Hristo Boev - City of Darkness vs City of Light - The Significance of Light in the Modern Metropolis with Dickens and Dos Passos

Aug 27, 2026

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Paper examines how two modern metropolises—London and New York—are represented through Charles Dickens and John Dos Passos. It investigates the significance of light in shaping modern cityscapes, using a comparative approach rather than reducing differences to historicist explanations tied to technical progress. Light is treated as an independent analytical factor, tracing an evolution from modernity toward modernism. Passages from both writers’ urban representations ground the argument about Dickens’s transitional position versus Dos Passos’s association with high modernism.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages1

Reading Time3 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Comparative Analysis of Two Metropolises

Light as an Independent Factor

From Modernity to Modernism

Dickens vs Dos Passos: Transitional Modernity

FAQs

Which two cities does the paper compare in its analysis?

The paper compares London and New York, each represented by different authors (Dickens for London and Dos Passos for New York).

What is the central focus regarding light in the modern metropolis?

The paper treats light as a key factor shaping how modern cityscapes are portrayed, analyzing its role in the literary representations rather than attributing effects to technology alone.

How does the paper position Dickens and Dos Passos within the development from modernity to modernism?

It argues that Dickens occupies a transitional place in modernity, while Dos Passos is generally associated with high modernism.

Aug 27, 2026

Upload by Eliana