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外国语学院2013-2014学年度第一学期期末考查英美文学基础（1）11本（4）（5）2013.12命题人：卢亚林TermPaperforEnglishandAmericanLiterature(1)(A)(December2013)I.Writeapaperofabout500wordsonanyoneofthefollowingtopics:1.Shakespeare’smajorthemesincludelove,deathandimmortality.PleasediscusstherelationshipsbetweenthesethemesasviewedbyShakespearebasedonyourreadingofSonnet18andRomeoandJuliet.2.AttheendofTessoftheD’UrbervillesThomasHardystates,“‘Justice’wasdone,andthePresidentoftheImmortals(inAeschyleanphrase)hadendedhissportwithTess.”Whatdoyouthinkofthisstatement?3.JamesJoyceusesepiphanyasaliterarydeviceinmostofhisshortstoriesashisprotagonistscometosuddenrecognitionsofthemselvesortheirsocialcondition.Whatexactlyisthenarrator’sepiphanyinthestory“Araby”?A“Pure”woman?A“fallen”woman?----abookreviewofTessoftheD’UrbervillesNameNumberMarkTessofthed’Urbervilles,publishedin1891,wasThomasHardy’slastandmostsignificantwork.Inthisnovel,Hardyreachedtheheightofhisachievementasanovelist.Readersareattachednotonlybytheinnatebeauty,butalsothetragicfateofTess,theheroine.InthenovelTessoftheD'Urbervilles,althoughhershortlifewasfulloftribulationandstrike,shewascourageoustofacerealityandtofightagainsttheevilforce.ThiskindoftenaciousattitudetowardslifeandfightingspiritwasthemostpowerfulandmovingcharacterofTess.Yetherpurityandself-sacrificingcharacterdidnotbringhergoodluckbuttragedy.Shelongedtoescapefromtheshadowofthepastandunfortunatelife,buteverytoughchoiceshemadeonlytomakehersituationgofrombadtoworse.Obviously,thetragedyofTessisnotonlycausedbyfate,someotherimportantreasonssuchasthepoverty,worldlyprejudice,Alec’swickedness,Angel’sconventionalideasaswellasTess’scharacterarealldirectlyorindirectly,ledtothistragedy.Tess'sdeathwasnotasmalljokeplayedbyfateaccidentallybutwasundertheinteractionofinternalandexternalcauses,beautiful,pure,goodgirlTessfinallyembarkedonaroadofnoreturn.外国语学院2013-2014学年度第一学期期末考查英美文学基础（1）11本（4）（5）2013.12命题人：卢亚林Withtheintertwineofloveandhatred,Tesshadtoendherselfwithatragicresults.GodplayedwithTesssomuch.Whenherrightmanappeared,Godyetdidn’tgiveherhappiness.Tess’sparentslovedher,butitwasjustaninstinctivelove;Alecsaidlovetoher,butitwasanevillove;Angelsaidlovetoheraswell,butitwasanimmatureandselfishlove.Tessdidn’tmakeanymistakes,butatlast,shebornallpunishmentsandsufferings.Atfirst,Godhadletthetwopersonsmisseachother.Atragedywasdoomed.Butperhapsnolove,nohatred,nodignity,deathwasthebestwayforTesstoextricateherself.BothAlecandAngelviolatedandmadefunofTess.TesswasinjuredphysicallybyAlecandmentallywasaffectedbyAngel,AlecandAngelmadeTess’stragedyfrombadtoworsebydifferentways.AfterTesstoldhimeverythinghappenedtoherbefore,Angelstilljudged“purity”withconventionalvalueandmoralstandardthatwereimplantedinhimwhenhewaslittle,andsohewastheslavetothecustomandconventionality,consideredTessasa“fallenwomen”.HeabandonedhiswifeforBrazil,whichwasadeathblowtoinnocentTess.Ofcourse,naturalistictendencyisalsostronginthenovel.Inaway,Tessseemstobeledtoherfinaldestructionstepbystepbyfate.Coincidenceaddsonewrongtoanotheruntilsheiscaughtupinadead-end.FateplaysapredominateroleinwhathappenstoTess,asHardysaysattheendofthenovel:Justicewasdone,andthePresidentoftheImmortalshadendedhissportwithTess.Tesswaspowerlesstochangeherfate,becauseshehadbeentheplaythingofamalevolentuniverse.Wecanfindthisfactattheendofthenovel,whenthenarratormakesastatementafterTessisfoundandexecutedforthestabbingdeathofAlec.Inthisstatement,thewordjusticehasquotationmarksbecauseitmeanssomethingdifferentforTessandsomethingdifferentforsociety.Forsociety,justicehasbeenservedwiththearraignmentandexecutionofawomanwhodoescommitacapitalcrime.TessislikePrometheusinthatsheseemstohavebeenatoyofthegodsofmoralityandreligioninVictorianEngland,andshehadtobesacrificedforthegoodofmankind.AllofTess'lifeistheresultofeitheranaccident,fate,ortheinterventionofthegods.Tofullyunderstandthenovel,onehastotakeintoconsiderationbothitscriticalrealistandnaturalisticsignificance.