正文格式外院.docx

正文格式外院.docx

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正文格式外院

OnRealisminDavidCopperfield

Author:

ZhuYujiao

Tutor:

TanYanping

（CollegeofEducation,HunanAgriculturalUniversity,Changsha410128）

Abstract:

CharlesDickenswasashiningstarinthenineteenthcenturyinBritishliterature,whosenovel,DavidCopperfield,wasoneofthemostimportantworksofauthor.Thisnovel,whichisanautobiographyandisofstrongsenseofrealism,isatypicalrepresentativeofhisrealisticworks.ThispapertakesCharlesDickensandthenovelasfundamental,andtriestocomparesimilaritiesbetweenthenovelandrealitytoreflectitsrealism.

Keywords:

CharlesDickens;DavidCopperfield;Realism

《大卫·科波菲尔》的现实主义色彩

作者：

朱玉姣

指导老师：

谭燕萍

（湖南农业大学教育学院，长沙410128）

摘要：

查尔斯·狄更斯是十九世纪英国文坛中一颗璀璨的明星。

小说《大卫·科波菲尔》是他最重要的作品之一。

该小说是一部自传体小说，具有强烈的现实主义色彩，是作者现实主义作品的典型代表。

本文以查尔斯·狄更斯和小说为本，试图比较小说和现实之间的相似之处，从而体现其现实主义色彩。

关键词：

查尔斯·狄更斯；大卫·科波菲尔；现实主义

Introduction

CharlesDickens（1818-1870）,whosenovelsdeeplyreflecttherealityofEnglishsocietyinthenineteenthcentury,isoneofthemostoutstandingrealisticwritersinEngland.Amonghisnumerousnovels,DavidCopperfieldistheeighthnovelofCharlesDickensandiscalled“themostbelovedchildinhisheart”.Itisanautobiographicalnovelandalsoisatypicalrepresentativeofrealisticnovels.Thisnoveltellsastoryaboutthelifeofanorphan,DavidCopperfield,fromhischildhoodtohisadulthood.CharlesDickenswrotethisnovelinfirstperson,andthrewhiswonexperiencesintoit.ThispaperwillgiveanintroductiontorealismfirstandthenpresentacomprehensiveunderstandingofCharlesDickenssuchashislife,majorworksandartisticfeaturesofhisnovels.Afterthat,therewillbeastatementaboutDavidCopperfield.Nextsectionisthecomparisonsbetweensocialbackgrounds,CharlesDickensandDavidCopperfield,andothertypicalcharactersformthisnovelandreality.Thispaperaimstoreflectitsrealismthroughthesecomparisonssothatembodiesitsliteraturevalue.

1Realism

Realismisaliterarytermwhichisdefinedas“thefaithfulrepresentationofreality”,focusingondepictingpeople’severydaylife,especiallylifeofthemiddleandlowerclass.Itiswidelyusedinmanyliteraryworks.Herewewilldiscussitsdefinition,generationandbasiccharacteristics.

1.1Definition

Realismisakindofliteraturecreationskillwhichfocusesonsocialreality.“Asaliterarymovementrealismcameinthelatterhalfofthenineteenthcenturyasareactionagainstthe‘lieof’romanticismandsentimentalism.”[1]Itadvocatesobjectiveanddispassionateobservationofrealisticsociety.Realismattemptstodescribelifeaccuratelyanddelicatelywithoutidealismorromanticsubjectivityaccordingtheoriginallifeandtoreproducetypicalcharactersintypicalenvironments.

1.2Generationofrealism

RealismistheproductoftheestablishmentanddevelopmentofcapitalistsysteminWesternEurope.Innineteenthcentury,thevictoryofbourgeoisieinEuropecausedthehistorictransitionofsocialsystemfromfeudalismtocapitalism.Suchparticulareconomicandpoliticalsituationhasagreatimpactonliteratureandbecomedecisivefactoroftheformationanddevelopmentofrealism.

Afterpeoplefreedthemselvesfromfeudalshackles,theywerekeentocreatematerialwealth.Theylosetheirspiritualfreedom,psychologicalfreedom,andpersonalityinfrontofmaterialwealth.Theoppressionandexploitationbecomemoreandmoreobvious.Therelationshipbetweenhumanbecameworse.Allsortsofdefectsofcapitalistsystemexposedatthattime.Thusrealismemerged,whichuncoveredthedarknessofprevailingsocietythroughthetruthfulanddetaileddescriptionofsocialrealityandpromotedsocialimprovement.

Atthattime,newachievementsofnaturalsciencebroadenedpeople’shorizontoagreatextentandencouragedpeopletolookfortheoriginsandsolutionsofsocialproblemsinanewpointofview.Manywritersattemptedtoresearchthesocietyasscientiststhroughnuancedobservation,analysisandinference.Thoseallstrengthenedobjectiveandrealisticelementsinrealism.

1.3Basiccharacteristicsofrealism

Asabasicliteraturecreationskill,realismhasthefollowingbasiccharacteristics:

Firstofall,realismisofauthenticitywhichreproducessocialrealityobjectivelyandreally.Worksofrealismoriginatefromlife,soithasrealandvividdetailsdescription.Theydigouttheessentialfactorshiddenbehindthephenomenonandinternalrelationshipoffiguresandthings.Theyreflectsociallifethroughhistoricalandspecificpicturesoflife.Theseworksareinfectiousbecauseofitsrealisticandconcreteimage.Therefore,readingtheseworksisanimmersiveexperienceforreaders.

Secondly,realismisofstrongexposureandcriticism.Innineteenthcentury,peoplearesuffocatedwiththegrimrealityofcapitalistsociety.Worksofrealismuncoverthecorruptsystemandegocentricsocialethos.Theydisplayconflictsbetweenpeopleandsocietyandrevealthealienationofhumannatureatthattime.Thoseworkscriticizetheunreasonablesocialsystemandexpressthedissatisfactionwiththestateofsocietythroughlateralandobjectiveexposureoftheessenceofsocialproblems.

Thirdly,typificationisthecoreofrealism.Thatmeansthattheremustbesomerepresentativefiguresoreventsinthoseworks.“Realismfocusesoncreatingtypicalcharactersintypicalenvironmentsaccordingtotheconnectionsbetweenpeopleandsocialenvironment.”[2]Lifeisfullofcomplexityanddiversification.Torecordthereallifeisnothingbutaskillofphotographer.Realismrequeststhewriterstoobserveandanalyzethesocietycarefullyandselectmeaningfulcharactersandeventsfromcolorfullifeandthentocreatetypicalcharactersandenvironmentsthroughpersonalizedandgeneralizedembellishment.Thuswecangetasightofsocialrealitythroughdetails.

Last,thereishumanitarianismthoughtinrealism.Itadvocatesthateveryoneisanindependententity.Inworksofrealism,theyspreadtheideathatindividualrightoffreedomandequalityshouldberespectedandthatpersonalvalueanddignityshouldbeadmitted.

2CharlesDickens

CharlesDickensisoneofthemostoutstandingrealisticnovelistsinEngland，whosenovelsfocusonthedescriptionofthesocietyhewasin.Hewascalled“theflagofthetimes”byEngels.InCharlesDickens’stransientlife,heleftusthirteenandahalfnovels,morethantwentynovellas,hundredsofshortstoriesandsoon.

2.1LifeofCharlesDickens

CharlesDickens,whowasbornin1812inPortsmouth,wasthesecondofeightchildrenofhisfamily.HisfamilymovedtoNorfolkStreetsoonafterhisbirth.Whenhewasfiveyearsold,hisfamilymovedtoChathamandtoCamdentownattheageoften.Whenhewasquiteyoung,hehadastrongthirstforknowledgeandhealwayssneaksintothelofttoreadnovelssuchasRobinsonCrusoeandDonQuixoteatthattimehisfamilyfinancialsituationisquitewell,sohewassenttoaprivateschool.

However,hisfather,JohnDickens,whowasaclerkinNavyPayOffice,wasboozy,hospitableandspendthrift.“Hedidnotknowhowtotakecareofhisfinancialsituationandalwaysranintopecuniarytroubles.”[3]Theycouldnotmaketheirendsmeet.Asaresult,theirfinancialsituationbecameworseandhisfatherwasthrownintoprisonforinabilitytopayingoffdebts.SincethenhisfamilymovedtoMarshalseaprison,andhewasforcedtoleaveschooltoworkinashoe-blackingfactorywhenhewastwelveyearsold.Intheshoe-blackingfactory,whichisadampanddirtybasementandisfullofrats,hehadtoworkformorethantenhoursaday.Theworkisheavyandmonotonousandthereisonlysixshillingsaweek.Hesufferedfromhunger,beating,humiliationandotherinhumanetreatments.

InApril1824，JohnDickensinheritedafortuneofCharlesDickens’sgrandmotherandpaidoffthedebtswiththehelpofhisbrothers.HewasfreefromtheprisonandCharlesDickenswasfreefromtheshoe-blackingfactory.Attheendof1825，CharlesDickenswassentbacktoschool,theWillingtonHouseAcadamy,whichwasnotconsideredtobeagoodschoolforitsdesultoryteaching,poordiscipline,sadisticheadmasterandterribleatmosphere.In1827,hisschoollifeisover.Hesteppedintothesocietywhenhewasfifteen.Atfirst,heworkedinalawfirm,andtheninanewspaperoffice.Whenhewastwenty,hebecameajournalist.Asajournalist,heinterviewedthepolicydebateintheHouseofCommons,whichmadehimawareoftheshortcomingsoftheparliamentarypolitics.Sincethen,hebegantowrite.CharlesDickensmadeanameforhimselfwiththeserialpublicationofThePickwickPapersin1836.Laterafterthisyear,hegotmarriedwithCatherineThomsonHogarth,thedaughterofthenewspaperpublisher.In1842,CharlesDickensvisitedAmericanandwroteAmericanNotes.In1858,hedivorcedwithCatherine.Duringhislife,heconcentratedonwriting.Heissohard-workingthathisbodyhadbeentoomuchtoendureandhediedin1870atlast,leavingnumerousworksforpeople.HebecomesoneofthegreatestmastersofEnglishliterature.

2.2Majorworks

Allhislife,CharlesDickenswrotethirteennovelsinadditiontoanunfinishedwork,TheMysteryofEdwinDrood,morethantwentynovellas,hundredsofshortstories,asketch,twotravels,andalotofspeeches,letters,essaysandpoems.

In1836，whenhewasacongressreporterinmorningpaper.HebegantopublisharticleswithwhichhepublishedSketchesbyBoz.However,itisThePickwickPapers,whichcameoutlaterin1836,thatmadehimfamous.Atfirst,itattractedalittleattention.Butinthespringof1827，itreceivedalotpopularityandbecamewell-known.Itissopopularthat