Abstract
Trials of Conscience in Victorian Law and Literature traces modulations in the meanings of the word
conscience to examine how it concentres interactions between Victorian law and literature. This
thesis argues that while legal discourses, increasingly positivist and utilitarian in character, selfconsciously
shifted away from conscience—now associated with morally inflected conceptions of
interiority and the word “I”—literary representations of conscience manifest anxieties about the
relationship between individuals and the law: the power of the law to shape or corrupt interior
conscience, or the ways resources of legal language influence how individuals articulate moral
crises, and their reflexive judgments of themselves.
conscience to examine how it concentres interactions between Victorian law and literature. This
thesis argues that while legal discourses, increasingly positivist and utilitarian in character, selfconsciously
shifted away from conscience—now associated with morally inflected conceptions of
interiority and the word “I”—literary representations of conscience manifest anxieties about the
relationship between individuals and the law: the power of the law to shape or corrupt interior
conscience, or the ways resources of legal language influence how individuals articulate moral
crises, and their reflexive judgments of themselves.
| Original language | English |
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| Qualification | Doctor of Philosophy |
| Awarding Institution |
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| Supervisors/Advisors |
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| Thesis sponsors | |
| Award date | 12 Oct 2022 |
| Publication status | Unpublished - 2022 |
Embargo information
- Embargoed from 03/10/2022 to 03/10/2024. Will become publicly avaliable on 03/10/2024