菲尔丁小说《汤姆

菲尔丁小说《汤姆 图书分类号: 密 级: 毕业论文 菲尔丁小说《汤姆?琼斯》中的戏剧因素分析 An Analysis of the Dramatic Elements in Fielding’s Tom Jones Acknowledgements First and foremost, I would like to show my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Ms. Xue Binglian, who has provided me with valuable guidance in every stage of the writing of this thesis. Without her enlightening instruction, impressive kindness and patience, I could not have completed my thesis. Her keen and vigorous academic observation enlightens me not only in this thesis but also in my future study. I shall extend my thanks to Mrs. Liu for all her kindness and help. I would also like to thank all my teachers who have helped me to develop the fundamental and essential academic competence. My sincere appreciation also goes to the college library of Xuzhou Institute of Technology for providing me the free access to their database. Last but not least, I’d like to thank all my friends and classmates, especially my three lovely roommates, for their encouragement and support. I Abstract Henry Fielding is one of the most outstanding novelists in the eighteenth century in England. He is considered as the “Father of English Novel”. Tom Jones is regarded as his masterpiece, with the fame of one of the best-constructed novels in English literature. It is a masterpiece on the subject of human nature. Since its publication, it has attracted great attention. Many scholars have studied it from various prospective. Considering Fielding’s writing experience as a dramatist, this novel is worthy of being analyzed to see whether its great achievement has much related with dramatic elements. After careful reading, it is obvious to see that the dramatic elements used in this novel have played a vital role in revealing the plot structure and the theme of the novel. And moreover, by using comedic techniques, Fielding gives readers a vivid and truthful panoramic picture of the 18th century society. Therefore, this thesis attempts to explore the dramatic elements embodied in the novel. The thesis is divided into four chapters. Chapter one is a brief introduction to Henry th-Fielding and his masterpiece Tom Jones. Chapter two introduces the 18 century English drama and enumerates the key elements and types of drama. Chapter three is devoted to the analysis of dramatic elements embodied in the novel, especially the use of dramatic conflicts, dramatic plot and dramatic skills. Chapter four serves as a conclusion, presenting the purpose of writing this thesis—to reveal Fielding’s great intelligence in writing and his great influence in English modern novels. Keywords: Henry Fielding Tom Jones dramatic elements plot structure comedic techniques II 摘要 亨利?菲尔丁是十八世纪最杰出的英国小说家之一，被誉为“英国小说之父”。 《汤姆?琼斯》是其最杰出的作品，被誉为英国文学史上结构最完美的小说之一, 是一部主题关注人性的伟大小说。自出版以来，一直备受文学评论界的关注，学者们也已从不同的角度研究过这部著作。鉴于菲尔丁曾经的剧作家经历，因此分析小说中的戏剧因素，并探究其在小说中的作用具有一定的价值。仔细阅读文本后，不难发现小说中的戏剧因素在揭示小说的情节和主题上发挥了巨大作用。利用这些戏剧因素，菲尔丁在读者面前展现了十八世纪英国社会的真实现状。因此，论文将探讨分析戏剧因素在小说中的体现，揭示作者如何利用戏剧因素突出小说主题。希望能够提供一个较新的研究思路，丰富对这部小说的研究。 论文分为四章，第一章简单介绍作者亨利?菲尔丁及其著作《汤姆?琼斯》。第二章详细展示了十八世纪英国戏剧并介绍戏剧的主要因素和类型。第三章重点分析了戏剧因素在这部小说中的运用，特别是戏剧冲突、戏剧情节、戏剧技巧在文中的应用。第四章是论文的结论，进一步揭示论文的主题及菲尔丁的卓越艺术天赋和其作品在文学史上的重要地位。 关键词:亨利?菲尔丁;《汤姆?琼斯》;戏剧因素;情节结构;喜剧技巧 III Contents Acknowledgements.........................................................................................................................I Abstract ......................................................................................................................................... II 摘要 .............................................................................................................................................. III Chapter One Henry Fielding and Tom Jones ............................................................................. 1 1.1 Henry Fielding, Father of English Novel ............................................................................... 1 1.2An Introduction to Tom Jones ................................................................................................. 2 Chapter Two An Introduction to the 18th- Century British Drama ........................................ 4 th_2.1 Drama in 18Century England ............................................................................................. 4 2.2 Key Elements of Drama ......................................................................................................... 5 2.3 Classifications of Drama ........................................................................................................ 6 Chapter Three Dramatic Elements Embodied in Tom Jones .................................................... 8 3.1 Dramatic Conflict ................................................................................................................... 8 3.2 Dramatic Plot.......................................................................................................................... 9 3.2.1 Three Main Scenes ........................................................................................................... 9 3.2.2 A Happy Ending ............................................................................................................. 10 3.3 Dramatic Language .............................................................................................................. 11 3.3.1 Easy and Vernacular Language ...................................................................................... 11 3.3.2 Ironic and Humorous Language ..................................................................................... 13 3.4 Dramatic Skills ..................................................................................................................... 14 3.4.1 Suspense ......................................................................................................................... 14 3.4.2 Unexpectedness .............................................................................................................. 15 3.4.3 Coincidence and Misunderstanding ............................................................................... 16 Chapter Four Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 17 Reference ...................................................................................................................................... 18 I Chapter One Henry Fielding and Tom Jones 1.1 Henry Fielding, Father of English Novel Henry Fielding, novelist, dramatist, essayist and pamphleteer, was called by Sir Walter Scott, the “Father of English Novel”. He is considered the greatest novelist of 18th century. He, together with Daniel Defoe and Samuel Richardson, has been regarded as the pioneer practitioner of a literary genre，novel. Henry Fielding, born on April 22, 1707, was the eldest of seven children, at Sharpham Park, in Somerset, England. He was the son of General Edmund Fielding, His mother, Sarah Gould Fielding, was the daughter of a judge. Having been educated at Eton and Leyden University, Fielding was compelled to leave the university after a year and a half of studies because of the poverty of his family. In order to support himself, he began to write plays. He was poor himself all his life; that is why he was very sympathetic towards the poor and unfortunate, and protested strongly against social injustice and political corruption in his writing. From 1730 to 1737, Fielding wrote 25 plays in all and became the most successful playwright of his time. He later started his own Little Theater. As a playwright, fielding was applauded by the public but hated by the government, for his plays were mostly comedies and farces filled with bold social and political satires. His plays caused great fear in the English government, particularly the Prime Minister Walpole, therefore, they were prohibited from being put on by the government. Due to the implement of the political censorship of the Licensing Act, Fielding had to give up play-writing, and then resumed his legal studies. After that, he worked as a lawyer; meanwhile he began his novel writing. But his health was failing because of sorrow, poverty and arduous work. Still he managed to produce “one of the gayest, raciest, and most amusing books in the English language” (Liu, 1993: 200). Of all his plays, the best known are The Coffee-house Politician, Don Quixote in England, and The Historical Register for the Year. These successful plays not only contributed to a temporary revival of the English theatre but also were of great help to his later literary career as a novelist. Fielding died at Lisbon on October 8th, 1754. In his lifelong time, he completed four famous novels in all: The History of the Adventure of Joseph Andrew; The Life of Mr. Jonathan Wild the Great; Tom Jones, and Amelia. These novels strongly condemn the political system and the judicial system of the country and expose all sorts of unfair phenomena. They have a great influence upon the development of modern novel in Britain as well as a number of other European countries in the nineteenth century. Fielding’s chief contribution to English literature lies in his novels. As one of the founders of the realistic novel in England, he opens up a brand-new realm for novel-writing. He 1 established, once for all, the form of modern novel—a new art form which is realistic, comic, unsentimental, showing contemporary life and manners. Of all eighteenth century novelists, he was the first to set out, both in theory and practice to write specifically a “comic in prose”, the first to give the modern novel its structure and style. His structure is carefully planned towards an inevitable ending. His works are also noted for lively, dramatic dialogues and other theatrical devices, such as suspense, coincidence and unexpectedness. And his style is easy, unlabored, and familiar, but extremely vivid and vigorous, and his sentences are logic and rhythmical. His command of language is remarkable. 1.2 An Introduction to Tom Jones Tom Jones, Henry Fielding’s third novel, is first published in England in 1749 and is an immediate best-seller. Thackeray once acclaimed it as “the most surprising product of human’s originality.” (Xiao, 1984: 6) Among Fielding’s four novels, Tom Jones is his comic masterpiece and best known work. In 1963, it was shot into a movie. It is a comedy in both senses of the formal definition: it is amusing and all ends well. Originally entitled The History of Tom Jones, A Foundling, the book tells the story of the title character from his infancy to his marriage to the beautiful and virtuous Sophia Western, the pursuit of whom takes up much of the tale. thThis novel gives us a vivid and truthful panoramic picture of the 18-century England. It has touched upon all kinds of people and social problems. It mainly relates the story of Tom Jones, an illegitimate child, adopted by Mr. Allworthy. Not long after that, his sister Miss Bridget gets married and gives birth to a baby named Blifil. Miss Brigdet and her husband die soon, so Mr. Allworthy brings Blifil up together with Tom. After they have grown up, Tom falls in love with a neighbor Sophia Western. Having an eye to his uncle’s money, Blifil blackens Tom in Mr. Allworthy’s eyes, so Tom is banished from Mr. Allworthy’s house and has to make his way to London. Shortly after that, Sophia flees from her family and also goes to London, because her father wants her to marry the evil and disgusted Bilfil. Tom and Sophia are ignorant of each other’s plans and travel independently. Meeting all different kinds of interesting people, their journey is full of various exciting incidents. Having overcome numerous obstacles, Tom finally wins Sophia’s hand. At the same time, Tom’s true identity is revealed: he is Miss Bridget’s illegitimate child. In this novel, the commonplace actions and the stories of the ordinary people constitute the subject matter. The exquisite structure of Tom Jones, together with full-blood characters from every social rank, has got countless critics’ and scholars’ high praise, one of whom made a comment, “Tom Jones (1749) is at once the last and the consummate achievement of England’s Augustan Age.” (Battestin, 1974: 213) 2 Tom Jones was published thirty years after Robinson Crusoe, which is usually considered to be the first modern novel in the history of English literature. Since the appearance of Tom Jones many critics have laid their focus on the novel, analyzing it from various prospective. Harold Bloom, in his Henry Fielding and Henry Fielding’s Tom Jones, provides a detailed study of Henry Fielding and his masterpiece Tom Jones. In The Reader’s Role in Eighteenth Century Fiction, John Preston uses the method of Reader Response to analyze Fielding’s novels, and claims that Fielding takes much lightly the fact that a lot must be left in the reader’s hands. Zhou Wenni, in her Feilding’s Theory of Comic Prose Epic and It’s Practice in The History of Tom Jones, A Founding, she explores Fielding’s novel theory of “comic epic in prose”. Through the investigation into the literature home and abroad, the study of Tom Jones mainly remains in three fields: Fielding’s theory in novel; Fielding’s philosophy, moral values and other themes in the novel; the form and techniques practiced in the novel. All in all, the studies of Tom Jones are still of a great necessity. Considering Fielding’s writing experience as a dramatist, this novel is worthy of being analyzed to see whether its great achievement has much related with dramatic elements. After careful reading, it is obvious to see that the dramatic elements used in this novel have played a vital role in revealing the plot structure and the theme of the novel. And moreover, by using thcomedic techniques, Fielding gives readers a vivid and truthful panoramic picture of the 18- century society. Therefore, based on the previous studies, this thesis attempts to explore the main dramatic elements in this novel to see how they highlight and serve the theme and hopes to provide a new thought to research on Fielding’s novel. 3 Chapter Two An Introduction to the 18th- Century British Drama th_2.1 Drama in 18Century England English Renaissance, approximately 1500—1660, witnesses a flowering of the British drama. William Shakespeare, the most famous playwright in the English literature history, wrote plays that are still performed in theatres across the world to this day. He is remarkable in that he produced all three types of plays: the histories, the comedies, and the tragedies. The other two popular dramatists in this age are Christopher Marlowe and Ben Johnson. thThe 18-century in Europe was The Age of Enlightenment and literature explored themes of social upheaval, reversals of personal status, political satire, geographical exploration and the comparison between the supposed natural state of man and the supposed civilized state of man. thDrama plays a vital role in the18-century England. Then plays were put on stage every day. Almost everyone in England was intended to a theater to enjoy the performance at leisure time. thWatching plays is no longer a privilege for the nobles. And the 18-century English dramas concentrate on relationships between man and society, between man and his fellow beings, and thbetween man and nature. The dramatic practice in the 18-century has established the ethics for typical bourgeois drama, namely, mercantile economy ethics, egotistic life ethics and sentimental natural ethics. These ethics which have embodied modern consciousness have accelerated the development of capitalism and regulated the interpersonal relationships of the new times, and to future ecological socialism. will lead thIn the 18-century, the highbrow and provocative Restoration comedy lost favor, to be replaced by sentimental comedy and domestic tragedy such as George Lillo’s The London Merchant (1731) and by an overwhelming interest in Italian opera. Popular entertainment became more dominant in this period than ever before. Fair-booth burlesque and musical entertainment, the ancestors of the English music hall, flourished at the expense of legitimate thEnglish drama.The influence of Restoration comedy can be seen in the 18-century in the plays of Oliver Goldsmith and Richard B. Sheridan. This century also ushered in the middle-class or domestic drama, which treated the problems of ordinary people. Such playwrights as Sir Richard Steele and Colley Cibber in England and Marivaux in France contributed to the development of the genteel, sentimental comedy. While the political satire in the plays of Henry Fielding and in John Gay’s Beggar’s Opera (1728) seemed to offer a more interesting potential than the sentiment of Cibber, this line of development was cut off by the Licensing Act of 1737, which required government approval before a play could be produced. 4 2.2 Key Elements of Drama Drama is a display of emotions, a representation of relationships and the portrayal of the different phases of human life. It is created for “entertaining, educating and improving people’s life.” (Liu, 1993: 186) It sketches different personalities and represents a wide variety of emotions through the different characters it portrays. Although there are many different opinions on the elements of drama, most successful playwrights agree on that the following six are the fundamentals of drama:theme, plot, characters, lines, music and spectacle. The theme refers to the central idea of a play. It can either be clearly stated through dialogue or action or can be inferred after watching the entire performance. Sometimes the theme is clearly stated in the title. Sometimes it may be stated through dialogue by a character. Or it may be less obvious and summarized only after some careful study. The plot refers to the order of events occurring in a play. It is the basic storyline that is narrated through a play. It must have some sort of unity and clarity by setting up a pattern by which each action initiating the next rather than standing alone without connection to what came before it or what follows. In the plot of a play, characters are involved in conflict that has a pattern of movement. The action and movement in the play begins from the initial entanglement, through rising action, climax, and falling action to resolution. The characters that form a part of the story are interwoven with the plot of the drama. Each character in a play has his own distinct personality, age, appearance, beliefs, socio economic background, and language. Actors who play various roles in a drama have the very important responsibility of bringing the characters to life. Lines are the language of the characters in a play. Lines delivered by the characters can move the plot and action along, and define the distinctive characters. The success of a drama depends largely on the lines. They are represented by the form of dialogue, monologue, narration, subtext (unspoken words left to the understanding of the audience or reader), etc. Music comprises of the melody in the use of sounds and rhythm. The background score, the songs and the sound effects make up the musical elements of a drama. The songs are used to push the plot forward and move the story to a higher level of intensity. If the scenes of a play are accompanied by well-suited pieces of music, they become more effective on the audiences. Hence, music forms a very important element of drama. Spectacle in the theatre can involve all of the aspects of scenery, costumes, and special effects in a production. While the dialogue and music constitute the audible aspect of drama, it is the spectacle’s responsibility to render a visual appeal to it. The costumes worn by the artists must suit the characters they are playing. Besides, it is important for the scenes to be dramatic 5 enough to attract the audience. The special effects used in a play add to the visual appeal. 2.3 Classifications of Drama Drama Literature can be divided into many types on the basis of different standards and different aspects. For example, the play by the contents can be divided into comedy, tragedy and tragicomedy; according to the forms can be divided into drama, opera, ballet, mime, etc. This thesis is going to discuss tragedy, comedy and tragicomedy in detail. Tragedy is an imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude. The tragedy is presented in the form of action, not narrative. It will arouse pity and fear in the audience as it witnesses the action. It allows for an arousal of this pity and fear and creates an affect of purgation or catharsis of these strong emotions by the audience. Tragedy is serious by nature in its theme and deals with profound problems. These profound problems are universal when applied to the human experience. In classical tragedy, a protagonist at the center of the ama is usually a great person of upper class birth. He is a good man that can be admired, but he dr has a tragic flaw, usually too much pride, which will be the ultimate cause of his downfall. The protagonist always learns, usually too late, the nature of his flaw and his mistakes that have caused his downfall. Then he becomes self-aware and accepts the inevitability of his fate and takes full responsibility for his actions. We must have this element of inevitability in tragedy. There must be a cause and effect relationship from the beginning through the middle to the end or final catastrophe. It must be logical in the conclusion of the necessary outcome. Tragedy involves the audience in the action and creates tension and expectation. With the climax and final end the audience will learn lesson and will leave the theatre not depressed or sullen, but uplifted and enlightened. Comedy should have the view of a “comic spirit” and is physical and energetic. It is tied up with rebirth and renewal, this is the reason most comedies end in weddings, which suggest a union of a couple and the expected birth of children. In comedy there is an absence of pain and emotional reactions, as with tragedies, and a replaced use of man’s intellect. The behavior of the characters presented in comedies is ludicrous and sometimes absurd and the result in the audience is one of correction of behaviors. This correction of behaviors is the didactic element of comedies that acts as a mirror for society, by which the audience learn “don’t behave in ludicrous and absurd ways.” The types of comedies can vary greatly; there are situation comedies, romantic comedies, sentimental comedies, dark comedies, comedies of manners, and pure farce. The comic devices used by playwrights of comedy are: exaggeration, incongruity, surprise, repetition, wisecracks, and sarcasm. Tragicomedy is fictional work that blends aspects of the genres of tragedy and comedy. In 6 English literature, from Shakespeare’s time to the nineteenth century, tragicomedy refers to a serious play with either a happy ending or enough jokes throughout the play to lighten the mood. It focuses on character relationships and shows society in a state of continuous flux. In its broadest sense, the term may be applied to almost any kind of drama that does not conform strictly to comic or tragic conventions—from the medieval mystery play to the epic theatre of Brecht—but it is associated more specifically with a dramatic tradition that emerged from Italy thin the 16-century. 7 Chapter Three Dramatic Elements Embodied in Tom Jones 3.1 Dramatic Conflict Tom Jones has shaped many distinctive characters, such as Tom, Blifil, Mr. Western, Mr. Partridge and etc. Fielding believes that having a good nature is the most crucial thing about human nature, for the good nature is the core of excellent morality. In Tom Jones，Fielding systematically expresses the “natural morality” he advocated. According to Fielding, as Ian Watt claims, “virtue, far from being the result of the suppression of instinct at the behest of public opinion, was itself a natural tendency to goodness or benevolence”. (Ian Watt, 2001: 285) The natural morality mainly focuses on human nature, which is a mixture of the good and the evil. There is a strong conflict between Tom and Bilfil who respectively represent the good and the evil. Tom, loving and kind, has very low status in the society and is even denied the right to inherit any property from the family. He is also scolded and rejected by Sophia’s father when the ws Tom is in love with Sophia. But even in such an adverse environment, Tom still latter kno owns the characteristics of honesty, integrity and bravery. Therefore some argue that Tom is actually “one of the best natured fellows alike”. Yet he has “all that weakness called compassion.”(Guo, 1998(4): 86—89) He is always kind and ready to help others. For instance, in order to help Geodge, the black servant, Tom undergoes severe punishment willingly without letting others know Geodge has also been involved in the bird affair. And when the secret is released by Blifil. Tom manages to help Geodge by selling his own horse that as a present given by Mr. Allworthy and a refined copy of Bible. “Oh, sir!” answered Tom, “your poor gamekeeper, with all his large family, ever since your discarding him, have been perishing with all the miseries of cold and hunger: I could not bear to see these poor wretches naked and starving, and at the same time know myself to have been the occasion of all their sufferings. I could not bear it, sir; upon my soul, I could not.” [Here the tears ran down his cheeks, and he thus proceeded.] “It was to save them from absolute destruction I parted with your dear present, notwithstanding all the value I had for it: I sold the horse for them, and they have every farthing of the money.” (Book III, Chapter VIII) In another case, Tom offers a hand to Mrs. Miller. Mrs. Miller’s eldest daughter is pregnant before marriage and is to be deserted by Nitingale, which cast the whole family into darkness. But Tom successfully persuades Nintihale to marry Mrs. Miller’s daughter and saves the young 8 girl from suicide. From these two cases, we know that Tom, although beyond despise in the eyes of the so-called noble men, are in fact far nobler than them. If we say Tom is the representative of the good in human nature, then no doubt, his half-brother Blifil is the representative of the evil who stands on the non-moral pole of the other side. Blifil is much higher than Tom in birth but a thousand times lower in moral level. He persecutes Geodge, the black servant and is very hypercritical towards Mr. Allworthy. He flies the lovely little bird of Sophia when he knows the bird is given by Tom. And there is something that anyone can’t endure. He tells Mr. Allworthy that during his illness, Tom is happy and he even gets drunk while the truth is not. And he doesn’t tell Mr. Alworthy the true identity of Tom when he knows the astonishing truth from Dowling and intentionally tries to hide it. Since he knows the truth, he tries his best to make his uncle misunderstand Tom and reaches his trick—Tom is evicted from home finally. He does not really care about Mr. Allworthy, all he cares about is Mr. Allworthy’s properties. His attitude is a stark contrast with Tom’s. Even Squire Allworthy, who is the moral centre of the novel, says “Your friend, madam, is my nephew; he is the brother of that wicked viper which I have so long nourished in my bosom.” (Book XVIII, Chapter VIII) The conflict between Tom and Blifil is everywhere in this novel, as two sides of moral mirror, reflecting different aspects of human nature. All in all, Tom Jones is a book rich for conflicts and ready to educate people spiritually. On the one hand, the good will conquer the evil at last; on the other hand, the weak and the poor should struggle for their own sake. The conflicts in the novel need “to be digested”, not “swallowed”. 3.2 Dramatic Plot The plot construction of this novel is excellent. The basic plot of comedies comes from the existing society but bigger than what is in the society. “What normally happens is that a young man wants a young woman that his desire is resisted by some opposition, usually paternal, and that near the end of the some twist in the plot enables the hero to have his will.”(Frye,1975: 163) 3.2.1 Three Main Scenes A scene is a unit of drama. The concept of a scene in fiction comes from theater, where it describes the action that takes place in a single setting. The purpose of a scene helps to achieve coherence in a novel. Tom Jones’s eighteen books of epic form are set in three scenes, in the country, on the highway and in London. Each scene is a respective plot and has its own stories. And there is an inner connection between the individual scenes. The first part sets in Somersetshire. It mainly portrays the background of the novel and some main events that happen in the country, including 9 the birth of Tom and Blifil, the comparison between them, the appearance of Sophia, and the obstacles for the love of Tom and Sophia. The second part tells us that Tom is evicted from his home, Sophia also escapes from her home, and what happens to them respectively. The third part sets in London, mainly dealing with their arrival. There Tom is cheated and imprisoned and Sophia is almost kidnapped and encounters many miseries. And in the last chapter, the gangsters are revealed and Tom and Sophia’s love blossoms and yields sweet fruits. Plot of this novel is very complicated, and there are many characters with intricate relationships. However, the novel is presented clearly without ambiguity. This is supposed to attribute to the clarity of different scenes. They play a vital role in promoting the development of the story and make them a whole. 3.2.2 A Happy Ending A comedy usually carries a happy ending, usually involving marriages between the unmarried characters, and a tone and style that are light-hearted. Tom Jones also carries a happy ending, with all the main character gathering in London. Tom and Sophia get married and have a baby. Mr. Western and Mr. Allworthy come to visit the couple and their grandchild occasionally. Blifil’s trick is disclosed and deprived the right to inherit Mr. Allworthy’s wealth. In achieving the happy reunion, Tom and Sophia have to experience trials. They must fight against the characters with traditional concepts, represented by Mr. Western, Miss. Western and Blifil. They are not passive in their struggle and that is one of the reasons that Tom Jones is not a tragedy but a comedy. Tom is a foundling, and thus not the heirs of his godfather Mr. Allworthy, the rich squire. Furthermore, his weakness of having romance with women becomes the barrier to win the heart of Sophia. Anyway, in the end, the truth comes out. Tom turns out to be the nephew of Mr. Allworthy, thus the heir of a large wealth. All the barriers are cleared. In the plot, Tom and Sophia become a happy couple. For them the main obstructing or blocking characters are Mr. Western, and Miss Western, the elders in the novel. The two are firm believers of the close connection between money and marriage, even though Mr. Western likes Tom very much, hunts with him and treats him like his son. When it comes to marriage, even love with his daughter, he is the person to oppose. Though there are many obstacles from all levels, especially the strongest against from Sophia’s father and Tom’s status as a foundling, near the end of the novel, every thing changes suddenly and there comes a happy ending. Tom’s true identity is released, marries Sophia and lives a happy life ever after. Notwithstanding this little restraint, he was so pleased with the cheerfulness and 10 good-humor of the company, that he insisted on their meeting the next day at his lodgings. They all did so; and the lovely Sophia, who was now in private become a bride too, officiated as the mistress of the ceremonies, or, in the polite phrase, did the honors of the table. She had that morning given her hand to Jones, in the chapel at Doctors’-Commons, where Mr. Allworthy, Mr. Western, and Mrs. Miller, were the only persons present. (Book XVIII, Chapter the last) The happy ending is typical of a comedy, which ends with the blessed life of the hero and the heroine, such as in Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice. A comedy’s charm also rests in making readers and audience full of hope for the future. Tom Jones adopts such a classic ending. At last all readers find Tom is the nephew of Mr. Allworthy, and thus overcomes the biggest obstacle that impedes the marriage between Tom and Sophia. Beyond all doubt, Tom becomes the only legal inheritor of and gets married with Sophia. The beautiful love between Tom and Sophia wins a perfect ending which makes readers happy and also makes them have confidence for the future. 3.3 Dramatic Language Dramatic language is modeled on real-life conversations among people. The dialogue advances the action of a play, displaying the characters’ characteristic social positions and special interests. By varying the speakers’ language in tone and expression according to their various nationalities, origins, dialects, occupations, education and social backgrounds, it brings out the particularity of each speaker’s speech. There is no doubt the content of Tom Jones is vital, and the importance of its language as the unique carrier of the content should not be ignored. Rich language can make it more vivid and attractive. Fielding, considered as the “Father of Novel”, attaches great importance with the language which he regards as an indispensible skill. His drama-writing experience endows him with easy, vernacular, humorous and ironic language. 3.3.1 Easy and Vernacular Language Before Fielding, the relating of a story is either in the epistolary form, as in Richardson’s Pamela, or the picaresque form, as in Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe, but Fielding doesn’t adopt such forms. He creates a new form that is called “comic epic in prose” and gives readers an extremely new structure of telling a story. In Tom Jones, there are many good descriptions which are achieved by using simple language. For instance, when depicting characters, such as Sophia, Tom, Mr. Allworthy, the servant, and etc. Fielding gives us a vivid and truthful picture of these characters just by using some small, easy and Vernacular words. 11 Molly, having endeavored in vain to make a handsome retreat, faced about; and laying hold of ragged Bess, who advanced in the front of the enemy, she at one blow felled her to the ground. The whole army of the enemy (though near a hundred in number), seeing the fate of their general, gave back many paces, and retired behind a new-dug grave; for the churchyard was the field of battle, where there was to be a funeral that very evening. Molly pursued her victory, and catching up a skull which lay on the side of the grave, discharged it with such fury, that having hit a taylor on the head, the two skulls sent equally forth a hollow sound at their meeting, and the taylor took presently measure of his length on the ground, where the skulls lay side by side, and it was doubtful which was the more valuable of the two. Molly then taking a thigh-bone in her hand, fell in among the flying ranks, and dealing her blows with great liberality on either side, overthrew the carcass of many a mighty hero and heroine. (Book IV, Chapter VIII) The language used in describing the “battle” is easy and the sentences are also simple. From these brief descriptions, we can shape a picture that how Molly defeats her enemies and how spectacular the “battle” is. These vivid descriptions can make readers laugh and make the novel more appropriate for ordinary people. In this novel, many small and familiar words, such as “all”, “very”, “really”, “well” can be read everywhere, etc. These small words make the descriptions more vivid. One of the representative examples the novelist presents to readers is Mrs. Western who is presented in easy and familiar words. …She had lived about the court, and had seen the world. Hence she had acquired all that knowledge which the said world usually communicates; and was a perfect mistress of manners, customs, ceremonies, and fashions. Nor did her erudition stop here. She had considerably improved her mind by study; she had not only read all the modern plays, operas, oratorios, poems, and romances--in all which she was a critic; but had gone through Rapin’s History of England, Eachard’s Roman History, and many French Mémoires pour servir à l’Histoire: to these she had added most of the political pamphlets and journals published within the last twenty years. From which she had attained a very competent skill in politics, and could discourse very learnedly on the affairs of Europe. She was moreover excellently well skilled in the doctrine of amour, and knew better than anybody who and who were together ;…( Book VI, Chapter II ) Fielding depicts a well-learned lady by using the familiar words, such as “perfect”, “considerable”, “all”, “very”, “excellent”, and etc... They are all easy to understand and can be digested quickly. Moreover, these simple words give us a good impression of that Mrs. Western 12 is as perfect as her niece. With the development of the story, we find out she is just a great pretender. We know that she turns out to be a vain woman who likes to show off, without considering her niece’s stance. The simple language makes the sharp contrast more vivid and impressive. In Fielding’s time, drama is a kind of literature for all people from all works. Thus easy language is of great importance in drama. As a writer who is totally familiar with drama, Henry Fielding make clever use of simple and vernacular language to depict his characters. 3.3.2 Ironic and Humorous Language In theater, in order to attract and cheer audience up, dramatists usually employ ironic and humorous language. Irony “is like a gyroscope that keeps life on an even keel or straight course, restoring the balance when life is being taken too seriously or, as some tragedies show, not seriously enough, stabilizing the unstable but also destabilizing the excessively stable.” (Muecke, 1982: 4) Or we might agree with Goethe that “irony is the little grain of salt that alone renders the dish palatable” (Capel, 1966: 338) or repeat what Swift says, “Irony just like a mirror. The person who looks in it only can see his own face not others.” (Jonathan, 1957: 140) Novelists also often adopt the humorous language when depicting the story and characters, because humorous is the common means to make the stories and novels more interesting and appealing. In the novel, Fielding amuses the readers with his comic satire. He depicts Partridge as “a secret Jacobite sympathizer” and Mr. Western as “a dyed-in-the-wool Jacobite”. (Varey, 1986:75). The first outstanding example referred to is Mr. Western. On his way to chase after his daughter, there is an interesting description. The readers know he loves his daughter and hunting very much, but sometimes he forgets to run after his beloved daughter for hunting animals with other hunters. The hounds ran very hard, as it is called, and the squire pursued over hedge and ditch, with all his usual vociferation and alacrity, and with all his usual pleasure; nor did the thoughts of Sophia ever once intrude themselves to allay the satisfaction he enjoyed in the chase, which, he said, was one of the finest he ever saw, and which he swore was very well worth going fifty miles for. As the squire forgot his daughter, the servants, we may easily believe, forgot their mistress; and the parson, after having expressed much astonishment, in Latin, to himself, at length likewise abandoned all farther thoughts of the young lady, and, jogging on at a distance behind, began to meditate a portion of doctrine for the ensuing Sunday. (Book XII Chapter II) What the novelist tries to show to the readers is his deep love to his lovely daughter, but when we read this kind description, we have feelings that compared with his daughter, he prefers 13 to hunting. All his vulgarities, lovely and amusing are depicted in an irony way that impresses the readers deeply. Fielding’s ironic language used in portraying the characters not only contributes a lot to the novel’s humor and its development, but also possesses an irreplaceable seat in literature. Another representative example is Mr. Partridge whose life is miserable and pitiful. But under the description of Fielding, his life turns out to be more fantastic and seems to be like a legend. Partridge still persisted in asserting his innocence, though he admitted he had made the above-mentioned confession; which he however endeavored to account for, by protesting that he was forced into it by the continued importunity she used: who vowed, that, as she was sure of his guilt, she would never leave tormenting him till he had owned it; and faithfully promised, that, in such case, she would never mention it to him more. Hence, he said, he had been induced falsely to confess himself guilty, though he was innocent; and that he believed he should have confessed a murder from the same motive. (Book II, Chapter VI) Mr. Partridge is a miserable example, but under the comedic description of Fielding, it becomes an interesting story and makes the novel more delightful. Since there are many examples of such description, the novel is full of atmosphere of a drama. The language used in the novel is not only easy, familiar but also full of irony and sense of humor. They together help the novel more relaxing and interesting rather than obscure and boring, making readers focus their attention to the novel rather than other interesting things, and assisting the novelist to win his great achievement in world literature. 3.4 Dramatic Skills In Tom Jones, Fielding adopts various dramatic skills among which he mainly uses suspense, unexpectedness and coincidence & misunderstanding. This thesis will explore the novel from the three perspectives. 3.4.1 Suspense Suspense is one of the most important means that playwrights often use in arranging plots and design. It is the key point to bring about the strong dramatic efficiency and is the fantastic charm that can attract audience and readers. Once a playwright, Fielding understands the power of suspense distinctly and applies it to his novel writing carefully. Thus his novels are more vivid and catching. At the opening of Tom Jones, Fielding sets suspense—Tom who is found on Mr. Allworthy’s bed. And Mr. Allworthy asked Mrs. Deborah to survey who are the parents of the 14 little creature, only finding that the most suspicious is Jenny. When asked, Jenney admits it at last. However, the case is that Jenny often waits on Mr. Allworthy and attends Miss Bridget who is in poor health. And the most questionable thing is Jenny’s firm refusal to disclose who the father is. All of these are clues making readers doubt whether Jenny is the mother, and guess who actually the father is. Just because of these, the novel catches the readers’ attention at the very beginning and leads them to a further exploration of the novel. Here, having spent some minutes on his knees--a custom which he never broke through on any account--he was preparing to step into bed, when, upon opening the cloathes, to his great surprize he beheld an infant, wrapt up in some coarselinen, in a sweet and profound sleep, between his sheets. (Book I, Chapter III) The riddle of the hero, Tom’s pedigree, is a myth that runs through the novel and holds readers’ strong interest. When all the characters have been depicted clearly, the theme is presented, and the plots have developed to a certain state where the author must reveal the true identity of Tom Jones, readers are suddenly enlightened and the clouds are scattered. The reason that Fielding sets suspense is not only to attract readers, but also to make the novel more vivid and lively. Through this method, the personality of the hero and the heroine can be showed fully reflecting a diversified world full of contradictions. 3.4.2 Unexpectedness Unexpectedness refers to the suddenly changes of the plots without any indication, which is a key point that makes readers feel they are riding a roller-coaster in an entertainment park. Fielding applies this art to create a distinctive effect and achieve an unexpected ending. Near the end of the novel, the hero, Tom, encounters a lot of difficulties: he is imprisoned for committing a crime, while Sophia misunderstands him and decides never to meet him again, and Mr. Western is eager to marry Sophia to Blifil. Readers might worry a lot about Tom. But the plot changes unexpectedly. The man who is hurt badly by Tom has recovered and claimed it is he who started the fighting, and Mrs. Waters tells Mr. Allworthy Tom is his nephew. Maybe it is too sudden to believe, but this kind method which is often applied in drama makes readers happy and satisfied. Since the truth has been clear, the obstacles between Tom and Sophiaare removed smoothly. They get married soon. Tom inherits the majority legacy of Mr. Allworthy’s. Mr. Western also agrees with their love affair and is eager to hold a wedding ceremony. Just like one sentence said in the novel: As a conquered rebellion strengthens a government, or as health is more perfectly established by recovery from some diseases; so anger, when removed, often gives new life to 15 affection. (Book XVIII, Chapter V). ll in all, although the unexpectedness and findings in the novel are kind of sudden, they A help the novel have a comedic ending. 3.4.3 Coincidence and Misunderstanding Coincidence and misunderstanding are indispensable to drama creation. What they reflect are the occasional events that cannot be predicted in one’s life. Arranging misunderstanding and coincidence in a drama can make readers have a feeling of beauty in the occasional plot and achieve a better effect of drama. There are many misunderstandings and coincidences in Tom Jones. One most outstanding example is the following case: when Tom knew Mr. Allworthy has gotten rid of danger, he is so happy that he drinks too much. But Mr. Allworthy misunderstands him and under rage he evictes Tom from his home. Many disadvantages attended poor Jones in making his defence; nay, indeed, he hardly knew his accusation; for as Mr. Allworthy, in recounting the drunkenness, &c., while he lay ill, out of modesty sunk everything that related particularly to himself, which indeed principally constituted the crime; Jones could not deny the charge. His heart was, besides, almost broken already; and his spirits were so sunk, that he could say nothing for himself; but acknowledged the whole, and, like a criminal in despair, threw himself upon mercy; concluding, “That though he must own himself guilty of many follies and inadvertencies, he hoped he had done nothing to deserve what would be to him the greatest punishment in the world.”(Book VI, Chapter XI) As for the coincidence in the novel, it well represented by Tom’s acquisition of Sophia’s pocket-book. On Tom’s way to London, he gets Sophia’s lost wallet by incident. The wallet is picked by a poor man and the man gives it to Tom by chance. “Master,” cries the fellow, after thanking him, “I have a curious thing here in my pocket, which I found about two miles off, if your worship will please to buy it. I should not venture to pull it out to every one; but, as you are so good a gentleman, and so kind to the poor, you won't suspect a man of being a thief only because he is poor.” He then pulled out a little gilt pocket-book, and delivered it into the hands of Jones. (Book XII, Chapter IV) Some readers will arouse suspicion about this incident, why the poor man gives the pocket-book to Tom other than others. It is not strange, for Tom is a warm-hearted and handsome person. He is always willing to help people who are strapped. All of these make the development of the novel more complex and reticular, hold readers’ curiosity, and make the novel more interesting and fascinating. 16 Chapter Four Conclusion Tom Jones, as the masterpiece of the great realistic novelist, Henry Fielding, is noted for its close imitation of the real world. It not only depicts a living picture of that time including the settings of a country and a city, the political view, people’s attitudes towards money and marriage, but also draws characters from real life. Henry Fielding works as a playwright for ten years; however, the Licensing Act changes his ife and devotes a distinguished novelist to world literature. Fielding referred his commonly tact l that once used in his plays to his novels. He depicts his figures by means of dramatic characterization, proceeding to advocate morality and taunting politics in his novels just as he does in his plays. To some extent, drama writing leaves great influence on Fielding. It is obvious to see that in his masterpiece—Tom Jones. This thesis has explored Tom Jones from a dramatic perspective and has analyzed the function of drama in the novel. The dramatic elements used in this novel have played a vital role in revealing the plot structure, the dramatic skills and the theme of the novel. And by using comedic techniques, Fielding gives readers a vivid and truthful panoramic picture of the th-century society, making readers understand his style and his masterpiece more deeply. 18 17 Reference [1] Battestin, Martin C. The Providence of Wit: Aspects of Form in Augustan Literature and the Arts [M]. Charlotte’s Ville: University Press of Virginia, 1974. [2] Capel, Lee M. (trans.). The Concept of Irony [M]. Princeton: Princeton University Press. 1966. [3] Fielding, Henry. The History of Tom Jones, the Foundling [M]. Hertfordshire: Wordsworth, 1999. [4] Frye, Northrop. Anatomy of Criticism: Four Essays [M] Princeton: Princeton UP, 1975. [5] Liu Bingshan. 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