名利场读后感.docx

名利场读后感.docx

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名利场读后感

MyReviewontheBookVanityFair

Ⅰ.Introduction

1.1Socialbackground

SincetheIndustrialRevolutioninthesecondhalfofthe18thcentury,theclassstructureofEnglishsocietyhadundergoneradicalchanges.TheIndustrialcapitalistsbegantoplayamoreimportantroleandviedforpoliticalpowerwiththeoldaristocracy.Duetothesupportofthepeoplethisstruggleofpowerendedinthevictoryofbourgeoisieoverthearistocracy.Withthedevelopmentofcapitalism,therearoseapowerfulworkingclass,thoughtheconflictbetweenlabourandthecapitalwasforsometimethebackgroundofthestrugglebetweenthefeudalandbourgeoisclasses.Butfromthethirtiesofthe19thcentury,thestrugglebetweentheworkersandcapitalistsbecamethefeudalmentalcontradictioninEnglishsociallife.

NowEnglandbecameatypicalcapitalistcountry.Havingconsolidateditspositionsathome,theBritishbourgeoisiestrengtheneditspolicyofcolonialexpansioninallpartsoftheworld,successivelycompetingformarketswithotherpowerfulcountriesoftheworld.SoEnglandwasexperiencingatthesametimeanaggravationofcontradictionbothathomeandabroad.Inspiteoftheparliamentaryreformin1832,thelivingconditionsofworkersdidnotgrewbetterbutsteadilyworse.In1834therewasthepassageofthePoorLaw.Accordingtoit,theinhumanwork-houseswereestablished,inwhichthepoorpeoplehadtodoheavytasksandlivenobetterthaninjails.Thegreatmiseryoftheworkersledtoanupsurgeoflabourmovementsandtheorganizationoftheworkersintounions.In1836arosetheworking-classmovementknownasChartism.In1837,theworkersformulatedtheirpoliticaldemandsinThePeople’sCharter.Thepeople’sparliamentsgatheredin1837andonThePeople’sChartertherewereoveramillionsignaturesofworkers.Duringtheforties,therevolutionaryeventsontheEuropeancontinentledtoastrengtheningoftheEnglishworking-classmovement.ButthelatefortieswitnessedthedeclineofChartismowingtothedefeatoftherevolutionsontheContinentandtheeasingofsocialtensioninEngland.

Thecryingsocialcontradictionswerereflectedinthewriters’workofthetime.

1.2Briefintroductionoftheauthor

Thackeraywasarepresentativeofcriticalrealismin19th-centuryEngland.VanityFairwashismasterpiece.

WilliamMakepeaceThackeraywasbornatCalcuttain1811.Hisfather,RichmondThackeray,hadbeenanIndiancivilservant,ashadWilliam'sgrandfather.Hismotherwasnineteenatthedateofhisbirth,wasleftawidowin1816,andmarriedMajorHenryCarmichaelSmythin1818.Attheageofsix,ThackeraywassenttobeeducatedinEngland.OnhiswaytoEnglandfromIndia,thesmallThackeraysawNapoleononSt.Helena.HisattendanceataschoolrunbyaDr.TurnergavehimexperiencelaterusedinVanityFair.Alwaysanindependentspirit,hewenthisownway,attendingvariousschools,butleavingCambridgewithouttakingadegree.Hisrelativeswantedhimtostudylaw;heleanedtowardthefinearts.AtTrinityCollege,Cambridge,hecontributedtoalittlepapercalledTheSnob.

AvisittoWeimarborefruitinthesketchesoflifeatasmallGermancourtwhichappearsinVanityFair.In1832,heinheritedasumwhichamountedtoaboutfivehundredpoundsayear.Themoneywassoonlost—someinanIndianbank,someatgambling,andsomeintwonewspapers,TheNationalStandardandTheConstitutional.

About1834,ThackeraywenttoParisandtookupthestudyofart.Hehadearlyshowntalentasacaricaturist.Hispencilwasatitsbestinsuchfantasticworkasisfoundintheinitiallettersofthechaptersinhisbooks,andinthosedrawingsmadefortheamusementofchildren.

HemarriedIsabella,anIrishgirl,daughterofColonelMatthewShawe,whoenchantedhimwithhersinging,andwhowasthemodelforAmeliainVanityFair.Threedaughterswereborn,onedyingininfancy.Afterthebirthofthethirdchild,Mrs.Thackeray'smindwasaffectedandshehadtobeplacedwithafamilywhotookcareofher.ThelittlegirlsweresenttoThackeray'smotherinParis.AlthoughMrs.Thackerayoutlivedherhusbandbythirtyyears,shedidnotrecover.AsAyoungmanwitharuinedfortuneandatragicmarriage,Thackeraywasforcedtoearnhislifewithhispen.PoliticallyThackeraywasaradical,advocatingsocialreformanddemocracy.Inhisopinion,theexistingsocietywascorruptedaswellascorrupting.Hetookitashisdutytoexposethevicesofhisage,especiallythoseintheupper-middleclass.AndHealsoregardedsnobberyandthemoney-grabbingasthechiefviceinhissociety.Hecriticizesthesocialmoralthatmakesupthesociety.Hiscriticismembracespeopleofallsocialstrata;hissocial-climbersandsnobsandmoney-grabberscanbefoundinanyclass.Healwaysspeaksinanironical,sarcasticandcynicaltoneofanon-looker.Heusedhispentodisclosethedarknessofsociety,andtheVanityFairisavividandsatireembodimentofthattimeandsociety.Thackerayalsowroteanovel"PengDennistoun","Henry•Esmond,""NiuKemua","Virginian,"novella"Barry•Linton'sexperience",shortstorySet"snobset,"andsoon.Amongthem,"Henry•Esmond"and"NiuKemua"mostoutstanding.

Ⅱ.Summaryofthebook

AmeliaSedley,ofgoodfamily,andRebeccaSharp,anorphan,leaveMissPinkerton'sacademyonChiswickMalltoliveouttheirlivesinVanityFair—theworldofsocialclimbingandsearchforwealth.AmeliadoesnotesteemthevaluesofVanityFair;Rebeccacaresfornothingelse.RebeccafirstattemptstoenterthesacreddomainofVanityFairbyinducingJosephSedley,Amelia'sbrother,tomarryher.GeorgeOsborne,however,foilsthisplan;heintendstomarryAmeliaanddoesnotwantagovernessforasister-in-law.RebeccatakesapositionasgovernessatQueen'sCrawley,andmarriesRawdonCrawley,secondsonofSirPittCrawley.Becauseofhismarriage,Rawdon'srichauntdisinheritshim.FirstintroducedasafriendofGeorgeOsborne,WilliamDobbinbecomestheinstrumentforgettingGeorgetomarryAmelia,afterGeorge'sfatherhasforbiddenthemarriageonaccountoftheSedley'slossoffortune.BecauseofGeorge'smarriage,oldOsbornedisinheritshim.Bothyoungcouplesendeavortolivewithoutsufficientfunds.GeorgediesatWaterloo.AmeliawouldhavestarvedbutforWilliamDobbin'sanonymouscontributiontoherwelfare.JosephgoesbacktohispostinIndia,claimingsuchvaloratWaterloothatheearnsthenickname"WaterlooSedley."Actuallyhefledatthesoundofthecannon.BothRebeccaandAmeliagivebirthtosons.RebeccaclaimsshewillmakeRawdon'sfortune,butactuallyshehidesmuchofherloot,obtainedfromadmiringgentlemen.WhenshebecomesthefavoriteofthegreatLordSteyne,sheaccumulatesbothmoneyanddiamonds.InthemeantimeinnocentRawdondrawsclosertoLadyJane,wifeofRawdon'solderbrother,Pitt,whohasinheritedfromtherichaunt.WhenRawdondiscoversRebeccainhertreachery,heisconvincedthatmoneymeansmoretoherthanheorthesonwhomshehasalwayshated.HerefusestoseeheragainandtakesapostinCoventryIsland,wherehediesofyellowfever.BecauseherparentsarestarvingandshecanneitherprovideforthemnorgivelittleGeorgywhatshethinksheneeds,AmeliagivesuphersontohisgrandfatherOsborne.WilliamDobbincomesbackfromtheservice,reconcilesoldOsbornetoAmelia,whereatOsbornemakesawillleavingGeorgyhalfofhisfortuneandprovidingforAmelia.Rebecca,havinglosttherespectabilityofahusband,wandersinEuropeforacoupleofyearsandfinallymeetsJoseph,Georgy,Amelia,andWilliamontheContinent.Rebeccasetsabouttofinishwhatshestartedtodoatthefirstofthebook—thatis,toensnareJoseph.Shedoesnotmarryhim,butshetakesallhismoneyandhediesinterrorofher,theimplicationbeingthatshehas,atleast,hastenedhisdeath.AttheendofthebookRebeccahasthemoneynecessarytoliveinVanityFair;sheappearstoberespectable.WilliamhaswonAmelia.RebeccahasbeentheonewhojoltedAmeliaintorecognitionthatGeorge,herfirstlove,wasn'tworthy.LittleRawdon,uponthedeathofhisunclePittandhiscousinPitt,becomestheheirofQueen'sCrawley.LittleGeorge,throughthekindnessofDobbin,haslosthisdistortedvaluesobtainedinVanityFair.

Ⅲ.Commentsonthebook

Inthisnovel,Ilikethenameofnovel“VanityFair”andthesubtitle“ANovelwithoutaHero”.WhenIseethename,Iunderstandthemainideaofthenovel.TheVictorianegoistic,hypocritical,andmoney-grabbingaristocraticandcommercialsocietyisavanityfair.ItisnotonlyashowofThackeray’scynicalviewtowardlifebutalsoadeclarationofthattheepochinwhichcapitalistsoraristocratsposedthemselvesasheroes.Forinstance,AmeliaSedleyisafool;herhusbandhassleptwithBeckySharp,butshestillstickstoherloyaltytohimandkeepsDobbinwaitingforherhand.

Atthesametime,thewriteradoptsagreatnumberofrhetoricaldevicestodescribethetwomainfigures’words,expressionandbehavior.Thatmakesthesentencesvividandarousesthereaders’interestinreading.Theimages,plotandlanguageshowthehiddenparadoxofsensualityandredemption.Thebookgivesmeawholeviewofthenobility’slifewhichisprettyextravagant.Readingbetweenthelines,IcanfindthatBeckyisabeautiful,strong-willedandcunningyoungwomanwhoisdeterminedtomakeherwaytotheuppersociety.Togetridofpoverty,Beckymakeseverypossibleeffort,byhookingorbycrooking.SheisagreatbelieverofBeyourselfandonyourway!

Giveninthemodernsociety,Beckyisanambitiouswoman.Sheisnotafraidoffailure.However,becauseofthelackofaperfect