英国文学第8课.pptVIP

Literature of the Victorian Age (1832-1901) 1.English Critical Realism In the period of tense class struggle of Victorian Age appeared a new literary trend—critical realism. English critical realism of the 19th century flourished in the forties and in the early fifties. The critical realists described with much vividness and great artistic skill the chief traits of the English society and criticized the capitalist system from a democratic viewpoint. They not only gave a satirical portrayal of the bourgeoisie and all the ruling classes, but also showed profound sympathy for the common people. 2.Victorian Novels The major contribution made by the 19th century critical realists lies in their perfection of the novel. Like the realist of the 18th century, the 19th century critical realist made use of the political events, and of the fate of individuals and of whole social classes. However, the realistic novels of the 19th century went a step further than those of the 18th century in that they not only pictured the conflicts between separate individuals who stood for definite social strata, but also showed the broad social conflicts over and above the fate of mere individuals. What with their artistic representation of vital social movements such as Chartism and their vivid description of dramatic conflicts of the time, the 19th century realistic novels become “the epic of the bourgeois society”. 3.The Characteristics of Victorian Novels 1. The plot is unfolded against a social background which is broader than what it had been in previous novels. 2. The cause-effect sequence is much more striking than in previous novels. 3. Most of the Victorian novels were first published in serial form, that is, by installment, before they were fully published in a single book. 4. The Victorian novels were characterized by their moral purpose. 4. Victorian Novelists Charles Dickens(1812-1870) William Makepeace Thackeray (1811-1863) The woman novelists Thomas Hardy (1