已修订《苔丝》悲剧成因探析正文作业Word文件下载.docx

1、The purpose of the thesis:The cause of Tess tragedy has always been the concern of people, such a beautiful, noble and pure woman as Tess should suffer inevitable ruin. To research this novel, we know the view of morality in the hypocritical bourgeoisie in the Britains Victorian era; Tesss tragedy i

2、s due to the moral root of society and the unequal legal system. In this paper, I try to make a detailed analysis on the novel, to show the various causes of heroines tragedy.Chapter 1 Thomas Hardy and his masterpieceA. Thomas HardyThomas Hardy was born on June 2, 1840, in the village of Higher Bock

3、hampton, near Dorchester, a market town in the county of Dorset. Hardy would spend much of his life in his native region, transforming its rural landscapes into his fictional Wesses. Hardys mother, Jemima, inspired him with a taste for literature; while his stonemason father, Thomas, shared with him

4、 a love of architecture and music （the two would later play the fiddle at local dances）. As a boy Hardy read widely in the popular fiction of the day, including the novels of Scott, Dumas, Dickens, W. Harrison Ainsworth, and G.P.R. James, and in the poetry of Scott, Wordsworth, Byron, Shelley, Keats

5、, and others. Strongly influenced in his youth by the Bible and the liturgy of the Anglican Church, Hardy later contemplated a career in the ministry; but his assimilation of the new theories of Darwinian evolutionism eventually made him an agnostic and a severe critic of the limitations of traditio

6、nal religion.At the age of eight, Hardy began to attend Julia Martins school in Bockhampton. However, most of his education came from the books he found in Dorchester, the nearby town. He learned French, German, and Latin by teaching himself through these books. At sixteen, Hardys father apprenticed

7、 his son to a local architect, John Hicks. Under Hicks tutelage, Hardy learned much about architectural drawing and restoring old houses and churches. Hardy loved the apprenticeship because it allowed him to learn the histories of the houses and the families that lived there. Despite his work, Hardy

8、 did not forget his academics: in the evenings, Hardy would study with the Greek scholar Horace Moule.In 1862, Hardy was sent to London to work with the architect Arthur Blomfield. During his five years in London, Hardy immersed himself in the cultural scene by visiting the museums and theaters and

9、studying classic literature. He even began to write his own poetry. Although he did not stay in London, choosing to return to Dorchester as a church restorer, he took his newfound talent for writing to Dorchester as well.From 1867, Hardy wrote poetry and novels, though the first part of his career w

10、as devoted to the novel. At first he published anonymously, but when people became interested in his works, he began to use his own name. Like Dickens, Hardys novels were published in serial forms in magazines that were popular in both England and America. His first popular novel was Under the Green

11、wood Tree, published in 1872. The next great novel, Far from the Madding Crowd （1874） was so popular that with the profits, Hardy was able to give up architecture and marry Emma Gifford. Other popular novels followed in quick succession: The Return of the Native （1878）, The Mayor of Casterbridge （18

12、86）, The Woodlanders （1887）, Tess of the DUrbervilles （1891）, and Jude the Obscure （1895）. In addition to these larger works, Hardy published three collections of short stories and five smaller novels, all moderately successful. However, despite the praise Hardys fiction received, many critics also

13、found his works to be too shocking, especially Tess of the DUrbervilles and Jude the Obscure. The outcry against Jude was so great that Hardy decided to stop writing novels and return to his first great love, poetry.Over the years, Hardy had divided his time between his home, Max Gate, in Dorchester

14、 and his lodgings in London. In his later years, he remained in Dorchester to focus completely on his poetry. In 1898, he saw his dream of becoming a poet realized with the publication of Wessex Poems. He then turned his attentions to an epic drama in blank verse, The Dynasts; it was finally complet

15、ed in 1908. Before his death, he had written over 800 poems, many of them published while he was in his eighties. Hardy also found happiness in his personal life. His first wife, Emma, died in 1912. Although their marriage had not been happy, Hardy grieved at her sudden death. In 1914, he married Fl

16、orence Dugale, and she was extremely devoted to him. After his death, Florence published Hardys autobiography in two parts under her own name.By the last two decades of Hardys life, he had achieved fame as great as Dickens fame. In 1910, he was awarded the Order of Merit. After a long and highly suc

17、cessful life, Thomas Hardy died on January 11, 1928, at the age of 87. His ashes were buried in Poets Corner at Westminster Abbey.Hardy is one of the few writers （D.H.Lawrence was another） who made a significant contribution to English literature in the form of the novel, poetry, and the short story

18、. His writing is full of delightful effects, beautiful images and striking language. He creates unforgettable characters and orchestrates stories which pull at your heart strings. It has to be said that he also relies on coincidences and improbabilities of plot which （though common in the nineteenth

19、 century） some people see as weaknesses. However, his sense of drama, his powerful language, and his wonderful depiction of the English countryside make him an enduring favourite.B. The novel Tess of the DUrbervillesThe poor peddler John Durbeyfield is stunned to learn that he is the descendent of a

20、n ancient noble family, the dUrberville. Meanwhile, Tess, his eldest daughter, joins the other village girls in the May Day dance, where Tess briefly exchanges glances with a young man. Mr. Durbeyfield and his wife decide to send Tess to the DUrbervilles mansion, where they hope Mrs. dUrberville wil

21、l make Tesss fortune. In reality, Mrs. dUrberville is no relation to Tess at all: her husband, the merchant Simon Stokes, simply changed his name to dUrberville after he retired. But Tess does not know this fact, and when the lascivious Alec dUrberville, Mrs. dUrbervilles son, procures Tess a job te

22、nding fowls on the dUrberville estate, Tess has no choice but to accept, since she blames herself for an accident involving the familys horse, its only means of income.Tess spends several months at this job, resisting Alecs attempts to seduce her. Finally, Alec seduced her in the woods one night aft

23、er a fair. Tess knows she does not love Alec. She returns home to her family to give birth to Alecs child, whom she christens Sorrow. Sorrow dies soon after he is born, and Tess spends a miserable year at home before deciding to seek work elsewhere. She finally accepts a job as a milkmaid at the Tal

24、bothays Dairy.At Talbothays, Tess enjoys a period of contentment and happiness. She befriends three of her fellow milkmaidsIzz, Retty, and Marianand meets a man named Angel Clare, who turns out to be the man from the May Day dance at the beginning of the novel. Tess and Angel slowly fall in love. Th

25、ey grow closer throughout Tesss time at Talbothays, and she eventually accepts his proposal of marriage. Still, she is troubled by pangs of conscience and feels she should tell Angel about her past. She writes him a confessional note and slips it under his door, but it slides under the carpet and An

26、gel never sees it.After their wedding, Angel and Tess both confess indiscretions: Angel tells Tess about an affair he had with an older woman in London, and Tess tells Angel about her history with Alec. Tess forgives Angel, but Angel cannot forgive Tess. He gives her some money and boards a ship bou

27、nd for Brazil, where he thinks he might establish a farm. He tells Tess he will try to accept her past but warns her not to try to join him until he comes for her.Tess struggles. She has a difficult time finding work and is forced to take a job at an unpleasant and unprosperous farm. She tries to vi

28、sit Angels family but overhears his brothers discussing Angels poor marriage, so she leaves. She hears a wandering preacher speak and is stunned to discover that he is Alec dUrberville, who has been converted to Christianity by Angels father, the Reverend Clare. Alec and Tess are each shaken by thei

29、r encounter, and Alec appallingly begs Tess never to tempt him again. Soon after, however, he again begs Tess to marry him, having turned his back on his -religious ways.Tess learns from her sister Liza-Lu that her mother is near death, and Tess is forced to return home to take care of her. Her moth

30、er recovers, but her father unexpectedly dies soon after. When the family is evicted from their home, Alec offers help. But Tess refuses to accept, knowing he only wants to obligate her to him again.At last, Angel decides to forgive his wife. He leaves Brazil, desperate to find her. Instead, he finds her mother, who