維多利亞時期文學

Englishliterature——TheVictorianAgetheVictorianPeriod

TheVictorianperiodroughlycoincideswiththereignofQueenVictoriawhoruledoverEnglandfrom1836to1901.TheperiodhasbeengenerallyregardedasoneofthemostgloriousintheEnglishhistory.TheChartistMovement（1836-1848）

憲章運動

TheEnglishworkersgotthemselvesorganizedinbigcities&broughtforththePeople'scharter,inwhichtheydemandedbasicrights&betterliving&workingconditions.They,forthreetimes,madeappealstothegovernment,withhundredsofthousandsofpeople'ssignatures.Themovementsweptovermostofthecitiesinthecountry.Althoughthemovementdeclinedtoanendin

1848,itdidbringsomeimprovementtothewelfareoftheworkingclass.ThiswasthefirstmassmovementoftheEnglishworkingclass&theearlysignoftheawakeningofthepoor,oppressedpeople.Utilitarianism

功利主義

Almosteverythingwasputtothetestbythecriterion(原則)ofutility,

thatis,theextenttowhichitcouldpromotethematerialhappiness.Thistheoryheldaspecialappealtothemiddle-classindustrialists,

whosegreeddrovethemtoexploitingworkerstotheutmost&broughtgreatersuffering&povertytotheworkingmass.CriticalRealism

批判現(xiàn)實主義

TheVictorianAgeisanageofrealismratherthanofromanticism,arealismwhichstrivestotellthewholetruthshowingmoral&physicaldiseasesastheyare.Tobetruetolifebecomesthefirstrequirementforliterarywriting.Asthemirroroftruth,

literaturehascomeveryclosetodailylife,reflectingitspracticalproblems&interests&isusedasapowerfulinstrumentofhumanprogress(進步,發(fā)展).DramaticMonologue

戲劇獨白

Bydramaticmonologue,itismeantthatapoetchoosesadramaticmomentoracrisis,

inwhichhischaractersaremadetotalkabouttheirlives,

&abouttheirminds&hearts.In"listening"tothoseone-sidedtalks,

readerscanformtheirownopinions&judgmentsaboutthespeaker'spersonality&aboutwhathasreallyhappened.RobertBrowningbroughtthispoeticformtoitsmaturity&perfection&his"MyLastDuchess"isoneofthebest-knowndramaticmonologues.

TheReformBillof1832gavethemiddleclassthepoliticalpower.Whiletheaffluenceofthemiddleclassincreased,thelowerclasses,thrownofftheirlandandintothecitiestoformthegreaturbanworkingclass.

In1837whenQueenVictoriacametothethrone(王位),marriedwomenhadnopropertyrights,notevenintheproceedsoftheirownearnings.Theyhadnorightstocustody（監(jiān)護

）oftheirownchildrenandwereexcludedfromuniversitiesandprofessions.ThesocialchangesDarwin’sOriginofSpecies(1859)andTheDescentofMan(1871)shookthetheoreticalbasisoftheconventionalreligiousfaith.

BackgroundoftheperiodTheenlightenmentmovement.（啟蒙運動）Theenlightenerscelebratedreason,equalityandscience,claimingthatthereasonshouldbetheonlyandthefinalcauseofthehumans.Theybelieveintheeternaljusticeandnaturalequalityandtheeternaltruth.Towardsthemiddleofthe18century,ithasbecomethefirstpowerfulcapitalistcountry.Itisaperiodofeconomicexpansionandpopulationgrowth.Culturally,itisbelievedthatself-relianceandhardworkisthepreferredsocialmoralandvalue.FeaturesoftheVictorianLiterature

Victorianliterature,asaproductofitsage,naturallytookonitsqualityofmagnitude(大小

)&diversity.Itwasmany-sided&complex,&reflectedbothromantically&realisticallythegreatchangesthatweregoingoninpeople'slife&thought.Greatwriters&greatworksabounded.Novel

TheVictorianagewasthegreatageoftheEnglishnovel—realistic,thicklyplotted(緊湊旳情節(jié)),crowdedwithcharacters,andlong.Itwastheidealformtodescribecontemporarylifeandtoentertainthemiddleclass.

MajorwritersintheperiodJohnBunyanThePilgrim’sProgress《天路歷程》GraceAboundingtothechiefofSinners(上帝賜于最大罪人旳無限恩惠)TheHolyWar《圣戰(zhàn)》VanityFair《名利場》DanielDefoe(丹尼爾.笛福1600－1731)Representativeworks:RobinsonCrusoe(魯濱遜漂流記)AJournalofthePlague(大瘟疫日志)SamuelRichardson(塞繆爾.里查森)Pamela(帕米拉)TheHistoryofSirCharlesGrandison(查爾斯先生旳歷史)JonathanSwift(1667-1705)

喬納森.斯威特Representativeworks:Gulliver’sTravels(格利佛游記)ATaleofaTub(一種木桶旳故事)Nonfiction寫實文學

Famoushistorians,critics,scientistsandessayistsabounded.

ThomasMacaulayrepresentsinthefullestdegreetheVictorianvigoranddelightinmaterialprogress.

ThomasCarlyle,thehistorian,socialcritic,andprophet（預言者，先知）,wroteamajorhistoryoftheFrenchRevolution.

JohnHenryNewman,oneoftheprimemoversoftheOxfordMovement,wroteaseriesofessaysonreligion,philosophy,andeducation.

JohnRuskin,theforemostEnglishartcritic,revolutionizedartcriticismandwrotesomeofthemostsuperbproseintheEnglishlanguage.

JohnStuartMill,betterknownastheauthorofPrinciplesofPoliticalEconomy（政治經(jīng)濟學原理）,wasthemostinfluentialEnglish-speakingphilosopherofthenineteenthcentury.Poetry

Victorianpoetryisobsessedbythegreatideasofafictionalized（小說化旳）

past,itfunctionsasapopularencyclopedia（百科全書）orcommentarytomythorfolklore（民間傳說）anditisafashionablecommentarytoavarietyofideas.Itsmostrepresenta