critical-realism-英国文学

EnglishCriticalRealismSocialBackground(P146-151)SincetheIndustrialRevolutioninthesecondhalfofthe18thcentury,theclassstructureinEnglishsocietyhadundergoneradicalchanges.Theindustrialcapitalistsbegantoplayamoreimportantroleandviedforpoliticalpowerwiththeoldaristocracy.Englandbecameatypicalcapitalistcountry.Havingconsolidateditspositionsathome,theBritishbourgeoisiestrengtheneditspolicyofcolonialexpansioninallpartsoftheworld,successivelycompetingformarketswithotherpowerfulcountries.In1834therewasthepassageofthePoorLaw.Theinhumanwork-housewereestablished,inwhichthepoorpeoplehadtodoheavytasksandlivenobetterthanjails.Thegreatmiseryoftheworkersledtoanupsurgeoflabormovementsandtheorganizationoftheworkersintounions.In1836arosetheworking-classmovementsknownasChartism.Duringtheforties,therevolutionaryeventsontheEuropeancontinentledtoanewstrengtheningoftheEnglishworking-classmovement.ButthelatefortieswitnessedthedeclineofChartismowingtothedefeatoftherevolutionsontheContinentandtheeasingofsocialtensioninEngland.Thecryingsocialcontradictionswerereflectedinthepoetryandproseofthetime.In1844,ThomasHood(1799-1845)wrotethepoem“TheSongoftheShirt”which,throughthemouthofapoorseamstress,voicedthegreatmiseryofthewomen-workers.Andmanyotherpoemsshowedthedeepsympathyfortheworkersandtheirprotestagainsttheexploitationofmanbyman,thoughthepoetsstillcherishedtheillusionthattheenlightenedmembersoftherulingclassesmightdosomethingtoalleviatethesufferingsofthepooranddown-trodden.EnglishCriticalRealismInthisperiodoftenseclassstruggleappearedanewliterarytrend-criticalrealism.Englishcriticalrealismofthe19thcenturyflourishedinthefortiesandintheearlyfifties.ThecriticalrealistsdescribedwithmuchvividnessandgreatartisticskillthechieftraitsoftheEnglishsocietyandcriticizedthecapitalistsystemfromademocraticviewpoint.ThegreatestEnglishrealistofthetimewasCharlesDickens.Withstrikingforceandtruthfulness,hecreatespicturesofbourgeoiscivilization,describingthemiseryandsufferingsofthecommonpeople.Anothercriticalrealist,WilliamMakepeaceThackeray,wasanolesssevereexposerofcontemporarysociety.Thackeray’snovelsaremainlyasatiricalportrayaloftheupperstrataofsociety.ThemethodofcriticalrealismwerefurtheradoptedbysuchwritersasCharlotteandEmilyBronte,andElizabethGaskell.Inthefiftiesandsixtiestherealisticnovelenteredastageofdecline.TheEnglishcriticalrealistsofthe19thcenturynotonlygaveasatiricalportrayalofthebourgeoisieandalltherulingclasses,butalsoshowedprofoundsympathyforthecommonpeople.Intheirbestworks,thegreedandhypocrisyoftheupperclassesarecontrastedwiththehonestyandgood-heartednessoftheobscure“simplepeople”ofthelowerclasses.HencetheuseofhumorandsatireintheEnglishrealisticnovelsofthe19thcentury.Humorousscenesmayattendtheactionsofthepositivecharacters,butthishumoristingedwithlyricismandservestostressandgrotesqueisusedtoexposetheseamysideofseamysideofthebourgeoissociety.Throughthesketchesofvariousnegativecharactersgivenbirthtobythecapitalistsystem,criticalrealismrevealsthecorruptinginfluenceoftheruleofcashuponhumannature.Hereliestherootofthedemocraticandhumanisticcharacterofthecriticalrealismofthe19thcentury.Butthecriticalrealistsdidnotfindawaytoeradicatesocialevils.Theydidnotrealizethenecessityofthechangingthebourgeoissociety.Theywereunabletofindagoodsolutiontothesocialcontradictions.Sofarastheliteraryformor“genre”isconcerned,themajorcontributionmadebythe19thcenturycriticalrealistsliesintheirperfectionofthenovel.Liketherealistsofthe18thcentury,the19thcenturycriticalrealistsmadeuseofthebroadcanvasofthenovelforfullanddetailedrepresentationsofsocialandpoliticalevents,andofthefateofindividualsandofwholesocialclasses.CharlesDickens(1812-1870)Dickens’sLife(P156-160)bornin1812atPortsmouth,wherehisfatherwasaclerkintheNavyPayOffice.In1821,Dickens’sfamilymovedtoapoorquarterinLondon,whilehisfatherwassenttoprisonfordebt.Later,Mrs.Dickensandtheyoungerchildrenwenttotheprison,too,tojointhefather.The12-year-oldCharleswassenttoworkinanundergroundcellaratablackingfactoryintheEastEndofLondon.Thiswastheunhappiesttimeofhislife.Yearslater,hewroteabouthisearlydaysintheseworkhouse:“Ineversaid,tomanorboy,howitwasIcametobethere,orgavetheleastindicationofbeingsorrythatIwasthere.ThatIsufferedinsecret,andthatIsufferedexquisitely,nooneeverknewbutI.At15,Charlesleftschoolforgoodandbecamealawyer’sclerk,wherehegainedafirst-handknowledgeoftheparliamentarygovernmentundercapitalismandheneverwaveredinhisunderstandingofitasaninstrumentforwieldinganddisguisingthepoweroftheupperclasses.In1834,Charleswastakenonthestaffofanewspaperandwentalloverthecountrygettingnews,writingstories,meetingpeopleandlearningaboutlifeingeneral.Dickenswroteanumberoflittlesketchesof“cockneycharacters”.Hesignedthem“Boz”,thenicknameforhisyoungbrother.Hisfirstbook,“SketchesbyBoz”,appearedin1836.later,hewasinvitedtowritealongstoryforamagazine,soheexpandeditintoalongnovel,and“PickwckPapers”cameintobeing.IttellsoftheadventuresofMr.Pickwickandhisclub.Atfirst,salesweresmall.Theturningpointcamewiththefifthnumber,inwhichSamWel