Advisory Committee Chair
Daniel Siegel
Advisory Committee Members
Rebecca Bach
Leonard Grimes
William Hutchings
Document Type
Thesis
Date of Award
2018
Degree Name by School
Master of Arts (MA) College of Arts and Sciences
Abstract
Changes in technology in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries had a profound impact on the way lighting was manipulated in theatres. No longer a simple question of illuminating action, lighting became a dynamic and essential element of drama. As an enthusiast of theatre during this transition, a young Charles Dickens was influenced by the visual spectacle he saw in theatres, and that influence is evident in his early novels. Those narratives frequently employ specific descriptions of light and perspective, which are key components of Dickens’ unique and widely celebrated visual style. In the early novels explored here, we see how Dickens’ style reflects the interest of Victorian England in visual spectacle while simultaneously creating narratives that seem tailor-made for twentieth-century cinema.
Recommended Citation
Martin, Grant, "Not By That Of Heaven: The Influence Of Theatre Lighting On The Early Works Of Charles Dickens" (2018). All ETDs from UAB. 2398.
https://digitalcommons.library.uab.edu/etd-collection/2398