Literature is an important thematic thread in Homecoming, and Victorian literature is an integral part of several characters’ lives. From the opening chapters of the novel, Morton references Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, and Thomas Hardy, three essential figures of Victorian literature. Jess, the protagonist, remembers discovering Charles Dickens as a child, and his books remain a touchstone throughout her life. Dickens was a prolific writer whose novels were designed to entertain a wide audience while delving into the inequalities of Victorian society. In addition to serving as vehicles to inspire social change, such titles as Great Expectations, Oliver Twist, and A Tale of Two Cities are filled with memorable characters, adventure, and humor, and they have endured the test of time to become some of the greatest examples of Victorian literature.

Within the context of Morton’s novel, Percy Summers is also a literature lover. His lifelong passion for Victorian literature begins when he is bedridden with polio and discovers the works of Jane Austen. Austen’s work also probes society’s strictures, and with works such as

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