, but also closely defines our identity and worth.; Throughout the study, mystery is not used in a spiritual or supernatural sense. For Dickens mystery resides primarily not in the extraordinary, but in ordinary encounters, episodes, and activities of everyday life. Chapter I introduces a catalogue of mystery, the main points in this dissertation, and methodology. The main parts of the dissertation---chapters II, III, and IV---analyze mystery in three representative Dickens novels. Chapter V concludes the dissertation. |
