英国文学作品赏析
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英国文学Iwonderedlonelyasacloud的赏析整英国文学I wondered lonely as a cloud的赏析整理在日常的学习、工作、生活中,许多人都接触过一些比较经典的英国文学吧,那么什么样的英国文学才更具感染力呢?下面是店铺整理的英国文学I wondered lonely as a cloud赏析,仅供参考,欢迎大家阅读。
英国文学I wondered lonely as a cloud赏析整理一.I wandered lonely as a cloud我好似一朵孤独的'流云,(Simile)That floats on high o'er vales and hills,高高地飘游在山谷之上, (Simile)When all at once I saw a crowd,突然我看见一大片鲜花, (Personification/Metaphor)A host, of golden daffodils;是金色的水仙遍地开放,Beside the lake, beneath the trees, 它们开在湖畔,开在树下,(alliteration)Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.它们随风嬉舞,随风波荡。
二.Continuous as the stars that shine 它们密集如银河的星星,And twinkle on the milky way, 像群星在闪烁一片晶莹; (一二两行Simile/hyperbole)They stretched in never-ending line 它们沿着海湾向前伸展,Along the margin of a bay: 通往远方仿佛无穷无尽; (三四两行Simile/hyperbole)三.The waves beside them danced; 粼粼湖波也在近旁欢跳, (personification)Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:却不如这水仙舞得轻俏; (personification)A poet could not but be gay;诗人遇见这快乐的旅伴,In such a jocund company;又怎能不感到欣喜雀跃;I gazed—and gazed—but little thought.我久久凝视——却未领悟What wealth the show to me had brought:...这景象所给我的精神之宝。
英美文学作品鉴赏鲁迅曾说:“故事要从现在讲起,英雄从鲁迅做起。
”然而,在欣赏英美文学作品之前,我们还是要从源头出发,追溯到英美文学的发展历程,了解其背后的文化、思潮和历史。
一、英美文学的发展历程英美文学的起源可以追溯到中世纪的史诗和传说,在《贝奥武夫》、《亚瑟王传说》等作品中体现了当时社会文化和价值观念。
随着文艺复兴的到来,英美文学迎来了蓬勃发展的黄金时期。
莎士比亚的作品成为英文戏剧的代表,他的《哈姆雷特》、《罗密欧与朱丽叶》等剧作至今仍具有重要影响力。
随着工业革命和现代主义思潮的兴起,英美文学的题材和风格也发生了转变。
维多利亚时期的文学以浪漫主义和现实主义为主,经典代表作有狄更斯的《雾都孤儿》、莱尔的《咏史诗》等。
现代主义文学则更加注重对内心世界和对传统的反思,乔伊斯的《尤利西斯》、福克纳的《喧哗与骚动》等作品成为现代主义文学的典范。
二、英美文学作品的鉴赏1. 《哈姆雷特》《哈姆雷特》是莎士比亚最著名的剧作之一,讲述了丹麦王子哈姆雷特为父亲的死而悲伤,追求真相并寻求复仇的故事。
这部戏剧通过对人性、道德和权力的探讨,展现了人类内心的复杂和矛盾。
哈姆雷特作为一个智慧而矛盾的角色,他的独白和哲理性的思考赋予了整个作品深刻的内涵。
2. 《傲慢与偏见》简·奥斯汀的《傲慢与偏见》是一部脍炙人口的爱情小说,通过对英国上层社会和婚姻制度的描绘,展现了女性对自由和尊严的追求。
小说中的伊丽莎白·班内特是一个聪明机智、不拘小节的女性形象,在与达西先生的爱情故事中,她逐渐认识到自己先入为主的偏见,学会了宽容和宽恕。
3. 《老人与海》海明威的《老人与海》是一部以渔夫与大海之间的斗争为主线的小说,通过描写老渔夫与巨大的马林鱼的搏斗,表达了人与命运的较量和对人生意义的思考。
小说中的老人桑提亚哥展现了坚毅、无私以及对自然界的敬畏,他的形象代表了人类面对困难时的无畏精神和顽强生活。
三、如何进行英美文学作品鉴赏1.了解作品背景:掌握作者的生平背景、时代背景和创作动机,深入了解作品在当时社会文化和思潮中的位置。
I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud By William Wordsworth1I wandered lonely as a cloud 我好似一朵孤独的流云, (Simile)That floats on high o'er vales and hills,高高地飘游在山谷之上, (Simile)When all at once I saw a crowd,突然我看见一大片鲜花,(Personification/Metaphor)A host, of golden daffodils;是金色的水仙遍地开放,Beside the lake, beneath the trees, 它们开在湖畔,开在树下, (alliteration)Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.它们随风嬉舞,随风波荡。
(Personification/Metaphor2Continuous as the stars that shine 它们密集如银河的星星,And twinkle on the milky way, 像群星在闪烁一片晶莹; (一二两行Simile/hyperbole)They stretched in never-ending line 它们沿着海湾向前伸展,Along the margin of a bay: 通往远方仿佛无穷无尽; (三四两行Simile/hyperbole)Ten thousand saw I at a glance, 一眼看去就有千朵万朵,Tossing their heads in sprightly dance..万花摇首舞得多么高兴。
(personification)3The waves beside them danced; but they粼粼湖波也在近旁欢跳, (personification)Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:却不如这水仙舞得轻俏; (personification)A poet could not but be gay;诗人遇见这快乐的旅伴,In such a jocund company;又怎能不感到欣喜雀跃;I gazed—and gazed—but little thought我久久凝视——却未领悟What wealth the show to me had brought:...这景象所给我的精神之宝。
William Blake (1757-1827)The characteristics of Blake’s poetry:1. plain and direct language2. lyric beauty with immense compression of meaning3. visual images used to embody abstract ideas4. symbolism in wide rangeThe Tiger"The Tyger" consists entirely of unanswered questions, and the poet leaves usto awe at the complexity of creation, the sheer magnitude of God's power, andthe mysteriousness of divine will.The tiger is strikingly beautiful yet also horrific in its capacity for violence.What kind of a God, then, could or would design such a terrifying beast as the tiger? In more general terms, what does the undeniable existence of evil and violence in the world tell us about the nature of God, and what does it mean tolive in a world where a being can at once contain both beauty and horror?Blake's tiger becomes the symbolic center for an investigation into the presence ofevil in the world.The poem is comprised of six quatrains in rhymed couplets. The meter is regular and rhythmic, its hammering beat suggestive of the smithy that is the poem's central image.Robert Burns (1759-96)A Red Red RoseSimple language, sincere feelings, beautiful melody, written essentially in the ballad stanza, rhyming abcbFigures: alliteration, assonance, repetition, parallelism, simile, metaphor, hyperbole.The Scottish words give a national coloring and the archaic words (art, thee) create a sense of formality.Lord Byron (1788-1824)Byronic hero:A proud, passionate, courageous, strong-willed, mysterious, gloomy and rebellious figure, usually of noble origin, this Byronic hero would shoulder the burden of righting all the wrongs in a corrupt society, and would fight alone against any type of tyranny and oppression, either in government, in religion, or in moral principles. To some extent, the figure is created according to the life and personality of Byron himself, and makes Byron famous both at home and a broad.The reasons for the popularity of Byron’s poetry : his persistent attacks on social evils,the novelty of his oriental scenery, the romantic character of the Byronic hero, his fantastic imagination and the easy, fluent and natural beauty of his verse.She Walks in BeautyThe perfect balance between darkness and brightness; her face is a mixture of the best of light and shadow, and her dusky beauty makes daylight seem gaudy.The vision which the subject inspires combines the beauties of the night and the day. The darkness of her dress and of her hair symbolizes the beauties of night, the light which radiates from her face, eyes and expression the other; and the two elements are perfectly balanced.The speaker moves from physical beauty to inward spiritual virtue. The beauty of her physical appearance is matched by the spiritual qualities of which it is an expression. In one of his conversations, Byron said: “ I do not talk of mere beauty of feature or complexion, but of expression, that looking out of the soul through the eyes which in my opinion constitutes true beauty.”Metaphor, antithesis and parallelismSix-lined stanza in iambic tetrameter rhyming abababDaniel Defoe(1660-1731)His language is smooth, easy, colloquial and mostly vernacular.The literary significance of Robinson Crusoe:The growth of Robinson from a naïve and artless youth into a shrewd and hardened man, tempered by numerous trials in his eventful life. A real hero, a typical 18th c English middle class man, with a great capacity for work, inexhaustible energy, courage, patience and persistence in overcoming obstacles, in struggling against hostile natural environment and also against human fate. In describing R’s life on the island, he glorified human labor and the puritan fortitude. From an individual laborer to a master and colonizer, Crusoe seems to have gone through several stages of human civilization.Theme: man can improve his condition through labor and struggling with nature.Milton (1608-1674)Paradise LostWritten in blank verse and in an allegorical religious form.Superficially seen,The subject is the Fall of Man, i.e. man’s disobedience and subsequent loss of paradise. The purpose is to “ justify the ways of God to men”, i.e. to show that the fall, death, and salvation are all acts of a just God.Underneath,The main idea of the poem is a revolt against God’s authorityThe story: (see textbook )1) It represents the author’s views in an allegorical religious form;2) And the reader will easily discern its basic idea---the exposure of reactionary forces of thistime and passionate appeal for freedom.3) It is based on the biblical legend of the imaginary progenitors of the human race—Adam andEve, and involves God and his eternal adversary, Satan in plot.Theme and characterization:The main idea of the poem—the heroic revolt against God’s authority. In th e poem God is no better than a selfish despot, seated upon a throne with a chorus of angels about him eternally singing his praises. His angels are silly while the rebel Satan who rises against God and, though defeated, still seeks for revenge, is by far the most striking character in the poem.Satan:A brave fighter against an unjust God, a powerful military leader, the real hero of the poem. He has huge courage, a willingness to fight against authority and a strong love of liberty. Satan tells the other rebels that they can make “a Heav’n of Hell, a Hell of Heav’n” (I, 255) and adds, “Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heav’n” (I, 263). Milton showed his sympathy and even admiration for Satan. Milton was “of the devil’s party without knowing it” ( W. Blake). Sometimes we feel Satan is Milton himself. To Milton, the proud and somber Satan represented the spirit of rebellion against unjust authority.Adam and Eve:They are responsible for man’s losing paradise and immortality. However, in the poem they are not portrayed as failures and wretches. Their dignity, nobility, innocence and beauty are stressed and they show the best qualities of humanity such as love, compassion, temperance and devotion. Adam falls by consciously choosing human love rather than obeying God. This is the error as well as the greatness. In the fall of man Adam discovered his full humanity. Their sin is redeemed through the Christian values of love. They leave with the knowledge that faith in the redeemer( Christ) can lead them back to paradise. Hand in hand they leave to begin a life full of hardships, but not without delight and hope.Adam and Eve embodies Milton’s belief in the powers of man. Their craving/longing for knowledge denied them by God, adds a particular significance to their character. It is this longing for knowledge that opens before mankind a wide road to intelligent and active life.Miltonic style: grand, sublime, elevated style1.Classical and biblical allusions2. Epic similes3. Latinate syntax4. Elevated diction: a combination of English and classical Latin; e.g. Empyreal, Morn for morning; champaign for open flat country.The language is sublime, elevated, grand; it is a divine epic with a sublime subject, its very nature requires elevation of diction and syntax.Written in blank verse, which gives an authoritative tone.In your opinion, why does Satan in Paradise Lost choose the Garden of Eden for his battlefield? (7 points)①Paradise Lost was written by John Milton. (1 point)②The Garden of Eden is the most perfect of spots ever created by God; (2 points)③There live in innocent bliss God’s masterpiece, the first man and woman, Adam and Eve, whoare allowed by God to enjoy /revel in the supreme beauties of Paradise, provided they do not eat the fruit that grows on the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; (3 points)④Satan desires to tear them away from the influence of God and to make them instrumental in hisstruggle against God’s author ity. (1 point)Romeo and JulietHis earliest success in tragedy, full of poetry and romance. Its scenes of youth and love are painted in brilliant colors. There is no tinge of pessimism in the play. Though a tragedy, the play is optimistic in spirit. It is a song of the optimistic youth, love, wit and courage of the early rising young men and women against the drab.HamletHamlet as a typical tragic hero: a hero of the Renaissance period and a representative of humanismGood qualities: noble-minded, brave, intelligent, learned, with a strong sense of justice, loved and respected by his people;Weaknesses: rash, impulsive, indecisive, sometimes can be cruel, harsh and coarse His tragic flaw is lack of emotional balance; either acts rashly, without thinking, or doesn’t act quickly and firmly enough. His indecisiveness, his inability to act when action is needed, is one of the major causes for his downfall.Hamlet’s soliloquy (See Anthology p76-77)(Situation) Hamlet's endurance has reached the breaking point. His father has been murdered. His mother, who he loves dearly, has married her dead husband's brother. Moreover his sweetheart, Ophelia, has been acting very strangely. He senses that she does not love him any more. Now, he's all alone. The world that he knew is shattered. His black mood of despair is deepened by his inability to act - to do something to change the situation.Now he ponders whether to continue living - or to take his own life.生存还是毁灭, 这是个必须回答的问题:是否应默默的忍受坎坷命运之无情打击,还是应与深如大海之无涯苦难奋然为敌,并将其克服。
英美经典文学作品的鉴赏与阅读审美分析英美经典文学作品的鉴赏与阅读审美分析在西方文学的发展史上,英美经典文学有极大的影响力。
阅读并赏析英美经典文学作品,不仅有利于学生熟悉西方文化背景,还有利于学生发现中西文化的不同。
尤其是对部分英美经典文学作品的赏析,有助于学生体会西方文学语言在人物刻画、主体结构和语言特色方面的独特魅力,学生可以通过对英美经典文学作品的赏析来不断提高自身鉴赏英美文学作品的能力。
现阶段高校专业课程的内容设置,应该通过赏析英美经典文学作品,帮助学生树立积极健康的心态,提升其审美能力和文化素养。
本文立足于英美文学作品的特点,阐述了帮助学生鉴赏英美经典文学作品的方法,旨在提高学生的综合素质。
一、鉴赏英美经典文学作品的重要意义英美经典文学作品具有较高的文学价值,是学生了解英美国家思想文化,提高自身文化素养的重要渠道。
英美两国的历史文化丰富多彩,时代背景和很多社会风俗都会被写入文学作品。
世界文坛不少知名作家都来自英美两国,他们的作品广为传颂。
如海明威、爱默生、莎士比亚以及马克吐温等人的作品,具有较为鲜明的语言风格,表现了特定的人文思想及独特的时代背景。
因此,在英美经典文学作品鉴赏的过程中,需要结合当时的英美文化背景,才可能领会作品的精髓。
通过阅读这些文学作品,学生读懂了西方文化,提高了文学鉴赏能力,同时也提高了对文学作品的阅读审美能力。
通过对英美经典文学作品的赏析,学生了解了英美两国的文化历史,提高了自身的文化修养,拓宽了知识面,形成多元化的知识结构。
与此同时,在对英美经典文学作品进行鉴赏的过程中,学生具备了优秀的阅读理解能力,培养了良好的阅读习惯。
比如,学生在阅读文学作品的过程中可以通过记笔记或读后感的方式增强对作品的理解,加深印象,最终实现个人文化素养的提高。
二、鉴赏英美经典文学作品的方式及阅读审美分析1.多角度解读英美经典文学作品英美经典文学作品,其作品内容与时代背景及思想关系密切。
因此,在鉴赏英美经典文学作品的过程中,我们应引导学生通过多角度分析,全面解读作品的语言特色、创作手法,从而正确把握文学作品的内涵及主题。
英国文学作品一、《傲慢与偏见》《傲慢与偏见》是英国文学大家简·奥斯汀的代表作之一,是英国文学史上最伟大的爱情小说之一,也是英国文学家简•奥斯汀的免费女性作品。
故事描述了五个姐妹,雅各布、珍妮、凯特琳、路易丝和莎拉玛丽,他们分别喜欢邻居伯爵夏洛克·邓肯、本杰明·巴兰、查尔斯·巴斯、费罗斯特·彭斯和威廉·富兰克林。
然而,在这段感情中,姐妹之间发生了竞争,更多的是傲慢与偏见,而不是爱情,从而造成误会和仇恨,令爱情的进展绊倒了。
尽管如此,本书描绘了爱情之间的善良和邪恶,浪漫和悲剧,同时也凸显了剥夺女性权利的社会局限,让女性在感情世界中失去平等的地位,引起了一定的同情。
奥斯汀在故事中认定了一个核心主题:保护真爱,以克服人们的傲慢和偏见。
故事情节写得栩栩如生,使读者能够借助欢快、痛苦和痛苦,得以完整了解这五位性格迥异的姐妹如何看待爱情,更多的是否定父权和改革社会,让女性获得应有的地位,最终实现真爱的幸福。
二、《钢铁是怎样炼成的》《钢铁是怎样炼成的》是英国文学家克里斯托夫·托尔斯泰的一部抒情散文集,也是他的代表作。
故事以小村集市时代最繁荣的一段历史,罗圈钢铁厂为全省繁荣发展提供了全面支持。
罗圈钢铁厂有它自己特有的文化,精彩的工人们在伟大的厂内做着千姿百态的工作,环境十分清新,安全和谐,一个工人的精神价值和价值受到了表彰。
而随着社会的进步,技术的不断发展,罗圈钢铁厂发展也因此而受到加速,铁路施工、技术创新、生产过程的升级以及不断优化的管理及服务,使工厂的社会影响和公共职能与日俱增。
散文中托尔斯泰赋予自然物象,更加形象化地渲染了巴贝斯克钢铁厂的繁华发展格局,而小说情节让读者深深地体会到了巴贝斯克钢铁厂的重要性,是繁荣整个地区的中坚力量、发源地,也是全社会的明明灯塔。
小说中托尔斯泰把工人的勤劳赋予了神秘的光环,用大量充满激情的叙述将工地文化形象化,在传达希望与公正方面表现出色。
乔治鲁灵魂赏析乔治鲁(George Eliot),原名玛丽·安·埃文斯(Mary Ann Evans),是英国十九世纪著名的小说家和诗人。
她的作品以其深刻的思想、丰富的想象力和对人性的深刻洞察而闻名。
她的小说作品《米德尔马奇》、《荒原》等被誉为英国文学的经典之作,深受读者喜爱。
乔治鲁的作品中融合了她对人性的深刻洞察和对社会现实的敏锐观察,她的小说作品充满了对人性的探索和对人生的思考。
她善于刻画各种不同性格的人物,通过这些人物的命运和遭遇,展现了人性的复杂和多样性。
乔治鲁的小说作品具有很强的思想性和艺术性,她的作品不仅仅是一部小说,更是对人性和社会现实的深刻思考。
乔治鲁的小说作品中最为人称道的是她对人性的深刻洞察。
她善于刻画各种不同性格的人物,通过这些人物的命运和遭遇,展现了人性的复杂和多样性。
在她的作品中,读者可以看到各种不同性格的人物,有善良、坚强的人,也有自私、阴险的人,他们的命运和遭遇展现了人性的复杂和多样性。
乔治鲁通过对这些人物的刻画,深刻地揭示了人性的本质和人生的意义,使读者得以深入思考和反思。
除了对人性的深刻洞察,乔治鲁的作品还展现了她对社会现实的敏锐观察。
她的小说作品往往以农村小镇为背景,通过对这些小镇的描写,展现了当时英国社会的种种弊病和不公正现象。
她对社会现实的敏锐观察使她的作品充满了现实主义的特点,她通过对社会现实的揭露和批判,使她的作品具有很强的思想性和社会性,成为了当时英国文学的一面旗帜。
乔治鲁的作品中最为人称道的是她的思想性和艺术性。
她的作品不仅仅是一部小说,更是对人性和社会现实的深刻思考。
她的作品充满了对人性和人生的思考,她通过对人性的深刻洞察和对社会现实的敏锐观察,展现了她对人生的深刻思考和对人性的尊重。
她的作品具有很强的思想性和艺术性,成为了英国文学史上的一颗璀璨明珠。
总之,乔治鲁是一位具有深刻思想和丰富想象力的作家,她的作品充满了对人性和社会现实的深刻思考,她的作品具有很强的思想性和艺术性,深受读者喜爱。
作家与作品:海明威:·《非洲的青山》·《太阳照常升起》·《战地钟声》·《永别了,武器》·《第五纵队·西班牙大地》·《曙光示真》·《不固定的圣节》·《过河入林》·《丧钟为谁而鸣》·《危险的夏天》·《老人与海》·《伊甸园》·《丧钟为谁而鸣》·《非洲的青山》·《死在午后》·《岛在湾流中》·《有钱人和没钱》.菲茨杰拉德:《人间天堂》,《了不起的盖茨比》《夜色温柔》(1934)和《最后一个巨商》。
·维吉尼亚•伍尔芙(1882—1941)英国著名小说家、批评家维吉尼亚•伍尔芙也是一位著名的意识流作家和意识流小说的奠基者。
1919年,伍尔芙发表了第一部意识流小说《墙上的斑点》。
《达罗卫夫人》(1925)、《到灯塔去》(1927)是伍尔芙意识流小说的代表作。
纳撒尼尔·霍桑1804~1864)美国小说家,是美国19世纪影响最大的浪漫主义小说家和心理小说家。
《范肖》(1828)《古宅青苔》(1843)、《雪影》(1851)<红字>《带有七个尖角阁的房子》《玉石雕像》.杰克伦敦:杰克·伦敦是著名的美国小说家,他一生共创作了约50卷作品,其中最为著名的有《荒野的呼唤》、《海狼》、《白牙》、《马丁·伊登》和短篇小说《老头子同盟》、《北方的奥德赛》、《马普希的房子》等.华兹华斯:早期诗歌《晚步》《素描集》,从《抒情歌谣集》开始一反18世纪的诗风,将一种崭新的风格带到诗歌创作中,开创了英国文学史上浪漫主义诗歌的新时代。
《不朽的征兆》由《序曲》《漫游》两部分组成的哲理性长诗《隐者》等。
1843年被封为英国“桂冠诗人”.威廉.布雷克To see a world in a grain of sand, 从一粒沙子看到一个世界,And a heaven in a wild flower, 从一朵野花看到一个天堂,Hold infinity in the palm of your hand, 把握在你手心里的就是无限,And eternity in an hour. 永恒也就消融于一个时辰。
文学经典赏析文学是人类文明的瑰宝,是智慧与情感的结晶,也是传承与启迪。
经典作品则是文学的瑰宝中最闪耀的明珠,它们以其深邃的哲理、精湛的艺术和千回百转的故事,给我们带来了无尽的思考与感悟。
在这篇文章中,我们将聚焦于文学经典,深入探索其中的艺术魅力和人生哲理。
一、《哈姆雷特》《哈姆雷特》是英国文学史上最杰出的戏剧之一,也是莎士比亚的代表作之一。
该剧以丹麦王子哈姆雷特的心理历程为线索,展现了复仇与悲剧的交织。
通过哈姆雷特细腻复杂的性格塑造和他与命运的搏斗,该剧探讨了人性、命运、道德和智慧等议题。
《哈姆雷特》中的著名台词“to be or not to be”成为了人们津津乐道的经典,它道出了人类对生命存在的思考。
此外,《哈姆雷特》中的其他经典台词和情节,如“肉眼界限”、“误认毒药”等,都成为了文学史上不可磨灭的符号。
二、《骆驼祥子》《骆驼祥子》是中国现代文学的一座丰碑,它由老舍所著,通过讲述祥子这个贫民阶层的小人物的奋斗历程,展现了封建社会的残酷和人性的曲折。
小说中呈现出的社会真实和生动细腻的人物刻画,使其成为中国现代文学史上的经典之作。
《骆驼祥子》这个形象独特而鲜明的人物塑造着实让人难以忘怀。
他承受着贫困和压迫,他大胆追求梦想,他对人生辛酸痛苦的思考引人深思。
小说结尾中的骆驼,象征着祥子坚韧不拔的生命力,也给予了读者深深的教益。
三、《战争与和平》《战争与和平》是俄国作家托尔斯泰的代表作之一,也是世界文学史上的经典之作。
该小说通过对俄国贵族尼古拉家族的历史渊源和战争时期的活动进行描绘,展现了战争带给人们的苦难和生活的变迁。
《战争与和平》以其广阔的历史背景、丰富的人物关系和深刻的哲理,在文学史上占有重要地位。
通过描写战争的残酷和人性的柔情、个人命运和世界运动的对照,该小说引发了人们对人类命运和历史演进的深入思考。
总结:文学经典是文学史中的瑰宝,它们通过精湛的艺术和思想的深入探讨,给我们带来了无尽的魅力和思考。
英国文学作品赏析 The features of Charles Dickens 1. His critical realism: While sticking to the principle of faithful representation of the 18th-century realist novel, he carried the duty to the criticism of the society and the defense of the mass. 2. He is a master storyteller. With his first sentence, he engages the reader’s attention and holds it to the end. 3. What he writes is mainly the middle and lower-middle class life in London. 4. He is a master of language with a large vocabulary and an adeptness with the vernacular. 5. He is a great humorist as well as a great painter of pathos. He always mingles the two to make his fictional world realistic. 6. His characters are not only true to life but also large than life. There are both individual characters and type characters. II. Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre 1. Theme: The novel sharply criticizes the religious hypocrisy of charity institutions like Lowood School, where girls are trained to be humble slaves. It rebukes the social discrimination and false convention about love and marriage. Besides, the novel is a moral fable. It tells us that people have to go through all kinds of physical or moral tests to obtain their final happiness. 2. The character analysis of Jane Eyre: Jane Eyre is an orphan child with a fiery spirit and a longing to love and be loved. She is poor and plain, but she dares to love her master, a man superior to her in many ways, as a little governess. She is brave enough to declare to the man her love for him. She cuts a completely new women image. She represents those middle-class working women who are struggling for recognition of their basic rights and equality as a human being. III. Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Height 1. The novel is an extraordinary moving love story: the passion between Heathcliff and Catherine is the most intense, beautiful, and the most horrible passions ever found among human beings. 2. It is also a work of critical realism. Heathcliff is abused, rejected and distorted by the society only because he is a poor orphan of obscure parents. He suffers all kinds of inhuman treatment after the death of his benefactor. He loves Catherine dearly but forced to be separated from her. So, Heathcliff’s cruel revenge upon his enemies is justified in a way. 3. The author makes clear that it is wrong to discriminate on the basis of social status, and it is cruel and destructive to break genuine, natural human passions. Although Catherine and Edgar’s marriage is ideal in the eyes of the whole neighborhood, her love for Heathcliff is hard and everlasting. I. The features of Shaw’s plays: 1. Problem plays: He took the modern social issues as his subject with the aim of directing social reforms. Most of his plays are concerned with political, economic, or religious problems. 2. In his characterization, he makes the tricks of showing up one character vividly at the expense of another. His characters are the representatives of ideas, which shift and alter during the play. 3. The strong sense of comedy in his play are achieved through his witty dialogues, sharp satires, and vivid portrayal of characters. II. The theme of Shaw’s Mrs. Warren’s profession 1. The play is not only moral, but also has a strong realistic theme. The guilt for prostitution lies more upon the social system than immoral woman. He shows all human sufferings are consequences of the economic exploitation. 2. The play is a spiritual triumph for Vivie who experiences a journey from illusion to reality. At first, she is ignorant of the evil, and through a series of temptations, she understands the capitalist world better.
D.H. Lawrence’s Sons and Lovers 1. Theme: Sociologically, it is a novel about modern civilization, the “sickness of a whole civilization”. Psychologically, it is a case study of the Oedipus complex theory, for it deals with a son who loves the mother too dearly and hates the father too despisingly. The psychic conflict (between dark self and white self) in human relationships is the central theme of the novel. 2. The character analysis of Paul Morel: He is a light, quick, slender boy. From his childhood, he is especially sensitive, artistic and imaginative, and he becomes extraordinarily dependent on his mother. When he gets older, his distorted relationship with his mother prevents him from loving girls as fully as he feels he should. Besides, Paul is also an artist, and a likeable young man adored by many girls. The features of stream of consciousness 1. The unspoken thoughts and feelings of their characters are described without resorting to objective description or conventional dialogue. 2. The flux of a character’s thoughts, impressions, emotions are often shown without logical sequence or syntax.