英国文学史维多利亚时期文学背景及特点

TheVictorianAge(1832-1902)Objectives1.TohavethebasicknowledgeaboutthebriefhistoryoftheVictorianPeriod.2.Toknowsomethingaboutthecriticalrealist3.TobefamiliarwithCharlesDickens’writingstylesandmajorcontributiontoEnglishliterature.HistoricalBackground--beganwiththepassageoftheReformBillin1832andclosedattheendoftheBoerWarin1902. Victoriaage: Victoria； thequeenVictoria’saccessionin1837andherdeathin1901.Sheruledfor63years,thelongestinEnglishhistory.TheperiodhasbeengenerallyregardedasoneofthemostgloriousintheEnglishhistory.QueenElizabeth(1533-1603)andQueenVictoria(1819-1901). TheEnglishpeoplewereproudoftwoqueensintheirhistory:QueenElizabeth(1533-1603)andQueenVictoria(1819-1901).Therearesimilaritiesbetweenthetwoqueens.First,bothqueenswereonthethroneforalongperiodoftime,QueenElizabethbeingonthethroneforoverfortyyears(1558-1603)andQueenVictoriamorethan60years(1837-1901). Secondly,duringtheirlongreignsEnglanddevelopedrapidlybothpoliticallyandeconomically.DuringthereignofQueenElizabeth,capitalismfirsttookitsshape,andthesmallislandcountrydefeatedthestrongnavalpowerSpainin1588.DuringthelongreignofQueenVictoria,Englandgrewtheworkshopoftheworldaswellasitsfinancialandpoliticalcenter. Thirdly,duringtheirreigns,literatureflourished.IntheageofQueenElizabethdramaflourishedandwithittherewasthegreatestdramatistWilliamShakespeare.whereasintheageofQueenVictoria,novelflourishedandwithitagalaxyofbrilliantnovelistsappearedontheliteraryscene.TheVictorianagecanberoughlydividedintothreeperiods theearlyperiod1832-1854,atimeofsocialunrest; themiddleperiod1855-1879,aperiodofeconomicprosperityandreligiouscontroversy; thelastperiod1880-1901,aperiodofdecayofVictorianvalues. Itcanbedividedinto2periods: -EarlyVictoriaPeriod（1832-1868） -LateVictoriaPeriod（1869-1902）thefirstfourteenyearswerefilledwithunrest,alarmandmisery,andtheycontrastedwiththegrowingprosperityandgeneralgoodfeelingofthesucceedingtwenty-twoyearswhenEngland,havingcommittedherselftoindustrialismandfreetrade,becauseforatheme'theworkshopoftheworld'一Political 1Reform 2ChartistMovement(1838-48)TheProgressofReform ①greatchanggesinadministration leadership/financialpolicyWhigToriesemancipationofslaves(dominions)effectotherareas Theimpetusofrefom Aseriesoflaws;①childLabourinfactoriesin1833②FactoryAct(1833)③PoorLawAmendmentAct(1834)④TherepealoftheCornLawsin1846⑤TenHoursActin1847 TheReformBillof1832extendedtherighttovotetoallmenowningpropertyworthtenpoundsormore.Thisbillextendedtherighttovotetotheindustrialcapitalistsandthelowermiddleclass,butnottheworkers(theyhadtowaituntil1867whenasecondReformBillwaspassed) ThesecondaccomplishmentoftheReformBillwastoeliminatethe“rottenboroughs”andgavethevacantseatstotheindustrialcities.ThisBillbrokethemonopolyinParliamentoftheconservativelandownersandendedthelongreignoftheTorypartywhichhadbeeninpoweralmostcontinuouslyfrom1783to1830.TheWhigparty,whichrepresentedtheinterestsoftheindustrialcapitalistsandbusinessmen,cameintopower. Withtheintroductionofthesteamengine,itwaspossibleforthecapitaliststohireunskilledworkers,suchaswomenandchildren.Manyskilledworkerswereunemployed,andwhatmadethesituationsworsewastheenforcementoftheCornLaws,whichforbadeimportinganygrainfromforeigncountrieswhenthepriceofwheatdroppedtoacertainprice;thismeasurekeptwheatatahighpriceintheinterestsofthelandedclass.In1845seriouscropfailuresinEnglandandthepotatoblightinIrelandkeptthepriceofbreadstillhigher. UndertheeconomicpolicyofLaissezfaire(apolicybasedontheUtilitarianphilosophy)whichassertedthatthefunctionofprivatepropertyandnottointerferewiththeeconomicoperationofthecountry,thecapitalistsdidnotfeeltheywereresponsibleforthepovertyoftheworkingpeople.Inordertodemandtheirownrights,theworkingpeoplelaunchedlarge-scaledemonstrations.TheyputforwardtheirpoliticaldemandsintheformofaCharterandorganizedmeetingstocollectsignatures.Inthe1830sand1840sthecountrywasthreatenedbysocialunrest.TheChartistMovementreacheditspeakin1838,1842,and1848.ChartistMovement Themajorcontraditioninthepoliticalarenabecamemoredefinitebetweenlabourandcapital. Theworkersforsocialjusticeandabetterlife Forwantofpossessingvotesandleadership,aunifiedpurposeandfundsTheMovementFizzledOut Reson:1ToomasCarlyle 2"HungryForties" "threantigcloud" Rulingclasses'twofears;pestilenceandrisingmob**可编辑Thoughitfailed,Chartismsignififiedthefirstgreatpoliticalmovementofproletariat(无产阶级）inEnglishhistory.二EconomicAnageofprosperityandprogress－therichestandmostpowerful;－the1sturbanandindustrialsocietyintheworld;－Thedevelopmentofscienceandtechnology:railways,telegraphs,journalism;三Culturally－97%peopleabletoreadby1900;－cheaperpaper;－fasterprinting;－easiercirculation;－moreworkingreadersdemandingcheapliterature:Victoriannovelsarecharacterizedbythecommonfeaturesbelow:1.Theplotisunfoldedagainstasocialbackgroundwhichisbroaderthanwhatithadbeeninpreviousnovels.TheplotdrawsmaterialsfromsocietyandrelatestheminsuchawaythattheVictoriannovelsreflectthecomplexityofhumanrelationsinacapitalistsocietyandrevealthewriters’attitudestowardsthesociety.2.Thecause-effectsequenceismuchmorestrikingthaninpreviousnovels.Generallyspeaking,amotiveorasetofcircumstancesgivesrisetoaneventwhichproducesaneffectonacharacter,andthroughthemechanicsofinternalcausation,itgivesrisetoanothereventwhichinturnsbecomesanothercause.Andallthisiscentredaroundthecentralcharacter.Thiskindofdevelopmentofplotiscalled“linearcausation,”whichmakestheVictoriannovelsbetterconstructedthanpreviousones.3.MostoftheVictoriannovelswerefirstpublishedinserialform,thatis,byinstalment,beforetheywerefullypublishedinasinglebook.Theyfirstappearedinpamphlets,periodicals,ornewspapers.ThiswastrueofCharlesDickens’worksandWilliamThackeray’sVanityFair.Theserialformmaybedetrimentaltotheplot,asHenryJames(1843-1916)characterizedtheworksofDickensas“largeloosebaggymonsters.”However,thiswasnotnecessarilyso.ThelaternovelsofDickenswerewellconstructed.Likeanactororpublicspeaker,theVictorianwritershadasense,duringtheprocessoftheirwriting,ofhowtheirreaderswouldrespondtotheirworks.Theyhadtomeetthechallengethatwasputtothewriterstoholdtheinterestofthereadersineveryissueandhadtoprovidethemdelightandentertainment.4.TheVictoriannovelsweretaintedbythespiritofPuritanismoftheVictorianage.TheVictoriancapitalistswerenotoriousfortheirhypocrisy.Thoughcruellyexploitingtheworkingclassandlivingluxuriouslythemselveswithlittlecareforthemiseriesofthepoor,theypreachedthatthekeytosuccesswasthattheyweresober,earnest,hardworking,andthattheyabstainedfromworldlypleasures.TheirPuritanstandardofsexualbehaviourwasverystrict.Womenshouldbekeptinnocent,i.e.,ignorant.TheirPuritancodehadmuchbearingsontheliterature.Forwheneversexualmatterwastouched,Victorianwriterswouldtryeverymeanstokeepawayfromit.Itwasespeciallysosincenovelswerecommonlyreadinfamilygatheringanditwasnecessarynottoincludeinthenovelwhatmightcauseembarrassmenttotheladies.5.TheVictoriannovelswerecharacterizedbytheirmoralpurpose.Manywriterswrotenovelswithapurposetoedifyreadersandtobringaboutreforms.Ofcourse,thiswasnonewthinginEnglishliterature.ButtheVictorianwriters,livinginanagewhentherewerestrikingdifferencesbetweentherichandthepoorandwhentheevilsofthecapitalistsocietyweresoconspicuous,invariablycriticizedcertainaspectsofthesocietyandadvocatedtheirremedy.SomeChinesescholarscalledthemcriticalrealisticnovelists,anepithetorlabeltoovaguetobeappliedtosuchavarietyofwriters.Literarily poetry AlfredTennyson(1809-1892):poetlaureate RobertBrowning(1812-1889) ElizabethBarrettBrowning(1806-1861) Novel AGoldenAgeofNovel：(Critical)realistnovels Criticalrealismflourishedasaliterarycurrent.*Somemajorauthors （书目录中）CharlotteBrontë(1816—1855)EmilyBrontë(1818—1848)AnneBrontë(1820—1849)theBrontëSistersCharlotteBrontëEmilyBrontëAnneBrontëJaneEyreWutheringHeightsAgnesGrey*CriticalRealism TheEnglishcriticalrealistsofthe19thcenturyflourishedinthe1840sandinthebeginningof1850s. Therealistssetthemselvesthetaskofcriticizingcapitalistsocietyfromademocraticviewpointanddelineatedthecryingcontradictionsofbourgeoisreality. Criticalrealistsrevealthesocialrealityandcriticizetheinjustice,povertyandreligioushypocrisy.TheFeaturesofEnglishCriticalRealism1.Givesasatiricalportrayalofthebourgeoisieandshowsprofoundsympathyforthecommonpeople.2.Democraticandhumanistic3.Unabletofindagoodsolutiontothesocialcontradictions.**可编辑