An analysis of Nancys double character in Oliver Twist 《雾都孤儿》中南希双重性格分析.docx
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AnanalysisofNancysdoublecharacterinOliverTwist《雾都孤儿》中南希双重性格分析
AnanalysisofNancy’sdoublecharacterinOliverTwist
《雾都孤儿》中南希双重性格分析
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