英语本科毕业论文-《雾都孤儿》积极的社会意义The Progressive Social Significance of Oliver Twist.doc

重庆南方翻译学院 本科毕业论文中文题目: 雾都孤儿积极的社会意义 外文题目: The Progressive Social Significance of Oliver Twist 院 系 英语语言学院 专 业 英语（翻译） 年 级 06级 学 号 学 生 指导教师 结稿日期 2010年4月30日 四川外语学院重庆南方翻译学院教务处制2010年5月7日填雾都孤儿积极的社会意义摘要：雾都孤儿是查尔斯狄更斯的一部伟大的批判现实主义的小说。它以维多利亚为时代背景，主要反映了刚刚通过济贫法的英国社会最底层人民的生活，揭露了社会弊端与社会问题，带有很强的讽刺意义。本文主要分析雾都孤儿的积极的社会意义。首先通过深入分析当时维多利亚的社会背景，揭露社会现实；随后与现代社会的现状作比较，论述小说给我们现代人的启发，以至对整个社会发展带来的推动作用；从而得出结论，雾都孤儿这部作品具有深远的社会意义。关键词：雾都孤儿; 维多利亚时代; 积极的; 社会意义The Progressive Social Significance of Oliver TwistAbstractOliver Twist is one of Dickenss most famous novels of critical realism. The novel is set in Victorian Age, which mainly reflects the life of citizens at the bottom of society in England where the Poor Law had just been passed. With the exposure of social shortcomings and problems, the novel is written in strong irony.This paper mainly looks into the progressive significance of the Oliver Twist. At the beginning, the paper deeply analyzes the social background of the Victorian Age and uncovers the social reality. Then through the comparison with the current situation of modern society, the paper discusses the enlightenment which we get from the novel and even the impetus function to the development of the whole society. Finally, a conclusion is drawn that Oliver Twist has a far-reaching social significance.Key words: Oliver Twist; Victorian Age; Progressive; Social SignificanceAcknowledgementsI would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to all the people who have ever helped me in this paper.First and foremost, my sincere thanks and appreciations go to my tutor, Ms. Ou Yulan, for her guidance, support, and encouragement. During the process of writing, she helped me a lot in every aspect of my paper. It is her profound knowledge and insight, and understanding that help me overcome difficulties, master the writing skills, and form my own ideas. Without her assistance, I would not have finished this paper.In addition, I would like to thank my family who always support and encourage me. Their warm love gives me the confidence and the driving force.Finally, I give my thanks to my dear friends and fellow students, who have kindly provided me, help, courage and companionship during I was preparing my paper. They really teach me a lot and I begin to know the value of the friendship.1Contents中文摘要.iAbstract.iiAcknowledgements.iiiIntroduction.1I. A General Introduction to the Author Charles Dickens.2A. Life.2B. Writing Career.3C. Writing Style.4II. A Brief Introduction to the Novel Oliver Twist.5A. General Outline of the Novel.5B. Theme of the Novel.7III. Social Background -Victorian Age.9 A. Domestic social condition.91. New Poor Law (1834) and the Chartist Movement (1836-1848).92. The Development and Social Problems in the Victorian Age.10B. Depiction of Social Reality in Oliver Twist.12. Main Social Significance.16A. Comparison with Current Situation of Modern Society.16B. Introspection and Inspiration to the People of the Modern Society.17C. Oliver Twists Progressive Significance to the Development of Society18Conclusion.23Notes.24Bibliography.25The Progressive Social Significance of Oliver TwistIntroduction“I had perhaps the best subject I have ever thought of , I have thrown my whole heart and soul into Oliver. ”, “I wished to show, in little Oliver, the principle of good surviving through every adverse circumstance, and triumphing at last.”. Dickens once wrote.1 Oliver Twist was Dickens second novel, which marked the beginning of Dickens literary life. In the novel, Dickens specifically described the terrible life of the people at the bottom of society. This novel was a vivid picture of social condition of England. And it also exposed the cruelty of parish workhouse through depicting the little Oliver Twists childhood in it. In the novel, Dickens pointed out the suffering of those poor people. He called readers attention to the social status of the orphan. Especially the exposure of the cruel treatment of those orphans in London in the novel is very impressive. Oliver Twist was a very serious literary work which was full of social problems. As a social novel, the novel calls the publics attention to various contemporary evils, including the Poor Law that stated that poor people should work in workhouses, child labor and the recruitment of children as criminals. In Oliver Twist, Dickens mixes grim realism, and merciless satire as a way to describe the effects of industrialism on 19th-century England and to criticize the harsh New Poor Laws. Dickens also makes a social commentary in the novel, attacking the hypocrisy and flaws of institutions, including the societys government, the laws and criminal system, and its methods of dealing with poor people. At the same time, Dickens points out the suffering inflicted by these systems and their deep injustice.Even, in the modern society, such kind of unequal phenomenon can also be found. The social reality and the realistic pictures of the horrible life of the poor people inspire most of the readers to deeply think about the social reform which can eliminate the inequality and discrimination.And especially its social significance was very important for the citizens who live in the modern society of 21st century. So, this paper, through the deep analysis of social reality in Victorian Age and the modern society, mainly talks about the progressive social significance of Oliver Twist.I. A General Introduction to the Author Charles DickensA. LifeCharles John Huffam Dickens was born on February7th 1812 at 13 Mile End Terrace, Portsmouth, England. He was the second child and first son of John Dickens, who was an assistant clerk in the Navy Pay Office. But his fatherhad spenttoo much money in entertaining, and at the same time the household expenses were rising. So in 1824 he was imprisoned for debt when Dickens was very young. And his family joined him in the Marshal Sea Prison, except Dickens, who was put to work at a blacking warehouse when he was just twelve. He worked at the scanty wage of 6 shillings a week. He lived in a boarding house in Camden Town and walked to work everyday and visited his father on Sundays. Thus, he had a sense of having been abandoned by his family. And this was the unhappy time of all his life. After his father was released, he was further wounded by his mothers insistence that he continue to work at the factory. His unhappy experience at the Blacking Factory haunted him all his life and he spoke of it only to his wife and to his closest friend.B. Writing CareerBetween 1824 and 1827, Dickens was a day pupil at a school in London. At fifteen, he found a job as an office boy at an attorneys, while he studied shorthand at night. And this qualified him to begin working as a Parliamentary reporter for a newspaper. This job was the beginning of his career of becoming a writer. During that time, he published several sketches in magazines including the two-volume edition of Sketches by Boz which were very popular. But it was not until he wrote The Pickwick Papers in 1836-1837 that he achieved the true success. The Pickwick Papers was published in monthly installments and sold over forty thousand copies for each issue.From 1838 to1841 appeared Oliver Twist, Nicholas Nickleby, The Old Curiosity Shop and Barnaby Rudge. These were Dickens early work. In 1842 Dickens made a trip to America and his unfavorable impressions of the life in the U.S.A. were reflected in American Notes and Martin Chuzzleuit. In 1843, Dickens published one of his most famous works, A Christmas Carol. Since 1844 he had spent much time in the European Continent, especially in France and Italy. The great social movements in the middle of the 19th century inspired Dickens famous novels of social criticism, David Copperfield, Bleak House, Hard Times and Little Dorrit. At the same time, he was editing Household Words (1852-1859), the Entire Year Round(1859-1870), two weekly magazines. Dickens was widely read in Europe and in 1858 he set off on a tour of public readings. In 1859, he published his historical novel of the French Revolution, A Tale of Two Cities which were followed by some novels on contemporary themes, Great Expectations and Our Mutual Friend. During his lifetime Dickens was known all over the world for his remarkable characters, his mastery of prose in the telling of the common peoples lives, and his depictions of the social classes, and his exposure of dark sides of the society. And he was also a spokesman for the poor.Dickens health started deteriorating in the 1860s. On June 9, 1870, Charles Dickens died and was buried in the Poets Corner of Westminster Abbey. He had written fifteen substantial novels and countless short pieces, except The Mystery of Edwin Drood which was unfinished at the time of his death. And his tomb inscribed thus: “He was a sympathizer to the poor, the suffering, and the oppressed; and by his death, one of Englands greatest writers is lost to the world.”C. Writing StyleDickens is a great humanitarian. He shows the sympathy for different class of citizens who suffer the misery of social inequality. And he demonstrates the peoples kind and beautiful soul in the novel. Meantime, Dickens ruthlessly exposes the dark reality and depicts social evils as well as the abuse and corruption of the English parliamentary system. Besides the exposure and condemnations, Dickens also shows the concern for the plight of the common, the poor and the oppressed people, and feels the hatred for the exploitation of the upper class. However, in the conflicted world of the good and the evil, he always adds the hope of future to the world so that the reader could have the impression of the moral purity:He sees life from the point of view of the poor of a great city. He shows great concern about social problems, supports all proposals for social reform, advocates an increase of democracy in all spheres of life, and champions the cause of the oppressed. Dickens maintains an unbroken faith in people with an entire pessimism as to capitalist society. His love for the working people is deep and sincere.2In the aspect of art, Dickens is an expert in the satire and the humor. He is good at portraying the main feature by the way of irony, humor, and exaggeration so that most of the characters in his novels can leave unforgettable impression on the readers mind.Also, he is a remarkable master of language. Dickens has a large amount of vocabulary and the astonishing skills of controlling language. All the characters he depicts usually have certain peculiarities in appearance, or in the style of speaking. And it is these peculiarities that make them vivid and alive. II. A Brief Introduction to the Novel Oliver TwistA. General Outline of the NovelOliver Twist is one of Dickenss most well-known works of critical realism. The event in the story mainly happened in England in the 19th century.Oliver Twistisborn into a life of poverty and misfortune in a workhouse. His mother, whose name no one knows, is found on the street and dies just after Olivers birth. Then he is sent to a workhouse, where he is poorly fed and mistreated. At the workhouse, he asks for more food by making a very famous request “Please, sir, I want some more. And this behavior leads him into a big trouble. After that, Mr. Bumble, the parish beadle, decides to give five pounds to anyone who would take Oliver as an apprentice. Later, Mr. Sowerberry, an undertaker comes to take Oliver into his service. He treats Oliver better, but his wife dislikes Oliver and always mistreats him. What is worse, he suffers torment from the Noah Clay pole, and fellow appetence and Charlotte, the Sowerberrys maid servant. One day, because of the severe insults and the abuse, he runs away.Then, he comes to the London. Through seven days of walking, he is very exhausted and starved. Then he encounters Jack Dawkins, a boy his own age. Jack offers him shelter in the London house of an old man, Fagin. And then the innocent Oliver Twist falls into a gang of pickpockets led by Fagin. And the other chief members are the burglar, Bill Sikes, his mistress Nancy, and the Artful Doger, a young pickpocket. They teach Oliver to pickpocket and make every effort to convert Oliver into a thief. After a few days of training, Oliver is sent on a pick pocketing mission with two other boys. When he sees them pick a handkerchief from an elderly gentleman, he is horrified and runs away. Then he is caught but narrowly escapes being convicted of the theft. Mr. Brownlow, the man whose handkerchief was stolen, takes Oliver to his home and takes good care of him. But the two members of Fagin gangs, Bill Sikes and Nancy, catch him again, and make him join them once again.A mysterious person named Monks has a special interest in Oliver and keeps him in the gang so that Oliver could become a criminal. Then Oliver is forced to participate in a task of burgling with Bill Sikes. But in the process of burgling, Oliver Twist is shot by a servant of the house and is seriously wounded by the gun-shot. Then he is taken in by the women who live there, Mrs. Maylie and her beautiful adopted niece Rose. They grow fond of Oliver, and Oliver spends a happy summer with them. But Fagin and Monks are planning to recapture Oliver. After a time, when the Mayflies come to London, the mistress Nancy comes to visit Miss Rose secretly and informs her of Monks plot. But a member of Fagins gang overhears the conversation. When Sikes knows what Nancy had done, he is very irritated. And his strong rage and impulse lead him to murder Nancy. After the murder, Sikes is very afraid and tries to escape, and in the end, he accidentally hangs himself and dies.The mysterious man Monks finally tells the truth about Olivers parentage. It is revealed that Monks is Olivers half brother. Their father, Mr. Leeford, was unhappily married to a wealthy woman and had an affair with Olivers mother, Agnes Fleming. Monks has been pursuing Oliver all the time and hopes to get the share of the family inheritance. Moreover, it is discovered that Rose is Agens younger sister, hence Olivers aunt. As to the rest of the gang, they are arrested and Fagin is hung for his crimes. Finally, Mr. Brownlow adopts Oliver, and lives a happy and new life from then on.B. Theme of the NovelThroughout the novel, the theme can be seen from different aspects.First, Oliver Twist is considered as a satire on the New Poor Law of 1834. It mainly reflects the real and miserable life of London underworld, especially those orphans who are destitute and helpless. In the novel, Oliver Twist was the representative of the orphan in the London underworld. Dickens led readers into terrible and dark reality. In short, through the vivid description of the life of the people in the London underworld, Dickens called forth the readers sympathy for the downtrodden people of the lower class.Moreover, the ineffectiveness of charitable institutions can be reflected. Much of the first few part of Oliver Twist mainly discusses the organizations of charity. The charitable institutions are supported by the church and the government at that time. The system Dickens describes in the novel is the Poor Law of 1834, which “stipulated that the poor could only receive government assistance if they moved into government workhouses.”3 Residents of those workhouses must abide by all the regulations. Labor was required, and families were almost separated. And food and clothing were not enough. The establishment of the workhouses was based on the idea that poverty was the result of laziness and that the dreadful conditions in the workhouse would inspire the poor to improve their own circumtances.4 Furthermore, as Dickens points out, the officials of the charitable institutions violated the values they preached to the poor. In general, charitable institution only reproduced the awful conditions in which the poor would live. As Dickens puts it,