Teaching Little Dorrit

Instructions for You

Objective: One of Charles Dickens' most consistent themes was a critique of the industrialized society he lived in and the social inequities that came with the rise of the modern industrial economy. Some of Dickens' texts, like Oliver Twist, used a character-centered approach to consider societal ills. Little Dorrit employs a more analytical and critical approach, exploring various sociological aspects of the Victorian metropolis and how these didn't work accordingly, as well as the damning consequences of such ineptitude.

The focus of today's activity is to have students consider how far Dickens' social criticism extended—was he saying that industrial England was on the verge of collapsing under its own mighty weight? If so, who would Dickens hold accountable?

Materials Needed: Jared Diamond's TED Talk "Why Do Societies Collapse?" and the article "Sentences and Punishments"

Step 1: To consider the significance of a society in decline, as Dickens believed London was, you're going to begin by having students watch Jared Diamond's TED Talk "Why Do Societies Collapse?"

Before showing this clip to students, make sure they know you're talking about figurative collapse rather than physical and literal varieties. Then, ask them to consider the following:

• What does Diamond say about scratching the surface to see the true problems of society?
• How does he describe the collapse of a society after a period of benefit and success?
• Why do societies not realize what they're doing wrong?
• Who has a conflict of interest that threatens the well being of society?
• Why is it difficult to change course and save society from the problems threatening it?

The aim is to have students realize that Diamond believes societies decline because of the powerful few who control them.

Step 2: We've begun to get a grip on how societies go kaput: with a small group of people making ridiculously selfish decisions that eventually have far-reaching consequences. How might this apply to Dickens' London?

Have students debate about which Little Dorrit character contributes most to the decline of society. Divide the class into groups and have them prepare for this: each will be assigned a character whom they must argue is the most dastardly out of all of Dickens' creations in the novel.

We're thinking of three characters: Merdle, the Barnacle family/Circumlocution Office, and Casby. Have the students get to work on their side of the debate to prove their assigned character is the most villainous of all. You can give them a few pointers:

The group focusing on Merdle should consider anything and everything, from his various financial indiscretions to that ridiculous thing he does with his hands, which is either a foreshadowing of his later imprisonment or a secret hand signal for the beginning of his next evil plot to take over the world.

Ask them to answer the following questions:

• Why is Merdle a prominent member of society?
• How does he abuse this position? We're thinking all the c's: cronyism, corruption, collusion, cucumbers, etc.
• What does this tell us about society, that a person with such power acts this way?
• How does this link to Diamond's talk? We're thinking of how people can be self-serving and see their actions as beneficial rather than wrong, which means they'll keep digging that giant hole for themselves and the rest of society.

The group focusing on the Barnacle family should note their influential position in society and how they are contributing to its demise. We're thinking about how they are an integral part of society holding a position that influences a lot of other people, here in a very bad way.

Get the students to think about:

• Their focus on nepotism
• The dysfunctional nature of the office
• The impact all of this has on members of society who require their help
• How this relates to Diamond's text, as an institution presenting a conflict of interest

The group considering Pancks and Casby should consider the following:

• Pancks has to do Casby's evil bidding for him.
• Casby is able to hide his villainous intentions for a considerable amount of the novel.
• The job Casby has Pancks carry out is undoubtedly immoral and corrupt, as it exploits those who are unable to challenge him and his role is hidden. Did someone say Machiavellian?
• How is this further evidence of what Diamond spoke of? (The damaging parts of society can often only be seen by scratching beneath the surface, which is certainly the case here.)

Step 3: Have a member from each group present their group's strongest arguments documenting the culpability of their character and how his/their actions are potentially leading to London's downfall. Allow for questioning of one group by another, pushing towards clarification of where blame lies.

Step 4: Once your students have decided on the character that holds the most blame for London's downfall, have the students research the different punishments available in the criminal justice system during the Victorian period by reading excerpts from the Victorian Crime & Punishment website. Tell them that they'll soon be playing a role in the sentencing of whomever they've decided is the Worst Man in London, so they need to be familiar with the legal mores of Dickens' London.

As they've reading the various criminal penalties of the era, students should form opinions about them by thinking of the five Ws:

• When should this punishment be given?
• Why should it be given?
• Who should it be given to?
• What form of this punishment should be given – i.e., how long a sentence?
• Where should it take place? Should there be a public execution?

Step 5: Conclude the activity with a mock sentencing. Students have seen how the character has done wrong, and now have a knowledge of the punishment system of the era. It's time to identify what repercussions the character will face.

Divide the class into three groups: jury, prosecution team, and defense. The prosecution team will attempt to justify the harshest penalty possible, while the defense will try to secure the least severe sentence, arguing that it's more a case of hand caught in the cookie jar than trying to take over the world.

Allow each side five minutes of argumentation. When both sides have put their case forward, the jury will have five minutes to make their decision. Their chosen "jury foreman" should pronounce their sentence and justify why they have decided on such a form of punishment: there's a man's life at stake here, even if he's completely fictional.

Instructions for Your Students

Charles Dickens was not the biggest fan of the place where he lived. He didn't approve of London society, believing it to be a place where countless individuals suffered without any support system. Many of his works reflect this, from the workhouse orphans in Oliver Twist to the many struggling characters in Little Dorrit.

In this lesson, we're going to consider how and why Dickens presents the Victorian world as morally and socially substandard. We'll grapple with the question of who to blame for society's ills and have a chance to give those bad actors their comeuppance.

Step 1: We'll begin with some context, thinking about societies in general. Societies build and grow, while some end up declining. To consider why societies collapse, we're going to watch Jared Diamond's TED Talk "Why Do Societies Collapse?" While you're watching the video think about the following:

• What does Diamond say about scratching the surface to see the true problems of society?
• How does he describe the collapse of a society after a period of benefit and success?
• Why do societies not realize what they are doing wrong?
• Who has a conflict of interest that threatens the well being of society?
• Why is it difficult to change course and save society from the problems threatening it?

Afterward, your teacher will lead the class in a discussion about what Diamond says about societies and their demise. We're thinking of a focus on the people who control these worlds, like the Wizard who controls Oz.

Step 2: So societies collapse and now we know why. Time to see how all of this comes about in Dickens' novel. Let's focus on the key players in the world of the text and all the ways that they're up to no good, which spells the beginning of the end.

The class will be split into three groups and each group will be assigned one of three characters who is contributing to the downfall of society: Merdle, the Barnacle family/Circumlocution Office, and Casby. Think about—and prepare to argue for—why your assigned character is definitely the worst person in London. A few tips to get you started:

If your group is focusing on Merdle, you should consider anything and everything, from his various indiscretions to that ridiculous thing he does with his hands, which is either a foreshadowing of his later imprisonment or a secret hand signal for the beginning of his next evil plot to take over the world.

You should be able to answer the following questions:

• Why is Merdle a prominent member of society?
• How does he abuse this position? We're thinking all the c's: cronyism, corruption, collusion, cucumbers, etc.
• What does this tell us about society, as a person with such power acts this way?
• How does this link to Diamond's talk?

If your group is assigned the Barnacle family, note their influential position in society and how they're contributing to its demise. We're thinking about how they are an integral part of society, and hold a position that allows them to negatively influence a lot of other people.

You should be focusing on:

• The Barnacles reliance on nepotism
• The dysfunctional nature of the office
• The impact all of this has on members of society who require their help
• How this relates to Diamond's text

If your group was assigned Casby (and Pancks, his henchman), you should consider the following:

• Pancks has to do Casby's evil bidding for him.
• Casby is able to hide his villainous intentions for a considerable amount of the novel.
• The job Casby has Pancks carry out is undoubtedly immoral and corrupt, as it exploits those who are unable to challenge him, especially as his role is hidden. Did someone say Machiavellian?
• How is this further evidence of what Diamond spoke of?

Step 3: A member from your group will now present your group's strongest arguments documenting the culpability of your character and how his/their actions are potentially leading to London's downfall. Your teacher will moderate a discussion where the groups question and challenge each other and where you have to defend your case.

Step 4: Now we know. _____ is the true villain of the text. But public shame isn't enough: he has to be punished also. We can't just throw paint over him, or tickle him until his salty tears drench his body. Rather, the punishment has to fit the crime, so we need to know how punishments went down back in declining old England. You're going to read excerpts from the Victorian Crime & Punishment website, which will tell you all you need to know about how nineteenth-century wrongdoers were made to pay for their crimes.

You're finished reading? Consider how you would justify each of the punishments mentioned in the reading in terms of the five Ws:

• When should this punishment be given?
• Why should it be given?
• Who should it be given to?
• What form of this punishment should be given—that is, how long a sentence?
• Where should it take place? Should there be a public execution?

Step 5: You've decided who the most dastardly villain is and equipped yourselves with judicial knowledge. Time to dish some punishment out.

Your teacher will assign you the role of either jury, prosecution team, or defense lawyers for a mock sentencing. The prosecution team will have five minutes to recommend a sentence, going for the jugular, while the defense gets five minutes to try to convince everyone that their client is very sorry and won't do anything of the sort ever again. If you're on the jury, you'll listen to the arguments, and then get ten minutes to decide on the sentence, and choose a foreman. The jury foreman will announce your sentencing decision and justify why this punishment fits the crime.