論霧都孤兒的社會(huì)意義

1、Analysis the Social Significance of Oliver TwistAbstract: Charles Dickens is the major representatives of Britain realistic literature in 19th, who is one of the most influential novel masters in the European history of modern literature. In Oliver Twist, he uses the exquisite brushwork and rich lif

2、e experience, recreating the real life of the poor children in bourgeois culture, revealing the hypocrisy and dark of the poor relief in that capitalist society at that time. It produces huge influence on the political, educational and cultural and other aspects.This paper introduces the personal in

3、formation and achievements of Charles Dickens, as well as the content and background information of Oliver Twist, and from two aspects of home and abroad presents research situation about Oliver Twist, involved in literature, religion and moral aspects of human nature, then making detailed descripti

4、on about the social significance of Oliver Twist. Based on the social background at that time, the thesis analyses the social significance of Oliver Twist from four aspects. From the political aspect, this part reveals the darkness of workhouses, describing the miserable life of poor children who li

5、ve in London underworld. From the educational aspect: Nancy, for example, analyzing the influence of education for the childrens growth. From the moral aspect: according to the description of different characters, reflecting the heros purity and good. From the cultural aspects: This part is from thr

6、ee aspects - realism, romanticism and humorous art to reflect the literary value of the novel. This paper aims to make readers have a more profound understanding on Oliver Twist in combination with the social background and the authors personal experience, Key Words: Charles Dickens; Oliver Twist; S

7、ignificance; Workhouse論霧都孤兒的社會(huì)意義摘要: 查爾斯狄更斯是19世紀(jì)英國(guó)現(xiàn)實(shí)主義文學(xué)的主要代表，是歐洲近現(xiàn)代文學(xué)史上極具影響力的小說(shuō)大師之一，在霧都孤兒中，他用及其精湛的筆法和豐富的生活閱歷，再現(xiàn)了資產(chǎn)階級(jí)文化下貧窮兒童的悲慘而真實(shí)生活，揭露了當(dāng)時(shí)資本主義社會(huì)下，貧民救濟(jì)所的黑暗和虛偽。對(duì)當(dāng)時(shí)的政治、經(jīng)濟(jì)、文化等方面產(chǎn)生了巨大的影響。本文介紹了查爾斯狄更斯的個(gè)人信息和獲得的成就，以及霧都孤兒的內(nèi)容和創(chuàng)作背景，并從國(guó)內(nèi)國(guó)外兩個(gè)方面陳述了關(guān)于霧都孤兒的研究狀況，涉及到文學(xué)、宗教以及人性道德等方面，接下來(lái)對(duì)霧都孤兒的社會(huì)意義進(jìn)行了詳細(xì)闡述。本文根據(jù)當(dāng)時(shí)的社會(huì)背景，重點(diǎn)從四個(gè)

8、方面分析霧都孤兒的社會(huì)意義。政治方面，小說(shuō)揭露了貧民救濟(jì)所的黑暗，描寫(xiě)了了倫敦下層社會(huì)貧困兒童的悲慘生活；從教育方面：以南希為例，分析了教育對(duì)當(dāng)時(shí)兒童成長(zhǎng)的影響；道德方面：根據(jù)人物性格的對(duì)比描述，體現(xiàn)主人公的純真和善良；文化方面：從現(xiàn)實(shí)主義，浪漫主義和幽默藝術(shù)三個(gè)方面來(lái)體現(xiàn)這部小說(shuō)的文學(xué)價(jià)值。本文的目的在于讓讀者結(jié)合當(dāng)時(shí)的社會(huì)背景和作者的個(gè)人經(jīng)歷，對(duì)霧都孤兒有更深刻的認(rèn)識(shí)。關(guān)鍵詞：查爾斯狄更斯；霧都孤兒；社會(huì)意義；濟(jì)貧院Contents1. Introduction11.1 An Introduction of the Society Background11.2 An Introductio

9、n of Charles Dickens21.3 A Brief Introduction of Oliver Twist32. Literature Review42.1 The Status of Abroad Research42.2 The Status of Domestic Research52.3 Research Trends of Oliver Twist73. The Political and Educational Significance of Oliver Twist83.1 Political Significance83.2 Educational Signif

10、icance114. The Moral and Cultural Significance of Oliver Twist134.1 Moral Significance134.2 Cultural Significance155. Conclusion19Acknowledgments21Reference221. IntroductionCharles Dickens is one of the greatest novelists in Victorian England. In his early years, He works as a reporter and this kind

11、 of experience gives him a good knowledge of the political life of England at that time. As a result of the ability to keenly notice the social situations in London, he writes many famous novels that describes the dark sides of the society. As a famous British critical realism novelist，Dickens pays

12、special attention to describe the “somebody” that lives at the bottom in the UK, which deeply reflects the complex social reality at that time, making the outstanding contributions for the exploration and development of English critical realism literature. Oliver Twist is one of the most important s

13、ocial novels in Dickens early works, which marks the beginning of Dickens literary life. The novel writes the true colors of people at the bottom of British society, which vividly shows the readers the picture of peoples real life and social condition at that time. In Oliver Twist, Dickens merciless

14、 satirizes the influence of industrialism on 19th century in England and harshly criticizes New Poor Law. In the novel, Dickens also makes a social commentary, which attacks the hypocritical and defective f institutions, including the government, the laws and criminal system. He points out that it i

15、s the deep injustice of these systems that inflicts too much suffering of the poor people. The social reality and the realistic view of the terrible life of the poor people that Dickens describes encourage most of the readers to deeply think about the social reform which can remove the inequality an

16、d discrimination. And especially its social significance is very important for the citizens who live in the modern society. This paper aims to talks about the Oliver Twists significance through the deep analysis of social reality in Victorian Age and modern society. In order to make people have a be

17、tter understanding about this novel, to make people find the real social value of this novel and its contributions to the world literature.1.1 An Introduction of the Society BackgroundVictorian Age, which Charles Dickens lives in is also the heyday of British Empire. With the increase of the country

18、s military forces, further expansion plunders a lot of treasure that provides rich fund for primitive accumulation of capital. The whole British society presents a prosperous scene.In the aspect of economy, the industrial revolution can be defined as application of powerful-driven machinery to manuf

19、acturing and the consequent massive social, economic and technological changes that marked the transition from a rural and agricultural society to an urban and manufacturing one(Wang Qingming 2008:90). It makes great contributions to the development of Britain. However, every coin has two sides. The

20、re is a growing gap between the rich and the poor. In order to accumulate capital, the bourgeoisie brutally exploits the working class, which creates a great number of dilapidated slums. A lot of underprivileged people are still living in the unbearable poor and misery. Meanwhile, the wandering orph

21、an in the city becomes a big social problem.In the aspect of politic, Oliver Twists publication is a great shock to the political system of Britain when The Poor Law has just passed. Because there is a huge gap between the poor and the rich, more and more poor people are struggling in the edge of de

22、ath. And the whole Britain society is in a disorder. In order to solve the social problem, the Bill establishes a Poor Law Commission to oversee the national operation of the system(He Qinxin 2000:36). It forces the poor people into workhouse instead of giving them sufficient money to survive in the

23、ir hometown. There is no doubt that they fail. The New Poor Law can not deal with the cause of poverty-chronic unemployment and naturally low wages. In the 1890s many people in the towns can not keep themselves healthily fed and clothed. Meanwhile, the major contradiction between labor and capital i

24、n the political arena becomes more definitely. The working class wants more political right and freedom. While factories put ruthless exploitation on workers who live in a bad condition, in order to survive, women and children must go to work in dirty factories. As class contradictions become more a

25、nd more serious, the working class starts to unite, leading to the Charter Movement. And it means that the working class begins to wake up. 1.2 An Introduction of Charles Dickens Charles Dickens was born on 7 February 1812, in Landport, Portsmouth, in Hampshire, the second of eight children. His fat

26、her, John Dickens (17861851), was a clerk in the Navy Pay Office at Portsmouth. His family early has enough wealth to provide Dickens with some private education at William Giles school, in Chatham. However, this time of prosperity ends very abruptly. His father is imprisoned at Marshalsea debtors p

27、rison because he spends beyond his means in entertaining and in retaining his social position. Just before his fathers arrest, the 12-year-old Dickens begins to work ten-hour days at Warrens Blacking Warehouse, on Hungerford Stairs, near the present Charing Cross railway station. He earns six shilli

28、ngs a week pasting labels on jars of thick shoe polish. This money has to be paid for his lodgings at the house of family friend and helping support his family.Dickenss experiences serve to influence his later fiction and essays, which are the foundation of his interest in the reform of socioeconomi

29、c and labor conditions. The rigors of which he believes are unfairly borne by the poor, in pre-Industrial-Revolution England. His childhood experience contributes to his views on social reform, and his mercy for the lower class, especially the children. He criticizes many aspects of 19th century Bri

30、tain, including the temperance movement, the prison system, the Parliamentary election process, and the practice of imprisonment for debt. Meanwhile, he also criticizes the abuse of responsibilities in the Court of Chancery, the philanthropists organization, and also home. During his lifetime, Dicke

31、ns is viewed as a popular entertainer of fecund imagination. His endless invention of memorable characters and his powerful social criticism are championed by many later critics. The popularity of his novels during his lifetime and to the present is demonstrated by the fact that none of his novels h

32、as ever gone out of primHis writing style is humorous and poetic，with a strong comic sense and magnificent imagination. The Encyclopedia Britannic states that he and Shakespeare are the two unique popular classics that England has given the world，and they are alike in being remembered not for one ma

33、sterpiece but for a creative worldAlthough he was born in a poor family and lack of further education，Dickens is still enthusiastic about reading and studying，which offers him profound knowledge.1.3 A Brief Introduction of Oliver TwistOliver Twist is one of the most enduringly popular stories writte

34、n by Dickens. The story is mainly about the difficult life changes of little hero-Oliver. Oliver himself was born in a workhouse and treated cruelly. There is the norm for pauper children at the time, which is particularly by Bumble, a parish council official. The story follows Oliver as he escapes

35、from the workhouse and runs away to London. Here he is controlled by Fagin (the leader of criminal gang, which includes the brutal thief Bill Sikes, the famous artful Dodger, Nancy and so on). They want to teach Oliver to commit and make the little boy become the member of them. However, Oliver is r

36、escued by his benefactor- Mr. Brownlow, but Monks(Olivers older half-blooded brother) makes the evildoers kidnap the boy again. Nancy intervenes him but is murdered merciless by Sikes after she has discovered Monks sinister intention. The story ends happily and with justice for Bumble and the cruel

37、Monks who has hidden the truth of Olivers parentage out of malice. The purpose of Dickens who writes Oliver Twist is clear, which is evident from his letter-written preface: “I wished to show, in little Oliver, the principle of Good Surviving through every adverse circumstance and triumphing at last

38、”(Lu Jiangguo 2004:7) The companions among whom he is to be tried are the criminals of Londons underworld. The author describes it not in a romantic mood just as his contemporary novels, showing much miserable reality. That reality is the great and enduring strength of the book. Dickens knows it a l

39、ot by close observation about the real life of the poor that lives at the bottom of British society, which he has demonstrated in, has newspaper sketches of London streets and criminal court. Also, there is another reason that he knows it by his own reason. He knows those kinds of feelings, so of co

40、urse he can share the childrens suffering, for he bewilders in those years when he hands labored hopelessly in the blacking-warehouse. Maybe it is the main reason that why he pays too much attention to common peoples lives and their feelings.2. Literature Review 2.1 The Status of Abroad ResearchOliv

41、er Twist has been researched abroad for a long history. Dickens is the main research object in the field of Victoria culture. The foreign scholar Gilbert Keith Chesterton publishes a collected works, which names Appreciations and Criticisms of the Works of Charles Dickens in 1991. Many people think

42、that Dickens has many classical works which has great influence on the whole society and he should be praised. But, Chesterton has his own distinct idea about Dickens, that the great people Dickens also should be criticized. Dickens plots are often dismissed in many different points of view. For exa

43、mple, in Parentage and Inheritance in the Novels of Charles Dickens, released by Anny Sadrin, he argues that they should rather be seen as the embodiment of one of Dickenss central preoccupation: dramatic rituals of succession. According to the readings of individual texts, Professor Sadrin shows ho

44、w the simple pattern of quest for father which characterises Oliver Twist develops in Dickenss later novels into an extended exploration of the triple inheritance of appearance, name and property. Dickens is using plot to explain the complex procedure of reinstatement and revaluation which enables r

45、ightful heirs to take their rightful place in the family and society. It is obvious that a unique perspective is adopted by Anny Sadrin to find the something new.As it is mentioned above, the range of studies on Oliver Twist is not very integrated and the studies focused too much on the writer-Dicke

46、ns rather than the book-Oliver Twist. However, we have to say that those researcher make a lot of contributions to the continue studies on the writer and this book.2.2 The Status of Domestic ResearchIn China, the studies on Oliver Twister started to be prosperous from 1980s to now. And there are hun

47、dreds of the books and works published. In the 1980s, the study about the author of Oliver Twist has been a concern. For example, Luo JingGuo who publishes the book named A Critical Biography of Charles Dickens. In this book, he collects some relevant critical papers about Charles Dickens, who writt

48、en by the famous writers and critics from Europe and America. All of his critics have his own different and unique ideas and this book is a masterpiece without doubt.The second period is in1990s. An Analysis of Nancy in Oliver Twister is written by Liu Jingxiang, who is in South-Central University f

49、or Nationalities. The writer focuses on a series of actions from Nancy to analyze her character and factors. No matter how cruel the surrounding is, goodness will never be eliminated. He advocates the nature of goodness and criticize the education system in England. The analysis of Nancy makes reade

50、rs sympathize with this woman who realizes her errors and correct mistakes in her own way, and help people to know the true features of that society. Nancy is a girl, this is not just a signal of simple figure but a unique and vivid character which makes readers impressive. It is clear that the char

51、acter of Nancy is playing a significant role in the studies on Oliver Twist.During this time, there are many scholar research the novel from another point of view. Pan Mingyuan, whose work is the strong vitality of Oliver Twist. In this work, he explains the reason why Oliver Twist is so famous in t

52、he whole world and he proves that the vitality of a literature and artistic work is based on the intrinsic value. Through the detailed and deep description of the social background and brutal reality, he thinks the little Oliver is a very strong boy who has never been conquered by the social darknes

53、s.The research of coincidences is another means of study. The Brief Analysis of Coincidences in Oliver Twist is written by Yan Xiaoru who is a student in the English Department of Qingyang Teachers College. The author considers that Oliver Twist is characterized by a few coincidences especially happ

54、y encounters, about which some reviews are unfavorable. Sharing quite opposite opinions to the unfavorable ones, the author proves to people that coincidences have advantages by means of systematic analysis from the following four points: background of production and publication, Dickens radical ide

55、a and his unique artistic style. As a matter of fact, the coincidence is very important to the further study.At the beginning of the 21st century, the study of Oliver Twist has new development. For instance, Oliver Twist: Look up at the Heavens in misery was published by Tang Xicheng. The author mai

56、nly does some deep researches into the setting of the 19th century of England, who makes readers have a good understanding of Oliver whose fate is so hard. This is the battle of a little boy, without any weapons, just using his kindness and mentality to fight for his freedom. This kind of analysis p

57、rovides an insight for readers to keep a positive attitude towards life.Glory of Conscience-a Character Analysis of Oliver, Nancy and Rose in Oliver Twist, which is written by Zhang Sainan in 2012.The author tries to do a further study of the glory of conscience from the character analysis of Oliver

58、, Nancy and Rose in Oliver Twist, trying to elucidate the effect of the conscience on human, society and nation. His research produces the following findings: whether Oliver having a tragic life experience, whatever Nancy or Rose, they all has a common characteristicconscience. Furthermore, touches

59、of conscience can be sensed with ease in their deed and manner. People are good in nature. No matter how dark that society is, how cruel the system is, and how harsh the environment seems, people can till find the bright spot of human nature-conscience, and find the silver lining to a lackluster life, which can encourage them to move on. As for the significance, t