Symbolic Writing in Great Expectations.docx

Symbolic Writing in Great Expectations.docx

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SymbolicWritinginGreatExpectations

TheAnalysisofSymbolicWritinginGreatExpectations

《远大前程》象征写作手法分析

摘要:

狄更斯是英国文学史上维多利亚时期著名的批判现实主义小说家之一；他的作品享誉世界，具有很高的研究价值。

《远大前程》是他晚期被认为是较成熟的一部作品。

细腻的描写，简明的语言使得小说通俗易懂；而各种写作手法的使用更加使得故事生动有趣，令读者回味无穷。

象征手法是狄更斯惯用的写作手法；也正是因为象征手法的应用，他的文章往往含蓄委婉，给读者留下充分的想象空间。

本文对狄更斯生平及部分作品和相关情况作了简单地分析，重点分析了象征手法在《远大前程》中的应用及它们在小说中的作用。

关键词:

狄更斯《远大前程》象征手法分析

Abstract:

CharlesDickensisoneofthemostfamouscriticalrealistnovelistsintheEnglishliteratureofVictorianAge;hisworksarewellknownallovertheworld,theyareworthresearching.GreatExpectationswasconsideredasthemostmatureofhislaterwork.Delicatedescriptionandsimplewordsmadehisnovelsattractive,easytounderstand;andvariouswritingstylemadethestoryevenmoreinteresting,madethereaderslingeronthem.Dickensalwaysusessymbolsinhiswriting,andalsobecauseoftheuseofsymbolshisarticlesarealwaysveiledandtactful,leaveaspaceofimaginationforthereaders.IsimplyanalyzeDickens’lifeandsomeofhisworksinmyessay,andmainlyanalyzethesymbolicwritinginGreatExpectationsanditsusageinnovels.

KeyWords:

DickensGreatExpectationssymbolismmethodsanalysis

Contents

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Abstract………………………………………………………………

Keywords…………………………………………………………………

I.Introduction……………………………………………………………..

II.LiteratureReview………………………………………………….…

III.BriefIntroductionoftheWriter……………………………….…..

3.1.Thehistoricalbackgroundandthewriter’slife…………………………...

3.1.1ThehistoricalbackgroundofVictorianAge………………………..

3.1.2Dickens’life……………………………………………………………..

3.2.Dickens’mainworksandhiswritingstyle………………………………..

3.2.1BriefintroductionofDickens’mainworks……………………………

3.2.2Dickens’writingstyle…………………………………………………...

IV.AnalysisofSymbolicWriting………………………………………

4.1Briefintroductionofthenovel……………………………………………...

4.2Definitionofsymbol…………………………………………………………

4.3AnalysisofsymbolsinGreatExpectations…………………………………

4.3.1SymbolsinSatisHouse………………………………………………….

4.3.2SymbolsoutsideSatisHouse……………………………………………

V.Summary……………………………………………………………….

Reference………………………………………………………………….

I.Introduction

CharlesDickenswasoneofthemostfamouscriticalrealistnovelistsintheEnglishliteratureofVictorianAge;hewrotelotsofnovelsandtheywereverypopularinthewholeword.Manyofhisworksweretranslatedintodifferentlanguages,andlotsofreadersweremovedbythestoriesinhisnovels.HewasconsideredasthegreatestEnglishrealistofVictorianAge.Inmyessay,I’mgoingtowritesomethingaboutsymbolicwritinginGreatExpectations.Mythoughtislikethis:

First,IwillintroducethewriterCharlesDickens,thehistorybackgroundinhistime,hislife;hismainwork,andhiswritingstyle.Inmyopiniontheseareimportant,becausetheseallinfluencedthenovel.Second,givethedefinitionofsymbol,itsusageinwriting.Givethedefinitionisveryimportant,onlywhenyouknowthedefinitioncanyouknowhowitwasusedinaworkandtoanalysisit.InthethirdpartIwillmainlyanalyzesymbolsinthenovelGreatExpectations,thewriter’spurposeofthesesymbolsandwhatrolestheytakepartinthenovel;thisisthemainbodyofmywriting.InthelastpartIwillsummarizethewholewriting.Thisisanoutlineofmyessay.

II.LiteratureReview

GreatExpectationsispopularwithpeopleforyears.Atfirst,Dickens’magazineAlltheYearRoundhadbecomeextremelypopularbasedonthesuccessofworksithadpublishedinserial,suchashisownworkATaleofTwoCitiesandWilkieCollins’sThewomaninwhite.ButithadexperiencedadeclineinpopularityafterpublishingadullserialbyCharlesLevercalledADay’sRide.DickensconceivedofGreatExpectationsasameansofrestoringhispublication’sfortunes.Thebookisstillimmenselypopularacenturyandahalflater.

OneofGreatExpectations’translatorscalledLuoZhiye（2000）wrote:

CharlesDickenswasoneofhisfavoritewriters;hehadreadalmostmostofhiswork,andhaddeepimpressionofhim.HethoughtthatbecauseGreatExpectationswasCharlesDickens’latterwork,hehadexperiencedalot;forthesurroundingsandhislifehehadnewanddeeperunderstanding.Sowhenwritingthisnovelheputallthesethoughtsandexperienceinit,itisamaturework.AnothertranslatorChangZixia（2003）pointsoutthatfromGreatExpectationsyoucanfindCharlesDickens’shadowofhisearlyday’slife.

ZhangBoxiang（2005）,themainwriterofACoursebookofEnglishLiteraturepointsoutthatDickens’laterworksbecomeheavilysymbolic,notonlyprovidingtheworkapredominantatmospherebutalsohighlightingitscentralconcern.Sosymbolsareimportantinthisnovel,youcanfindalottowrite.

III.Briefintroductionofthewriter

3.1Thehistoricalbackgroundandthewriter’slife

Peoplewhohavereadlotsofarticlesindifferenttimesanddifferentcountriesmayfindthatnovelsareusuallydifferentaccordingtothehistoricalbackgroundandculturedifference.Generallyspeaking,anovelusuallyhassomefeaturesofthathistory;andawriter’sworkusuallyhassomelikenessofhisownlifetosomeextent.Maybewecansayatime’sworkcanshowthattime’slifeandawriter’sworksarealwaysthewriterhisownlife’sportrait.SoIthinkit’snecessarytoknowthehistoricalbackgroundandthewriter’slife.DickenslivedintheVictorianageofEngland.ThemostimportantfeatureofthattimewasIndustrialRevolution.Inthenoveltherearemanydescriptionofthis.

3.1.1ThehistoricalbackgroundofVictorianAge

TheVictorianAgeperiodcoversthegreaterpartofthenineteenthcentury.TheearlyyearoftheVictorianBritainwasatimeofrapiddevelopmentaswellasserioussocialproblems.IndustrialRevolutionhadtransformedthesociallandscape,enablingcapitalistsandmanufacturerstoamasshugefortunes.Steam-poweredengineswereexploitedforrailwaysandironships,forloomsprintingpresses,andfarmers’combines;scientificdiscoveriesandtechnologicinventionsquicklybroughtamazingchangestothecountry.“ForatimeBritainwasthe‘workshopoftheworld’;largeamountofprofitwereaccumulatebothfromexpandingtrademarketsandfromexploitingitshuge-sizedcolonies.”（ZhangBoxiang2005:

147）Towardsthemid-century,Britainhadreacheditshighestpointofdevelopmentasaworldpower.GreatExpectationswasjustbasedonthepost-IndustrialRevolutionmodelofVictorianEngland.

3.1.2Dickens’life

CharlesDickenswasbornin1812atPortsmouth;hislifewasfullofhardships.Whenhewasnine,hisfamilymovedtoLondon,andhisfatherwasarrestedandtakentoprisonfordebt.Hismothermovedhissevenbrothersandsistersintoprisonwithhisfather,butarrangedfortheyoungCharlestolivealoneoutsidetheprisonandworkwithotherchildrenpastinglabelsonbottlesinablackingwarehouse.Atthatperiodhesufferedalot,thejobwasmiserable;hethoughthimselftoogoodforthejob,andalwaysearnedthecontemptoftheotherchildren.Tothisexperience,also,mayevidentlybetracednosmellpartoftheintensesympathywiththeoppressedpoor,especiallywiththehelplesschildren,whichissoprominentinhisnovels,likePipinGreatExpectations,OliverinOliverTwist,DavidinDavidCopperfieldandsoon.Afterhisfatherwasreleasedfromtheprison,Dickensretunedtoschool.Whenhewasfifteen,inordertoearnhisliving,CharlesworkedasaclerkinaLondonlawyer’soffice,whereheobservedallsortsandconditionsofpeoplewithcharacteristickeenness.InGreatExpectations,hedescribedsomecharactersthathavesomethingwithlawlike:

JaggersandtheclerkWemmick,theyareallvividandrealistic.Thereisnodoubtthatthisisduetohisexperienceofearlytime’swork.LaterhebecameaParliamentaryreporterfornewspapers.ThisexperienceenabledhimtogetacquaintedwiththeinsideoftheBritishlegalandpoliticalsystem,givehimthechancetometpeopleofallkinds,andpreparedhimbothinartandstuffforhiscomingliterarycareer.Hisliteraturecareerishardbutitisasuccessfulone.Afterleftlotsoffamousworksforus,in1870,hediedofoverwork

3.2Dickens’mainworksandhiswritingstyle

InDickens’shortlifehewrotealotofnovels,theyareallpopularwithpeople.Theyaredifferentstories,buttheyhavesomesamefeatures.Forexample:

mostofhisnovelsusesymbols;mostofhismaincharactersarelittlepoorboys.Anotherexample:

DavidCopperfieldandGreatExpectationsallhavetwomaincharacters:

oneactorandonenarrator.Inthefollowingparagraph,Iwillwritethemonebyone.

3.2.1BriefintroductionofDickens’mainworks

DickenswasconsideredasthemostpopularandproductivenovelistsinVictorianAge.Duringhislife,hewrotealotofnovelswhichshowedusamostvividpictureoftheeverydaylifeoftheordinarypeopleofhistime;peopleusuallydividedthemintotwoparts:

theearlyworks（1836-1850）andthelaterworks（1852-1870）.Let’sjustseesomeofthem.

1）ThePickwickPaper（1836-1850）

DickenswasfirstfamousbyThePickwickPaper.Inthisnovelheattackstheuglysideofthepoliticalsystemofthetime;however,itisstillfullofgaietyandhappylaughterofayouth.Lifeisstillpleasantandenjoyablethoughriskyfortheinnocentortheinexperienced;theharmdoneisstillretrievable.Hewassaidasthemostfamouscriticalrealistnovelistsofthattime;however,itseemsthatthemainpurposeofthisbookistoentertainratherthancriticize.

2）OliverTwist（1837-1839）

Thisnovelisbasedonreallifematerialsuchasthecurrenttrialofanotoriousfenceandthief-trainer.Bywritingthemostunfortunateexperienceofap