1、The greatest Representative of English critical realism,Charles Dickens,Life Experience Major Works Distinct Features of His Novels,His Life Experience,Dickens was born on February 7,1812, in Portsmouth and spent most of his childhood in London and Kent, both of which appear frequently in his novels

2、. His father, a poor clerk in the Navy Pay office, was put into prison for debt when young Charles was only 12 years old. He had to give up schooling to work in a underground cellar. His bitter experience was reflected in many of Dickens novels. In 1827,Charles entered in a laywers office, and two y

3、ears later, he become a Parliamentary reporter for newspapers. From1833,Dickens began to write occasional sketches of London life, which were later collected and published under the title Sketches by Boz.,The First Period,In 1836-1841,period of youthful optimist; fun, high spirit, nave optimism. At

4、this stage, Dickens believed that all the evils of the capitalist world would be remedied if only men treated each other with kindliness, justice, and sympathetic understanding. Dickens thought that the whole social question would be solved if only every employer reformed himself according to the mo

5、del set by the benevolent gentlemen in his novels. This native optimism is characteristic of the pretty-bourgeois humanitarians of the time.,Major Works,Sketches by Boz (The first book) The Pickwick Papers Oliver Twist Nichois Nickleby The Old Curiosity Shop Barnaby Rudge,Plot of Oliver Twist,Oliver

6、s birth ：of unknown parentage Maltreated by Bumble ,the parish people In London ,he falls into the hands of a gang thieves. Rescued by Mr. Brownlow Kidnapped by the thieves Wounded in a burgling expedition，rescued by Mrs. Maylie and Rose. Adopted by Mr. Brownlow。A happy ending。,Characteristics of th

7、e novel,The novel exposes the inhumanity of city life under capitalism. It shows the extreme brutality and corruption of the oppressors and their agents and the helpless suffernings of the poor and oppressed。 Oliver is the only one who emerges happy and successful in the end. The happy ending comes

8、as a result of Dickenss optimistic belief in the inevitable triumph of good over evil.,His achievement was in fact in presenting the underworld and problems of poverty to the well-off in a way rarely attempted previously.,The Second Period,1842-1850,Period of excitement, irritation and frustration:

9、exposing the corrupting influence of wealth and power, optimism turned into dissatisfaction and irritation. Dickens second period began from 1842, the year after his first visit to America. Before the visit, Dickens thought of the United States as a world in which there were no class divisions and h

10、uman relations were humanitarian. But what impressed him most during his visit there was the rule of the dollar and the enormously corruptive influence of wealth and power. Dickenss nave optimism toward the capitalist society was profoundly shaken.,Major Works,American Notes Martin Chuzzlewit A Chri

11、stmas Carol The Chimes The Cricket on the Hearth Dombey and Son David Copperfield,David Copperfield,Charles Deckens,Someone who is kind to others will be paid with kindness and evil willnot.,The story deals with the life of David Copperfield from childhood to maturity. David is born in England in ab

12、out 1820. Davids father had died six months before he was born, and seven years later, his mother marries Mr. Edward Murdstone. David dislikes his stepfather and has similar feelings for Mr. Murdstones sister Jane, who moves into the house soon afterwards. Mr. Murdstone thrashes David for failing be

13、hind with his studies. Following one of these thrashings, David bites him and is sent away to a boarding school, Salem House, with a ruthless headmaster, Mr.Creakle. Here he befriends James Steerforth.,David returns home for the holidays to find out that his mother has had a baby die and David has t

14、o return home immediately. Mr. Murdstone sends him to work in a factory in London, of which Murdstone is a joint owner. The grim reality of hand-to-mouth factory existence echoes Dickensown travails in a blacking factory. His landlord, Mr. Wilkins Micawber, is sent to a debtors prison after going ba

15、nkrupt, and is there for several months before being released and moving to Plymouth. David now has nobody left to care for him in London, and decides to run away .,First David-the main role of the novel. His father died before he could be give a birth. His mother married Murdstone and became his st

16、epfather. That is the start of his hard life. However after his endeavor, he married his lover Doraa beautiful and innocent girl. But not long after their marriage, Dora died of disease. At the end of the novel, he lived with Agness.,Second,Betsey Trotwood-Davids aunt. She is the key person who chan

17、ged Davids life a lot. She is a rich , a little strange but also a kind woman. Her poverty was once conquered by Uriah. But just as the saying goes The evil will not triumph over the virtuous. she finally recapture her money by their efforts.,Third,Peggotty-Davids servant. She is very kind to David

18、and his mother. She married a honest and also kind man, Barkis. And then they had a happy life.,The examples of evils bad results,One is Steerforths -He is handsome and brilliant. But he took Emily away even if she had already engaged with Ham. His life was finished by sea. Another is Uriah-the bigg

19、est evil in the story. He is the assistant of Agness father in lowers office. He conquered the office and robbed Betsey Trotwoods poverty in a mean way. There is no doubt that he got a bad result for his greedy.,The Third Period,1851-1870，a period of more steadily intensifying pessimism, showing und

20、erlying tone of bitterness, loss of hope for English bourgeois society. In his novels of this period ,Dickens, consciously and subconsciously, shows himself more and more at bourgeois society.,Major Works,Bleak House Hard Times Little Dorrit A Tale of Two Cities Great Expectations Our Mutual Friend

21、Edwin Drood (unfinished),A Tale of Two Cities,In “A Tale of Two Cities”, Dickens takes the French Revolution as the background of his novel, and the two cities are Paris and London in the time of revolution.,這是一個最好的時代，也是一個最壞的時代；這是明智的時代，這是愚昧的時代；這是信任的紀元，這是懷疑的紀元；這是光明的季節(jié)，這是黑暗的季節(jié)；這是希望的春日，這是失望的冬日；我們面前應有盡有

22、，我們面前一無所有；我們都將直上天堂，我們都將直下地獄,It was the best of times, it was the worst of times; it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness; it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity; it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness; it was the spring of hope, it was the wint

23、er of despair; we had everything before us, we had nothing before us; we were all going directly to Heaven, we were all going the other way.,18 years before in 1757, because of knowing a terrible secret, Dr. Manette was picked up and sent to the Bastille- one of the most terrible prisons in the worl

24、d, by the noble Marquis St. Evremonde. 18 years after in 1775, His only daughter, Lucie Manette, fell in love with Charles Darnay, the nephew of the Marquis St. Evremonde, which abandoned the noble degree to live by himself. “Let the past be past.” Thought Dr. Marnette, and was preparing to have a h

25、appy new life with his daughter and her husband. But the revolution of France broke, and because of his family, Charles Darnay was denounced- denounced by a letter which was wrote by Dr. Marnette himself 18 years ago! What a cruel strike! Isnt it? Though he was innocent, poor Charles would have been

26、 sent to the guillotine. The story seems to be over thus far, but, There is another man we might refer to, that is Sydney Carton, the lawyer of England, the good friend of Manettes families, who took after Charles very much. It was he, finally be killed instead by his own mind. When Sydney was kille

27、d as Charles, there was much hope on his face. What was he thinking about as he went to his death? If we could have listened to his thoughts, we might have heard beautiful things: “Its the time. May God forgive me. But I see the death of all who hate. I see a new France, growing from out of the old.

28、 I see a beautiful Paris filled with happy people. And I see the lives which I have saved. They are happy in England. There is a boy-child in lucres arms. And he is named Sydney. He will grow old and bring love to my name. It is a far, far better thing that I do than I have ever done. It is a far, f

29、ar better rest that I go to than I have ever known.,A Tale of Two Cities,Subject: the French Revolution Theme：Where there is oppression，there is revolution. The fate of Dr. Manette is typical of bourgeois intellectuals who had hoped for a revolution, but retreated before the French Revolution. The n

30、ovel shows that peoples lust for vengeance，it is the direct product of the ruling classes monstrous atrocities。 The novel takes the side of the common people against that of the privileged classes. It adds a warning of an Avenging Fate.,What impresses the readers,His writing style is florid and poet

31、ic, with a strong comic touch. His satires of British aristocratic snobbery are often popular. Comparing orphans to stocks and shares, people to tug boats, or dinner-party guests to furniture are just some of Dickenss acclaimed flights of fancy. Many of his characters names provide the reader with a

32、 hint as to the roles played in advancing the storyline, such as Mr. Murdstone in the novel David Copperfield, which is clearly a combination of murder and stony coldness. His literary style is also a mixture of fantasy and realism.,狄更斯作品的思想內容,對維多利亞時代英國資本主義社會的批判 對倫理道德的提倡和弘揚 對人性的廣泛而深入的探索 狄更斯的人道主義思想：努

33、力企求人的本性的復歸以及人們之間的和諧關系，因而對資本主義社會使人性“異化”表現(xiàn)出強烈的抗議， 對善良貧困的婦女，兒童及社會底層人民抱有極大的同情。,狄更斯式的人道主義,三位一體：他的兒童觀純真與善良，基督教的泛愛思想資產階級的人道主義思想。 其人道主義的核心內容是：倡導自由平等,博愛，希望實現(xiàn)兒童那樣的天真，善良，自然，淳樸的人性和人與人之間的關系，從而使邪惡的世界變得光明而美好.,Features of his work,A character sketches and exaggeration Broad humor and penetrating satire Complicated

34、and fascinating plot The power of exposure,Character Sketches-Exaggeration,Dickens was skillful in drawing vivid sketches by exaggerating some peculiarities ,to give them exactly the actions or words that fit them. That is right words and right actions for right person。 These characters are so typic

35、al that they become representative of a whole group of similar person。,Dickens describes the characters mainly through their dressing and outlook instead of its inner heart。 如匹克威克，和藹可親，天真可愛的胖紳士，他的圓眼鏡，白背心和緊身褲子，他的圓圓的肚子和翹起在背后的上衣尾巴。,Broad Humor and Penetrating Satire,Dickens is well known as a humorist

36、as well as a satirist. He sometimes employs humor o enliven scene or lighten a character by making it eccentric, whimsical or laughable. .Sometimes he uses satire to ridicule human voices, with the purpose of laughing them out of existence or bring about reform.,Complicated and Fascinating Plot,Dickens seems to love complicated novel constructions with mirror plots beside the major one novel. He is also skillful at creating suspense and mystery to make the story fascinating.,The Power of Exposure,As th