隐喻与狄更斯远大前程中的环境铺垫

1、BA DissertationEnvironment Bedding and Metonymy in Dickenss Great ExpectationsBA Candidate Cao DanweiSupervisor Hu YumingWest Anhui UniversityMay, 2013AcknowledgementsHere I avail myself of this opportunity to express my heartfelt gratitude to all those who have helped me in the course of writing th

2、is paper.Firstly, I would like to thank my dear supervisor, Mr. Hu Yuming, for his constant encouragement and guidance. He has walked me through all the stages of the writing of this dissertation. He has offered me valuable ideas, suggestions and criticism with the profound knowledge in his research

3、 experience. Without his consistent and illuminating instruction, this dissertation would never come to its present form. Secondly, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to all the teachers who educated and cultivated me to be a qualified teacher in the future in the past two years.Finally,

4、 my thanks would go to my beloved family for their loving considerations and great confidence in me all through these years. I also owe my sincere gratitude to my friends and my fellow classmates who gave me their help and time in listening to me and helping me work out my problems during the diffic

5、ult course of the thesis.AbstractCharles Dickens (1812 -1870)，generally regarded as the greatest literary author of his time in Victorian England, enjoyed a wider popularity than any other previous authors had done during his whole lifetime. Dickenss later work Great Expectations (1861), which was c

6、onsidered as his artistic masterpiece, was the most perfectly constructed of all Dickenss novels. This thesis carefully analyzed the relationship between metonymy and the environment bedding in Dickenss Great Expectations to achieve a better understanding of this novel. This thesis was componented o

7、f four chapters. Chapter one was a brief introduction to this thesis, the life and career of Charles Dickens. Chapter Two discussed the figure of environment bedding in Great Expectation. Chapter Three focused on the figure of metonymy in Great Expectation and the relationship between metonymy and e

8、nvironment bedding in this novel. The last chapter concluded that the author used much metonymy rhetoric to make the environment bedding more vivid. The use of them was well complemented with each other in this novel. It was important for one to pay attention to the importance of using rhetoric and

9、writing techniques in writing. Key words: Charles Dickens; Great Expectation; environment bedding; metonymy摘要查尔斯狄更斯（1812 - 1870）, 被认为是维多利亚时代英国最伟大的文学天才。他的受欢迎程度比以往任何作者都高。狄更斯的后期作品远大的前程（1861），是他的艺术杰作，是狄更斯所有小说中最完美的。这篇论文分析了在远大前程中换喻和环境铺垫的关系，以便更好地理解这部小说。全文包括四大部分。第一章前言，简单的介绍了文本内容，狄更斯的生平和职业生涯。第二章主要是小说的写作手法之一的

10、环境铺垫进行描述分析。第三章重点对修辞手法换喻在远大前程中的作用进行分析，以及换喻和环境铺垫在这部小说中的关系。最后一章为结论，狄更斯在小说中换喻的使用让环境铺垫的描写更为生动。换喻和环境铺垫在小说中的使用是对各自很好的补充。因此，在写作中注意对修辞手法和写作技巧的运用是非常重要的。关键词：查尔斯狄更斯；远大前程；环境铺垫; 转喻ContentsAcknowledgements.iAbstract (English Version).iiAbstract (Chinese Version).ContentsChapter I Introduction11.1 Introduction to C

11、harles Dickens.11.2 Introduction to Great Expectations.3Chapter II Environment bedding in Great Expectations62.1 Environment foreshadowing in novels.72.2Environment foreshadowing in Great Expectation.9Chapter III Metonymy in Great Expectations.113.1 The definition of metonymy.113.2 Metonymy in Great

12、 Expectations.12 3.3 The correlation between metonymy and environment bedding.13Chapter IV Conclusion .16Bibliography 17Chapter I IntroductionCharles Dickens (1812 -1870)，generally regarded as the greatest literary geniuses of his time in Victorian England, enjoyed a wider popularity than any previo

13、us author had done during his lifetime. Dickenss later work Great Expectations (1861), which was regarded as his artistic masterpiece, was the most perfectly constructed of among all his novels. He concentrated on bottom peoples kindness, warmth and the power of moral influence. Great Expectations r

14、eflected four different periods interpersonal relationship and the change of the psychological activity of Pip. In order to describe the development of protagonists character, the author incisively and vividly explained how a country inspired a nice young man who then gradually developed into upper

15、class as a gentleman but end with bad habits and disillusion 1.1 Introduction to Charles DickensCharles Dickens (18121870), was the most popular English novelist of the Victorian period. During his life, his works enjoyed unprecedented fame, and by the twentieth century his literary genius was broad

16、ly acknowledged by critics and scholars. His novels and short stories continue to be widely popular (Laurence, 2008: 76). Although he had little formal education, his early impoverishment drove him to succeed. He contributed quite a lot to the development of British Literature. He edited a weekly jo

17、urnal for 20 years, wrote 15 novels, 5 novellas and hundreds of short stories and non-fiction articles, lectured over his career (Chesterton, 2008: 10-12). Of all his books, Dickens showed his great concern toward the society he lived in. The continuing popularity of his novels and short stories is

18、that they have never gone out of print. The beginning of the novel was set shortly after Dickenss birth date (1812) in the country of his childhood-the Kentish countryside by the sea. Dickens wasnt an orphan, as Pip was, but he may well have felt like one. His parents were sociable, pleasant people,

19、 but when Charles, who was the eldest boy, was nine, Dickenss family pulled up roots and moved to London to try to live more cheaply. Charles was appalled by the cramped, grubby house they lived in and even more ashamed when his father was arrested and taken to debtors prison. The rest of the Dicken

20、s was allowed to move into prison with their father, but twelve-year-old Charles had to live on his own outside. After his father was released from the prison, Dickens returned to school. He eventually became a law clerk, then a court reporter, and finally a novelist. Dickens loved the style of the

21、18th century picaresque novels which he found in abundance on his fathers shelves. According to Ackroyd, other than these, perhaps the most important literary influence on him was derived from the fables of The Arabian Nights (Ackroyd, 1990: 44-45). His first novel, the Pickwick Papers, became a hug

22、e popular success when Dickens was only twenty-five. Within a few years he had become an international literary celebrity, famous for his humour, satire, and keen observation of character and society. His novels, most published in monthly or weekly instalments, pioneered the serial publication of na

23、rrative fiction, which became the dominant Victorian mode for novel publication (Grossman, 2012: 54). His 1843 novella, A Christmas Carol, was one of the most influential works ever written, and it remained popular and continued to inspire adaptations in every artistic genre. His creative genius had

24、 been praised by fellow writersfrom Leo Tolstoy to G. K. Chesterton and George Orwellfor its realism, comedy, prose style, unique characterisations, and social criticism. He published his works extensively and was considered a literary celebrity until his death in 1870. Dickens was the most popular

25、novelist of his time, and remained one of the best known and most read of English authors.1.2 Introduction to Great Expectations GreatExpectationswasoneofthemostmatureworksofCharlesDickens,whichmainlytold theheroPiplookingforhisgreat expectation. At the opening of the novel, Pip was a parentless you

26、ng boy. His parents and siblings had passed away, and he was left to his elder sister. A definitely ragged convict was staring down at him, who played a very important role in Pips life. As Pip grew up, he became the subject of some unknown partys very great expectations and was endowed with conside

27、rable wealth unexpectedly. The themes are often the fundamental and universal ideas explored in a literary work. The moral theme of Great Expectations was quite simple: affection, loyalty, and conscience are more important than social advancement, wealth, and class. Dickens established the theme and

28、 showed Pip learning this lesson, largely by exploring ideas of ambition and self-improvement. Pips desire for self-improvement was the main source of the novels title: because he believed in the possibility of advancement in life, he had “great expectations” about his future. There was no doubt tha

29、t the way the author described his characters and developed them was fabulous. Each character played an influential role in Pips life. All these roles and the brilliant way in which they were plot-developed were related to Pip showed a feeling of familiarity and nostalgia.Moreover, the novel was fil

30、led with hardships and conflicts for Pip as well. It was clear that Pip had a defining wish to improve himself, but also an intense conscience throughout the novel. At the beginning of the book, Pip eagerly desired to rise himself above surroundings and made the most of himself as possibly as he can

31、, and even more. The desire really began with his introduction to Miss Havisham, a very strange woman who lived in the Satis House uptown. He met not only Miss Havisham but the young adopted girl Estella there, whom was raised by Miss Havisham since early childhood. Pip was almost instantly attracte

32、d by her beauty, yet she scorned him sharply. Pip couldnt understand why she treated him like this, and was very embarrassed of himself and his background, hoping his boots werent so thick and his accent not so coarse. He had a strong feeling to improve himself. Pips best friend Joe could not compet

33、e with the worldly-wise circle at the Satis House, nor did the wealth and property Pip get. Dickens, as a very descriptive novelist, had peppered this novel with a great many literary settings, who made full use of symbolism. He was trying to show us, through Pips trials, grieves, and relationships

34、with his life, that one must value himself and appreciate people who love him.ChapterEnvironment bedding in Great ExpectationsIn Great Expectations the protagonists living environment was roughly divided into three stages. In the first part, Pip lived a humble life with his rude elder sister and her

35、 strong but kind and friendly husband, Joe Gargery. On a Christmas Eve, Pip helped an escaped prisoner and gived him some food and a file. But later the prisoner was arrested. Unexpectedly, one day Pip got invited to the Miss Havishams house who was a rich old woman and saw her adopted a daughter Es

36、tella .Estella was beautiful, and Pip became attached to her,but she treated him uncaringly and scornfully. From that time on, Pip determined become a gentleman to marry Estella.In the second part, Pip received a large fortune from an unknown source and got a chance to be a lawyer in London. He wore

37、 well clothes and met people from upper class. For many years Pip had lived a fairly disorderly life in London, finally he became a selfish and felt ashamed of his relatives. In the third part, Pip found that he was sponsored by the criminal Magwitch who he had helped in his childhood. However, Pip

38、decided to help him escape to abroad again in moral. But they were captured by police. All of his possessions were cruelly confiscated. Without money and expectations, Pip determined to go to India and got a job in his friends company. Everything was changed, when Pip returned to his hometown many y

39、ears later. Pip happened to meet Estella in the ruined garden at Satis House. Finally he found that Estella became a kind woman, and they left the garden hand in hand. Pip believed that they will never part again. In these different stages, Pips character development was along with the change of env

40、ironment.2.1 Environment foreshadowing in novelsFirst, the environment foreshadowing in novels can show the characters status, suggest their social relations. Just like in the novel Great Expectations, at the beginning of the story, with a few words the author clearly stated that the hero lived with

41、 his elder sister and was often ill-treated by her. He expected to live a better life. Joe was always telling others that it was she who brought Pip up. However, she never gave Pip any tender care. “My sister, Mrs. Joe Gargery, was more than twenty years older than I, and had established a great rep

42、utation with herself and the neighbours because she had brought me up by hand.”(Dickens, 2010: 8) From these words we knew Pip was often bitten by his sister. After one day Pip got invited to the Miss Havishams house who is a rich old woman and saw her adopted a daughter Estella. Pip became attached

43、 to her,but she treated him uncaringly and scornfully. “I took the opportunity of being alone in the courtyard, to look at my coarse hands and common boots” (Dickens, 2010: 63). This told us why Pip wanted to pursue wealth and luxury life. So when the environment changed, he caught the chance and ma

44、de up his mind to become a gentleman. Therefore, through the environment foreshadowing, we knew the heros status and the social relations, and knew why the hero finally became to such a character.Second, the environment foreshadowing in different stages would successfully set off the typical persona

45、lities in different stages. So in a certain sense, environment reflected peoples character, and peoples character was the product of the environment. Life could shape peoples character, people also could change environment. The environment description in novels often closely related to the mood of t

46、he characters. Environmental factors could exert a subtle influence on the characters development. Like in the novel Great Expectations, the social environment changes played an important role in the development of protagonists personality. Because the special environment in Pips childhood, he had a

47、 kind, innocent and compassionate personality. After he met Estella, Pips character totally changed. He understood that the gap between the upper class and lower class was very large. He began to look down upon himself. Even the environment, background and the entire thing of his family made him fee

48、l inferior. The transformation of social environment led Pips thought changed hugely and finally he became a man who was wild and selfish. These series of the environment evolution restricted the development of the protagonist Pips character deeply. Therefore, social environment and the human nature

49、 were both greatly influence the growth of a man.2.2 Environment foreshadowing in Great Expectations The environment foreshadowing made the description of environments vividly as a picture in the novel. In Great Expectations, one day the protagonist Pip had been in the country live in bland blacksmi

50、th apprentice. When one day he accepted large sum of unknown property, from that time on he became a man on the road to the pursuit of great expectations. It embodied the life of the protagonists in Dickenss novels was a subjective process unify with the objective life logic. In the novel the protag

51、onist went to London after he got the money. Even though the money could change his image in society, for himself he still couldnt become a real gentleman. The period in London was also the time he gradually lost himself. In the end, he began to turn over a new leaf to go back to real life and decid

52、ed to live on his own ability and made great efforts to change their future. Through the change of protagonists characters in the gain and loss, we could see that the social environment influence the formation and change of character. But the men themselves could decide what to pursue and the hope t

53、hey want, so people also had influence on the environment and the transform function. When one could adapt to the environment and control oneself, he could play his role well. Therefore, in this respect, we knew that character development is not completely the result of the social environment influe

54、nce. Great Expectations vividly described a suffering orphan who struggled with constant hard fate which made his psychological mature. Facing the change of the environment, finally he became an ordinary people end with shaking hands with the first lover and living a happy life. This paper emphasize

55、d on the social environment and the development of the protagonists character. On the one hand, social circumstances and the development of Pips character were closely connected and couldnt be separated. On the other hand, the development of Pips character was not totally determined by the social ci

56、rcumstances, but also by Pip himself. Namely the development of personality was closely linked with social environment. But facing the changeable life, one should not be illusion but should be steadfast calm and find true self-worth (Lei Ping, 2005: 7-9).Chapter Metonymy in Great Expectation3.1 The

57、definition of metonymyMetonymy is a figure of speech in rhetoric in which one thing or concept is substituted for another by the name of something intimately associated with that thing or concept. Metonymy is derived from two classical Greek words and means “a change in name.” (Alfred, 1893: 222) Metonymy also may refer to the rhetorical strategy of describing something indirectly, by referring to things to it, in either time or space.Metonymy and metaphor were often compared together in order to get more information to distinguish them. Both of them were involve