مشخصات پژوهش

The selected novels were written in the nineteenth century and it is that time that inspired Foucault to develop his theory of discipline and punish. In other words, the nineteenth century witnessed several calls for reform of punishment since the idea of punishment was used to show the efficiency of power and the system. In fact, the nineteenth century is a critical period of the history in Europe since many social, political, and cultural changes were triggered. As a result, the historicist reading of Dickens’s selected novels can reveal many dominant issues and ideologies of the nineteenth century to approve or reject Foucault’s theory. Moreover, the results and findings of the present research can disclose the political, social, and cultural condition of the nineteenth century. This research would enlighten students to realize how literary authors and also literature are influenced by the power of ideology in a certain era. These novels have been selected by the researcher since they are suitable choices for case’s study. The mechanism of the societies in the novels depicts power relations and punishment that Foucault has devised. The novels are ideological representation of the system in which both women and poor class of the society are ignored and neglected. As a result, these novels are good choices for investigation which can fill the gap in the previous works.