大学英语英国文学Charles Dickens.pptVIP

* Victorian Literature Chronically the Victorian period roughly coincides with the reign of Queen Victoria who ruled over England from 1836—1901. The period has been generally regarded as one of the most glorious in the English history. The early years of the Victorian England was a time of rapid economic development as well as serious social problems. For a time England was the “workshop of the world”. But the last three decades of the century witnessed the decline of the British Empire and the decay of the Victorian values. The class struggle in this period cause a new literary trend—critical realism: Critical realism Critical realism is one of the literary trends that flourished mainly in the 19th century. The great critical realists described the chief traits of the society and criticized the capitalist system from a democratic viewpoint. Their works do not point toward revolution but rather evolution or reformism. They often start with a powerful exposure of the ugliness of the bourgeois world in their works, but end their novels usually with happy endings or an impotent compromise. Only Connect ... New Directions Critical Realists ? In this period, the novel became the most widely read and the most vital and challenging expression of progressive thought. Among the famous novelists of the time were the critical realists like: ? Charles Dickens ? William Makepeace Thackery —Vanity Fair 《名利场》: The title of the novel was taken from John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress. ? Bronte Sisters ? George Eliot — Her name was Mary Ann Evans. Her famous novels included Adam Bede, The Mill on the Floss, Silas Marner, and Middlemarch. ? Thomas Hardy. Only Connect ... New Directions Charles Dickens William Powell Frith, Portrait of Charles Dickens, London, Victoria and Albert Museum. Born in Portsmouth in 1812. Unhappy childhood: he had to work in a factory at the age of 12 (his father went to prison for debts). He became a newspaper reporter with the pen name B