英国文学简史-常耀信-Chapters-13-14

KeyPointsinChapter13CharlotteBronteIntroductionJaneEyreEmilyBronteIntroductionWutheringHeightsGeorgeMeredithCharlotteBronte(1816-1855)IntroductionShecamefromapoorclergyman’sfamilyoffivedaughtersandason.Thesesensitiveandintelligentpeoplelivedinahouseonthenorthernmoorsandsufferedfromthegeneralpollutedenvironmentofmoorgassothattheywerealldelicateinhealthanddiedultimatelybeforetheirtime.HerworksincludeJaneEyre,Villette,ShirleyandTheProfessor.CharlotteBronteJaneEyreThenoveltellsafascinatingstoryofsuffering,love,andgrowth.Majorcharacters:JaneEyre,Rochester,St.JohnRiversJaneEyreisinfactthefirstimageofanuglyducklingbecomeheroineinEnglishliteraryhistory.EmilyBronte(1818-1848)IntroductionWhenWutheringHeightscameoutinprint,EmilyBrontebecametheobjectofmockeryandmisunderstanding.EvenhersisterCharlottecomplainedabouttheyoungersister’sgalleryoflostanddepravedsoulsandherinabilitytoputhergiftstobetteruse.Herbook“violated”Victorianvaluesandtastesandspokeaheadofhertime.EmilyBronteWutheringHeightsThenoveltellsastoryoftragiclove.WutheringHeightsisthenameofagrangeinamountainousarea.Majorcharacters:Mr.Earnshaw,Heathcliff,Catherine,EdgarLintonThenoveltriedtoshowthatloveasanaturalforcecanneverdoharmexceptwhenundulyinterferedwith.Thedepthofthepsychicworldofthemajorcharactersleadstothepointofinterestaboutthenovel:itsexplorationofthecharacters’emotionalcomplexities.Emilyseesintothenebulousfuture.TheZolannaturalistideaoftheamoraluniversewouldnotappearyetforanotherfewdecades.GeorgeMeredith(1828-1909)Meredithwasamoralistofakind.Heportrayedaworldoforalchoice,inwhichmanisatleastpartlyincontrol,andlifeisstillchangeablebywill.Threeofhisnovelsdeservemention:TheOrdealofRichardFeveral,TheShavingofShagpat,andTheEgoist.Thelastoftheseishisgreatestwork.Meredithtendstotalkandtellinsteadoflettinghischaractersrevealthemselves.KeyPointsinChapter14GeorgeEliotIntroductionTheMillontheFlossMiddlemarchAnthonyTrollopeSamuelButlerGeorgeEliot(1819-1880)IntroductionIOfthehostofVictoriannovelists,threestandoutasthemosteminent,representingthethreephasesoftheperiod:Dickensfortheearlyphase,GeorgeEliotforthemiddle,andThomasHardythelateandthethird.GeorgeEliot,essentiallyapastoralnovelist,representsthemoresoberandcontemplativemodeofperceptionoftheHighVictorianperiod.Hermajorthematicconcernrelatestoindividualchoices.ThereisastronghintofabroaddeterminisminGeorgeEliot.“…theseedbringsforthacropafteritskind.”GeorgeEliotIntroductionIIGeorgeEliotwasseriouswithherresearchonsocietyandhistory.Withhereffort,thenovelwonrespectabilityasseriousliteratureratherthanameremediumofentertainment.Sheisnotedforhermasterlypsychologicaldescriptions,seenastheprecursorof“thepsychologicalnovel.”.Shewasbasicallyapsychologicalrealist.Thewayshehandleswomen’sdilemmaisexquisiteandhaswonrespectandadmirationfromthefeminists.GeorgeEliotTheMillontheFlossThenoveltellstragicstoryofabrotherandasister.TheTullivershavetwochildren,TomandMaggie.ThefamilyownsamillbutlosesitouttotheWakens.MaggiefallsinlovewithPhillipWakenwhoisstudious,andartisticallygifted,butphysicallydisabled.Tomfirmlydisapprovesoftherelationship.Maggieisallpassion,imaginativeandinstinctive;butTomisallcommonsense,rationalandpracticaltoafault.TheMillontheFlossisautobiographicalinasense.GeorgeEliotMiddlemarchThenovelhasbeenseenasGeorgeEliot’smasterpiece.Thestoryissetinanearly19th-centuryfictionalEnglishtownMiddlemarch.ThemainplotconcernsDorotheaBrooke’slife,especiallyhermarriagetothemiddle-agedscholarMr.Casaubon.Shemarrieshimoutofrespectandlove,butherexuberanceisthwartedbyCasaubon’s“devotion”tohisresearchandsingularwantofemotion.Casaubon’syoungcousinWillLadislawbefriendswithDorotheaandthetwofallinlove.AnthonyTrollope(1815-1882)IntroductionHermotherwroteformoneyanddiedarichwoman.Thesonemulatedthemother.Trollopewasoneofthethreepreeminentmid-Victoriannovelists,theothertwobeingGeorgeEliotandMeredith.Itissaidthat,innumberofreaders,heissecondonlytoDickenstoday.Trollope’sbestknownnovelisthesecondofhisfivebookBarsetseries,BarchesterTowers.（巴赛特寺院）SamuelButler(1835-1902)IntroductionSamuelButlerepitomizedtheexplosiveintellectualenergyoftheVictorianperiod.Hewassolearnedandwasinterestedinsomanythingssuchasreligion,evolution,Italianculture,biology,classicalstudiesandbiographythathebecame“ajackofalltrades”ofanindisputableofhighorder,butremainedstillajackofalltrades.ThemultitudeofhiswritingsrevealsthathewasmostlyconcernedwiththenotionofevolutionandChristianfaith.Butlerisrememberedasauthorofthenovel,TheWayofAllFlesh.(众生之路)