Vanity-Fair

VanityFair《名利场》—WilliamMakepeaceThackeray18120923梅鑫故事背景：小说概要：人物分析：写作手法：comments：故事背景《名利场》是英国伟大现实主义作家和幽默大师萨克雷的代表作。故事取材于很热闹的英国十九世纪中上层社会。当时国家强盛，工商业发达，由榨压殖民地或剥削劳工而发财的富商大贾正主宰着这个社会，英法两国争权的战争也在这时响起了炮声。中上层社会各式各等人物，都忙着争权夺位，争名求利，所谓“天下攘攘，皆为利往，天下熙熙，皆为利来”，名利、权势、利禄，原是相连相通的。小说概要：该故事是通过两条线索展开的，一条描述善良，笨拙，出生在富有门庭的柔弱女子艾米丽，另一条是讲述一个机灵、自私、放荡不羁、贫穷的孤女贝姬。她们是同所学校的好朋友，于l813年两人乘坐一辆马车离开平克顿女子学校。她们的婚姻都是在家庭反对的情况下完婚，分别嫁给即将参加滑铁卢战役的两位军官，新婚不久，那场具有历史意义的战役打响了，艾米丽的丈大战死疆场；贝姬的丈夫战后生还。接下来的十年中，贝姬的生活一帆风顺，在社会的阶梯上不断得攀升，直到有幸见国王；而艾米丽却因父亲破产承受了极大的不幸。到了1872年，命运发生了逆转，贝姬的生活落入毁灭的深渊。艾米丽亚却转而变得富裕幸福。从一个起点出发，相互交织，最后到达同个终点，作者灵活的讽刺手法，使两位女丰角最后的命运归于平衡，仿佛在一个大的轮回之后，同到故事的开始时两人命运的起点。Thethreepossiblemeaningsofthesubtitle:VanityFair:ThetitleofthenovelwastakenfromBunyan’s“Pilgrim’sProgress”;Thesub-title:ANovelWithoutaHero;1.Heromeansapositivecharacter;onthecontrary,noheromeansnopositivecharactersinthenovel;2.Itindicatesthatthenovelisconcernedprincipallynotwithindividualheroesbutwiththesocietyasawhole;3.Italsopossiblymeansthereareonlyheroinesinthenovelbutnoheroes.TheMainCharacters:Inthisnovel,ThackeraybuildinghisplotaroundthelivesofAmeliaSedleyandRebecca(Becky)Sharp;AmeliaSedley:thedaughterofawealthyLondonmerchant;Rebecca(Becky)Sharp:anorphan.BeckySharp:贝姬·夏普Theheroine,ormorecorrectlytheanti-heroine,isanintelligentyoungwomanwithagiftforsatire.Havinglostherfatherandneverknownfinancialorsocialsecurityevenasachild,Beckydesiresitaboveallthings.Nearlyeverythingshedoesiswiththeintentionofsecuringastablepositionforherself,orherselfandherhusbandaftersheandRawdonaremarried.SheadvancesRawdon'sintereststirelessly,flirtingwithmensuchasGeneralTuftoinordertogethimpromoted.ShealsousesherfemininewilestodistractmenatcardpartieswhileRawdoncheatsthemblind.MarryingRawdonCrawleyinsecretwasamistake,aswasrunningoffinsteadofbeggingMissCrawley'sforgiveness.ShealsofailstomanipulateMissCrawleythroughRawdonsoastoobtainaninheritance.AlthoughBeckymanipulatesmenveryeasily,shedoesnoteventrytocultivatethefriendshipofmostwomen.RawdonCrawley:罗顿·考利Rawdon,theyoungerofthetwoCrawleysons,whoishiswealthyaunt'sfavoriteuntilhemarriesBeckySharp,whoisofafarlowerclass.Hepermanentlyalienateshisaunt,wholeavesherestatetoSirPittinstead.SirPitthasbythistimeinheritedtheirfather'sestate,leavingRawdonquitepoor.RawdonCrawleyisanempty-headedcavalryofficer,onlyhasatalentingamblinganddueling.Notparticularlytalentedasamilitaryofficer,heiscontenttoletBeckymanagehiscareer.AlthoughRawdonknowsBeckyisattractivetomen,hebelievesherreputationisspotlesseventhoughsheiswidelysuspectedofromanticintriguewithGeneralTuftoandotherpowerfulmen.AfterRawdonfindsoutthetruthandleavesBeckyforanassignmentoverseas,heleaveshissontobebroughtupbySirPittandLadyJane.AmeliaSedley：艾米利亚AmeliaisBecky'sopposite:pale,passive,andemotionallydevotedtoherhusbandandson.ShemarriesGeorgeOsborneagainstthewishesofGeorge'sfather,andwhenGeorgediesatthebattleofWaterlooshebringsuplittleGeorgealonewhilelivingwithherparents.AfterGeorgeOsborne'sdeath,Ameliaisobsessedwithhersonandwiththememoryofherhusband.SheignoresWilliamDobbin,whocourtsherforyears,andtreatshimshabbilyuntileventuallyheleaves.ItisonlyafterBeckyshowsherGeorge'slettertoherthatAmeliarealizeswhatagoodmanDobbinis,althoughshehasalreadywrittentohimtoaskhimtocomeback.SheeventuallymarriesDobbin.WilliamDobbin:ThebestfriendofGeorgeOsborne,WilliamDobbinistall,ungainly,andnotparticularlyhandsome.HeisafewyearsolderthanGeorgebuthasbeenfriendswithhimsincehisschooldays,eventhoughDobbin'sfatherisafig-merchantandtheOsbornesbelongstothegenteelclassandhavebecomeindependentlywealthy.HedefendsGeorgeandisblindtohisfaultsinmanywaysalthoughhetriestoforceGeorgetodotherightthing.HepushesGeorgetokeephispromisetomarryAmeliaeventhoughDobbinisinlovewithAmeliahimself.AfterGeorgeiskilled,DobbinputstogetheranannuitytohelpsupportAmelia,anddiscreetlydoeswhathecantohelpsupportAmeliaandalsohersonGeorge.Hehangsaboutforyears,eitherpiningawayoverherwhileservinginIndiaorwaitingonherinperson.AfterAmeliafinallychoosesBecky'sfriendshipoverhis,Dobbinleavesindisgust.HereturnswhenAmeliawritestohimandadmitsherfeelingsforhim,marriesher,andhasadaughterwhomhelovesdeeply.WritingTechniques：写作手法DoubleNarrationandInstrusiveNarration：NarrativeLanguage(SimileandMetaphor)：Irony:whichisformedbycontrastingbetweenCharacters,wordsanddeeds,commentsandreality.BeckySharp:anorphan;anti-heroine;withtheintentionofsecuringastablepositionforherself;manipulatesmen;AmeliaSedley:thedaughterofawealthyLondonmerchant;pale,passive,andemotionallydevotedtoherhusbandandson;WilliamDobbin:notparticularlyhandsome;blindtoGeorge'sfaultsinmanyways;isloyaltoAmilia;GeorgeOsborne：GeorgewrotelettertoBeckytoaskherelope;Comments：《名利场》是英国伟大现实主义作家和幽默大师萨克雷的代表作。主要描写女主人公在社会上受到歧视，于是利用种种计谋甚至以色相引诱、巴结权贵豪门，不择手段往上爬。这个人物并不邪恶，也不善良，但非常富有人情味，完全是时代的产物。就像贝姬在书中所说“Ifihave5000pounds,Iwillbeagoodwomantoo.作品辛辣地讽刺了买卖良心和荣誉的“名利场”中的各种丑恶现象，而且善于运用深刻的心理描写和生动的细节勾勒来刻画人物，是一部现实主义的杰作。