HistoryofEnglishLiterature--Literatureofthemid-19thcentury.ppt

,literature of the mid-19th century,victorian literature,chartist literature critical realistic novels victorian poetry victorian prose,historical background,review of the house of england,the house of tutor (都铎王朝,1485-1603；十六世纪) the house of stuart (斯图亚特王朝, 1603-1649, 1660 restoration-1714；十七世纪) the house of hanover (汉诺威王朝1714-1901；十八世纪),house of hanover 1714-1910,george i george ii george iii george iv william iv,victoria 1837-1901 edward vii,the longest reigning monarch in uk history,1.political: rapid economic development as well as serious social problems great prosperity & richness poverty, worsening living & working conditions, mass unemployment chartist movement (1836-1848).,2. ideological: rapid development of science & technology, new inventions & discoveries in geology, astronomy, biology & anthropology completely shook peoples religious convictions. utilitarianism: everything test by the criterion of utility-middle-class industrialists exploiting workers to the utmost- suffering and poverty,darwinism: darwins “the origin of species” & “the descent of man” shook the basis of the traditional faith. marxism: political essays: marxs “capital”, engelss “the conditions of the working class in england”,3. chartist movement time: 1832-1848 workers-peoples charter- basic rights, better living and working conditions first mass movement of the english working class early sign of the awakening of the poor, oppressed people.,6 points: universal suffrage 普选权 vote by ballot 无记名秘密投票 annually elected parliament 议会每年改选一次 abolition of the property qualification取消议员财产资格限制 equal electoral districts平均分配选举区 payment for members of parliament 支付议员薪金,literature,literature of 30s and 40s: chartist literature -ernest jones, w. james linton, thomas. hood,novels (critical realism) charles dickens william makepeace thackeray thomas hardy bronte sisters mrs. gaskell george eliot,poetry & prose of the mid-19th c,a. tennyson the brownings the rossettis swinburne m. arnold,thomas carlyle m. arnold john ruskin thomas huxley macaulay,chartist literature,ernest jones,thomas hood,w. james linton,1. ernest jones most talented 1845 joined the chartist movement 1848, arrested, seditious speech: “green flag of chartism will soon be flying over downing street“. 1851 journal, “the peoples paper”: socialist newspaper, karl marx died in 1869, 100,000, his funeral,his works short poems “the song of the low” “the song of the future” “the march of freedom” “a song for the people” long poem “the revolt of hindostan”: class struggle,novels: “the confession of a king” “the romance of a people” “the history of democratic movement” “ womans wrongs”,2. thomas hood “the song of the shirt” 衬衫之歌 powerful attack on worker exploitation illusions of enlightened members to alleviate the sufferings of the poor,“the bridge of sighs”: the tragic fate of a woman whose poverty and misery forced her to a life of degeneration as a prostitute and who finally jumped into the river to put an end to her shame,critical realistic novelists,1. features of victorian novels, in victorian period, novels became the major literary trend and major form of expression of progressive thought.,1). sticking to the principle of faithful representation of the 18th-century realist novel, carried on their duty to criticism of the society and defense of the mass.,2). all concerned about the fate of common people: angry at the inhuman social institutions, the decaying social morality as represented by the money-worship, utilitarianism, the widespread misery, poverty and injustice.,3). truthful depiction of peoples life and bitter & strong criticism of the society - awakening public consciousness to social problems - actual improvement of the society.,4). fail to point out the right solution of the social problems of the time appeal to morality and ethic advocate peaceful reformation and reconciliation to solve the class contradictions,2. representatives charles dickens william makepeace thackery thomas hardy charlotte bronte women emily bronte novelists anne bronte mrs. gaskell george eliot,charles dickens 1812-1870,the greatest novelist of victorian period and the greatest representative of english critical realism,life story,portsmouth, started school at nine, his father imprisoned for debt when he was ten, forced to support himself by working in a shoe-polish factory. a resulting sense of humiliation and abandonment haunted him for life, and he later described this experience, only slightly altered, in his novel “david copperfield”.,self-educated, legal clerk, reporter in the courts and parliament. marry catherine hogarth in 1836 first novel “the pickwick papers”, famous, influenced the publishing industry, issued in inexpensive monthly installments, became popular among dickenss time.,1842 lectured in the united states in favor of an international copyright agreement and in opposition to slavery young actress, ellen ternan, separation from his wife in 1858, a fatal stroke on june 9, 1870, and was buried in westminster abbey five days later.,his works,his literary career a. 1836 “sketches by boz” 1836-37 “the pickwick papers” 1837-38 “oliver twist” 1838-39 “nicholas nickleby” 1840-41 “the old curiosity shop” 1841 “barnaby rudge”,youthful optimism,b. 1842 “american notes” 1843-45 “martin chuzzlewit” 1843 “a christmas carol” 1844 “ the chimes” 1845 “the cricket on the hearth” 1846-48 “dombey and son” 1849-50 “david copperfield,excitement and irritation,c. 185253 “bleak house” 1854 “hard times” 185557 “little dorrit” 1859 “a tale of two cities” 1860-61 “great expectations” 1864-65 “our mutual friend” 1870 “ edwin drood”,steady intensifying pessimism,oliver twist,comments exposure of the bitter conditions of the workhouse truthful presentation of the miseries of the poor and oppressed and the social system and the institutions responsible for such miseries best-remembered line “please, sir, i want some more!”,comments mr dombey (rich bourgeoisie): proud, hard-hearted, cold-blooded, thinks of everything in terms of money: sends his son to a school where the child is treated to be like him, cold and practical; mistreats his daughter; ill-treats his wife as his property and cannot tolerate her having affection for any one besides him, even for his daughter., contrast rich bourgeoisie: bitter criticism to the capitalist society, think everything in terms of cash simple people: love, friendship, self-sacrifice and goodness,comments autobiography attack social evils in victorian england miseries of child-labor tyranny in schools and debtors prison cruelty and immorality of upper class simple folk: selflessness mutual helpfulness,hard times 1. introduction: the shortest of his novels. the novel is unusual, set in the fictitious victorian industrial town: coketown.,2. major characters mr. bounderby: a wealthy businessman, employs many of the characters. he marries louisa gradgrind (30 years his junior) and the marriage eventually ends unhappily. throughout the novel, bounderby is a symbol of hypocrisy. mr. gradgrind: the founder of the gradgrind educational system. he firmly believes in “hard facts“ and statistics (philosophy of fact).,mr. gradgrind: “now, what i want is, facts. teach these boys and girls nothing but facts. facts alone are wanted in life. ”,comments: french revolution hatred for tyranny of ruling class, old ways of oppression must be changed through revolution criticize the bloodshed in revolution, disapprove of extreme measures,best- remember lines (the opening) it was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness,it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way -in short, the period was so far like the present period.,dickens and christmas,christmas novels,“a christmas carol” “the chimes” “the cricket on the hearth”,many of dickenss novels involves christmas. christmas feasting, merrymaking in dickens earlier novels gives way to a darker christmas in the later novels influence on the way that we celebrate christmas today than any single individual in human history,at the beginning of the victorian period the celebration of christmas was in decline. the industrial revolution, in full development in dickens time, allowed workers little time for the celebration of christmas. but it was the christmas stories of dickens that rekindled the joy of christmas in britain and america.,dickens describes the holidays as “a good time: a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time: the only time i know of in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of other people below them as if they really were fellow-passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys“.,dickens name had become so synonymous with christmas that on hearing of his death in 1870 a little girl in london asked, “mr. dickens dead? then will father christmas die too?“,features of his novels,1. successful characterization: dickens was skillful in giving the characters exactly the actions and words that fit them 2. successful use of broad humor and penetrating satire: combine masterly storytelling, humor and irony with sharp social criticism.,3. complicated and fascinating plot (more than one minor threads besides the major one) 4. most of his novels end with a happy ending.,memorial of dickens,broadstairs dickens festival dickens often visited broadstairs, enjoying the sun and healthful sea air. this connection with the famous author is memorized by the town every june. immortalized the town as “our english watering place“,william makepeace thackeray 1811-1863,life story,in calcutta, india trinity college, cambridge without taking a degree gambling, bank failure quarrel with charles dickens died suddenly on christmas eve 1863, reconciled with dickens,one of thackerays daughters (harriet) was the first wife of sir leslie stephen. with his second wife, stephen was the father of virginia woolf, making thackeray “almost“ her grandfather.,his works,“vanity fair”: masterpiece on social criticism “the book of snobs” “pendenis” “the newcomes” historical novels “henry esmond” “the virginians”,“vanity fair, or a novel without a hero“ 1.introduction: title: “the pilgrims progress” setting: napoleonic wars,2. major characters amelia dobbin george osborne becky sharp joseph crawley rawdon,3. comments sub-title (a novel without a hero): the novel is concerned not with individual heroes but with the society as a whole the characters are all flawed to a greater or lesser degree; even the most sympathetic have weaknesses,becky sharp: tricky, resourceful, practical and capable. born with no advantages, in a society that values rank and wealth, becky makes her way to the highest levels of society through her own beauty, intelligence, hard work, and talent., limitation: no suggestion that social or political changes could improve the nature of society.,thomas hardy 1840-1928,village of puddletown heath 22 london, write poems, rural life architectural career, far from the madding crowd, devoting entirely to writing tess and jude - public criticism, never write fiction again. a bishop solemnly burnt the book, “probably in his despair at not being able to burn me“ wessex poems order of merit, gold medal of the royal society of literature. died in 1928, poets corner,his works,2. his novels3 groups a. romances and fantasies a pair of blue eyes the trumpet major two on a tower a group of noble dames the well beloved,b. novels of ingenuity desperate remedies the hand of ethelberta a laodicean a changed man, the waiting supper and other tales,c. novels of character and environment (wessex novels) under the greenwood tree far from the madding crowd the return of the native the mayor of casterbridge tess of the durbervilles jude the obscure,thomas hardy first used the term “wessex“ in his 1874 novel, “far from the madding crowd”. the extinct kingdom to which hardy refers is the ancient kingdom of the west saxons known as wessex (6th10th). ( king alfred the great ),the return of the native 1. major characters clym yeobright eustacia vye damon wildeve thomasin y. diggory egdon heath (setting): embodiment of the powerful and eternal force of nature,2. characterization clym yeobright: tired of city life, settle down in countryside eustacia: eager to go to outer world hardys disgust of modern cities and yearning for rural life,3. analysis of this novel (1). first mature novel (2). contrast: strong power of nature insignificance of man (3). the helplessness and ridiculousness of human before the mysterious force of nature,the mayor of casterbridge 1. contents: rise and decline of henchard: simple man to a mayor to death, not being conquered by the vicious social environment till death 2. criticism: a pure and simple and essentially good man is doomed to a terrible fate,jude the obscure 1. most pessimistic novel 2. major characters jude fawley arabella donn sue bridehead phillotson,3. analysis of the novel 1). attacked british institutions: higher education, social class, and marriage 2). social forces- mysterious hand of nature beyond human intelligence and control,writing features,1). pessimistic spirit and philosophy (fatalism): mankind is subjected to the rule of some hostile and mysterious fate, which brings misfortune to human life.,2). disgust for the bourgeois civilization and return to the past society; sympathy with the simple laboring people against the rich and the wicked 3). strong elements of naturalism and symbolism: influence of nature on life; mans struggle against mysterious force in nature,the bronte sisters,the bront sisters,charlotte (1816 1855) emily (1818 1848) anne (1820 1849 ),all 3 bronte sisters,male pen name charlotte: currer bell emily: ellis bell anne: acton bell,“poems by currer, ellis and acton bell” charlotte “the professor” “jane eyre” “shirley” “villette” emily “wuthering heights” anne “agnes grey” “the tenant of the wildfell hall”,the clergy daughters school, maria & elizabeth, tuberculosis, model for lowood, the girls school in jane eyre.,schooling,during the early 19th century, fashionable to educate females. free education not available the very rich, elegant girls schools,governesses,1. less costly schools were formed by well-meaning benefactors in order to educate poor females. 2. with stress on female education, governesses were in demand.,3. illness was common because the poor conditions of the schools 4. pay was poor, but it was one of the only jobs available to educated, yet impoverished young women,107,analysis of the novel 1. completely new woman image: a fiery spirit a poor, plain little governess who dares to love her master, a man superior to her in many ways brave enough to declare to the man her love for him,2. sharp criticism of the existing society religious hypocrisy of charitable institutions (inhuman misery in charity school) the social discrimination and the false social convention as concerning love and marriage,3. limitation: education is the key to all social problems remove evils of capitalism by the improvement of the schools,4. significance a work of feminist consciousness: speak not only for all middle-class women but for women of all classes,tolstoy: anna karenina ibsen: nora helmer (a dolls house),jane eyres gothic influence,mysterious imprisoned woman a heroine who faces danger supernatural interventions at crucial moments in the plot,byronic hero,mr. rochester is an example of this type characteristics are proud gloomy mysterious passionate,cinderella story,“do you think, because i am poor, obscure, plain, and little, i am soulless and heartless? and if god had gifted me with some beauty and much wealth, i should have made it as hard for you to leave me, as it is now for me to leave you it is my spirit that addresses your spirit; just as if both had passed through the grave, and we stood at gods feet, equal,-as we are!“,nelly dean (ellen dean): chief narrator lockwood: an intermediary (媒介) between nelly and the reader wuthering heights 呼啸山庄 thrushcross grange 画眉山庄,analysis of the novel 1. the theme of the novel romantic tale of intense, tragic love and revenge tragedy of social inequality: the oppressor and the oppressed,some deeper level: harmony of the universe destruction re-establishment,pythagoras,1) the story opens with the contrasting and yet well-balanced parallelism of the earnshaw and linton families. wuthering heights: high on the barren moorland, naked to natural elements, where the earnshaws live with their two active, wild, untamed children of storm thrushcross grange: sheltered in the valley below, ideal home of linton family with their two calm, gentle, passive children,2) but the harmony is destroyed by the arrival of an heathcliff, a source of discord by turning the wife against the husband and the children against the father. later he succeeds in replacing hindley in his fathers favor and separating catherine from her brother. to catherine and edgar, heathcliff also proves destructive. he comes back after three years absence to enter straight between the husband and wife, forces catherine to an early grave and drives edgar into endless pain.,3) finally the harmony is reestablished when heathcliff