4 Victorian period.docx

4 Victorian period.docx

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4Victorianperiod

Chapter4TheVictorianPeriod

一．学习目的和要求

　　通过本章的学习，对19世纪维多利亚时代英国的政治，经济，历史，文化背景，对维多利亚时代的诗歌，散文，小说在创作思想上的进步和创作技巧上的改革，以及对该时代主要作家的生平，观点，创作旨意，艺术品特点及其代表作的主题，结构，语言，人物刻画等都有一个全面的了解。

并通过作品选读加深体会感受，增强对作品的理解和鉴赏能力。

二．考核要求

（一）维多利亚时期概述

　　1．识记:

（1）维多利亚时期的界定

（2）社会政治，经济，文化背景。

　　2．领会:

（1）维多利亚时期的文学特点

（2）批判现实主义小说对后世文学的影响。

　　3．应用：

宪章运动，功利主义，批判现实主义，戏剧独自等名词的解释

（二）该时期的重要作家

　　1．一般识记：

重要作家的生平与创作生涯

　　2．识记:

重要作品及主要内容

　　3．领会：

重要作家的创作思想，艺术特色及其代表作品的主题思想，人物塑造，语言风格，社会意义等。

　　4．应用:

（1）狄更斯和萨克雷作品的批判现实主义思想及各自的创作手法，艺术特色。

（2）小说《简·爱》，《呼啸山庄》的主题思想与人物塑造。

　　　　　　　（3）"我逝去的公爵夫?

quot;中的戏剧独白。

　　　　　　　（4）乔泊·艾略特和哈代小说中环境，氛围描述与人物内世界的展示。

A.IntroductiontotheVictorianPeriod

　1.识记　

（1）Definition:

theVictorianPeriod

　　ChronologicallytheVictorianperiodroughlycoincideswiththereignofQueenVictoriawhoruledoverEnglandfrom1836to1901.TheperiodhasbeengenerallyregardedasoneofthemostgloriousintheEnglishhistory.

（2）Political,Economical&CulturalBackground

　　TheearlyyearsoftheVictorianEnglandwasatimeofrapideconomicdevelopmentaswellasserioussocialproblems.AftertheReformBillof1832passedthepoliticalpowerfromthedecayingaristocratsintothehandsofthemiddle-classindustrialcapitalists,theIndustrialRevolutionsoongearedup.Towardsthemid-century,Englandhadreacheditshighestpointofdevelopmentasaworldpower.Andyetbeneaththegreatprosperity&richness,thereexistedwidespreadpoverty&wretchednessamongtheworkingclass.Theworseningliving&workingconditions,themassunemployment&thenewPoorLawof1834withitsworkhousesystemfinallygaverisetotheChartistMovement（1836-1848）.

Duringthenexttwentyyears,Englandsettleddowntoatimeofprosperity&relativestability.Themiddle-classlifeofthetimewascharacterizedbyprosperity,respectability&materialprogress.

ButthelastthreedecadesofthecenturywitnessedthedeclineoftheBritishEmpire&thedecayoftheVictorianvalues.

　　Ideologically,theVictoriansexperiencedfundamentalchanges.Therapiddevelopmentofscience&technology,newinventions&discoveriesingeology,astronomy,biology&anthropologydrasticallyshookpeople'sreligiousconvictions.Darwin'sTheOriginofSpecies（1859）&TheDescentofMan（1871）shookthetheoreticalbasisofthetraditionalfaith.Ontheotherhand,Utilitarianismwaswidelyaccepted&practiced.Almosteverythingwasputtothetestbythecriterionofutility,thatis,theextenttowhichitcouldpromotethematerialhappiness.

　2.领会

（1）FeaturesoftheVictorianLiterature

　　Victorianliterature,asaproductofitsage,naturallytookonitsqualityofmagnitude&diversity.Itwasmany-sided&complex,&reflectedbothromantically&realisticallythegreatchangesthatweregoingoninpeople'slife&thought.Greatwriters&greatworksabounded.

（2）FeaturesofVictoriannovels

　　Inthisperiod,thenovelbecamethemostwidelyread&themostvital&challengingexpressionofprogressivethought.Whilestickingtotheprincipleoffaithfulrepresentationofthe18th-centuryrealistnovel,novelistsinthisperiodcarriedtheirdutyforwardtothecriticismofthesociety&thedefenseofthemass.Althoughwritingfromdifferentpointsofview&withdifferenttechniques,theysharedonethingincommon,thatis,theywereallconcernedaboutthefateofthecommonpeople.Theywereangryattheinhumansocialinstitutions,thedecayingsocialmoralityasrepresentedbythemoney-worship&Utilitarianism&thewidespreadmisery,poverty&injustice.Theirtruthfuldepictionofpeople'slife&bitter&strongcriticismofthesocietyhaddonemuchinawakeningthepublicconsciousnesstothesocialproblems&intheactualimprovementofthesociety.

　　Victorianliterature,ingeneral,truthfullyrepresentsthereality&spiritoftheage.Thehigh-spiritedvitality,thedown-to-earthearnestness,thegood-naturedhumor&unboundedimaginationareallunprecedented.Inalmosteverygenreitpavedthewayforthecomingcentury,whereitsspirits,values&experimentsaretowitnesstheirbumperharvest.

　3.应用Definitionsofseveralterms

　1）TheChartistMovement（1836-1848）

　　TheEnglishworkersgotthemselvesorganizedinbigcities&broughtforththePeople'scharter,inwhichtheydemandedbasicrights&betterliving&workingconditions.They,forthreetimes,madeappealstothegovernment,withhundredsofthousandsofpeople'ssignatures.Themovementsweptovermostofthecitiesinthecountry.Althoughthemovementdeclinedtoanendin1848,itdidbringsomeimprovementtothewelfareoftheworkingclass.ThiswasthefirstmassmovementoftheEnglishworkingclass&theearlysignoftheawakeningofthepoor,oppressedpeople.

　2）Utilitarianism

　　Almosteverythingwasputtothetestbythecriterionofutility,thatis,theextenttowhichitcouldpromotethematerialhappiness.Thistheoryheldaspecialappealtothemiddle-classindustrialists,whosegreeddrovethemtoexploitingworkerstotheutmost&broughtgreatersuffering&povertytotheworkingmass.

　3）CriticalRealism

　　TheVictorianAgeisanageofrealismratherthanofromanticism-arealismwhichstrivestotellthewholetruthshowingmoral&physicaldiseasesastheyare.Tobetruetolifebecomesthefirstrequirementforliterarywriting.Asthemirroroftruth,literaturehascomeveryclosetodailylife,reflectingitspracticalproblems&interests&isusedasapowerfulinstrumentofhumanprogress.

　4）DramaticMonologue

　　Bydramaticmonologue,itismeantthatapoetchoosesadramaticmomentoracrisis,inwhichhischaractersaremadetotalkabouttheirlives,&abouttheirminds&hearts.In"listening"tothoseone-sidedtalks,readerscanformtheirownopinions&judgmentsaboutthespeaker'spersonality&aboutwhathasreallyhappened.RobertBrowningbroughtthispoeticformtoitsmaturity&perfection&his"MyLastDuchess"isoneofthebest-knowndramaticmonologues.

I.CharlesDickens

　1．一般识记HisLife&LiteraryCareer

　　CharlesDickens（1812-1870）wasbornatPortsmouth.Hisfather,apoorclerkintheNavyPayoffice,wasputintotheMarsalseaPrisonfordebtwhenyoungCharleswasonly12yearsold.Thesonhadtogiveupschoolingtoworkinanundergroundcellaratashoe-blackingfactory-apositionheconsideredmosthumiliating.WefindthebitterexperiencesofthatsufferingchildreflectedinmanyofDickens'snovels.In1827,Charlesenteredalawyer'soffice,&twoyearslaterhebecameaParliamentaryreporterfornewspapers.From1833DickensbegantowriteoccasionalsketchesofLondonlife,whichwerelatercollected&publishedunderthetitleSketchesbyBoz（1836）.SoonThePosthumousPapersofthePickwickClub（1836-1837）appearedinmonthlyinstallments.Andsincethen,hislifebecameoneofendlesshardwork.Inhislateryears,hegavehimselftopublicreadingsofhisworks,whichbroughtplaudits&comfortbutalsoexhaustedhim.In1870,thismanofgreatheart&vitalitydiedofoverwork,leavinghislastnovelunfinished.

　2.识记HisMajorWorks

　　Uponhisdeath,Dickenslefttotheworldarichlegacyof15novels&anumberofshortstories.Theyofferamostcomplete&realisticpictureofEnglishsocietyofhisage&remainthehighestachievementinthe19th-centuryEnglishnovel.Innearlyallhisnovels,behindthegloomypicturesofoppression&poverty,behindtheloudhumor&buffoonery,ishisgentleness,hisgenialmirth,&hissimplefaithinmankind.

　　Thefollowingisalistofhisnovels&othercollectionsinthreeperiods:

（1）Periodofyouthfuloptimist

SketchesbyBoz（1836）;ThePosthumousPapersofthePickwickClub（1836-1837）;OliverTwist（1837-1838）;NicholasNickleby（1838-1839）;TheOldCuriosityShop（1840-1841）;BarnabyRudge（1841）

（2）Periodofexcitement&irritation

AmericanNotes（1842）;MartinChuzzlewit（1843-1845）;AChristmasCarol（1843）;Dombey&Son（1846-1848）;DavidCopperfield（1849-1850）

　（3）Periodofsteadilyintensifyingpessimism

BleakHouse（1852-1853）;HardTimes（1854）;LittleDorrit（1855-1857）;ATaleofTwoCities（1859）;GreatExpectations（1860-1861）;OurMutualFriend（1864-1865）;EdwinDrood（unfinished）（1870）

　3.领会DistinctFeaturesofHisNovels

（1）CharacterSketches&Exaggeration

　　Inhisnovelsarefoundabout19hundredfigures,someofwhomarereallysuch"typicalcharactersundertypicalcircumstances,"thattheybecomeproverbialorrepresentativeofawholegroupofsimilarpersons.

　　Asamasterofcharacterization,Dickenswasskillfulindrawingvividcaricaturalsketchesbyexaggeratingsomepeculiarities,&ingivingthemexactlytheactions&wordsthatfitthem:

thatis,rightwords&rightactionsfortherightperson.

（2）BroadHumor&PenetratingSatire

　　Dickensiswellknownasahumoristaswellasasatirist.Hesometimesemployshumortoenlivenasceneorlightenacharacterbymakingit（himorher）eccentric,whimsical,orlaughable.Sometimesheusessatiretoridiculehumanfolliesorvices,withthepurposeoflaughingthemoutofexistenceorbringaboutreform.

　（3）Complicated&FascinatingPlot

　　Dickensseemstolovecomplicatednovelconstructionswithminorplotsbesidethemajorone,ortwoparallelmajorplotswithinonenovel.Heisalsoskillfulatcreatingsuspense&mysterytomakethestoryfascinating.

　（4）ThePowerofExposure

　　AsthegreatestrepresentativeofEnglishcriticalrealism,Dickensmadehisnoveltheinstrumentofmorality&justice.Eachofhisnovelsrevealsaspecificsocialproblem.

　4.领会HisLiteraryCreation&LiteraryAchievements

　　CharlesDickensisoneofthegreatestcriticalrealisticwritersoftheVictorian