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关于大卫科波菲尔中的人物形象分析
关于大卫科波菲尔中的人物形象分析
AnAnalysisofImageinDavidCopperfield
Chapter1
Introduction
"DavidCopperfield",themasterpieceofDickens,wasasemi-autobiographicalwork.InMay1849toNovember1850,theinstallmentwaspublished.Inthepreface,Dickenssaid:
“Itismyfavoritechild.”
ThenoveldepictedDavid'sexperienceswhichwerefilledwithsufferingsandlaughters.DickensportrayedthecolorfulpictureofBritishsociety,thetypicalimageofdifferentsocialclasses,especiallytheendlessstruggleofDavidinthefaceofadversitywhichleftadeepimpressiononus.Davidwasunabletoenduretheabuseofhisstepfather,bitingthefingersofhisstepfather,savagelybeaten.Asaresult,hewaslockedinaboardingschool.Afterhismotherdied,hewassenttothefactoryasachildbyhisstepfather.Fromthenon,helivedahardlife,withoutenoughtoeatorwearandsufferedallkindsofabuseandtorture.However,Daviddidnotsuccumbtothemercyoffate,painstakingly,andfinallyfoundhisauntBetsey.Thekind-heartedauntshelteradoptedhimandlethimgotoabetterschool.WhenheknewthatAuntBetseywasbankrupted,butinstead,hestudieddiligentlywithperseveranceallkindsofabuseandtorture.Finally,aftermakingefforts,hebecameawriterandachievedsuccess.Atthesametime,othercharacterswereclearandvivid.PeggottywasanursewhotookcareofDavidandDavid’smothercarefully,shewasremarkablyloyal.Outwardly,auntBetseyappearedaseverewoman,butsheshowedthatshewaskindbylovingDavidandothers.Inaddition,Hamwasnoble,braveandhonest.Mr.Murdstoneswasfierceandcruel.Steerforthwasselfishandarrogant.1.1IntroductiontotheAuthor
Dickenswasthemainrepresentativeofrealismliteratureinthe19thcentury.Theartofwittywords,nuancedpsychologicalanalysisandrealismwerecombinedtogethercloselyinhisworks.Hewasparticularlyfamousforhisvividcomiccharacterizationsandsocialcriticism.Hewasthefirstauthorwhohadwrittenofthepoorwithfidelityandsympathy.HisworkswerefamousduringnovelsoftheVictorianageandamongthegreatclassicsinallfiction.
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DickenswasborninFebruary,1812,atLandport,Portsmouth.Hewasthesecondofeightchildren.Hisfatherwasaclerk,hardworkingbutimprudent,latercaricaturedasMr.MicawberinDavidCopperfield.In1822,thefamilymovedto
London,whereCharleshadtoleaveschooltosupporthisimpoverishedfamily.In1824,hisfatherwasputintoprisonfordebt.Attheageof12,Dickenswassenttogoingtoworkatafactory.Hewrappedandlabeledfor6shillingsaweek.Afterwork,hewanderedthroughthestreetsofLondon,enthralledbythesightofthedockyards,thefilesofconvicts,andvastsectionsofthecityinhabitedbythepoor.Thesebitterdaysremainedinhismemoryandlaterfoundexpressioninhisworks.
Dickenswasabletoreturntoschoolbecauseasmalllegacyhelpedreleasehisfatherfromprison.HewasanavidreaderandspentmuchtimeinthereadingroomoftheBritishMuseum.Althoughhelaterreturnedtoschoolforatime,theseexperiencesleftapermanentimprintonthesoulofCharlesDickens.Evenmanyyearslater,hehadbecomeasuccessfulauthor,hecouldnotbeartotalkaboutit,orberemindedofhisfamily’signominy.
Attheageoffifteen,Dickensbeganworkingasanofficeboyforalawfirm.HetaughthimselfandhebecameareporterforcourtsofDoctors’Commonin1828.The
dullroutineofthelegalprofessionneverinterestedhim,sohebecameanewspaperreporterfortheMirrorofparliament,theTrueSun,andfinallyfortheMorning
Chronicle.(JohnForster,werelaterhisclosestfriendandbiographer,wasalsoemployedattheTrueSun.)Bytheageoftwenty,Dickenswasoneofthebest
parliamentaryreportersalltheEngland.
Bythistime,Dickenswasenjoyingtheluxuriouslifehehaddreamedofasachild.In1850,hepublishedthelastinstallmentsofDavidCopperfield,apartly
autobiographicalnovelthatwashisfavorite.
1.2TheIntroductiontotheBackground
1.2.1Socialbackground
“LikesomanyparentsIhaveafavoritechildinmyheart,”wroteCharles
Dickens."AndhisnameisDavidCopperfield."Here,DickensmadegooduseofhisownlifeexperiencetoexposethesocialevilsthatwereprevalentinVictorianEnglandandwerethemiseriesofchild-labor,thetyrannyinschools,thedebtors’
prison,aswellasthecrueltyandimmortalityandthetreachery.Thusthenovelwasnotmerelyapersonalrecord,butabroadpictureofthesocietyoftheauthor’sday.
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DavidCopperfieldwasanovelwritteninfirst-personpointofview.Itwassometimesreferredtoasanapprenticeshipnovelbecauseitcenteredontheperiodinwhichayoungpersongrewup.ThetypeofnovelswaspioneeredbyJohannWolfgangvonGoethe(1749-1832)inhisnovelWilhelmMeistersLehrjahre(Wilhelm
Meister'sApprenticeship).Dickensbasedthebookinpartonthedifficultearlyyearsofhisownlife.Thenarrationchangednames,locales,andotherdetailsofDickens’s
life.Forexample,whenDickenswasonlyachild,hehadtoleaveschooltoworkinafactory.Inthenovel,DavidCopperfieldhadtoleaveschooltoworkinawarehousewashingandlabelingbottlesusedinthewinetrade.David’sinitials(D.C.)were,of
course,thereverseofDickens’s(C.D.).
Dickenswasamasteratdrawingmemorablecharacters.Someweresimpleanduncomplicated,likeBarkis,Creakle,Murdstone,andClaraPeggotty.Otherswerecomplex,likeDavidCopperfield.Throughoutthenovel,hebefriendedthewealthyandcharmingJamesSteerforth,ignoringhisdeviousandmalevolentside.Atthesametime,hebefriendedthegood-heartedTommyTraddlesandthehumblePeggottys.Thesetwoworlds,theworldofSteerforthandtheworldofSteerforthandhisfamily,bothattractedDavid,andhisimmaturitydecidedwhatshouldconstitutehisownworld.Tobringhischaracterstolife,Dickensinvestedthemwithclearlydefiningvirtuesorvicesanddescribedthecharactersinawaythatenabledthereaderstopicturethematthescenesinwhichtheyappeared.
1.2.2Novel’sbackground
OfalltheDickens’novels,DavidCopperfieldreflectedtheeventsofDickensownlifethemost.AsforDavid,sufferinginthepastwasadequatelymadeupforarich,happymarriageandasuccessfulliterarycareer,justlikeDickenshimself,andtheworldwasstillfullofhopeandsunshine.Theplotconstructionwasratherloose,butitalsoexcelledinitsvividimage.Thenarrationofnovelindetailwasalsoworthmentioning,whichgavetheworktruthfulnesstothereallife.
WhatwecouldaddtowasthewayinwhichDickenstimeandtimeagaindealtwiththeprogressofamaleherowho,aswithDavidinDavidCopperfield(1849-50)
andPipinGreatExpectations(1860-1),cametotermswithworldasthemiddle-class
values.Atthesametime,however,Dickens’heroesoftenhaveuncomfortabledoubles:
DavidCopperfieldwasshadowedbyHeepandSteerforth,bothofwhomrevealedthekindofdarksexualurgethatDavidattemptedtoconcealordenyinhisownlife.Itwasasif,inanewmiddle-classcode,Dickenswasequallyawareofthe
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precariousnessorvulnerabilityofthenewrespectablesocialconceptionoftheself,oftheburiedlifethatwashiddenbeneaththeveneerofpolitemanners.
Duetotheearlysuccess,thepublicnotonlygaveDickensanassurancethatmadesureincreasingpowersofpoeticexpressionandnarrativetechnique,butalsotheconfidencetodemonstratehisprioritiestoapointwheretheycontradictedthesocialassumptionsofmanyofhisreaders.Allhislaternovels,exceptATaleofTwo
Cities,presentedacriticismofthemostfundamentalinstitutionsoftheVictorianEngland.
AlthoughDavidwasignorantofSteerforth’streachery,wewereawarefromthe
momentwemetSteerforththathedidn’tdeserveofpraisewhichDavidfelttowardhim.Daviddidn’tknowwhyhehatedHeeporwhyhetrustedaboywithadonkeycartwhostolehismoneyandlefthimintheroad,butitwaspossibleforhimtorealizeHeep’sinherentevilandtheboy’srealintention.InDavid’sfirst-person
narration,Dickensconveyedthewisdomoftheoldermanimplicitly,throughtheeyesofachild.
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Chapter2
LiteratureReviewoftheNovel
2.1SomeScholars’ViewsontheNovel
ScholarsbelievedthatDavidCopperfield'scareers,friendships,loveandlife,weremosthighlyinfluencedbyDickens'experiences,aswellashistimeworkingasachild.David'sinvolvementwiththelawprofessionandlaterhiscareerasawritermirrortheexperiencesofDickens.ManyofDavid'sfriendswerebasedonpeoplewhoDickensactuallyknew,andDavid'swives,AgnesWickfieldandDora,werebelievedtobebaseduponDickens'attachmenttoMaryHogarth.Dickenskeenlyfelthislackofeducationduringhistimeatthatfactory,andaccordingtotheForsterbiography,itwasfromthesetimesthathedrewDavid'sworkingperiod.
BritishwriterSomersetMaughamregardedthebookas"trulyamasterpieceofliteraryworks".
OneofAmericanliteratureconnoisseursrecommendedthenovelasonehundredsofthe20thcentury,distinguishingEnglishnovel.
ThefamousRussianwriter,LeoTolstoy,saidthatthebookwasthebestoneamongalltheEnglishnovelsanditcouldhelppeopletobuildaperfectpersonality.
“DavidCopperfieldwasfilledwithcharactersofthemostastonishingvariety,vividness,andoriginality,”notedSomersetMaugham.“Theyarenotrealisticandyettheyaboundwithlife.ThereneverweresuchpeopleastheMicawbers,PeggottyandBarkis,Traddles,BetseyTrotwoodandMr.Dick,UriahHeepandhismother.”Thestorywastoldalmostentirelyfromthepointviewofthefirst