Sounding hollowness: A cartography of a child's mind in The old curiosity shop (1840-1841)
Sounding hollowness: A cartography of a child's mind in The old curiosity shop (1840-1841)

Summary/Abstract: The article analyses the interplay between space, time and sound in The Old Curiosity Shop. Focus is on the reflection of these dynamics in Little Nell's mind as well as on Kit's interaction with sounded hollowness. The research methodology is grounded in phenomenology of sound with elements of deconstruction and existentialism. It is suggested that the structure of sounded and ghostly temporality from A Christmas Carol could be instrumentalised as part of the phenomenological analytical platform so as to attune this paradigm specifically to the Dickensian world. The research results show that phenomenological investigation of the auditory dimensions in The Old Curiosity Shop could help understand the functioning of the child's mind while surrounded by hollow spaces. Such a positioning disperses one's temporality/voice and reinforces a painful awareness of a nearing death, which promises a realisation of the novel's silent tragedy.

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