Dickens and Pedagogy: Puzzles on Victorean Philosophy of Education

Authors

  • Rocio Orsi Portalo Universidad Carlos III de Madrid

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5902/198464444714

Keywords:

Education, Utilitarism, Mill, Bentham, Dickens, Ascetism.

Abstract

The pedagogical philosophy formulated by classical Utilitarism was critiziced by both Mill and Dickens because of very alike reasons even if through very different means. Against a conception of the school as the threshold of the factory or the jail, Dickens proposes an educative ideal aimed to secure the happiness of individuals as well as the actual improvement of their welfare. His survey is approached through a critic of the most influent pedagogic doctrine in Victorian age, Bentham’s Utilitarism, and, on the other hand, through the characters and institutions which repeatedly appear in his novels and which constitute a parody of the acetic morals learned in the schools but, overall, within the family. As conclusion, it is shown that Dickens’ own novels are a practical case of his educative project, as they teach promoting fancy and sensibility.

Author Biography

Rocio Orsi Portalo, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid

Profesora de Historia de la Filosofía en la Universidad Carlos III de Madrid. Autora de El saber del error. Pensamiento y tragedia en Sófocles, Madrid, Plaza y Valdés, 2008. Departamento de Humanidades. Filosofía, Lenguaje y Literatura. Área de Filosofía

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Published

2012-05-09

How to Cite

Portalo, R. O. (2012). Dickens and Pedagogy: Puzzles on Victorean Philosophy of Education. Education, 37(2), 205–216. https://doi.org/10.5902/198464444714

Issue

educação, v. 37, n. 2, maio/ago. 2012

Section

Continuous Demand

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