It is my intention to analyze and evaluate Dickens' use of limited viewpoint in the character of Arthur Clennam, not completely since Little Dorrit is a very long novel, but in enough detail to indicate his importance in the structure of the novel. I plan to show, first, that the unity of his consciousness is a key factor in the organizing principle governing plot structure; secondly, that as the various plots progress, and as Arthur becomes more or less personally involved, Dickens shifts the voice structure from subjective to objective methods of presentation, sometimes with more subtlety than he generally is given credit for; thirdly, that other characters, such as Amy Dorrit and Daniel Doyce, complement Clennam's role as observer and balance his subjectivity.
","abstract_html":"<p>It is my intention to analyze and evaluate Dickens' use of limited viewpoint in the character of Arthur Clennam, not completely since Little Dorrit is a very long novel, but in enough detail to indicate his importance in the structure of the novel. I plan to show, first, that the unity of his consciousness is a key factor in the organizing principle governing plot structure; secondly, that as the various plots progress, and as Arthur becomes more or less personally involved, Dickens shifts the voice structure from subjective to objective methods of presentation, sometimes with more subtlety than he generally is given credit for; thirdly, that other characters, such as Amy Dorrit and Daniel Doyce, complement Clennam's role as observer and balance his subjectivity.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["MacDonald, Mary Loyola"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Arts","degree_level":"Master's Thesis","degree_discipline":"Humanities","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":1958,"date_issued":"1958-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"1958-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:05:59Z","subjects":["Humanities","Arts and Humanities"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://scholar.dominican.edu/humanities-print-theses/76","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["MacDonald, Mary Loyola"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Humanities"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Master's Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Humanities","Arts and Humanities"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://scholar.dominican.edu/humanities-print-theses/76"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["It is my intention to analyze and evaluate Dickens' use of limited viewpoint in the character of Arthur Clennam, not completely since Little Dorrit is a very long novel, but in enough detail to indicate his importance in the structure of the novel. I plan to show, first, that the unity of his consciousness is a key factor in the organizing principle governing plot structure; secondly, that as the various plots progress, and as Arthur becomes more or less personally involved, Dickens shifts the voice structure from subjective to objective methods of presentation, sometimes with more subtlety than he generally is given credit for; thirdly, that other characters, such as Amy Dorrit and Daniel Doyce, complement Clennam's role as observer and balance his subjectivity.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Little Dorrit: A Study in Viewpoint"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:creator":["MacDonald, Mary Loyola"],"dc:description.abstract":["It is my intention to analyze and evaluate Dickens' use of limited viewpoint in the character of Arthur Clennam, not completely since Little Dorrit is a very long novel, but in enough detail to indicate his importance in the structure of the novel. I plan to show, first, that the unity of his consciousness is a key factor in the organizing principle governing plot structure; secondly, that as the various plots progress, and as Arthur becomes more or less personally involved, Dickens shifts the voice structure from subjective to objective methods of presentation, sometimes with more subtlety than he generally is given credit for; thirdly, that other characters, such as Amy Dorrit and Daniel Doyce, complement Clennam's role as observer and balance his subjectivity.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://scholar.dominican.edu/humanities-print-theses/76"],"dc:subject":["Humanities","Arts and Humanities"],"dc:title":["Little Dorrit: A Study in Viewpoint"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Humanities"],"thesis:degree_level":["Master's Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Arts"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:05:59Z"}