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1、English LiteratureLecture 9: English Critical Realism （II）William Makepeace ThackerayThackeray, William Makepeace (1811-63), English novelist and humorist, one of the foremost exponents of the 19th-century realistic novel, exemplified by his two most famous works, Vanity Fair and Henry Esmond. l Tha
2、ckeray is particularly noted for his exquisitely humorous and ironic portrayals of the middle and upper classes of his time. His narrative skill and vivid characterizations are strikingly evident in his masterpiece Vanity Fair, an elaborate study of social relationships in early 19th-century England
3、. The character of Becky Sharp, a scheming adventuress, is drawn with consummate skill, serving as a model for the heroines of many later novels. lVanity Fair, or A Novel Without a Hero is unquestionably Thackerays masterpiece. The title of the novel is suggestive of the Vanity Fair in Bunyans Pilgr
4、ims Progress, where all sorts of vanities are on sale revealing the dark side of social life. Different from Bunyan who gives an allegorical picture of the social realities he dislikes, Thackeray draws a truthful picture of the fortunes and characters of the middle-class people in the mid of the 19t
5、h century. lThe novel revolves two women:Amelia Sedley and Rebecca Sharp. The former is a meek character of submissive type, whereas the latter is so ambitious that she never allows anything or anybody to stand in the way of her desire. They are schoolmates, but their different family background lea
6、d to their varied fortunes after their graduation. Amelia marries George Osborne, living a comfortable life. Rebecca, failing to entrap Amelias brother Joseph for a husband, is obliged to become a governess. She then marries Rawdon in the family for he has the bright prospect of inheriting his rich
7、aunts property. The Napoleonic wars involve the British troops, which leads to the meeting of two pairs in Belgium. In order lto gain a luxurious life, Rebecca seduces a number of men for expensive gifts for her, among whom Amelias husband is included. Osborne and Rebecca even plan to elope, only hi
8、s unexpected death in Waterloo made it impossible. Widowed Amelia devotes herself to the upbringing of her son and refuses to be remarried to her lifelong admirer Dobblin, while Rebecca goes on her adventures to make a way into good society. After many vicissitudes and wanderings, Rebecca meet Ameli
9、a, who still holds dear the memory of Osborne. Rebecca confesses Osbornes unfaithfulness and plan of elopement. The fact awakes Amelia from her blind love for Osborn and presently marries Dobblin who has been patiently waiting for her. Rebecca is allowed to live with Joseph, Amelias brother, whose d
10、eath a couple of years after leaves her a large property, which eventually enables her to live a grand life as she has dreamed and pursued for ages.lIn Vanity Fair Thackeray successfully characterizes two heroines who stand in contrast in their characters and attitudes toward life. Amelia is a chara
11、cter of milk-and-water type, good in nature, tame and moral, sentimental and sympathetic, but unable to master her own fate. Rebecca, who is more impressively characterized, is never obedient to her destiny and always rebels in order to have a change in her life, without caring morality and the soci
12、al judgment.Jane Austen 简。奥斯丁Austen, Jane (1775-1817), English novelist, noted for her witty studies of early-19th-century English society. With meticulous detail, Austen portrayed the quiet, day-to-day life of members of the upper middle class. Her works combine romantic comedy with social satire a
13、nd psychological insight. lSense and Sensibility 理智与情感lPride and Prejudice 傲慢与偏见lMansfield Park 曼斯菲尔德庄园lEmma 爱玛lNorthanger Abbey 诺桑觉寺lPersuasion 劝导 lTwo common themes in Austens books are the loss of illusionsusually leading characters to a more mature outlookand the clash between traditional moral
14、ideals and the everyday demands of life. In most of her novels, her characters correct their faults through lessons learned as a result of tribulation. Because of her sensitivity to universal patterns of human behavior, her possession of a neat humor and a satirical touch, many people regard Austen
15、as one of the greatest novelists of the 19th and 20th centuries. lThe story of Pride and Prejudice: Mr. and Mrs. Bennet are the parents of five unmarried daughters, and it is the sole aim of Mrs. Bennet to find a husband for each. Mr. Bennet, a gentleman of bookish nature , is disdainful of his wife
16、 and indifferent to his daughters, except Elizabeth, who is intelligent and spirited. An estate near the Bennets is leased by Mr. Bingley, a wealthy bachelor, who brings with him his friend Mr. Darcy, likewise wealthy and unmarried. Bingley makes a good impression, but the haughty Darcy is much disl
17、iked, especially by Elizabeth. Bingley and sweet-tempered Jane Bennet fall in love, but Darcy temporarily frustrates their courtship. Darcy and Elizabeth also love each other, though neither realizes it, he being blinded by pride and she by prejudice. Finally, after Darcy has saved the reputation of
18、 Lydia Bennet, who has eloped with a never-do-well officer, Darcy and Elizabeth realize their error of judgment and become engaged. The plot was very thin, but around it Austen has woven vivid picture of everyday life of simple country society.The Bronte Sisters Nineteenth-century English writer Cha
19、rlotte Bront is best known for her novel Jane Eyre (1847). Although their literary output was relatively small, Charlotte and her two younger sisters, Emily and Anne, are noted for writing works that transcend Victorian conventions. lThe story of Jane Eyre: Jane Eyre, the titular heroine of the nove
20、l, is an orphaned girl who is reared by her aunt Mrs. Reed. Mrs. Reeds ill-treatment brought about the miserable girls reaction, thus Mrs. Reed sends her to a charity school for poor girls, where she lives an intolerable life and stays for eight years. Later she becomes a governess to teach the daug
21、hter of Mr. Rochester who later falls into love with Jane Eyre. They love each other and prepare their marriage, but Janes discovery of Mr. Rochesters mad wife leads to the failure of their marriage. The fact makes it impossible for Jane to stay, and she goes away from the man she loves. She goes th
22、rough many hardships. Finally helped by a parson, she gets the job of a teacher in a village school. Meanwhile., a great misfortune befalls Mr. Rochester: his house is destroyed in a fire set by his mad wife who dies a tragic death by jumping off the roof, and he becomes blind as the result of his e
23、fforts to save her. Janes deep love for Mr. Rochester drives her to return to him and their marriage brings an end to the story. One of the central theme of the book is the criticism of the bourgeois system of education. Another problem raised by Charlotte in the novel is the position of woman in so
24、ciety. Jane Eyre, the heroine of the novel, maintains that women should have equal rights with men. lThe story of Wuthering Heights The central figure of the story is Heathcliff, a gipsy waif of unknown parentage, picked up by Mr. Earnshaw in the street and brought home and reared by him as one of h
25、is own children. Bullied and humiliated after Mr. Earnshaws death by his son Hindley, Heathcliff only finds comfort in the concern of his daughter Catherine, and falls passionately in love with her. Hindley thinks it beneath his family dignity for her sister to marry a gypsy waif and therefore cruel
26、ly separates the two. Heathcliff is compelled to leave, but returns three years later when he has considerable wealth. The fact that Catherine has married Linton determines Heathcliff to revenge, at first by resuming love with Catherine who soon dies of grief and remorse, secondly by marrying Linton
27、s sister whom he never loves but treats inhumanly for the sake of her brothers marriage to Catherine, finally by forcing Catherines daughter Cathy to marry his sickly son in order to get the Linton estate into his own possession, before all these he has possessed through powerful means all the prope
28、rty of Hindley and his son Hareton and treats them as cruelly as Hindley treats him before leaving the place. At the close of the story, Heathcliff grows old, and he comes to see at last the pointlessness of his violent revenge when the death of his sickly son is followed lby a happy union of Cathy
29、and Hareton. His disappointment and gnawing love for Catherine leads to his own death. As a critic suggests, the novel is not merely a story of personal love and revenge, but an expression of the stresses and tensions and conflicts, personal and spiritual, of the 19th century capitalist society. The
30、 final failure of Heathcliff suggests that he has at last come to see the pointlessness of his fight to revenge himself on the world of power and property through its own values. George EliotEliot, George (1819-1880), pseudonym of Mary Ann or Marian Evans, English novelist, whose books, with their p
31、rofound feeling and accurate portrayals of simple lives, give her a place in the first rank of 19th-century English writers. Her fame was international, and her work greatly influenced the development of French naturalism. lAdam Bede 亚当。毕德lSilas Marner 织工马南传lThe Mill on the Floss 弗洛斯河上的磨坊lMiddlemarc
32、h lWriting at the latter half of the 19th century and closely following the critical realist writers, George Eliot initiates a new type of realism and sets into motion a variety of developments, leading in the direction of both the naturalistic and psychological novel. In her works, she seeks to pre
33、sent the inner struggle of a soul and to reveal the motives, impulses and heredity influences which govern human action. She is interested in the development of a soul, the slow growth or decline of moral power of the character. Her realistic novels set against the backdrop of rural England were an
34、influence upon the development of French naturalism, and she remains a significant figure in the development of womens literature. Among her staunchest admirers and defenders in the 20th century was Virginia Woolf. lProse Writers and Poets of the Mid and Late 19th centuryAlfred TennysonlAlfred Tenny
35、son (1809-1892), English poet, one of the great representative figures of the Victorian Age. His writing encompasses many poetic styles and includes some of the finest idyllic poetry in the language.lThe Princess 公主; In Memoriam A. H. H. 悼念集; Maud 摩德; Idylls of the King 国王诗歌; Enoch Arden伊诺克。阿登Robert
36、 BrowninglBrowning, Robert (1812-1889), English poet, especially noted for perfecting the dramatic monologue (literary composition in which the speaker reveals his or her character). lMy Last Duchess 我已故的公爵夫人 Ring and the Book 圆与书 lSong (by Christina Georgina Rossetti ) When I am dead, my dearest, S
37、ing no sad songs for me; Plant thou no roses at my head, Nor shady cypress tree. Be the green grass above me With showers and dewdrops wet; And if thou wilt, remember, And if thou wilt, forget. lI shall not see the shadows, I shall not feel the rain; I shall not hear the nightingale Sing on as if in
38、 pain. And dreaming through the twilight That doth not rise nor set, Haply I may remember, And Haply may forget. l歌歌l词：徐志摩曲：罗大佑27编曲：罗大佑l当我死去的时候亲爱你别为我唱悲伤的歌我坟上不必安插蔷薇也无需浓荫的柏树让盖着我的轻轻的草淋着雨也沾着露珠假如你愿意请记着我要是你甘心忘了我在悠久的坟墓中迷惘阳光不升起也不消翳我也许也许我还记得你我也许把你忘记啦我再见不到地面的青荫觉不到雨露的甜蜜我再听不到夜莺的歌喉在黑夜里倾吐悲啼在悠久的坟墓中迷惘阳光不升起也不消翳我也许也许我还记得你我也许把你忘记 The End
