An analysis of Nancys double character in Oliver Twist 《雾都孤儿》中南希双重性格分析文档格式.docx

An analysis of Nancys double character in Oliver Twist 《雾都孤儿》中南希双重性格分析文档格式.docx

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摘要

本文以英国批判现实主义大师查尔斯·

狄更斯的小说《雾都孤儿》为主要研究资料。

首先，本文从英国批判现实主义的起源与发展入手，综述批判现实主义的思想特征与艺术特征；

其次，本文将主要以批判现实主义的思想特征和艺术特征为出发点，分析并研究南希双重性格在小说中的表现；

最后，本文将从人性和社会环境因素出发，并结合狄更斯在创作南希该人物时的思路，剖析其双重性格形成的深层次原因。

从而可以看出社会环境对人的性格与个性具有较深的影响，但是无论环境多么恶劣，它都无法泯灭人类本性中的善良成分。

ABSTRACT

ThispaperismainlybasedononeofthemasterpiecesofCharlesDickens,OliverTwist,whichisdeemedasonetherepresentativesofEnglishcriticalrealisticliteratureofthe19thcentury.ItfirstintroducestheoriginanddevelopmentofcriticalrealisminEnglandandillustratestheideologicalandartisticfeaturesofcriticalrealism.Itthen,basedonitsideologicalandartisticfeatures,analyzesthemanifestationsofNancy’sdoublecharacterinthisnovel.ItfinallydiscussesthereasonsforNancy’sdoublecharacterfromtheperspectiveofhumannatureandsocialenvironmentaswellasCharlesDickens’viewpointofNancy.Asaresult,itprovesthatsocialenvironmenthasagreateffectonhuman’scharacter,buthoweveradversetheenvironmentis,itmaynevertarnishthegoodnessinhumannature.

1．Introduction

CharlesDickens,thegreatestrepresentativeoftheEnglishcriticalrealisticliteratureofVictorianera,wasborninFebruary,1812.Inhischildhoodwhenhethoughthimselfa“verysmallandnot-over-particularly-taken-care-ofboy”[1]215,hewasfondofplayingoutdoorsandreadingbooks,especiallyshowinganineffableinterestinpicaresquenovelsofTobiasSmollettandHenryFielding.Asamatteroffact,thisperiodwasanidyllicbutsignificanttimeforhiswholelifeforithadhadagreatinfluenceonhisworkswhichlatergainedaworldwidereputation.

AsthefounderandoneoftheeminentrepresentativesofEnglishcriticalrealismin19thcentury,CharlesDickensisresponsibleforsomeofEnglishliterature'

smosticoniccharacters[2]136.Heismuchlovedbyreadersaroundtheglobenotonlyforhiswell-portrayedcharacterssuchasOliverTwistandDavidCopperfield,butalsoforhisexhaustivedepictionofcontemporarylifeaswellastherelentlessdenouncementtowardsthedarksocialreality.Hisnovelsandshortstorieshavenevergoneoutofprint.Aconcernwithsocialreformisaneternalthemethatrunsthroughouthiseverywork.Inhisnovels,hemaintains“anunbrokenfaithinpeoplewithanentirepessimismastocapitalistsociety.”[3]354

Thestoryissetinthe19thLondon.Thehero,OliverTwist,isadoptedbyanorphanageassoonashewasborn.Hecan’tbearthepoorandhungrylifeinthatplace,soheescapes.Unfortunately,however,heiskidnappedbytheevilgangofFagin.Althoughintimidatedbyforceandbeguiledwithmoney,youngOliverisunwillingtosteal.WiththehelpofNancy,Brownlowandotherkind-heartedpeople,Oliverfinallyescapesfromtheabyssofviceandmisery,findsoutwhohereallyisandleadsahappylife.ThewretchedandtortuousexperienceofOliverandNancyisalivingembodimentofauthor’smiserablechildhood.

Fromtheperspectiveofthenovelitself,OliverTwistisnotdeemedasthequintessentialrepresentativeworkofCharlesDickensinthestrictsense.SomescholarsarguethatOliverTwistisarealistworksmackingofromanceforitexhibitssomehumorouslanguage,comiccharactersandahappyendingtoreaders.Asfarasitshistoricalandliterarysignificanceareconcerned,however,OliverTwistmarksthebeginningoftheEnglishrealistliteratureinVictorianEra.CharlesDickenssparesnoeffortstorevealthehypocrisyandinhumanityofparishworkhousethroughthedescriptionofthelittleOliver’schildhoodinthisnovel.Furthermore,Dickensgivesrealisticpicturesofthehorribleexistenceinworkhouse.Oneoftheimportantcharacteristicsofthenovelistherealandspecificdescriptionofpeoplewholivedatthebottomofthecapitalisticsociety.TheirmiserablelivesarejustthelivemirrorofthedarkandevilsidesofBritishsocietyof19thcentury.Thoseworksarousedreaderstothinkabouttheneedofanationwidesocialreformaswellasthesocialreasonsforallsortsofcriminalphenomenaatthattime.Alongwiththesuccessofthiswell-knownnovel,“Dickensbecamemoreandmoreatoddswithbourgeoissocietyandmoreandmoreawareof（andexasperatedby）theabsenceofanyreadilyavailablealternative”.[4]248

InspiteofherstatusasasecondarycharacterinOliverTwist,Nancyplaysanirreplaceablepartinthedevelopmentofthenovel.AsahumblefemalethiefinthegangofFagin,NancyisinstigatedtokidnapOliverintothisevilgang,butfinallyshesacrificesherownlifetosaveOliverfromtheabyssofmiseriesandsufferings.Duetothecomplexityinhercharacter,Nancyhasbecomeapopularsubjectstudiedbysomescholars.

AlthoughCharlesDickenswasoncecriticizedformoldingacharacterof“thieving,whoring,slutofthestreets”[5]107,thereisnodoubtthatNancyisoneofliterature'

searliestexamplesofthestockcharacterofthe“tartwithaheart”—thestereotypicalcharacterofatragicorfallenwomanwhomakesherwaythroughlifebymeansofcrimeandoftenearnsawageasaprostitute,butisstillagoodandcompassionateperson.

Thethesishereisintendedtointroducetheriseanddevelopmentofcriticalrealismaswellasitsideologicalandartisticfeaturesfirstly;

secondly,itwillanalyzeNancy’sdoublecharacterfromtheperspectiveoftheideologicalandartisticfeaturesofcriticalrealism;

thirdly,itcontinuestobringoutthereasonforhertragedyfromtheperspectiveofthegoodnessofhumanityandtheinfluenceofsocialrealityonhumannature.

2.Thereviewofcriticalrealism

Inthesecondhalfof19thcentury,theentireEnglishsocietywitnessedanunprecedentedandunrepeatablemovementwhichcausedvitalchangesinagriculture,manufacturing,mining,andtransportation.Lateron,itisknownasthe“IndustrialRevolution”whichthenexertedaprofoundeffectonthesocioeconomicandculturalconditionsintheEngland.AlongwithitthereemergedEnglishcapitalismandbourgeois.Astheworkingclasscontinuedtoexpand,theybecamemoreandmoredissatisfiedandcynicalwiththeirlivingconditionsandsocialstatus.Andthegapbetweenworkingclassandupperclassbecamewider,whichthusbecamethebackgroundwherecriticalrealismrose.

2.1RiseanddevelopmentofEnglishcriticalrealism

Inastrictsense,criticalrealismisatermappliedtotherealisticfictioninthelate19thandearly20thcenturieswhichsomewritersandintellectualsintheperiodbetween1875and1920usedtocriticizeandexaminetheserioussocialissuesofthattime.Duringthisperiodsuffusedwithintenseclassstruggleappearedanewsortofliterarytrend—criticalrealismwhichflourishedinthefortiesandintheearlyfiftiesof19thcentury.Itwasdescribedwithalotofvividnessandgreatartisticskillsbysomecriticalrealisticwriters.Themostimportantisthatthisnewliteraturereflectedthemajortraitsofthecapitalistsocietyandcriticizedthecapitalistsystemfromtheviewpointofademocrat.

CriticalrealismhadachievedgreatsuccessinEuropeatonetime.AstheindustrialcapitalismcontinuedtodevelopthroughouttheEuropeandthecontradictionbetweenupperclassandmiddleandlowerclassbecameincreasinglyintensified.Underthisbackdrop,criticalrealismtookshapeandgaineditsinitialdevelopmentinFranceinthe1920s.From1930sto1940s,criticalrealismbecamethemainstreamofEuropeanliteratureafterromanticism,whichwasgenerallyconsideredastherealpeakofcriticalrealism.Gorkyoncethoughtitwasa“major,mostsplendidandusefulliteraryschoolof19thcentury”.CriticalrealismoriginatedinFrance.RedandBlackofStendhallaidafoundationforthisliterarytrendandHumanComedyofBalzacsymbolizedthehighestachievementofcriticalrealism.Moreover,criticalrealistslikeGustaveFlaubert,GuydeMaupassant,AlexandreDumasfilsandRomainRollandbecamefamouswiththeirsharplysatiricalworkswhichformedthemagnificenttrendofcriticalrealismof19thcentury.

WhileinBritain,inthemeantime,thereemergedagreatmanycelebratedwritersfromthemiddleclass.Theyweredissatisfiedwiththeconditionsboththecountryanditspeoplearefacedwithatthattime.Therefore,theysparednoeffortstodenouncethedarknessandcorruptionofthesociety,sympathizespeoplefrombelowandadvocatessocialreformssoastoradicallychangethecurrentconditionofEngland. 

Intheyearof1837,CharlesDickens（1812-1870）whohasbeenregardedasoneofthethreehostsofVictoriannovelists（anothertwoareThackerayandGeorgeEliot）wrotethenovelOliverTwistwhichreflectsthetortuouslifeofOliverTwistandmirrorsthemiseriespeoplelivinginthebottomoftheEnglishsocietysufferedandrepudiatesthedefectsofcapitalism.In1844,ThomasHood（1799-1845）wrotethepoemTheSongoftheShirtwhich,throughthemouthofapoorseamstress,voicedthemiserablelifeofthefemaleworkers.Theseworks,toagreatdegree,showedthewriters’deepconcernandsympathyfortheworkersandtheirprotestsagainsttheexploitationofcapitalism.Hence,thosewriterswereusuallyconsideredastheearliestwritersofcriticalrealismintheEnglishliterature.

Generallyspeaking,CharlesDickensandWilliamMakepeaceThackeraywerethematurestatesmenofEnglishcriticalrealisticliterature.Theyrepresentedthemiddleandlowerclasses,exposingandcriticizingtheevilandcorruptiveaspectsofcapitalism.CharlesDickenscreatespicturesofbourgeoiscivilizationanddescribesthemiseryandsufferingsofthecommonpeoplebymeansofstrikingfo