对于大卫科波菲尔中人物的形象分析.docx

对于大卫科波菲尔中人物的形象分析.docx

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对于大卫科波菲尔中人物的形象分析

AnAnalysisofImagein

DavidCopperfield

Chapter1

Introduction

"DavidCopperfield",themasterpieceofDickens,wasa

semi-autobiographicalwork.InMay1849toNovember1850,theinstallmentwaspublished.Inthepreface,Dickenssaid:

“Itismyfavoritechild.”

ThenoveldepictedDavid'sexperienceswhichwerefilledwith

sufferingsandlaughters.DickensportrayedthecolorfulpictureofBritishsociety,thetypicalimageofdifferentsocialclasses,especiallytheendlessstruggleofDavidinthefaceofadversitywhichleftadeepimpressiononus.Davidwasunabletoenduretheabuseofhisstepfather,bitingthefingersofhisstepfather,savagelybeaten.Asaresult,hewaslockedinaboardingschool.Afterhismotherdied,hewassenttothefactoryasachildbyhisstepfather.Fromthenon,helivedahardlife,withoutenoughtoeatorwearandsufferedallkindsofabuseandtorture.However,Daviddidnotsuccumbtothemercyoffate,painstakingly,andfinallyfoundhisauntBetsey.Thekind-heartedauntshelteradoptedhimandlethimgotoabetterschool.WhenheknewthatAuntBetseywasbankrupted,butinstead,hestudieddiligentlywithperseveraneeallkindsofabuseandtorture.Finally,aftermakingefforts,hebecameawriterandachievedsuccess.Atthesametime,othercharacterswereclearandvivid.PeggottywasanursewhotookcareofDavidandDavid'smothercarefully,shewasremarkablyloyal.Outwardly,auntBetseyappearedaseverewoman,butsheshowedthatshewaskindbylovingDavidandothers.Inaddition,Hamwasnoble,braveandhonest.

Mr.Murdstoneswasfierceandcruel.Steerforthwasselfishandarrogant.

1.1IntroductiontotheAuthor

Dickenswasthemainrepresentativeofrealismliteratureinthe19thcentury.Theartofwittywords,nuancedpsychologicalanalysisandrealismwerecombinedtogethercloselyinhisworks.Hewasparticularlyfamousforhisvividcomiccharacterizationsandsocialcriticism.Hewas

thefirstauthorwhohadwrittenofthepoorwithfidelityandsympathy.

HisworkswerefamousduringnovelsoftheVictorianageandamongthegreatclassicsinallfiction.

DickenswasborninFebruary,1812,atLandport,Portsmouth.Hewasthesecondofeightchildren.Hisfatherwasaclerk,hardworkingbutimprudent,latercaricaturedasMr.MicawberinDavidCopperfield.In1822,thefamilymovedtoLondon,whereCharleshadtoleaveschooltosupporthisimpoverishedfamily.In1824,hisfatherwasputintoprisonfordebt.Attheageof12,Dickenswassenttogoingtoworkatafactory.Hewrapped

andlabeledfor6shillingsaweek.Afterwork,hewanderedthroughthestreetsofLondon,enthralledbythesightofthedockyards,thefilesofconvicts,andvastsectionsofthecityinhabitedbythepoor.Thesebitterdaysremainedinhismemoryandlaterfoundexpressioninhisworks.

Dickenswasabletoreturntoschoolbecauseasmalllegacyhelped

releasehisfatherfromprison.HewasanavidreaderandspentmuchtimeinthereadingroomoftheBritishMuseum.Althoughhelaterreturnedtoschoolforatime,theseexperiencesleftapermanentimprintonthesoulofCharlesDickens.Evenmanyyearslater,hehadbecomeasuccessfulauthor,hecouldnotbeartotalkaboutit,orberemindedofhisfamily'signominy.

Attheageoffifteen,Dickensbeganworkingasanofficeboyforalawfirm.HetaughthimselfandhebecameareporterforcourtsofDoctors'Commoiin1828.Thedullroutineofthelegalprofessionneverinterestedhim,sohebecameanewspaperreporterfortheMirrorof

z..

parliament,theTrueSun,andfinallyfortheMorningChronicle.（John

Forster,werelaterhisclosestfriendandbiographer,wasalsoemployedattheTrueSun.）Bytheageoftwenty,DickenswasoneofthebestparliamentaryreportersalltheEngland.

Bythistime,Dickenswasenjoyingtheluxuriouslifehehaddreamedofasachild.In1850,hepublishedthelastinstallmentsofDavid

Copperfield,apartlyautobiographicalnovelthatwashisfavorite.

1.2TheIntroductiontotheBackground

1.2.1Socialbackground

“LikesomanyparentsIhaveafavoritechildinmyheart,”wrote

CharlesDickens."AndhisnameisDavidCopperfield."Here,DickensmadegooduseofhisownlifeexperiencetoexposethesocialevilsthatwereprevalentinVictorianEnglandandwerethemiseriesofchild-labor,the

tyrannyinschools,thedebtors'prison,aswellasthecrueltyandimmortalityandthetreachery.Thusthenovelwasnotmerelyapersonalrecord,butabroadpictureofthesocietyoftheauthor'sday.

DavidCopperfieldwasanovelwritteninfirst-personpointofview.

Itwassometimesreferredtoasanapprenticeshipnovelbecauseit

centeredontheperiodinwhichayoungpersongrewup.ThetypeofnovelswaspioneeredbyJohannWolfgangvonGoethe（1749-1832）inhisnovelWilhelmMeistersLehrjahre（WilhelmMeister'sApprenticeship）.Dickensbasedthebookinpartonthedifficultearlyyearsofhisownlife.Thenarrationchangednames,locales,andotherdetailsofDickens'slife.

Forexample,whenDickenswasonlyachild,hehadtoleaveschooltoworkinafactory.Inthenovel,DavidCopperfieldhadtoleaveschooltoworkinawarehousewashingandlabelingbottlesusedinthewinetrade.

David'sinitials（D.C.）were,ofcourse,thereverseofDickens's

（C.D.）.

Dickenswasamasteratdrawingmemorablecharacters.Someweresimpleanduncomplicated,likeBarkis,Creakle,Murdstone,andClaraPeggotty.

Otherswerecomplex,likeDavidCopperfield.Throughoutthenovel,he

befriendedthewealthyandcharmingJamesSteerforth,ignoringhis

deviousandmalevolentside.Atthesametime,hebefriendedthe

good-heartedTommyTraddlesandthehumblePeggottys.Thesetwoworlds,theworldofSteerforthandtheworldofSteerforthandhisfamily,bothattractedDavid,andhisimmaturitydecidedwhatshouldconstitutehisownworld.Tobringhischaracterstolife,Dickensinvestedthemwithclearlydefiningvirtuesorvicesanddescribedthecharactersinawaythatenabledthereaderstopicturethematthescenesinwhichtheyappeared.

1.2.2Novel'sbackground

OfalltheDickens'novels,DavidCopperfieldreflectedtheevents

ofDickensownlifethemost.AsforDavid,sufferinginthepastwasadequatelymadeupforarich,happymarriageandasuccessfulliterarycareer,justlikeDickenshimself,andtheworldwasstillfullofhopeandsunshine.Theplotconstructionwasratherloose,butitalsoexcelledinitsvividimage.Thenarrationofnovelindetailwasalsoworthmentioning,whichgavetheworktruthfulnesstothereallife.

WhatwecouldaddtowasthewayinwhichDickenstimeandtimeagaindealtwiththeprogressofamaleherowho,aswithDavidinDavid

Copperfield（1849-50）andPipinGreatExpectations（1860-1）,cameto

termswithworldasthemiddle-classvalues.Atthesametime,however,Dickens'heroesoftenhaveuncomfortabledoubles:

DavidCopperfieldwasshadowedbyHeepandSteerforth,bothofwhomrevealedthekindofdarksexualurgethatDavidattemptedtoconcealordenyinhisownlife.Itwasasif,inanewmiddle-classcode,Dickenswasequallyawareoftheprecariousnessorvulnerabilityofthenewrespectablesocialconceptionoftheself,oftheburiedlifethatwashiddenbeneaththeveneerofpolitemanners.

Duetotheearlysuccess,thepublicnotonlygaveDickensanassuraneethatmadesureincreasingpowersofpoeticexpressionandnarrativetechnique,butalsotheconfideneetodemonstratehisprioritiestoapointwheretheycontradictedthesocialassumptionsofmanyofhisreaders.Allhislaternovels,exceptATaleofTwoCities,presenteda

criticismofthemostfundamentalinstitutionsoftheVictorianEngland.

AlthoughDavidwasignorantofSteerforth'streachery,wewereawarefromthemomentwemetSteerforththathedidn'tdeserveofpraisewhichDavidfelttowardhim.Daviddidn'tknowwhyhehatedHeeporwhyhetrustedaboywithadonkeycartwhostolehismoneyandlefthimintheroad,butitwaspossibleforhimtorealizeHeep'sinherenteviland

theboy'srealintention.InDavid'sfirst-personnarration,Dickensconveyedthewisdomoftheoldermanimplicitly,throughtheeyesofachild.

Chapter2

LiteratureReviewoftheNovel

2.1SomeScholars'ViewsontheNovel

ScholarsbelievedthatDavidCopperfield'scareers,friendships,love

andlife,weremosthighlyinflueneedbyDickens'experiences,aswellashistimeworkingasachild.David'sinvolvementwiththelawprofessionandlaterhiscareerasawritermirrortheexperiencesofDickens.ManyofDavid'sfriendswerebasedonpeoplewhoDickensactuallyknew,andDavid'swives,AgnesWickfieldandDora,werebelievedtobebaseduponDickens'attachmenttoMaryHogarth.Dickenskeenlyfelthislackofeducationduringhistimeatthatfactory,andaccordingtotheForsterbiography,itwasfromthesetimesthathedrewDavid'sworkingperiod.

BritishwriterSomersetMaughamregardedthebookas"trulyamasterpieceofliteraryworks".

OneofAmericanliteratureconnoisseursrecommendedthenovelasone

hundredsofthe20thcentury,distinguishingEnglishnovel.

ThefamousRussianwriter,LeoTolstoy,saidthatthebookwasthebestoneamongalltheEnglishnovelsanditcouldhelppeopletobuildaperfectpersonality.

“DavidCopperfieldwasfilledwithcharactersofthemostastonishingvariety,vividness,andoriginality,”notedSomerset

Maugham.“Theyarenotrealisticandyettheyaboundwithlife.There

neverweresuchpeopleastheMicawbers,Pegg