英语专业毕业论文-一部典型的成长小说——《远大前程》的体裁分析

学号学号： ATypical Initiation Story GenreAnalysis of Great Expectations 一部典型的成长小说一部典型的成长小说远大前程远大前程的体裁分析的体裁分析 系别外语系 专业英语 班级1001 姓名 指 导 教 师 年年月月日日 本本科科毕毕业业论论文文（设设计计） ATypical Initiation Story GenreAnalysis of Great Expectations by Supervised by Humanistic Management College of * May 2016 安阳师范学院人文管理学院本科毕业论文 I 摘摘 要要 关于个人成长和教育的传统文学体裁被称为成长小说，该小说体裁起源于 18 世纪德 国，并流行于欧美各国。许多文学大师创作了许多不朽之作。其中英国十九世纪著名作家 查尔斯狄更斯的远大前程就是一部成长小说的经典之作。 关于狄更斯的小说远大前程的研究可谓汗牛充栋，也不乏有从成长小说角度进行 研究的文献，但其中缺少从小说主要元素的角度进行系统研究的文章。本文将依据文学原 理中的小说三大主要元素，即主题、人物和情节对远大前程进行详细分析，论证作品 符合成长小说的定义及其特点，是典型的成长小说。 本论文由四部分组成，第一部分是引言，主要介绍作者查尔斯狄更斯及其作品远 大前程 ；第二部分主要介绍成长小说理论、小说的三大要素：主题、人物和情节；第三 部分从小说的主题、人物和情节等三要素分析远大前程中的主题类型、人物设定和情 节模式，阐述小说的成长小说属性，论证远大前程是一部典型的成长小说。第四部分 是结论，总结论文探讨的主旨。 关键词关键词： 远大前程 ；成长小说；体裁分析；文学元素 安阳师范学院人文管理学院本科毕业论文 II Abstract The initiation story （also known as Bildungsroman） is a novel of personal development or of education. It originated from Germany in the latter half of the 18th century and has since become one of the major narrative genres in European and Anglo-American literature. Some classics of this type published across the global, one of them is Charles Dickens Great Expectations. Dickens novel Great Expectations presents the growth and development of Pip, the protagonist of the novel. Many researches on Great Expectations as an initiation story have been done. But no researches have included all the three main elements of theme, character and plot in the novel. With the three elements from the Elements of Literature by Zhang Jian, this paper is to have a genre analysis of Dickens Great Expectations from three aspects-the initiation theme, the character design and the plot pattern, thus proving that Great Expectations is a typical Initiation story. This paper consists of four parts. The first part is about an introduction to Charles Dickens and his novel Great Expectations, researches done and the research needed to be done. The second part is an introduction to the initiation story, its definition, its origin, its development and its characteristics. The third part is an analysis of Great Expectations as a typical initiation story which involves the initiation theme, the character design, and the plot pattern. The last part concludes with a reiteration of the main points discussed in this paper. Key Words: Great Expectations; Initiation story; genre analysis; literary elements 安阳师范学院人文管理学院本科毕业论文 Contents 摘摘 要要I AbstractII 1. Introduction1 1.1 Charles Dickens and His Works. 1 1.2 Introduction of Great Expectations 1 1.3 The Current Research of Great Expectations and the Significance of this Paper2 2. The Initiation Story-a Specific Literature Genre.3 2.1 Its Definition.3 2.2 Its Origin and Development3 2.3 The Characteristics of the Initiation Story4 3. TheAnalysis of Great Expectations as a Typical Initiation Story5 3.1 The Initiation Theme in Great Expectations.5 3.1.1 The Initiation in the Protagonists Life Changes 5 3.1.2 The Initiation in the Protagonists Characteristic Changes.7 3.2 The Character Design. 8 3.2.1 The Main Character Design9 3.2.2 The Minor Character Design.10 3.3 The Plot Pattern.11 3.3.1 The Similarity of Plots in Pips Boyhood. 11 3.3.2 The Turning Point of the Initiation11 3.3.3 The Maturation and Self-discovery of the Protagonists12 4. Conclusion12 Bibliography.13 Acknowledgments13 安阳师范学院人文管理学院本科毕业论文 1 1. Introduction The initiation story is a traditional literary genre describing a heros growth and development. There are a number of classical novels belonging to this genre. Great Expectations is one of the typical Initiation stories written by Charles Dickens who is regarded as the greatest British novelist of Victorian period. This part would give an overview of Charles Dickens, and an introduction to the novel Great Expectations, current research and the significance of this thesis. 1.1 Charles Dickens and His Works Charles Dickens, whose full name is Charles John Huffam Dickens, was born in 7 February 1812 and died in 9 June 1870. He is one of the great British writer and social critic in the 19th century. During his life, he enjoyed unprecedented fame for his works, and by the twentieth century his literary genius was broadly acknowledged both by the critics and scholars. Dickens had written various novels, including the picaresque novel The Pickwick Papers; the historical novel A Tale of Two Cities; these three novels: Bleak House, Hard Times and Little Dorrit which reflect social and political problems; three classical Initiation stories Oliver Twist, David Copperfield and Great Expectations; and other famous novels and novellas, such as Dombey and Son, The Old Curiosity Shop, and A Christmas Carol. Among them, David Copperfield is regarded as Dickensautobiography. His fictions, with vivid descriptions of life in 19th-century England, have inaccurately and anachronistically come to symbolize on a global level Victorian society (1837 1901) as uniformly “Dickensian“, when in fact, his novels time scope spanned from the 1770s to the 1860s. His creative genius has been praised by a lot of writersfrom Leo Tolstoy to G. K. Chesterton and George Orwellfor its realism, comedy, prose style, and social criticism. Most significantly, Dickens is one of the British writers who developed the Initiation story from Germany to Europe. 1.2 Introduction of Great Expectations Great Expectations is Charles Dickens thirteenth novel in his later years. It is Dickens third Initiation story. The other two works are Oliver Twist and David Copperfield. This novel depicts the growth and personal development of an orphan named Pip. Collected and dense, with an unusual conciseness for Dickens, the novel represents Dickens peak and maturity as an author. 安阳师范学院人文管理学院本科毕业论文 2 According to G. K. Chesterton, Dickens penned Great Expectations in “the afternoon of his life and fame.” Once published, the novel got a great popularity and also received mixed reviews from critics: Thomas Carlyle speaks of “All that Pips nonsense,” while George Bernard Shaw praised the novel as “All of one piece and consistently truthful.” It was also adapted many times in popular movies and stage plays. The entire story is understood to have been written as a retrospective, rather than as a narrative or a diary. The story is divided into three parts of Pips expectations. The first “expectation“ starts from chapter 1 to chapter 19, the second part is from chapter 20 to chapter 39, and the last part is from chapter 40 to the end. The general plot of this novel is like this: Pip is a kind-hearted and innocent little boy living with his bad-tempered sister and kind-hearted brother-in-law Joe. Under his sisters maltreatment and Joes protection, Pip lives in a poor yet happy life. He has no ambition but to be a blacksmith like Joe. All of that is changed since he is invited to be a companion with Estella in Satis House which belongs to a rich but strange woman Miss. Havisham. Pip is ashamed of himself compared with Estella, and longs to be an educated gentleman. In a fortuitous chance, Pip gets a fortune from a secret benefactor and is asked be trained as a gentleman in London. There Pips vanity and ambition get fulfilled. After several years, the benefactor appears. Pips dream is broken. He realizes how wrong he was in the past. He changes to be practical and grows up to be a mature man living by his own hands in the end. We can get something about Dickens thought from the novel. Created in Dickens later years, Great Expectations contains his deeper understanding about human, surrounding environment and life experiences. As the title, the phrase “great expectations” has the meaning of irony. It is not just a story about the disillusionment of Pips great expectations of being a gentleman, but pays more attention to the influence of environment on human, which is one of Dickensphilosophical thoughts. 1.3 The Current Research of Great Expectations and the Significance of this Paper There are many researches about Great Expectations. While, the current research usually focuses on several aspects of it. Firstly, the narrative perspective, such as Luo Yufengs An Analysis of Narrative Perspective in Great Expectations. Secondly, the theme of values, such as Ruan Yajuns The Ture Fortune Through Pips Eyes in Great Expectations. Thirdly, the feminism, such as Wang Mins A Sacrifice in the Male-dominated Society: on the Image of Miss Havisham in Great Expectations. Some researchers also focus on its different themes like crime, social 安阳师范学院人文管理学院本科毕业论文 3 class, empire and ambition. However, there is little research on the genre analysis of Great Expectations. The thesis focuses on this point and uses the three main elements of novels to analyze. As Charles Dickens is one of novelists who developed Initiation story in Europe, it is meaningful to let the genre analysis show how Dickens developed Initiation story in his own way, and to get more knowledge about the social environment of the Victorian age and stories of normal individuals at that time. 2. The Initiation story-a Specific Literature Genre In literary criticism, the initiation story is a literary genre that focuses on the psychological and moral growth of the protagonist from youth to adulthood and in which character change is extremely important. The birth of the initiation story is normally dated back to the publication of Wilhelm Meisters Apprenticeship by Johann Wolfgang Goethe in 179596. Although the initiation story arose in Germany, it has had extensive influence first in Europe and later throughout the world. 2.1 Its Definition According to Carly. M. Bonar, “The Bildungsroman, a particularly difficult genre to pin down, has traditionally designated the maturation process of young boys through adolescence, culminating with the achievement of self-identity.” Though many scholars are trying to define it, the best definition of it is still not established. Among all the definitions now we have, Marks is the most widely accepted one: the initiation novel describes that the young hero changes his previous world view, or transfigures his disposition, or he changes the both after suffering physical and mental traumas; this change let him get rid of his innocent childhood, and finally leads him to the complicated adult society. In A Glossary of Literary Terms, literary critic M.H.Abrams states that the Bildungsroman illustrates: the development of the protagonists mind and character from childhood through varied experiences and often through a spiritual crisis into maturity, and in such process, the novel also usually involves the recognition of ones identity and role in the world. 2.2 Its Origin and Development The Initiation Story, as an independent literary genre, has experienced nearly three centuries development and research. It has formed a unique literary style and occupied an important 安阳师范学院人文管理学院本科毕业论文 4 position in the field of literary stories. The initiation novel begins at the 18thcentury, first in Germany, and then prevails in Europe and America. The traditional Initiation story is considered to have originated from Goethes Wilhelm Meisters Apprenticeship, and the German term “Bildungsroman“ has come to signify it. According to Anniken Telnes Iversen, “Goethes Wilhelm Meister is a point for reference because it is generally recognized as the founding work of the genre and a major inspiration for the early writers of bildungsromans in Britain.” Then, it is named as the Initiation story in English. However, it did not develop smoothly. There was a long-time controversy about Initiation Story in history. Critics and scholars consistently debated on the origination and definition of the special literary genre since it appeared in the 18thcentury. In the 19th century, with Wilhelm Meisters Apprenticeships translated into English, the Initiation story prevails in British. British writers inherited the Initiation story and developed it with their own writing style. The traditional realism of British novels contributed to the popularity of British writing style and make it focus on individuals growth, and even developed it into a literary genre,such as Robinson Crusoe(1719), which is a novel about survival and adventure,andwhichalsodepictsanunrulystoryofateenagersgrowth.Other nineteenth-centuryEnglishauthorsproducedsimilarnovelsCharlesDickenssGreat Expectations (1861) and Charlotte Bronts Jane Eyre (1847) are generally considered as two out-standing examples of the Initiation Story genre. Though these novels resemble their German counterparts, scholars have noted that after being transplanted to England, their forms took on some unique characteristics. 2.3 The Characteristics of the Initiation Story There are several views towards the Initiation storys characteristics. Firstly, on structure, the Initiation story is usually narrated from the perspective of the first person, and the growth of protagonists could be generally divided into several stages in each of which he or she has different growing experiences and characteristics. Secondly, on content, the Initiation story usually depicts a man or a womans growth since his or her childhood and the protagonists usually suffers a lot in their earlier life, such as leaving home, and they would gain self-awakening at last. Thirdly, there are plenty of psychological describing about the protagonistsgrowth in terms of mental maturity. 安阳师范学院人文管理学院本科毕业论文 5 3. The Analysis of Great Expectations as a Typical Initiation Story In this part, This paper will prove that Great Expectations is a typical Initiation story based on the analysis of its theme, character and plot. Firstly, This paper would start with a brief introduction of the three main elements of a novel. There are totally seven elements of a novel including theme, character, plot, point of view, style, tone and irony, and symbol. Among them, theme, character and theme are the main elements. Theme is defined as the central or dominating part of a literary work. Character can be divided into protagonists and antagonists, and Plot is the arrangement of events that make up the story. They are independent from yet complement each other. They altogether make up the whole story. The Initiation story is not exceptional, but it do has a special and narrow definition. 3.1 The Initiation Theme in Great Expectations According to Springfield, “An Initiation story is a novel about the moral and psychological growth of the main character ”. The theme of an Initiation story is usually about protagonists physical and psychological growth. At the beginning, the protagonists in the Initiation story are innocent or immature. Later they encounter a series of events and experience sufferings. During this process they feel confused and lost. They continually raise questions about the outside world and the society, struggling to find an answer and a way to be one part of the society. At last, they embrace a new birth and become mature. In Great Expectations, Dickens depicted the protagonists growth as an initiation story. Here, this paper would make a plot analysis of Pips initiation in his life changes and psychological changes. 3.1.1 The Initiation in the Protagonists Life Changes In Pips three stages of life, he has three different great expectations. The three expectations are more and more mature and practical with Pips growth. From his life changes, We could analyze his initiation in terms of social status and psychological maturity. At the beginning of the novel, the story depicts an innocent and timid young protagonist. The little poor orphan Pip lives a humble life with his ill-tempered elder sister and her strong yet gentle husband, Joe Gargery. They belong to the lower class in society.At that time, his is willing to become a blacksmith like Joe. He learns a lot from Biddy due to a little boys longing for curious things. Life is peaceful and smooth. When he helps the escaped convict Abel Magwitch 安阳师范学院人文管理学院本科毕业论文 6 at a graveyard, he never knows that the mysterious man will influence his whole life. He is afraid of the convict but sympathizes him in the meantime, so he provided him with food and tools. This implies the boys kindness. Pips peaceful life does not change until he is hired by an embittered wealthy woman, Miss Havisham, as an occasional companion to her and her beautiful but haughty adopted daughter - Estella. From that time on, Pip gradually feels ashamed of his status and life, and aspires to change his simple life and become a gentleman. He spends more years as an apprentice to Joe, so that he may grow up to have a livelihood working as a blacksmith and to reach Estellas class. He longs for self-perfection. This life is suddenly changed when he is visited by a London attorney, Mr. Jaggers, who informs Pip that he is to come into the “Great Expectation“ of a handsome property and be trained to be a gentleman at the behest of an anonymous benefactor. To be a gentleman, the first step is to leave his original life,which is the foundation to know the outside world and to contact with the upper class. However, he is afraid of the unknown world and feels sorry for Joe. This is a dispensable step for his growing. It leads to his new views towards the world. The description of “mist” is appropriate to imply Pips destiny. The second stage of Pips life has happened in London, he learns about the details of being a gentleman. There, he has tutors, fine clothing, and joins the cultivated society. It seems that he has stepped into the upper class and almost became a gentleman. As he adopts the physical and cultural norms of his new status, he also adopts the class attitudes that go with it, and when Joe comes to visit Pip and his roommate Herbert to deliver an important message, Pip is embarrassed to meet with Joes unlearned ways, despite his protection in the name of l