英国文学维多利亚时期全集

PartVTheVictorianAge(1832-1901)ChapterIASurveyoftheVictorianPeriod(1)Definition:theVictorianPeriodroughlycoincideswiththereignofQueenVictoriawhoruledoverEnglandfrom1837to1901.oneofthemostGloriousperiodintheEnglishhistory•1837年，18岁的女王维多利亚登基.•新女王在继位之前的日记中写道：既然上帝把我置于这个国家的王位上，我将尽力履行自己的职责。我尚年轻，可能在许多方面缺乏经验，但我肯定，几乎无人像我这样怀着为国为民的良好意愿和真切希望。•女王充分实现了自己的诺言：她在其一生中模范地履行了立宪君主的职责，因此深受国民的爱戴；她还是那个时代道德风尚的典范，她是贤妻良母，也是优秀的一家主妇。她自己生活严谨，工作刻苦，对别人又充满责任感。在许多国人眼中，她就是那个时代的缩影，她漫长的63年在位时期则是国家繁荣昌盛的顶峰.•在英国所有国王中，她享有盛誉，这不是因为她做出了什么轰动的事业，而是因为她什么都不做，而仅仅恪守立宪君主的本分，做她那个时代的表率。(2)Background:developedrapidlybothpolitically&economically(capitalismfirsttookshape,agriculturaltoindustrialsocietyTheEarlyVictorianPeriod(1832-1848)rapideconomicdevelopment+serioussocialproblems.Yetbeneaththegreatprosperity&richness,thereexistedwidespreadpoverty&wretchednessamongtheworkingclass.Theworseningliving&workingconditions,themassunemployment&thenewPoorLawof1834finallygaverisetotheChartistMovement(1836-1848).TheMid-VictorianPeriod(1848-1970)Duringthenexttwentyyears,Englandsettleddowntoatimeofprosperity&relativestability.Themiddle-classlifeofthetimewascharacterizedbyprosperity,respectabilityandmaterialprogress.•维多利亚时代中期，英国达到强盛的顶峰，当时它的工业生产能力比全世界的总和还要大，•维多利亚中期的英国为他们的无可匹敌的地位洋洋得意，它这时是世界的贸易中心：北美和俄国的平原是我们的玉米地；芝加哥和敖德萨是我们的粮仓；加拿大和波罗的海是我们的林场；澳大利亚、西亚有我们的牧羊地；阿根廷和北美的西部草原有我们的牛群；秘鲁运来它的白银；南非和澳大利亚的黄金则流到伦敦；印度人和中国人为我们种植茶叶；而我们的咖啡、甘蔗和香料种植园则遍及印度群岛；西班牙和法国是我们的葡萄园；地中海是我们的果园；长期以来早就生长在美国南部的我们的棉花地，现在正在向地球的所有的温暖区域扩展。Victoriankeywords:Family,work,morality,money,justice,competitionTheLateVictorianPeriod(1870-1901)ButthelastthreedecadesofthecenturywitnessedthedeclineoftheBritishEmpireandthedecayoftheVictorianvalues.Therapiddevelopmentofscience&technology,newinventions&discoveriesingeology,astronomy,biology&anthropologydrasticallyshookpeople'sreligiousconvictionsandbeliefs.Darwin’sTheOriginofSpecies(1859)&TheDescentofMan(1871)shookthetheoreticalbasisofthetraditionalfaith.Ontheotherhand,Utilitarianism实用主义waswidelyaccepted&practiced.(Almosteverythingwasputtothetestbythecriterionofutility,thatis,theextenttowhichitcouldpromotethematerialhappiness.)ChapterIItheVictorianLiteraturemagnitude众多&diversity:GreatwritersandgreatworksaboundedItwasmany-sided,complex,reflectedbothromanticallyandrealisticallythegreatchangesthatweregoingoninpeople'slifeandthought.Victorianliterature,ingeneral,truthfullyrepresentsthereality&spiritoftheage.Thehigh-spiritedvitality,thedown-to-earthearnestness,thegood-naturedhumorandunboundedimaginationareallunprecedented空前的.Inalmosteverygenreitpavedthewayforthecomingcentury,whereitsspirits,values&experimentsaretowitnesstheirharvest.VictorianNovelVictorianPoetryTheNineties/AestheticismChapterIIIVictorianNovelsthenovelbecamethedominantgenrePlotisunfoldedagainstasocialbackground“linearcausation”:cause-effectsequenceTaintedbythespiritofpuritanismoftheVictorianAge/MoralpurposetheywereallconcernedaboutthefateofthecommonpeopleWhilestickingtotheprincipleoffaithfulrepresentationofthe18th-centuryrealisticnovel,novelistsinthisperiodcarriedtheirdutyforwardtothecriticismofthesociety.Theywereangryattheinhumansocialinstitutions,thedecayingsocialmoralityasrepresentedbythemoney-worship&Utilitarianism&thewidespreadmisery,poverty&injustice.Theirtruthfuldepictionofpeople'slife&bitter&strongcriticismofthesocietyhaddonemuchinawakeningthepublicconsciousnesstothesocialproblems&intheactualimprovementofthesociety.Romanticfiction:picturesque,heroicthanrealdailylifeRealisticfiction:accuratereflectionofreallife.CharlesDickens(1812-1870)thegreatestrepresentiveofEnglishcriticalrealismBornatPortsmouth,hisfatherwasputintotheprisonfordebtwhenhewasonly12Workedinundergroundshoe-blackingthenlawyer’sofficeasajuniorclerkIn1835,becameareporter,lateraneditor,managerHisMajorWorksUponhisdeath,Dickenslefttotheworld15novels&anumberofshortstories.Theyofferamostcomplete&realisticpictureofEnglishsocietyofhisage&remainthehighestachievementinthe19th-centuryEnglishnovel.Innearlyallhisnovels,behindthegloomypicturesofoppression&poverty,behindtheloudhumor&buffoonery滑稽,ishisgentleness,hissimplefaithinmankind.ImportantWorks&CharactersThefirstperiod—youthfuloptimistThePickwickPapers(thesupremeepicofEnglishlife):Mr.Pickwick,SamWellerOliverTwist(adescriptionofthelower-depth)NicholasNickleby:Mr.SqueersTheOldCuriosityShop:Trent,Nell2)Thesecondperiod—excitement&irritationMartinChuzzlewit:Chuzzlewit.Mr.PecksniffAChristmasCarolDombeyandSon:Dombey.Edith,CarkerDavidCopperfield(Dickens’sownfavourite):Mr.Murderstone,ClaraPeggotty,Steerforth,Dora,UriahHeepTheThirdPeriod—HislossofhopeforEnglishbourgeoissocietyBleakHouse:LordChancellorHardTimes:Mr.GradgrindLittleDorrit:WilliamDorritATaleofTwoCities:Dr.Manetter,Lucie,Defoarge,CharlesDarnay,SidneyCarton,MademeDefargeGreatExpectations(1)PeriodofyouthfuloptimistOliverTwist(1837-1838)TheOldCuriosityShop(1840-1841);(2)Periodofexcitement&irritationDombey&Son(1846-1848);DavidCopperfield(1849-1850)(3)PeriodofsteadilyintensifyingpessimismBleakHouse(1852-1853);