Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens

kids, family, comedy, arts · EN-US

Originally published in monthly installments between 1855 and 1857, the novel focuses on the various forms of imprisonment, both physical and psychological, while also concentrating on dysfunctional family ties. Accordingly, Dickens avidly criticizes the social deficiencies of the time including injustice, social hypocrisy, the austerity of the Marshalsea debtors’ prison, and bureaucratic inefficiency.The novel kicks off with the introduction of William Dorrit, the oldest prisoner in the Marshalsea prison, who is also referred to as The Father of the Marshalsea. His imprisonment is owed to poor business decisions, which have secured him a place in the debtors’ prison in London. Here he shares accommodation with his wife and children Fanny and Tip, and later the Dorrits welcome their second daughter Amy, who is born inside the prison and is incidentally the Dorrit of the title. The eponymous Little Dorrit grows to become a meek and benevolent young woman who despite her poor financi