The Progressive Social Significance of Oliver Twist.docx

The Progressive Social Significance of Oliver Twist.docx

《The Progressive Social Significance of Oliver Twist.docx》由会员分享，可在线阅读，更多相关《The Progressive Social Significance of Oliver Twist.docx（23页珍藏版）》请在冰豆网上搜索。

TheProgressiveSocialSignificanceofOliverTwist

《雾都孤儿》积极的社会意义

TheProgressiveSocialSignificanceofOliverTwist

《雾都孤儿》积极的社会意义

摘要：

《雾都孤儿》是查尔斯·狄更斯的一部伟大的批判现实主义的小说。

它以维多利亚为时代背景，主要反映了刚刚通过济贫法的英国社会最底层人民的生活，揭露了社会弊端与社会问题，带有很强的讽刺意义。

本文主要分析《雾都孤儿》的积极的社会意义。

首先通过深入分析当时维多利亚的社会背景，揭露社会现实；随后与现代社会的现状作比较，论述小说给我们现代人的启发，以至对整个社会发展带来的推动作用；从而得出结论，《雾都孤儿》这部作品具有深远的社会意义。

关键词：

《雾都孤儿》;维多利亚时代;积极的;社会意义

TheProgressiveSocialSignificanceofOliverTwist

Abstract

OliverTwistisoneofDickens’smostfamousnovelsofcriticalrealism.ThenovelissetinVictorianAge,whichmainlyreflectsthelifeofcitizensatthebottomofsocietyinEnglandwherethePoorLawhadjustbeenpassed.Withtheexposureofsocialshortcomingsandproblems,thenoveliswritteninstrongirony.

ThispapermainlylooksintotheprogressivesignificanceoftheOliverTwist.Atthebeginning,thepaperdeeplyanalyzesthesocialbackgroundoftheVictorianAgeanduncoversthesocialreality.Thenthroughthecomparisonwiththecurrentsituationofmodernsociety,thepaperdiscussestheenlightenmentwhichwegetfromthenovelandeventheimpetusfunctiontothedevelopmentofthewholesociety.Finally,aconclusionisdrawnthatOliverTwisthasafar-reachingsocialsignificance.

Keywords:

OliverTwist;VictorianAge;Progressive;SocialSignificance

Acknowledgements

Iwouldliketoexpressmyheartfeltgratitudetoallthepeoplewhohaveeverhelpedmeinthispaper.

Firstandforemost,mysincerethanksandappreciationsgotomytutorforherguidance,support,andencouragement.Duringtheprocessofwriting,shehelpedmealotineveryaspectofmypaper.Itisherprofoundknowledgeandinsight,andunderstandingthathelpmeovercomedifficulties,masterthewritingskills,andformmyownideas.Withoutherassistance,Iwouldnothavefinishedthispaper.

Inaddition,Iwouldliketothankmyfamilywhoalwayssupportandencourageme.Theirwarmlovegivesmetheconfidenceandthedrivingforce.

Finally,Igivemythankstomydearfriendsandfellowstudents,whohavekindlyprovidedme,help,courageandcompanionshipduringIwaspreparingmypaper.TheyreallyteachmealotandIbegintoknowthevalueofthefriendship.

Contents

中文摘要.......................................................................................................................i

Abstract.........................................................................................................................ii

Acknowledgements......................................................................................................iii

Introduction...................................................................................................................1

I.AGeneralIntroductiontotheAuthorCharlesDickens............................................2

A.Life...................................................................................................................2

B.WritingCareer..................................................................................................3

C.WritingStyle.....................................................................................................4

.ABriefIntroductiontotheNovelOliverTwist........................................................5

A.GeneralOutlineoftheNovel............................................................................5

B.ThemeoftheNovel...........................................................................................7

.SocialBackground-VictorianAge..........................................................................9

A.Domesticsocialcondition…….........................................................................9

1.NewPoorLaw（1834）andtheChartistMovement（1836-1848）..................9

2.TheDevelopmentandSocialProblemsintheVictorianAge......................10

B.DepictionofSocialRealityinOliverTwist.....................................................12

Ⅳ.MainSocialSignificance.......................................................................................16

A.ComparisonwithCurrentSituationofModernSociety.................................16

B.IntrospectionandInspirationtothePeopleoftheModernSociety................17

C.OliverTwist’sProgressiveSignificancetotheDevelopmentofSociety……18

Conclusion………………………………………………………………………........23

Notes.............................................................................................................................24

Bibliography.................................................................................................................25

TheProgressiveSocialSignificanceofOliverTwist

Introduction

“IhadperhapsthebestsubjectIhaveeverthoughtof,IhavethrownmywholeheartandsoulintoOliver.”,“Iwishedtoshow,inlittleOliver,theprincipleofgoodsurvivingthrougheveryadversecircumstance,andtriumphingatlast.”.Dickensoncewrote.1

OliverTwistwasDickens’secondnovel,whichmarkedthebeginningofDickens’literarylife.Inthenovel,Dickensspecificallydescribedtheterriblelifeofthepeopleatthebottomofsociety.ThisnovelwasavividpictureofsocialconditionofEngland.AnditalsoexposedthecrueltyofparishworkhousethroughdepictingthelittleOliverTwist’schildhoodinit.Inthenovel,Dickenspointedoutthesufferingofthosepoorpeople.Hecalledreaders’attentiontothesocialstatusoftheorphan.EspeciallytheexposureofthecrueltreatmentofthoseorphansinLondoninthenovelisveryimpressive.

OliverTwistwasaveryseriousliteraryworkwhichwasfullofsocialproblems.Asasocialnovel,thenovelcallsthepublic’sattentiontovariouscontemporaryevils,includingthePoorLawthatstatedthatpoorpeopleshouldworkinworkhouses,childlaborandtherecruitmentofchildrenascriminals.

InOliverTwist,Dickensmixesgrimrealism,andmercilesssatireasawaytodescribetheeffectsofindustrialismon19th-centuryEnglandandtocriticizetheharshNewPoorLaws.Dickensalsomakesasocialcommentaryinthenovel,attackingthehypocrisyandflawsofinstitutions,includingthesociety’sgovernment,thelawsandcriminalsystem,anditsmethodsofdealingwithpoorpeople.Atthesametime,Dickenspointsoutthesufferinginflictedbythesesystemsandtheirdeepinjustice.

Even,inthemodernsociety,suchkindofunequalphenomenoncanalsobefound.Thesocialrealityandtherealisticpicturesofthehorriblelifeofthepoorpeopleinspiremostofthereaderstodeeplythinkaboutthesocialreformwhichcaneliminatetheinequalityanddiscrimination.

Andespeciallyitssocialsignificancewasveryimportantforthecitizenswholiveinthemodernsocietyof21stcentury.So,thispaper,throughthedeepanalysisofsocialrealityinVictorianAgeandthemodernsociety,mainlytalksabouttheprogressivesocialsignificanceofOliverTwist.

I.AGeneralIntroductiontotheAuthorCharlesDickens

A.Life

CharlesJohnHuffamDickenswasbornonFebruary7th1812at13MileEndTerrace,Portsmouth,England.HewasthesecondchildandfirstsonofJohnDickens,whowasanassistantclerkintheNavyPayOffice.Buthisfather hadspent toomuchmoneyinentertaining,andatthesametimethehouseholdexpenseswererising.Soin1824hewasimprisonedfordebtwhenDickenswasveryyoung.AndhisfamilyjoinedhimintheMarshalSeaPrison,exceptDickens,whowasputtoworkatablackingwarehousewhenhewasjusttwelve.Heworkedatthescantywageof6shillingsaweek.HelivedinaboardinghouseinCamdenTownandwalkedtoworkeverydayandvisitedhisfatheronSundays.Thus,hehadasenseofhavingbeenabandonedbyhisfamily.Andthiswastheunhappytimeofallhislife.Afterhisfatherwasreleased,hewasfurtherwoundedbyhismother’sinsistencethathecontinuetoworkatthefactory.HisunhappyexperienceattheBlackingFactoryhauntedhimallhislifeandhespokeofitonlytohiswifeandtohisclosestfriend.

B.WritingCareer

Between1824and1827,DickenswasadaypupilataschoolinLondon.Atfifteen,hefoundajobasanofficeboyatanattorney’s,whilehestudiedshorthandatnight.AndthisqualifiedhimtobeginworkingasaParliamentaryreporterforanewspaper.Thisjobwasthebeginningofhiscareerofbecomingawriter.Duringthattime,hepublishedseveralsketchesinmagazinesincludingthetwo-volumeeditionofSketchesbyBozwhichwereverypopular.ButitwasnotuntilhewroteThePickwickPapersin1836-1837thatheachievedthetruesuccess.ThePickwickPaperswaspublishedinmonthlyinstallmentsandsoldoverfortythousandcopiesforeachissue.

From1838to1841appearedOliverTwist,NicholasNickleby,TheOldCuriosityShopandBarnabyRudge.ThesewereDickens’earlywork.In1842DickensmadeatriptoAmericaandhisunfavorableimpressionsofthelifeintheU.S.A.werereflectedinAmericanNotesandMartinChuzzleuit.In1843,Dickenspublishedoneofhismostfamousworks,AChristmasCarol.Since1844hehadspentmuchtimeintheEuropeanContinent,especiallyinFranceandItaly.Thegreatsocialmovementsinthemiddleofthe19thcenturyinspiredDickens’famousnovelsofsocialcriticism,DavidCopperfield,BleakHouse,HardTimesandLittleDorrit.Atthesametime,hewaseditingHouseholdWords（1852-1859）,theEntireYearRound（1859-1870）,twoweeklymagazines.

DickenswaswidelyreadinEuropeandin1858hesetoffonatourofpublicreadings.In1859,hepublishedhishistoricalnoveloftheFrenchRevolution,ATaleofTwoCitieswhichwerefollowedbysomenovelsoncontemporarythemes,GreatExpectationsandOurMutualFriend.

DuringhislifetimeDickenswasknownallovertheworldfo