WordPress database error: [Duplicate entry 'ptthemes_feedburner_url' for key 'item_id']
INSERT INTO `wp_option_tree` (`item_id`, `item_title`, `item_desc`, `item_type`, `item_options`) VALUES ('ptthemes_feedburner_url', 'Syndication / Feed URL', 'Enter RSS URL (if you are using Feedburner, else leave this blank)', 'input', '')

WordPress database error: [Duplicate entry 'ptthemes_tweet_button' for key 'item_id']
INSERT INTO `wp_option_tree` (`item_id`, `item_title`, `item_desc`, `item_type`, `item_options`) VALUES ('ptthemes_tweet_button', '"Tweet" button', 'Show "Tweet" button on post detail page', 'radio', 'Yes,No')

WordPress database error: [Duplicate entry 'ptthemes_facebook_button' for key 'item_id']
INSERT INTO `wp_option_tree` (`item_id`, `item_title`, `item_desc`, `item_type`, `item_options`) VALUES ('ptthemes_facebook_button', '"Facebook Like" button', 'Show "Facebook Like" button on post detail page', 'radio', 'Yes,No')

WordPress database error: [Duplicate entry 'ptthemes_date_format' for key 'item_id']
INSERT INTO `wp_option_tree` (`item_id`, `item_title`, `item_desc`, `item_type`, `item_options`) VALUES ('ptthemes_date_format', 'Date Format', 'Enter date format Ex. d/m/Y OR M j, Y', 'input', '')

WordPress database error: [Duplicate entry 'pttheme_contact_email' for key 'item_id']
INSERT INTO `wp_option_tree` (`item_id`, `item_title`, `item_desc`, `item_type`, `item_options`) VALUES ('pttheme_contact_email', 'Contact Form Email', 'Enter your Email address for Contact Form', 'input', '')

WordPress database error: [Duplicate entry 'ptthemes_breadcrumbs' for key 'item_id']
INSERT INTO `wp_option_tree` (`item_id`, `item_title`, `item_desc`, `item_type`, `item_options`) VALUES ('ptthemes_breadcrumbs', 'Breadcrumbs Navigation', 'Display Breadcrumbs navigation. i.e. Home > Blog > Title - <a href=options-general.php?page=yoast-breadcrumbs.php">Change options here</a>', 'radio', 'Yes,No')

WordPress database error: [Duplicate entry 'ptthemes_auto_install' for key 'item_id']
INSERT INTO `wp_option_tree` (`item_id`, `item_title`, `item_desc`, `item_type`, `item_options`) VALUES ('ptthemes_auto_install', 'Disable Auto Install', 'Want to disable Auto Install ?', 'radio', 'Yes,No')

WordPress database error: [Duplicate entry 'ptthemes_postcontent_full' for key 'item_id']
INSERT INTO `wp_option_tree` (`item_id`, `item_title`, `item_desc`, `item_type`, `item_options`) VALUES ('ptthemes_postcontent_full', 'Content Display', 'Instead of default Post excerpts display Full Post Content in Category Listing', 'radio', 'Full Content,Excerpt')

WordPress database error: [Duplicate entry 'ptthemes_content_excerpt_count' for key 'item_id']
INSERT INTO `wp_option_tree` (`item_id`, `item_title`, `item_desc`, `item_type`, `item_options`) VALUES ('ptthemes_content_excerpt_count', 'Content Excerpt Word Count', 'Enter Content Excerpt Word Count.', 'input', '')

WordPress database error: [Duplicate entry 'ptthemes_content_excerpt_readmore' for key 'item_id']
INSERT INTO `wp_option_tree` (`item_id`, `item_title`, `item_desc`, `item_type`, `item_options`) VALUES ('ptthemes_content_excerpt_readmore', 'Content Excerpt \"Read More\" Link Text', 'Enter Content Excerpt \"Read More\" Link Text', 'input', '')

WordPress database error: [Duplicate entry 'navigation_settings' for key 'item_id']
INSERT INTO `wp_option_tree` (`item_id`, `item_title`, `item_desc`, `item_type`, `item_options`) VALUES ('navigation_settings', 'Navigation Settings', '', 'heading', '')

WordPress database error: [Duplicate entry 'ptthemes_top_pages_nav_enable' for key 'item_id']
INSERT INTO `wp_option_tree` (`item_id`, `item_title`, `item_desc`, `item_type`, `item_options`) VALUES ('ptthemes_top_pages_nav_enable', 'Top Header Navigation Settings', 'Wish to activate Top Header Navigation?', 'radio', 'Activate,Deactivate')

WordPress database error: [Duplicate entry 'ptthemes_top_pages_nav' for key 'item_id']
INSERT INTO `wp_option_tree` (`item_id`, `item_title`, `item_desc`, `item_type`, `item_options`) VALUES ('ptthemes_top_pages_nav', 'Top Header Navigation Pages', 'Select Pages which you wish to show in Top Navigation', 'pages', '')

WordPress database error: [Duplicate entry 'ptthemes_category_top_nav' for key 'item_id']
INSERT INTO `wp_option_tree` (`item_id`, `item_title`, `item_desc`, `item_type`, `item_options`) VALUES ('ptthemes_category_top_nav', 'Top Header Navigation Article Category', 'Select Categories which you wish to show in Top Navigation', 'categories', '')

WordPress database error: [Duplicate entry 'ptthemes_main_pages_nav_enable' for key 'item_id']
INSERT INTO `wp_option_tree` (`item_id`, `item_title`, `item_desc`, `item_type`, `item_options`) VALUES ('ptthemes_main_pages_nav_enable', 'Main Header Navigation Settings', 'Wish to activate Main Header Navigation?', 'radio', 'Activate,Deactivate')

WordPress database error: [Duplicate entry 'ptthemes_include_main_nav' for key 'item_id']
INSERT INTO `wp_option_tree` (`item_id`, `item_title`, `item_desc`, `item_type`, `item_options`) VALUES ('ptthemes_include_main_nav', 'Main Navigation Pages', 'Select Pages which you wish to show in Main Navigation', 'pages', '')

WordPress database error: [Duplicate entry 'ptthemes_category_main_nav' for key 'item_id']
INSERT INTO `wp_option_tree` (`item_id`, `item_title`, `item_desc`, `item_type`, `item_options`) VALUES ('ptthemes_category_main_nav', 'Main Navigation Article Category', 'Select Categories which you wish to show in Main Navigation', 'categories', '')

WordPress database error: [Duplicate entry 'ptthemes_top_home_links' for key 'item_id']
INSERT INTO `wp_option_tree` (`item_id`, `item_title`, `item_desc`, `item_type`, `item_options`) VALUES ('ptthemes_top_home_links', 'Top Navigation Home Links', 'Display home link in top navigation', 'radio', 'Yes,No')

WordPress database error: [Duplicate entry 'ptthemes_main_nav_home_links' for key 'item_id']
INSERT INTO `wp_option_tree` (`item_id`, `item_title`, `item_desc`, `item_type`, `item_options`) VALUES ('ptthemes_main_nav_home_links', 'Main Navigation Home Links', 'Display home link in main navigation', 'radio', 'Yes,No')

WordPress database error: [Duplicate entry 'header_footer_scripts' for key 'item_id']
INSERT INTO `wp_option_tree` (`item_id`, `item_title`, `item_desc`, `item_type`, `item_options`) VALUES ('header_footer_scripts', 'Add Scripts', '', 'heading', '')

WordPress database error: [Duplicate entry 'ptthemes_scripts_header' for key 'item_id']
INSERT INTO `wp_option_tree` (`item_id`, `item_title`, `item_desc`, `item_type`, `item_options`) VALUES ('ptthemes_scripts_header', 'Header Scripts', 'If you need to add scripts to your header (like <a href="http://haveamint.com/">Mint</a> tracking code), do so here.', 'textarea', '10')

WordPress database error: [Duplicate entry 'ptthemes_scripts_footer' for key 'item_id']
INSERT INTO `wp_option_tree` (`item_id`, `item_title`, `item_desc`, `item_type`, `item_options`) VALUES ('ptthemes_scripts_footer', 'Footer Scripts', 'If you need to add scripts to your footer (like <a href="http://www.google.com/analytics/">Google Analytics</a> tracking code), do so here.', 'textarea', '10')

WordPress database error: [Duplicate entry 'seo_options' for key 'item_id']
INSERT INTO `wp_option_tree` (`item_id`, `item_title`, `item_desc`, `item_type`, `item_options`) VALUES ('seo_options', 'SEO Options', '', 'heading', '')

WordPress database error: [Duplicate entry 'ptthemes_home_title_seo' for key 'item_id']
INSERT INTO `wp_option_tree` (`item_id`, `item_title`, `item_desc`, `item_type`, `item_options`) VALUES ('ptthemes_home_title_seo', 'Home Title', 'Home Title for SEO', 'textarea', '3')

WordPress database error: [Duplicate entry 'ptthemes_home_desc_seo' for key 'item_id']
INSERT INTO `wp_option_tree` (`item_id`, `item_title`, `item_desc`, `item_type`, `item_options`) VALUES ('ptthemes_home_desc_seo', 'Home Description', 'Home description for SEO', 'textarea', '10')

WordPress database error: [Duplicate entry 'ptthemes_home_keyword_seo' for key 'item_id']
INSERT INTO `wp_option_tree` (`item_id`, `item_title`, `item_desc`, `item_type`, `item_options`) VALUES ('ptthemes_home_keyword_seo', 'Home Keywords', 'Home keywords for SEO (comma separated)', 'textarea', '10')

WordPress database error: [Duplicate entry 'ptthemes_category_noindex' for key 'item_id']
INSERT INTO `wp_option_tree` (`item_id`, `item_title`, `item_desc`, `item_type`, `item_options`) VALUES ('ptthemes_category_noindex', 'Use noindex for Categories', 'Check this box for excluding category pages from being crawled', 'radio', 'Yes,No')

WordPress database error: [Duplicate entry 'ptthemes_archives_noindex' for key 'item_id']
INSERT INTO `wp_option_tree` (`item_id`, `item_title`, `item_desc`, `item_type`, `item_options`) VALUES ('ptthemes_archives_noindex', 'Use noindex for Archives', 'Do you want to index Archives ? This helps in removing duplicate content from being indexed', 'radio', 'Yes,No')

WordPress database error: [Duplicate entry 'ptthemes_tag_archives_noindex' for key 'item_id']
INSERT INTO `wp_option_tree` (`item_id`, `item_title`, `item_desc`, `item_type`, `item_options`) VALUES ('ptthemes_tag_archives_noindex', 'Use noindex for Tag Archives', 'Do you want to index Tags ? This helps in removing duplicate content from being indexed', 'radio', 'Yes,No')

WordPress database error: [Duplicate entry 'pttheme_seo_hide_fields' for key 'item_id']
INSERT INTO `wp_option_tree` (`item_id`, `item_title`, `item_desc`, `item_type`, `item_options`) VALUES ('pttheme_seo_hide_fields', 'Hide SEO Custom Fields', 'Check this to hide the custom SEO fields created in post and page screens', 'radio', 'Yes,No')

WordPress database error: [Duplicate entry 'ptthemes_use_third_party_data' for key 'item_id']
INSERT INTO `wp_option_tree` (`item_id`, `item_title`, `item_desc`, `item_type`, `item_options`) VALUES ('ptthemes_use_third_party_data', 'Use Third Party SEO Plugin', 'Data added to custom fields in post & pages will be used where applicable', 'radio', 'Yes,No')

WordPress database error: [Duplicate entry 'ptthemes_notification_type' for key 'item_id']
INSERT INTO `wp_option_tree` (`item_id`, `item_title`, `item_desc`, `item_type`, `item_options`) VALUES ('ptthemes_notification_type', 'Email Notifications Type', 'select Email Notifications options', 'radio', 'PHP Mail, WP SMTP Mail')

WordPress database error: [Duplicate entry 'post_settings' for key 'item_id']
INSERT INTO `wp_option_tree` (`item_id`, `item_title`, `item_desc`, `item_type`, `item_options`) VALUES ('post_settings', 'Posts', '', 'heading', '')

WordPress database error: [Duplicate entry 'ptthemes_home_page' for key 'item_id']
INSERT INTO `wp_option_tree` (`item_id`, `item_title`, `item_desc`, `item_type`, `item_options`) VALUES ('ptthemes_home_page', 'Home Page', 'Enter Number of post in home page', 'input', '')

WordPress database error: [Duplicate entry 'ptthemes_cat_page' for key 'item_id']
INSERT INTO `wp_option_tree` (`item_id`, `item_title`, `item_desc`, `item_type`, `item_options`) VALUES ('ptthemes_cat_page', 'Archive Page', 'Enter Number of post in Archive Page', 'input', '')

WordPress database error: [Duplicate entry 'ptthemes_search_page' for key 'item_id']
INSERT INTO `wp_option_tree` (`item_id`, `item_title`, `item_desc`, `item_type`, `item_options`) VALUES ('ptthemes_search_page', 'Search Page', 'Enter Number of post in search page', 'input', '')

WordPress database error: [Duplicate entry 'ptthemes_listing_date' for key 'item_id']
INSERT INTO `wp_option_tree` (`item_id`, `item_title`, `item_desc`, `item_type`, `item_options`) VALUES ('ptthemes_listing_date', 'Listing Post Date', 'Display post date in listing pages', 'select', 'Yes,No')

WordPress database error: [Duplicate entry 'ptthemes_listing_tags' for key 'item_id']
INSERT INTO `wp_option_tree` (`item_id`, `item_title`, `item_desc`, `item_type`, `item_options`) VALUES ('ptthemes_listing_tags', 'Listing Post Tags', 'Display post tags in listing pages', 'select', 'Yes,No')

WordPress database error: [Duplicate entry 'ptthemes_listing_category' for key 'item_id']
INSERT INTO `wp_option_tree` (`item_id`, `item_title`, `item_desc`, `item_type`, `item_options`) VALUES ('ptthemes_listing_category', 'Listing Post Category', 'Display post category in listing pages', 'select', 'Yes,No')

WordPress database error: [Duplicate entry 'ptthemes_listing_comment' for key 'item_id']
INSERT INTO `wp_option_tree` (`item_id`, `item_title`, `item_desc`, `item_type`, `item_options`) VALUES ('ptthemes_listing_comment', 'Listing Post Comment', 'Display post comment in listing pages', 'select', 'Yes,No')

WordPress database error: [Duplicate entry 'ptthemes_listing_author' for key 'item_id']
INSERT INTO `wp_option_tree` (`item_id`, `item_title`, `item_desc`, `item_type`, `item_options`) VALUES ('ptthemes_listing_author', 'Listing Post Author', 'Display post author in listing pages', 'select', 'Yes,No')

WordPress database error: [Duplicate entry 'ptthemes_details_date' for key 'item_id']
INSERT INTO `wp_option_tree` (`item_id`, `item_title`, `item_desc`, `item_type`, `item_options`) VALUES ('ptthemes_details_date', 'Detail Post Date', 'Display post date in detail page', 'select', 'Yes,No')

WordPress database error: [Duplicate entry 'ptthemes_details_tags' for key 'item_id']
INSERT INTO `wp_option_tree` (`item_id`, `item_title`, `item_desc`, `item_type`, `item_options`) VALUES ('ptthemes_details_tags', 'Detail Post Tags', 'Display post tags in detail pages', 'select', 'Yes,No')

WordPress database error: [Duplicate entry 'ptthemes_details_category' for key 'item_id']
INSERT INTO `wp_option_tree` (`item_id`, `item_title`, `item_desc`, `item_type`, `item_options`) VALUES ('ptthemes_details_category', 'Detail Post Category', 'Display post category in detail pages', 'select', 'Yes,No')

WordPress database error: [Duplicate entry 'ptthemes_details_comment' for key 'item_id']
INSERT INTO `wp_option_tree` (`item_id`, `item_title`, `item_desc`, `item_type`, `item_options`) VALUES ('ptthemes_details_comment', 'Detail Post Comment', 'Display post comment in detail pages', 'select', 'Yes,No')

WordPress database error: [Duplicate entry 'ptthemes_details_author' for key 'item_id']
INSERT INTO `wp_option_tree` (`item_id`, `item_title`, `item_desc`, `item_type`, `item_options`) VALUES ('ptthemes_details_author', 'Detail Post Author', 'Display post author in detail pages', 'select', 'Yes,No')

WordPress database error: [Duplicate entry 'ptthemes_pagination' for key 'item_id']
INSERT INTO `wp_option_tree` (`item_id`, `item_title`, `item_desc`, `item_type`, `item_options`) VALUES ('ptthemes_pagination', 'Pagination', '', 'radio', 'Default + WP Page-Navi support, AJAX-fetching posts')

WordPress database error: [Duplicate entry 'ptthemes_common_settings' for key 'item_id']
INSERT INTO `wp_option_tree` (`item_id`, `item_title`, `item_desc`, `item_type`, `item_options`) VALUES ('ptthemes_common_settings', 'Style & Color Settings', '', 'heading', '')

WordPress database error: [Duplicate entry 'ptthemes_fonts' for key 'item_id']
INSERT INTO `wp_option_tree` (`item_id`, `item_title`, `item_desc`, `item_type`, `item_options`) VALUES ('ptthemes_fonts', 'Fonts', 'Choose your site fonts', 'select', 'Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif, Arial, Arial Black, Trebuchet MS, Helvetica, sans-serif, Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif,')

WordPress database error: [Duplicate entry 'ptthemes_body_background_color' for key 'item_id']
INSERT INTO `wp_option_tree` (`item_id`, `item_title`, `item_desc`, `item_type`, `item_options`) VALUES ('ptthemes_body_background_color', 'Body Background Color', 'Choose your site background color', 'colorpicker', '')

WordPress database error: [Duplicate entry 'ptthemes_body_background_image' for key 'item_id']
INSERT INTO `wp_option_tree` (`item_id`, `item_title`, `item_desc`, `item_type`, `item_options`) VALUES ('ptthemes_body_background_image', 'Body Background Image', 'Upload background image from here', 'upload', '')

WordPress database error: [Duplicate entry 'ptthemes_body_bg_postions' for key 'item_id']
INSERT INTO `wp_option_tree` (`item_id`, `item_title`, `item_desc`, `item_type`, `item_options`) VALUES ('ptthemes_body_bg_postions', 'Body Background Image Postions', 'Select body background image postion', 'select', 'no-repeat,repeat,repeat-x,repeat-y,repeat-y center top,repeat-y left top')

WordPress database error: [Duplicate entry 'ptthemes_link_color_normal' for key 'item_id']
INSERT INTO `wp_option_tree` (`item_id`, `item_title`, `item_desc`, `item_type`, `item_options`) VALUES ('ptthemes_link_color_normal', 'Link Color Normal', 'Select link color normal', 'colorpicker', '')

WordPress database error: [Duplicate entry 'ptthemes_link_color_hover' for key 'item_id']
INSERT INTO `wp_option_tree` (`item_id`, `item_title`, `item_desc`, `item_type`, `item_options`) VALUES ('ptthemes_link_color_hover', 'Link Color Hover', 'Select Hover link color', 'colorpicker', '')

WordPress database error: [Duplicate entry 'ptthemes_main_title_color' for key 'item_id']
INSERT INTO `wp_option_tree` (`item_id`, `item_title`, `item_desc`, `item_type`, `item_options`) VALUES ('ptthemes_main_title_color', 'Main Title Color', 'Select main title color', 'colorpicker', '')

WordPress database error: [Duplicate entry 'ptthemes_customcss' for key 'item_id']
INSERT INTO `wp_option_tree` (`item_id`, `item_title`, `item_desc`, `item_type`, `item_options`) VALUES ('ptthemes_customcss', 'Use Custom Stylesheet', 'If you want to make custom design changes using CSS enable this and <a href="theme-editor.php">edit custom.css file here</a>', 'radio', 'Activate, Deactivate')

WordPress database error: [Duplicate entry 'ptthemes_page_layouts' for key 'item_id']
INSERT INTO `wp_option_tree` (`item_id`, `item_title`, `item_desc`, `item_type`, `item_options`) VALUES ('ptthemes_page_layouts', 'Page Layout', '', 'heading', '')

WordPress database error: [Duplicate entry 'ptthemes_page_layout' for key 'item_id']
INSERT INTO `wp_option_tree` (`item_id`, `item_title`, `item_desc`, `item_type`, `item_options`) VALUES ('ptthemes_page_layout', 'Page Layout', 'Select page layout', 'select', 'Full Page, Page 2 column - Right Sidebar, Page 2 column - Left Sidebar, Page 3 column - Fixed, Page 3 column - Right Sidebar, Page 3 column - Left Sidebar')

WordPress database error: [Duplicate entry 'ptthemes_bottom_options' for key 'item_id']
INSERT INTO `wp_option_tree` (`item_id`, `item_title`, `item_desc`, `item_type`, `item_options`) VALUES ('ptthemes_bottom_options', 'Select footer top', 'select bottom section options', 'select', 'Two Column - Right(one third), Two Column - Left(one third), Equal Column, Three Column, Fourth Column, Full Width')

WordPress database error: [Duplicate entry 'ptthemes_article_setting' for key 'item_id']
INSERT INTO `wp_option_tree` (`item_id`, `item_title`, `item_desc`, `item_type`, `item_options`) VALUES ('ptthemes_article_setting', 'Article Settings', '', 'heading', '')

WordPress database error: [Duplicate entry 'ptthemes_articlelisting_expiry_disable' for key 'item_id']
INSERT INTO `wp_option_tree` (`item_id`, `item_title`, `item_desc`, `item_type`, `item_options`) VALUES ('ptthemes_articlelisting_expiry_disable', 'Disable Article Expiry ', 'Wish to disable article expiry process? If you disable the option, none of article will expire in future.', 'radio', 'Yes, No')

WordPress database error: [Duplicate entry 'ptthemes_articlelisting_preexpiry_notice_disable' for key 'item_id']
INSERT INTO `wp_option_tree` (`item_id`, `item_title`, `item_desc`, `item_type`, `item_options`) VALUES ('ptthemes_articlelisting_preexpiry_notice_disable', 'Disable Article Expiry Email Notification', 'Wish to disable article pre expiry notification to author? If you disable the option, pre expiry email notification will stop.', 'radio', 'Yes, No')

WordPress database error: [Duplicate entry 'ptthemes_articlelisting_preexpiry_notice_days' for key 'item_id']
INSERT INTO `wp_option_tree` (`item_id`, `item_title`, `item_desc`, `item_type`, `item_options`) VALUES ('ptthemes_articlelisting_preexpiry_notice_days', 'Number of days Before Pre Expiry', 'Enter number of days before pre expiry notification Email will be sent.', 'select', '1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10')

WordPress database error: [Duplicate entry 'ptthemes_articlelisting_ex_status' for key 'item_id']
INSERT INTO `wp_option_tree` (`item_id`, `item_title`, `item_desc`, `item_type`, `item_options`) VALUES ('ptthemes_articlelisting_ex_status', 'Article Expiry Status', 'Select the article status after the article expires..', 'select', 'draft, publish, trash')

WordPress database error: [Duplicate entry 'ptthemes_article_status' for key 'item_id']
INSERT INTO `wp_option_tree` (`item_id`, `item_title`, `item_desc`, `item_type`, `item_options`) VALUES ('ptthemes_article_status', 'Article Status', 'Select the article status for the article submit..', 'select', 'draft, publish, trash')

WordPress database error: [Duplicate entry 'ptthemes_articlecategory_dislay' for key 'item_id']
INSERT INTO `wp_option_tree` (`item_id`, `item_title`, `item_desc`, `item_type`, `item_options`) VALUES ('ptthemes_articlecategory_dislay', 'Add Article page Settings', 'Category display settings', 'select', 'checkbox, radio, select')

WordPress database error: [Duplicate entry 'ptthemes_addarticle_captcha' for key 'item_id']
INSERT INTO `wp_option_tree` (`item_id`, `item_title`, `item_desc`, `item_type`, `item_options`) VALUES ('ptthemes_addarticle_captcha', 'Captcha', 'Captcha Validation on Add Article Page', 'radio', 'Yes, No')

Charles Dickens – Article Myriad //www.articlemyriad.com Insightful commentary on literature, history, the arts and more Thu, 10 May 2018 20:14:59 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.13 Themes Summary of Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens //www.articlemyriad.com/themes-summary-little-dorrit-dickens/ Wed, 07 Dec 2011 03:42:50 +0000 //www.articlemyriad.com/wordpress/?p=1985 As this analysis of Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens seeks to explore, it is of the persistent preoccupations in Charles Dickens’s novels is the careful and detailed study of the social problems that troubled 19th century England. Little Dorrit is no exception, and it is in this novel that Dickens explores the dark and, curiously, light sides of the criminal justice system by locating much of the action in this Dickens novel within the Marshalsea Prison. Beyond serving as the obvious symbol of failed or corrupted justice, however, a deeper analysis of the Marshalsea Prison both as an object and as a symbol can help the reader learn how to enter the complicated world of this Dickens novel in order to understand how other spaces, both physical and psychological, function. Dickens suggests that all institutions and spaces, no matter how dysfunctional, serve a certain social purpose within the larger notions of society while also functioning on a small level in terms of community and family. While Dickens does not advocate imprisonment as a means of social control, he acknowledges that the prisoners and staff of the Marshalsea accept their conditions and are therefore capable of adapting to their harsh circumstances. In fact, compared to the other communities and institutions portrayed in the novel, the Marshalsea functions best. The Marshalsea, then, becomes the paradoxical symbol of human triumph over external conditions.

The reader is introduced to the Marshalsea Prison in Chapter VI. The prison itself is an imposing physical structure, described by the narrator in one of the important quotes from Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens as “an oblong pile of barrack building, partitioned into squalid houses…so that there were no back rooms; environed by a narrow paved yard, hemmed in by high walls duly spiked top…a close and confined prison….” (Dickens 72). In short, the Marshalsea, like any other prison, is not intended to be comfortable or aesthetically pleasing for its captives or for those who view it from the outside, for that matter. Rather, it is meant to be stark, spare, and foreboding; a stay at the Marshalsea should serve as a deterrent for recidivism among the debtors who are fortunate enough to be released and the imposing structure itself should serve as a grim reminder of the penalties of violations against society. Within the dulling atmosphere of this typical prison, however, there is a surprising range of character types and possibilities for meaningful relationships. There is, in many ways predictably, the cadre of inept administrators and incompetent paper-pushers. Men from “some Office” would appear “to go through some form of overlooking something, which neither he nor anybody else knew anything about…neatly epitomizing the administration of most of the public affairs in our right little, tight little, island” (Dickens 73).

 This observation foreshadows the character types the reader will meet in the Circumlocution Office, where ineptitude and the capacity for bumbling along in a rather stiff way seems to be a job requirement. At the same time, however, there are Marshalsea guards who are friendly and even compassionate, which might offers some readers a different image of such guards than might be expected in such a foreboding setting. In fact, instead of having a set power structure, there is a sense of community and many of the inhabitants at Marshalsea Prison are more like family than anything else. Over the years, for instance, Mr. Dorrit and the turnkey become quite close, and before he dies, Mr. Dorrit is declared by the turnkey to be the “Father of the Marshalsea” (Dickens 80), a title that Dorrit assumes with unexpected pride and sobriety. Between these two extremes, there are also other characters who inhabit the prison and serve as representatives of the various types of people one encounters in society. There is the Dickens character of the doctor, for example, who is “amazingly shabby” (Dickens 76). When the reader first meets him, the doctor is in a “positive degree of hoarseness, puffiness, red-facedness, all-fours, tobacco, dirt, and brandy” (Dickens 76). There are also those characters who appear to be wholly dependent upon the prison, and who need to feel part of its strange community, particularly those who are inmates. For example, one inmate is described as having “broke[n] into prison with as much pains as other men have broken out of it” (Dickens 449) which indicates there is something about the control of the structure itself that lends itself to being viewed as something safe or stable in this area.

Another example of this would be how the doctor, too, seems to feel at home as if among family or a community when in the prison. He comments to Mr. Dorrit in one of the important quotes from “Little Dorrit” by Dickens that all he wants is “A little more elbow room,” and he expounds upon the benefits of their incarceration and the prison environment: “We are quiet here; we don’t get badgered here… It’s freedom, sir, it’s freedom!….Elsewhere, people are restless, worried, hurried about, anxious respecting one thing, anxious respecting another. Nothing of the kind here, sir” (Dickens 78-79). Quite paradoxically, the doctor concludes by proclaiming, “[W]e have got to the bottom, we can’t fall, and what have we found? Peace” (Dickens 78-79). Mr. Dorrit recognizes that he actually agrees with the doctor, acknowledging that while he was “[c]rushed at first by his imprisonment, he had soon found a dull relief in it” (Dickens 79).

There is a certain sense of family and community that develops at the Marshalsea. Although the Marhsalsea Prison is an artificially constructed community and its inhabitants might not have chosen to live together or associate with one another under normal circumstances, they recognize that their time there will be more bearable if they simulate a functioning community as much as possible. Therefore, interestingly, there is the sense that in some ways this prison as a structure serves a higher function or purpose and may even live up to its mission of rehabilitating society in the sense that it forces the creation of these communities. It is also worth noting that, to that end, most characters strive to play a certain role and to develop cordial relationships. In fact, on multiple occasions the narrator observes that the inhabitants of the Marhsalsea Prison form a kind of ragtag family. The birth of Little Dorrit, for example, provides a reason for people to come together much in the same way a nuclear family gathers at a new birth or life-changing event.

Everyone cares of the Dorrits’ baby, the narrator reports in one of the important quotes from Little Dorritby Charles Dickens explains “and [they] claimed a kind of proprietorship in her” (Dickens 79). Little Dorrit spends her childhood in prison, where the “iron bars of the inner gateway [signified] ‘Home’” (Dickens 84). It would not be accurate, of course, to argue that the prison society is a completely functional one, and Little Dorrit herself provides the best example to refute such an argument. Because she was born within the confines of the Marshalsea and had never been beyond its walls, she could not imagine what the outside world was like and is, in many ways, part of the prison in that she reflects both the positive and negative aspects of the community that has arisen, not to mention the structure itself. In a conversation explained with the turnkey, they talk about fields and Little Dorrit asks, “‘Does anybody open and shut them? Are they locked?’” (Dickens 84). Little Dorrit has no frame of reference for knowing what a field is or knowing that the outside world does not operate exactly as the prison society.

Or does it? As the reader encounters the other communities and institutions in this Dickens novel, he or she sees how each is a replica, in one way or another, of the prison whether it is in the context of community, family, or more generally speaking society at large. While those other institutions and communities may not have bars and locks and overseers, they share many of the same negative characteristics as Marshalsea and are as psychologically limiting as a prison. The Circumlocution Office, for instance, has more than its fair share of incompetent administrators and draconian regulations that no one can explain. For its part, Bleeding Heart Yard is described in the same terms as a prison might be.

The inhabitants of this poor community are described by the narrator as “inmates” (Dickens 150) and share many similarities with the residents and workers at the prison. It is also worth pointing out that the choice of the particular word “inmates” alludes that the inhabitants of this one-time “aspiring city” have no choice as to whether they wish to stay or leave (Dickens 150) and are all under the thumb of some unnamed ruler or law-giver who has the power to decide the fate and outcomes of those in this setting. All of the institutions and communities described by Dickens are, in their own way, incredibly oppressive. In a certain sense, then, the community in Marshalsea is perhaps more functional than the other institutions and communities that are portrayed in Little Dorrit. Dickens was deeply concerned about social problems and wrote extensively about them in his novels. In Little Dorrit, set as it is in a prison, the reader might expect that Dickens would condemn the institution completely. While Dickens was no advocate of imprisonment, he clearly acknowledges that most institutions have limiting, restrictive qualities that oppress its inhabitants. It is how the inhabitants respond to the limitations of the institution that defines just how confining their experiences and relationships will be.

Other essays and articles in the Literature Archives related to this topic include : Character Complexity in A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

Work Cited

Dickens, Charles. Little Dorrit. New York: Penguin, 1998.

]]> A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens: Character Analysis and Complexity //www.articlemyriad.com/tale-two-cities-dickens-character-analysis/ Wed, 07 Dec 2011 01:49:35 +0000 //www.articlemyriad.com/wordpress/?p=1920 In nearly all novels by Dickens, characters take the main the stage and generally are just as important as the plot becuase of their complexity. Charles Dickens’ novel, A Tale of Two Cities, offers far more to the reader than the title suggests, particularly because of the enormous complexity of the characters—both central and peripheral.  “A Tale of Two Cities” by Dickens is also a series of tales about dual identities and the ways in which one character serves as a foil to another. In Books I and II of “Tale of Two Cities”, Dickens establishes the setting and the dynamic relationships among the characters, all of whom are struggling, to greater and lesser degrees, with their positions regarding the Revolution and as a result, this creates a struggle with their identities. While some characters in the Dickens novel “A Tale of Two Cities”, especially Darnay, clearly have more acute conflicts to resolve and far more to lose than the seemingly minor characters, it is by examining the marginal characters that the reader can understand the dynamic conflicts of the period more fully. Two of the novel’s marginal characters, John Barsad, the duplicitous spy in “A Tale of Two Cities” by Dickens, and Gaspard, the quiet but determined peasant who takes justice into his own hands, represent two faces of the Revolution, and help to emphasize the conflicts and conditions of the major characters.

When John Barsad is introduced in the novel “A Tale of Two Cities” by Dickens, it is immediately clear that he is not only self-serving and hypocritical, he is a man who is not to be trusted. While he is not a popular character, he is, nonetheless an excellent candidate for a character analysis as Barsad is complex and multilayered. For example, in “A Tale of Two Cities” by Dickens the character of Barsad testifies falsely against Darnay for spying, when he himself is a spy which shows him to be not only untrustworthy but willing to be a hypocrite when his own interests are at stake. Barsad will eventually play a significant role in other aspects of Darnay’s affairs as well. Although Barsad represents himself before the court as a loyal patriot, a skilled barrister exposes Barsad’s seedier side as a gambler and debtor. The narrator of “A Tale of Two Cities” by Dickens describes Barsad as “a hired spy and traitor, an unblushing trafficker in blood, and one of the greatest scoundrels upon the earth since accursed Judas–which he certainly did look rather like…” (Dickens 72).

This description is apt, and it foreshadows the effects that Barsad will have on the other characters. While he is a minor character in the larger scheme of the novel, his sphere of influence is rather extensive, and his actions have a decisive impact on the trajectory of the plot and upon the decisions of the other characters. When he visits the DeFarge’s wine shop, for instance, Barsad knowingly drops a tidbit of information that he knows will set a chain of events into motion. He reveals that Lucie is to be married to Darnay. This is news which puts the DeFarges into conflict because they care for Lucie and her father, but not for Darnay. This information shapes Madame DaFarge’s future revolutionary activities.

In the Dickens novel A Tale of Two Cities Gaspard is a different sort of character altogether. Whereas Barsad is obnoxious and grandstanding, trying to seem as someone more respectable than he is, Gaspard is quiet and unassuming. Nonetheless, Gaspard holds as least as much power and influence as Barsad exercises, for he takes justice into his own hands and kills the Marquis for having run over his child and then insulting him with the compensation of a coin. While the reader of A Tale of Two Cities is never privy to the thought process that leads to Gaspard’s decision to ride on the undercarriage and to stab the Marquis in his sleep, it is perhaps easy enough for the reader to empathize with this marginal character, for he could be any common man who has been wronged by a haughty and careless aristocrat. Gaspard’s actions are a mirror of revolutionary thought and feeling, and it is through Gaspard that the reader of A Tale of Two Cities can understand the sentiments that provoked uprisings against the traditional social structure. Gaspard not only represents, but he embodies fully, the suffering and rage of his class. Rather than accepting his position of powerlessness, however, he finds a way to seize personal agency and to act upon it. In doing so, he clearly affects the life—or rather, the death—of the Marquis, but his action also influences Darnay’s position and the circumstances which will eventually envelop him later in the novel. Beyond affecting Darnay, though, Gaspard’s actions serve as the spark for the Revolution itself. It is the tipping point for some characters; those who might have felt lukewarm about the Revolution beforehand, are incensed by Gaspard’s sentence and execution, and are thereby compelled to change their opinions.

Aside from the case of A Tale of Two Cities the literary canon is full of examples of seemingly minor men and women who become heroes and highly worthy of character analysis, hardly-noticed characters who turn into villains, and people of no reputation who shape the entire course of a novel’s events. This is part of what makes the story Dickens is telling so interesting—even though the events themselves are worthy of note, the characters who are the subjects of great interest and character analysis and their level of complexity make A Tale of Two Cities what it is. Beyond offering the reader a mere narration of the events leading up to the Revolution, Dickens creates suspense, tension, and the opportunity for opinions and actions to be transformed by elevating the influence of characters worthy of intense character analysis in “A Tale of Two Cities” by Dickens who would otherwise be marginal to the plot. John Barsad and Gaspard are two men who are quite different from one another, and who also differ in their motives and means of expressing their power and influence. Nonetheless, in several relatively brief scenes, both men shape the outcome of the novel by acting upon their beliefs and passions decisively and without apology. As a result, the lives of the major characters in “A Tale of Two Cities” by Dickens and the decisions that they are able and which they choose to make are transformed.

Other essays and articles in the Literature Archives related to this topic include : Themes Summary of Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens

Works Cited

Dickens, Charles. A Tale of Two Cities. New York: Books, Inc, 1868.

]]>