English Literature of the Victorian Age 维多利亚时期的英国文学

English Literature of the Victorian Age1. The Victorian Period:Chronologically the Victorian period roughly coincides withthe reign of Queen Victoria who ruled over England from1836to 1901. The period has been generally regarded as one of the most glorious in the English history. II. Historical Background1. economy: Industrial Revolution (1760 – 1840)2. politics: Chartist movement (1838 – 1848) 宪章运动3. science: Darwin’s theory of evolution(1859)4. society: the women question Queen Victoria ( 1837 – 1901)The early years of the Victorian England was a time of rapid economic development as well as serious social problems.III. Critical Realism1. definition----English critical realism of the 19th century flourished in the 40s and in the early 50s. It found its expression in the form of novel. The critical realists, most of whom were novelists, described with much vividness and artistic skill the chief traits of the English society and criticized the capitalist system from a democratic viewpoint.2. Features:Victorian literature, as a product of its age, naturally took on its quality of magnitude & diversity. It was many-sided & complex, & reflected both romantically & realistically the great changes that were going on in people’s life & thought. Great writers & great works abounded.a. introduction of characters from the working classb. strong hatred for vices in the societyc. an illusion of bringing about social justice and harmony by reformsd. an interest in woman emancipation (Charlotte Bronte)3. Representatives:Charles Dickens; William Thackeray etc.4. Features of Victorian novelsIn this period，the novel became the most widely read & the most vital & challenging expression of progressive thought. While sticking to the principle of faithful representation of the 18th-century realist novel, novelists in this period carried their duty forward to the criticism of the society & the defense of the mass. Although writing from different points of view & with different techniques, they shared one thing in common, that is, they were all concerned about the fate of the common people. They were angry at the inhuman social institutions, the decaying social morality as represented by the money-worship & Utilitarianism & the widespread misery, poverty & injustice. Their truthful depiction of people’s life & bitter & strong criticism of the society had done much in awakening the public consciousness to the social problems & in the actual improvement of the society.Victorian literature, in general, truthfully represents the reality & spirit of the age. The high-spirited vitality, the down-to-earth earnestness, the good-natured humor & unbounded imagination are all unprecedented. In almost every genre it paved the way for the coming century, where its spirits, values & experiments are to witness their bumper harvest.The Chartist Movement （1836-1848）The English workers got themselves organized in big cities & brought forth the People’s charter, in which they demanded basic rights & better living & working conditions. They, for three times, made appeals to the government, with hundreds of thousands of people’s signatures. The movement swept over most of the cities in the country. Although the movement declined to an end in 1848, it did bring some improvement to the welfare of the working class. This was the first mass movement of the English working class & the early sign of the awakening of the poor, oppressed people.UtilitarianismAlmost everything was put to the test by the criterion of utility, that is, the extent to which it could promote the material happiness. This theory held a special appeal to the middle-class industrialists, whose greed drove them to exploiting workers to the utmost & brought greater suffering & poverty to the working mass.Critical RealismThe Victorian Age is an age of realism rather than of romanticism-a realism which strives to tell the whole truth showing moral & physical diseases as they are. To be true to life becomes the first requirement for literary writing. As the mirror of truth, literature has come very close to daily life, reflecting its practical problems & interests & is used as a powerful instrument of human progress.Dramatic MonologueBy dramatic monologue, it is meant that a poet chooses a dramatic moment or a crisis, in which his characters are made to talk about their lives, & about their minds & hearts. In “listening” to those one-sided talks, readers can form their own opinions & judgments about the speaker’s personality & about what has really happened. Robert Browning brought this poetic form to its maturity & perfection & his “My Last Duchess” is one of the best-known dramatic monologues.Further Reading:After the Reform Bill of 1832 passed the political powerfrom the decaying aristocrats into the hands of the middle-class industrial capitalists, the Industrial Revolution soongeared up. Towards the mid-century, England had reachedits highest point of development as a world power. Andyet beneath the great prosperity & richness, there existedwidespread poverty & wretchedness among the workingclass. The worsening living & working conditions, themass unemployment & the new Poor Law of 1834 with itsworkhouse system finally gave rise to the Chartist Movement (1836-1848).During the next twenty years, England settled down to a time of prosperity & relative stability. The middle-class life of the time was characterized by prosperity, respectability & material progress.But the last three decades of the century witnessed the decline of the British Empire & the decay of the Victorian values.Ideologically, the Victorians experienced fundamental changes. The rapid development of science & technology, new inventions & discoveries in geology, astronomy, biology & anthropology drastically shook people’s religious convictions. Darwin’s The Origin of Species (1859) & The Descent of Man (1871) shook the theoretical basis of the traditional faith. On the other hand, Utilitarianism was widely accepted & practiced. Almost everything was put to the test by the criterion of utility, that is, the extent to which it could promote the material happiness.Charles Dickens (1812-1870)I. Life:1. a middle class family2. once was a child labor in a shoe-blacking factory3. a clerk, a reporter, a writer4. the poets’ cornerII. Major Works1. Oliver Twist;雾都孤儿2. David Copperfield;大卫·科波菲尔(autobiographical)3. Hard Times; 艰难时世4. A Tale of Two Cities双城记III. three periodsa. optimismb. frustrationc. pessimism1. Period of youthful optimistSketches by Boz 《博兹札记》(1836); The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club 《匹克威克外传》(1836-1837); Oliver Twist 《雾都孤儿》or 《苦海孤雏》(1837-1838); Nicholas Nickleby《尼古拉斯·尼克贝》(1838-1839); The Old Curiosity Shop《老古玩店》( 1840-1841); Barnaby Rudge《巴纳比·拉奇》(1841)2. Period of excitement & irritationAmerican Notes 《美国纪行》(1842); Martin Chuzzlewit 《马丁·翟述伟》(1843-1845)；A Christmas Carol 《圣诞颂歌》(1843); Dombey & Son 《董贝父子》(1846-1848); David Copperfield 《大卫·科波菲尔》(1849-1850)3. Period of steadily intensifying pessimismBleak House 《荒凉山庄》( 1852-1853); Hard Times 《艰难时世》(1854); Little Dorrit 《小杜丽》(1855-1857); A Tale of Two Cities 《双城记》(1859); Great Expectations 《远大前程》or 《孤星血泪》(1860-1861); Our Mutual Friend 《我们共同的朋友》(1864-1865); Edwin Drood 《艾德温·德鲁德之谜》(unfinished) (1870)Distinct Features of His Novels1. Character Sketches & ExaggerationIn his novels are found about 19 hundred figures, some of whom are really such “typical characters under typical circumstances”, that they b ecome proverbial or representative of a whole group of similar persons.As a master of characterization, Dickens was skillful in drawing vivid caricatural sketches by exaggerating some peculiarities, & in giving them exactly the actions & words that fit them: that is, right words & right actions for the right person.2. Broad Humor & Penetrating SatireDickens is well known as a humorist as well as a satirist. He sometimes employs humor to enliven a scene or lighten a character by making it (him or her) eccentric, whimsical, or laughable. Sometimes he uses satire to ridicule human follies or vices, with the purpose of laughing them out of existence or bring about reform.3. Complicated & Fascinating PlotDickens seems to love complicated novel constructions with minor plots beside the major one，or two parallel major plots within one novel. He is also skillful at creating suspense & mystery to make the story fascinating.4. The Power of ExposureAs the greatest representative of English critical realism, Dickens made his novel the instrument of morality & justice. Each of his novels reveals a specific social problem.5.unnatural happy endingHis Literary Creation & Literary AchievementsCharles Dickens is one of the greatest critical realistic writers of the Victorian Age. It is his serious intention to expose & criticize in his works all the poverty, injustice, hypocrisy & corruptness he saw all around him. In his works, Dickens sets a full map & a large-scale criticism of the 19th-century England, particularly London. A combination of optimism about people & realism about society is obvious in these works. His representative works in the early period include Oliver Twist, David Copperfield & so on.His later works show a highly conscious modern artist. The settings are more complicated; the stories are better structured. Most novels of this period present a sharper criticism of social evils & morals of the Victorian England, for example, Bleak House, Hard Times, Great Expectations & so on. The early optimism could no more be found.Charles Dickens is a master story-teller. His language could, in a way, be compared with Shakespeare’s. His humor & wit seem inexhaustible. Character-portrayal is the most outstanding feature of his works. His characterizations of child (Oliver Twist, etc.), some grotesque people (Fagin, etc.) & some comical people (Mr. Micawber, etc.) are superb. Dickens also employsexaggeration in his works. Dickens’ works are also characterized by a mixture of humor & pathos. William Makepeace ThackerayI. Lifea. born in India;b. studied in Cambridge;c. gambling and bad investmentsd. has to make a living by writing articles for newspapers and magazines.II. featuresa. Just like Dickens, Thackeray is one of the greatest critical realists of the 19th century Europe. He paints life as he has seen it. With his precise and thorough observation, rich knowledge of social life and of the human heart, the pictures in his novels are accurate and true to life.b. Thackeray is a satirist. His satire is caustic and his humour subtle.c. Besides being a realist and satirist, Thackeray is a moralist. His aim is to produce a moral impression in all his novelsIII. Vanity Fair ----masterpiece1. title: from John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress.2. Subtitle: “A novel without a hero”the bourgeois and aristocratic society as a wholeno positive characters (c) female3. plot( p193 -196)Read the story from P137 to P138 by yourself. Make clear about the development of the plot and relations between main characters. (Rebecca Sharp, Amelia Sedley, Joseph Sedley, Sir Pitt Crawley, Rawdon Crawley, Lord Steyne, George Osborne, William Dobbin)Amelia: good-natured, sentimental, and simple-mindedGeorge Osborne: snobbish, caustic, selfish and simple-mindedJoseph Sedley: vain, selfish, effeminateWilliam Dobbin: good-natured, honestIII. Comparison between Thackeray and Dickenssimilarities:① both representatives of critical realism;② both novelists, humorists;③ both criticized the Victorian society satirically.2. differences:① D described the common people, T mainly described the lives of aristocrats and rich people.②D was a sentimentalist. T was a cynic who doubted the goodness of human nature as a spectator.③ D advocated social reforms, T was not a crusader for good causes.④ D was a romanticist, T was against all romantic conventions.George eliotI. life1. George Eliot (1819-1880), pseudonym of Mary Ann Evans, was born on Nov. 22, 1819 into anestate agent’s family in Warwickshire, England.2. Though brought up under strict religious influences, she early abandoned religious beliefs, adopted agnostic opinions about Christian doctrine, & showed a great interest in social & philosophical problems.3. At the age of 39, she started he literary career. Being a woman of intelligence & versatility, she quickly found herself ranking high among the great writers.4. In 1857, she wrote her first three stories which were later published in book form under the title of Scenes of Clerical Life.II. Literary Career1. her three most popular novels came successively, Adam Bede (1859), The Mill on the Floss (1860) & Silas Marner (1861), all drawn from her lifelong knowledge of English country life & notable for their realistic details, pungent characterization & high moral tone.2. 1863, Romola, a full elaborately documented story of Florence in the time of Savornarola.3. Felix Holt, the Radical, her only novel on English politics.4. 1872, Middlemarch, a panoramic book, George Eliot’s greatest achievement5. 1876, last novel, Daniel Deronda.These novels, together with a number of poems & a collection of satirical essays, The Impressions of Theophrastus Such, constitute a formidable body of work from a woman frail in health & working constantly under the apprehension of failure or worthlessness.III. Achievements1. Writing at the latter half of the 19th century & closely following the critical realist writers, George Eliot was working at something new.2. By joining the worlds of inward propensity & outward circumstances & showing them in the lives of her characters, she starts a new type of realism & sets into motion a variety of developments, leading in the direction of both the naturalistic & psychological novel.3. In her works, she seeks to present the inner struggle of a person & to reveal the motives, impulses & hereditary influences which govern human action.4. She is interested in the development of a soul, the slow growth or decline of moral power of the character.5. Eliot holds the belief that a certain act in daily life will produce a definite moral effect on the individual.6. Most of her novels are characterized by two features: moral teaching & psychological realism. IV.The theme of her worksAs a woman of exceptional intelligence & life experience, George Eliot shows a particular concern for the destiny of women, especially those with great intelligence, potential & social aspirations. In her mind, the pathetic tragedy of women lies in their very birth. Their inferior education & limited social life determine that they must depend on men for sustenance & realization of their goals, & they have only to fulfill the domestic duties expected of them by the society. Their opportunities of success are not even increased by wealth.Charlotte Bronte & Emily BronteI. Life of the Bronte sistersCharlotte(39), Emily(30) ,Anne(29)1. born in Yorkshire moors, daughters of a poor country clergyman.2. 2 elder daughters died in the charity school3. Charlotte and Emily once worked as governessesII. Jane Eyre 简·爱III. Wuthering Heights 呼啸山庄1. Plot (P264-268)a story about two families and an intruding stranger2. Point of view: first person point of view;3. narration: two dramatic narrators (Mr. Lockwood, and Nelly Dean)IV. detail-reading (268-278)1. content: Final meeting of Heathcliff and Catherine before Catherine’s death2. narrator: Nelly Dean3. their love: passion, love, agony, horror4. Catherine:a common girl who met an uncommon love. In her heart, the struggle between true love and tradition never ceased, and finally caused her early death.5. theme :a. criticism upon the materialism and social discrimination.b. hatred and revenge are meaningless; only love lasts forever.6. features: Romantic color (private passion and personal emotions; description of nature; Gothic elements)Gothic NovelThe word “Gothic”originally implied medieval, but in the later 18th century, when the Gothic novel became influential, the word added the implication of mystery, horror and supernatural. Gothic novel is a type of prose fiction which flourished in 1790s and early years in the 19th century. It once refers to the novel which produces stories set in lonely frightening Gothic places. It is now generally applied to literature dealing with the strange, mysterious and supernatural designed to invoke suspense and terror in the readers.On Gothic NovelThere is a strong Gothic strain in many mainstream 19th century works, including the works of the Brontes, Dickens, Edgar Allan Poe, and Hawthorne.In the 20th century, the genre flourished notably in popular horror fiction and films.Jane eyreSignificance:1. one of the most popular & important novels of the Victorian age.2. its introduction to the English novel the first governess heroine.II. Point of viewfirst person point of viewIII. Character (Jane Eyre)1. a naïve, kind-hearted, noble-minded woman who pursues a genuine kind of love.2. a middle-class workingwomen (governesses) struggling for recognition of her rights & equality as a human being.3. possessed of strong feelings, fiery passions & extraordinary personalities.IV. Themethe struggle of an individual towards self-realization.V. Style1. realism (criticism of the existing society) combined with romanticism (horror, mystery & prophesy)2. intensity of vision and passion3. The vividness of her subjective narration, the intensely achieved characterization4. vivid description of her intense feelingsVI. Detail-reading (Chapter XXIII)Jane finds herself hopelessly in love with Mr. Rochester but she is aware that her love is out of the question. So, when forced to confront Mr. Rochester, she desperately & openly declared her equality with him & her love for him. The passion described here is intense & genuine.Alfred Tennyson (1809－1892)I. life1809: Born at Somersby rectory, 4th son of the rector.1827: Poems by Two Brothers. Enters Trinity College, Cambridge.1829: Friendship with Arthur Hallam. love with Emily Tennyson.1831: Father dies.1832: brother Edward goes insane.1833: Hallam dies.1834: love with Rosa Baring1838: Engaged to Emily Sellwood.1840: Engagement broken off.1844: Has an emotional breakdown.1850: In Memoriam published anonymously. Marries Emily Sellwood. Appointed Poet Laureate. 1852: Son Hallam born.1862: Has first audience with Queen Victoria.II. Works:1. Poems by Two Brothers2. Poems, Chiefly Lyrical3. Poems (two volumes)4. The Princess5. Maud6. The Idylls of the King7. In MemoriamIII. Break, break, break(p294)IV. Features:1. T’s thoughts on the problems of life, death and immortality2. the conflict between the spirit and the flesh3. classical materialsRobert Browning & Elizabeth BarrettI. LifeLegendary love, happy marriageII. E’s WorksFrom Sonnets from the Portuguese(p305)III. Features:1. theme: love2. Feature: reason & emotion3. significance: set up new belief for Victorians who were thrown into a crisis in faithRobert BrowningRobert Browning (1812-1889) was born in a well-off family & received his education mainly from his private tutor, & from his father, who gave him the freedom to follow his own interest. In 1833, he published his first poetic work Pauline, which brought great embarrassment upon him. But in his second attempt Sordello (1840), he went too far in self-correction that the poem became so obscure as to be hardly readable. He even tried play writing but failed. All these frustrating experiences forced the poet to develop a literary form that suited him best & actually give full swing to this genius, i.e. the dramatic monologue.In 1846, Browning married Elizabeth Barrett, a famous poetess whose famous book of love poetry was Sonnets from the Portuguese. In 1869 Browing’s masterpiece, The Ring & the Book, came out. In 1889, Browning died & was buried in the Poet’s Corner, Westminster Abbey, beside Tennyson.My Last Duchess"My Last Duchess" is Browning’s best-known dramatic monologue. The poem takes its sources from the life of Alfonso II, duke of Ferrara of the 16th-century Italy, whose young wife died suspiciously after three years of marriage. Not long after her death, the duke managed to arrange a marriage with the niece of another noble man. This dramatic monologue is the duke’s speech addressed to the agent who comes to negotiate the marriage. In his talk about his "last duchess," the duke reveals himself as a self-conceited, cruel & tyrannical man. The poem is written in heroic couplets, but with no regular metrical system. In reading, it sounds like blank verse.V. the Dramatic Monologue戏剧独白The dramatic monologue is a soliloquy in drama in which the voice speaking is not the poet himself, but a character invented by the poet, so that it reflects life objectively.Thomas Hardy(1840-1928)I. Life (novelist and poet)a. Born in Dorchester —“Wessex”b. close to peasantryc. belief in evolutionII. Works:1. Tess of the D’Urbervilles《德伯家的苔丝》2. Jude the Obscure《无名的裘德》3. The Return of the Native《还乡》4. Far from the Madding Crowd《远离尘嚣》5. The Mayor of Casterbridge《卡斯特桥市长》III. Tess of the D’Urbervilles1. subtitle “a pure woman”2. Plot (p315-319)3. Pessimistic philosophy; critical realism; symbolism; naturalism;IV. H’s Ideas of FateMost of Hardy’s novels are tragic. The cause is not man’s own behavior or his own fault but the supernatural forces that rule his fate. According to Hardy, man is not the master of his destiny; he is at the mercy of indifferent forces which manipulate his behavior and his relations with others.John Galsworthy(1867-1933)I. lifeBorn in a rich bourgeois familyA representative of bourgeois realism in English novel of 20th centuryII. work1. The Island Pharisees岛国的法利赛人2. The Man of Property有产业的人3. Forsyte Saga福尔赛世家4. The End of the Chapter尾声III. Forsyte Saga(p352-356)1. powerful sweep2. brilliant illustrations3. deep psychological analysis4. satire & criticismIV. point of viewG’s works give a complete picture of English bourgeois society. Yet his criticism was limited to the spheres of ethics and aesthetics. Facing the crisis of British imperialism and the growing forces of socialism, Galsworthy began to idealize the decadent bourgeoisie.1. Modernism in English Literature prevailed during the 20s and 30s of the 20th century2. OriginThe concept of modernism emerged in the eighteenth century when the classicists mocked those who opposed them and called them modernists. Now it is a comprehensive term applied to international tendencies and movements in all creative arts in the 20th century. In a broad sense, it is applied to writing marked by a strong and conscious break with traditional forms and techniques of expression.3. Major philosophical Influences on modernism1) Darwinism 2) Marxism 3) Freudianism4. Major ideas of modernism1) It employs a distinctive kind of imagination. Thus it practicessolipsism( 唯我论). It believes that we create the world in the act of perceiving it.2) It implies a historical discontinuity, a sense of alienation, loss and despair. It rejects traditional values and assumptions. And it looks forfresh ways of looking at man’s position and function in the universe.Many modernists are philosophical existentialists.3) It elevates the individual and his inner being over social man andprefers the unconscious to the self-conscious. It celebrates passion andwill over reason and systematic morality.4) It rejects the traditional rhetoric by which tradition values and assumptions were communicated. It is bent on stylistic innovations and experiments with language, form, symbol and myth.4. Modernist movements1)Symbolism 2)imagism 3)aestheticism 4)expressionism5) the stream of consciousness 6)surrealism 7) existentialism8) theatre of the absurdLawranceI. TitleThe representative of psychological fiction.II. Life(p415-417)III. works(1) Sons and Lovers儿子与情人(2) The Rainbow虹(3) Women in Love恋爱中的女人(4) Lady Chatterlay’s Lover 查泰莱夫人的情人IV. Sons and Lovers1. autobiographical2. the Oedipus complex3. themea) the damage caused in family relationship by industrial forceb) the split of human beingsc) natural love as the only cureWoolfI. title:The representative of “stream of consciousness”school of novelII. LifeA novelist, critic and feminist; nervous breakdown since childhood; self-suicide III. Works1. Mrs. Dalloway达洛维夫人2. To the Lighthouse到灯塔去3. The Waves海浪4. A Room of One’s Own一间自己的房间5. Modern Fiction现代小说IV. Mrs. Dalloway (p441-445)V. point of view1. She challenged the traditional way of writing.2. She thought the depiction of details darkened the characters.3. She called the writers for writing about events of daily life that gave one deep impression.V. Influence(1) The stream of consciousness presented by Joyce and Woolf marks a total break from the tradition of fiction and has promoted the development of modernism.(2) However, because of the newness in form but hard to understand, this kind of fiction cannot attract readers.(3) The writers showed interest in the psychological depiction of the bourgeoisie but neglected the conflict that most people cared about at that time.James joyceI. Title: the representative of the “stream of consciousness”school of novelII. “stream of consciousness”1. definition:a psychological term indicating “the flux of conscious and subconscious thoughts and impressions moving in the mind at any given time independently of the person’s will”2. time: in the 20th century3. foundations:a. the literary device of “interior monologue”内心独白b. Freud’s theory of psychological analysisIII. J’s worksa. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man青年艺术家的画像b. Dubliners都柏林人c. Ulysses尤利西斯d. Finnegans Wake芬尼根觉醒IV. significance of his worksa. He changed the old style of fictions and created a strange mode of art to show the chaos and crisis of consciousness of that period.b. From him, stream of consciousness came to the highest point as a genre of modern literature.c. In Finnegans Wake, this pursue of newness overrode the normalness and showed atendency of vanity.William Butler Yeats(1865-1939)I. title“the greatest poet of our age –certainly the greatest in this (English) language”-----T. S. Eliot II. LifePoet and dramatistIrishLifelong love for Maud GonneIII. Works1. The Responsibilities责任2. The Land of Heart’s Desire理想的国土3. When You Are Old4. The Winding Stair盘旋的楼梯5. The Hour Glass时漏6. The Tower塔IV. FeatureHe is a celebrated and accomplished symbolist poet, using an elaborate system of symbols in his poems. But read as a whole, his poetry is elucidated by itself and gives the reader many memorable stanzas and lines of great poetry. (moon, water, rose)V. Themes1. Patriotism;2. love;3. civilization;4. age;5. the relation between imagination, history and the occultVI. When you are oldWhen you are old and gray and full of sleep,And nodding by the fire, take down this book,And slowly read , and dream of the soft lookYour eyes had once, and of their shadows deep;How many loved your moments of glad grace,And loved your beauty with love false or true,But one man love d the pilgrim soul in you,And loved the sorrows of your changing face;And bending down beside the glowing bars,Murmur, a little sadly, how love fledAnd paced upon the mountains overheadAnd hid his face amid a crowd of stars.George Bernard Shaw(1856-1950)I. TitleA representative of critical realism in modern English literatureII. lifeIreland;socialist Movement;criticize the evil of capitalism;support the forces of revolution and democracyIII. works (plays unpleasant)Widower’s Houses 鳏夫的房产Major Barbara巴巴拉少校Heartbreak House伤心之家Mrs. Warren’s Profession华伦夫人的职业The Apple Cart苹果车。

英国文学史习题The Victorian AgeI.Blank filling1.In the 19th century English literature, a new literary trend ____________________________appeared after the romantic poetry.2.The greatest English realist of the 19th century was ___________________________, whopictures bourgeois civilization, and shows the misery and suffering of the common people. 3.The V ictorian Age in English literature was largely on age of prose, especially of the_________________.4.Robert Browning is a great experimenter in poetic art. He is best known for the technique of__________________.5.The most important poet of the V ictorian Age was _________________________. Next tohim were Robert Browning and his wife.6.The Chartist writers introduced a new theme into literature: the struggle of the_________________________ for their rights.7.The novel________________________ deals with the adventure of Mr. Pickwick, a retiredold merchant, who is the founder and chairman of the Pickwick Club.8.The novel “Oliver Twist” tells the story of a poor child nam ed_________________ who isborn in a workhouse and brought up under miserable conditions.9.In “A T ale of Two Cities”, the two cities are _________ and ________ in the time ofrevolution.10.The subtitle of “V anity Fair” is __________________________. The write r’s intention wasnot to portray individuals, but the bourgeois and aristocratic society as a whole.11.The main plot of “V anity Fair” centers on the story of two women: Amelia Sedley and___________________. Their characters are in sharp contrast.12.The Bronte sisters are Charlotte Bronte, _____________________ and Anne Bronte.13.Charlotte Bronte’s masterpiece is _____________________________.14.Emily Bronte’s masterpiece is _____________________________.15.The author of “Mary Barton” is ________________________.16.The author of “ The R eturn of the Native” is _______________________.17.Chronologically the Victorian Period refers to _______________________.18.George Eliot produced three remarkable novels including “Adam Bede”, “The Mill on theFloss” and _____________________.19.In the novel “Adam Bede”, Adam falls in love with a village girlcalled__________________________ who is seduced and deserted by a squire.20.Hardy’s novels of character and environment, which are also called______________________________, are of great significance.21.Among Hardy’s novels, the best-known are ___________________________ and “Jude theObscure”.22.Hardy’s novel _________________________ talks about the life of a merchant who leavesthe big city and return to his home village.23.__________________________ is the representative among the writers of aestheticism anddecadence. “The Picture of Dorian Gray” is a typical decadent novel written by him.24.“In Memoriam” is a collection of 131 short poems intended as a lament for the death of hisfriend___________________________.25.It was while living in Italy that Robert Browning published his finest volume of poems__________________ .II.Multiple choice1.Although writing from different points of view and with different technique, writers in theVictorian Period shared one thing in common, that is, they were all concerned about________.A.the love story between the rich and the poorB.the techniques in writingC.the fate of the common peopleD.the future of their own country2.The author of the work “Dombey and Son” is _____.A. Charles DickensB. Henry JamesC. Robert BrowningD. Thackaray3. In the following figures, who is Dickens’s first child hero?A. FaginB. Mr. BrownlowC. Oliver TwistD. Bill Sikes4. As a love story, Wuthering Heights is one of the most moving: the passion between_______ proves the most intense, the most beautiful and at the same time the most horrible.A. Hareton and CathyB. Heathcliff and CatherineC. Hareton and CatherineD. Heathcliff and Cathy5. Which of the following statements about Emily Bronte is not true?A. She was famous for here Wuthering Heights.B. She wrote 193 poems.C. She lived a very short life.D. Her masterpiece is noted for its optimistic tone.6. The most important characteristic in Ulysses by Alfred Tennyson is ___________.A. mastering of languageB. excellent choice of wordsC. use of the dramatic monologueD. excellent metaphor7. In the Robert Browning’s works, which established his position as one of the great English poets?A. PaulineB. The Ring and the BookC. SordelloD. Dramatic Romances and Lyrics8. Which of the following poems is not by V ictorian poets?A. “Break, Break, Break”B. “My Last Duches”C. In MemoriamD. The Isles of Greece9. “Do you think, because I am poor, obscure, plain, and little, I am soulless and heartless?…And if God had gifted me with some beauty, and much wealth, I should have made it as hard for you to leave me, as it is now for me to leave you.” The above passage is most pr obably taken from___________.A. Great ExpectationsB. Wuthering HeightsC. Jane EyreD. Pride and Prejudice10. The sentences “And now he stared as here so earnestly that I thought the very intensity of his gaze, would bring tears into his eyes; but they burned with anguish, they did not melt” are foundin ________.A. Wuthering HeightsB. Jane EyreC. Gulliver’s TravelsD. Pride and Prejudice11. The first two lines of Alfred Tennyson’s well-known poem “Break, Break, Break” read “Break, break, break, / On thy cold grey stones, O Sea!” the repeated word “break” suggests_______.A. joyB. fearC. fondnessD. hatred12. In the long poem “The Ring and the book”, the “book” is compared to ______.A. loveB. comprehensive knowledgeC. the hard truthD. the method of study13. Most of Thomas Hardy’s novels are set in Wessex _______.A. a crude region in EnglandB. A fictional primitive regionC. a remote rural areaD. Hardy’s hometown14. Middlemarch is considered to be George E liot’s greatest novel, owning to all the following reasons except ________A. it vividly depicts English country lifeB. it probes into perpetual philosophical thoughtsC. it provides a panoramic view of lifeD. it reveals women’s true feelings15. Tes s of the D’Urbervilles, one of Thomas Hardy’s best known novels, portrays man as __________.A. being hereditarily good or badB. being self-sufficientC. having no control over his own fateD. still retaining his own faith in a world confusion16.In the play “The Importance of B eing Earnest” by Wilde, the upper-class people is described as the following except_______.A. corruptB. snobbishC. hypocriticalD. ambitious17. The success of Jane Eyre is not only because of its sharp criticism of the existing society, but also due to its introduction to the English novel the first ______ heroine.A. workerB. peasantC. governessD. explorer18. Which of the following descriptions of Thomas Hardy is wrong?A. most of his novels are set in WessexB. Tess of the D’Urbervilles is one of the most representative of him as both a naturalistic and a critical realist writer.C. Among Hardy’s major works, Under the Greenwood Tree is the most cheerful and idyllic.D. From The Mayor of Casterbridge on, the tragic sense becomes the keynote of his novels.19. “Every day, every hour, brought to him one more little stroke of her nature, and to her one more of his”, the sentence is found in ___________.A. Middlemarch by George EliotB. Tess of the D’Urber villes by HardyC. Jane Eyre by Charlotte BronteD. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte20. In ______ Tennyson dealt with the theme of women’s rights and positions.A. The PrincessB. MemoriamC. Idylls of the KingD. Poems21. Which of the following be st describes the protagonist of Thomas Hardy’s “The Mayor of Casterbridge”?A. He is a man of self-esteem.B. He is a man of self-contempt.C. He is a man of self-confidence.D. He is a man of self-sufficiency.22. _________ not only continued to expose and criticize all sorts of social iniquities, but finally came to question and attack the Victorian conventions and morals.A. George EliotB. Thomas HardyC.D. Lawrence D. Charles Dickens23. Robert Browning created the verse novel, transferring the thematic interest from mere narration of the story to revelation and study of characters’ inner world and brought to the Victorian Poetry____________.A. some psycho-analytical elementB. some romantic elementC. some realistic elementD. some classical element24. Dicken’s works are characterized by a mingling of __________ and pathos.A. metaphorB. passionC. satireD. humor25. Among the writings by George Eliot, _______ is her only novel on English politics.A. Felix Holt, the RadicalB. MiddlemarchC. Daniel DerondaD. Romola26. The poetic form which Browning attached to maturity and perfection is _________.A. dramatic monologueB. use of symbolC. use of ironic languageD. use of lyrics27. Among George Eliot’s seven novels, ________ is essentially an autobiographic account of her life.A. Felix Holt, the RadicalB. MiddlemarchC. Daniel DerondaD. The mill on the Floss28. The author of ______ makes clear in the novel that it is wrong to discriminate on the basis of social status, and it is cruel and destructive to break genuine, natural human passions.A. Jane EyreB. Wuthering HeightsC. Pride and PrejudiceD. Tess of the D’Urbervilles29. George Eliot holds that the individual life is determined basically by two major forces:A. the spiritual self and the physical selfB. the good and the evilC. the individual’s personality and the outer social circumstancesD. the divided self and the integrated self30. A typical feature of the English Victorian literature is that wriers became___________, exposing all kinds of social evils.A. didactic writersB. individual idealistsC. moral criticsD. religious advocators31. Thomas Hardy wrote novels of _______.A. psychoanalysisB. pure romanceC. character and environmentD. religious advocators32. The title of the Alfred Tennyson’s poem “Ulysses” reminds the reader of the following except ________.A. the Trojan WarB. HomerC. questD. Christ33. Tennyson’s poem, Idylls of the King, was based on _________.A. the Celtic legendsB. an Italian documentC. a Roman murder caseD. the Bible34. One of the typical features of Dickens’ novels is __________.A. complicated narrationB. exaggerated caricatureC. compressed syntaxD. streams of consciousness35. In style, Thomas Hardy is a traditionalist, though there are obvious traits of ______ in thematic matters.A. neo-classicismB. modernismC. romanticismD. utilitarianismIII. Error correction1.In the period of V ictorian Age, a new literary trend called preromanticism appeared, whichflourished in the forties and in the early fifties.2.The greatest English critical realist was Charles Dickinson.3.Both Robert Browning and his wife Elizabeth Gaskell were well-known poet.4.Heathcliff is a character in the novel “Emma”.5.In “Mary Barton”, Carson is an active Chartist.6.Opt imism and positivism are strongly reflected in Hardy’s writings.7.The subtitle of Hardy’s “Tess of the D’Urbervilles” is “a Novel without a Hero”.8.Oscar Wilde is the representative among the writers of aestheticism and critical realism.9.The greatest Chartis t poet was Thomas Cooper, who wrote a long poem “The revolt ofHindostan” in his imprisonment.10.The short poem “Break, Break, Break” was written by Shelly.IV. Exercises on Selected ReadingExercise 1The room in which the boys were fed was a large stone hall, with a copper at one end, out of which the master, dressed in an apron for the purpose, and assisted by one or two women, ladled the gruel at mealtimes; of which composition each boy had one porringer, and no more－except on festive occasions, and then he had two ounces and a quarter of bread besides. The bowls never wanted washing—the boys polished them with their spoons till they shone again: and when they had performed this operation, (which never took very long, the spoons being nearly as large as the bowls) they would sit staring at the copper with such eager eyes as is they could devour the very bricks of which it was composed; employing themselves meanwhile in sucking their fingers most assiduously, with the view of catching up any stray splashes of gruel that might have been cast thereon. Boys have generally excellent appetites. Oliver Twist and his companions suffered the tortures of slow starvation for three months; at last they got so voracious and wild with hunger, that one boy, who was tall for his age, and hadn’t been used to that sort of thing, (for his father had kept a small cook’s shop)hinted darkly to his companions, that unless he had another basin of gruel per diem, he was afraid he should some night eat the boy who slept next him, who happened to be a weakly youth of tender age. He had a wild, hungry eye, and they implic itly believed him. A council was held; lots were cast who should walk up to the master after supper that evening, andask for more; and it fell to Oliver Twist.The evening arrived; the boys took their places; the master in his cook’s uniform stationed himself at the copper; his pauper assistants ranged themselves behind him; the gruel was served out, and a long grace was said over the short commons. The gruel disappeared, and the boys whispered to each other and winked at Oliver, while his next neighbours nudged him. Child as he was, he was desperate with hunger and reckless with misery. He rose from the table, and advancing, basin and spoon in hand, to the master, said, somewhat alarmed at his own temerity －“Pleased, Sir, I want some more.”The master was a fat, healthy man, but he turned very pale. He gazed in stupefied astonishment on the small rebel for some seconds, and then clung for support to the copper. The assistants were paralysed with wonder; the boys with fear.“What!” said the master at length, in a faint voice.“Please sir,” replied Oliver, “I want some more.”The master aimed a blow at Oliver’s head with the ladle; p inioned him in his arms; and shrieked aloud for the beadle.QUESTIONS:1.This passage is taken from a well-known novel entitled _____________________.2.The writer of the novel is ____________________.3.What can you see from this passage?Exercise 2MRS W ARREN: (piteously) Oh, my darling, how can you be so hard on me? Have I no rights over you as your mother?VIVIE: Are you my mother?MRS WARREN: (appalled) Am I your mother! Oh, Vivie!VIVIE: Then where are our relatives? my father? our family friends? Y ou claim the rights of a mother: the right to call me fool and child; to speak to me as no woman in authority over me at college dare speak to me; to dictate my way of life; and to force on me the acquaintance of a brute whom anyone can see to be the most vicious sort of London man about town. Before I give myself the trouble to resist such claims, I may as well find out the whether they have any real existence.MRS WARREN: (distracted, throwing herself on her knees) Oh no, no. Stop, stop. I am your mother: I s wear it. Oh, you can’t mean to turn on me－my own child! It’s not natural. Y ou believe me, don’t you? Say you believe me.VIVIE: Who was my father?MRS WARREN: Y ou don’t know what you’re asking. I can’t tell you.VIVIE: (determinedly) Oh yes you can, if you like. I have a right to know; and you know very well that I have that right. Y ou can refuse to tell me, if you please; but if you do, will see the last of me tomorrow morning.MRS WARREN: Oh, it’s too horrible to hear you talk like that. Y ou wouldn’t－you couldn’t leave me.VIVIE: (ruthlessly) Y e s, without a moment’s hesitation, if you trifle with me about this. (Shivering with disgust) How can I feel sure that I may not have the contaminated blood of that brutal waster in my veins?MRS WARREN: NO, no. On my oath it’s not he, nor any of the rest that you have ever met. I’m certain of that, at least.VIvie’s eyes fasten sternly on her mother as the significance of this flashed on her.QUESTIONS:1.This passage is taken from a play entitled________________ .2.Who is the writer of this play?3.Do you kno w what is Mrs. Warren’s profession?4.What is the theme of the play?V. Questions and Answers1. Comment on Tess of the D’ Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy.2. Make comments on Samuel Butler’s novels.。

English Literature in the Victorian AgeI. 判断题1. Queen Victoria is the longest reigning monarch in the English history.2. Queen Victoria ruled Britain almost 64 years from 1837 to 1901. Queen Victoria exerted the power and influence of Britain around the world, and Britain was regarded as “The Empire on which the sun never sets”.3. The four features of Charles Dickens’ works are the following: character sketches and exaggeration, broad humor and penetrating satire, complicated and fascinating plot, and extol the greatness of the bourgeoisie.4. The subtitle of William Makepeace Thackeray’s Great Expectation is “A Novel without a Hero”.5. British feminist writer Jean Rhys wrote Wide Sargasso Sea, which could be regarded as the companion novel of Jane Eyre.6. In the light of feminists, the madwoman in the attic, Bertha Mason, is another Jane Eyre deep in Jane’s heart.7. Wuthering Heights is the only novel written by Emily Bronte.8. Wuthering Heights is written in the first-person narrative, and the only narrator is the hero, Heathcliff.9. The representative writer of Aesthetic Movement is Oscar Wilde.10. The Picture of Dorian Gray is Oscar Wilde’s masterpiece and he died immediately after he finished writing this novel, which is his autobiographic work.11. In Thomas Hardy’s work Tess of the d’Urbervilles, Angel Clare is Tess’s beloved one who fell in love with Tess immediately when he first saw her and loved her from the very beginning to the end.12. In Robert Browning’s My Last Duchess, the poet paid tribute to the duke’s deep and everlasting love for the dead duchess.II. 连线题1 ( ) Charles Dickens A. Vanity Fair2 ( ) William Makepeace Thackeray B. The Professor3 ( ) Charlotte Bronte C. Treasure Island4 ( ) Emily Bronte D. How Do I Love Thee5 ( ) Anne Bronte E. A Christmas Carol6 ( ) Mrs. Gaskell F. On the Origin of Species7 ( ) Thomas Hardy G. Wuthering Heights8 ( ) George Eliot H. The Picture of Dorian Gray9 ( ) Robert Louis Stevenson I. Agnes Grey10 ( ) Charles Robert Darwin J. The Eagle11 ( ) Arthur Conan Doyle K. The Life of Charlotte Bronte12 ( ) Oscar Wilde L. Tess of the d’Urbervilles13 ( ) Alfred Tennyson M. My Last Duchess14 ( ) Robert Browning N. Adam Bede15 ( ) Mrs. Browning O. A Study in ScarletIII. 单选题1. In the Victorian Period, ______ became the most widely read and the most vital and challenging expression of progressive thought.A. poetryB. novelC. proseD. drama2. The first mass movement of the English working class and the early sign of the awakening of the poor, oppressed people is _____.A. The Enclosure MovementB. The Protestant ReformationC. The Enlightenment MovementD. The Chartist Movement3. Although writing from different points of view and with different techniques，writers in the Victorian Period shared one thing in common, that is, they were all concerned about ______.A. the fate of the upper classB. the reformation of the governmentC. the fate of the common peopleD. the future of their family clans4. In the 19th century English literature, a new literary trend, ______, appeared. And it flourished in the forties and in the early fifties.A. RomanticismB. NaturalismC. realismD. critical realism5. Which of the following writers does not belong to English critical realism?A. Charles DickensB. Charlotte BronteC. Oscar WildeD. Elizabeth Gaskell6. In Charles Dickens’ novel A Tale of Two Cities, the “Two Cities” refers to ______.A. Dublin and LondonB. London and ParisC. Paris and New YorkD. Dublin and New York7. “I repeat, the woman I have been loving is not you…Another woman in your shape.” These words are taken from ______.A. Dickens’ Oliver TwistB. Charlotte Bronte’s Jane EyreC. Emily Bronte’s Wuthering HeightsD. Tho mas Hardy’s Tess of the D’Urbervilles8. “Please, Sir, I want some more.”The master was a fat, healthy man, but he turned very pale.This description is from ______.A. A Modest ProposalB. Oliver TwistC. Tom JonesD. Hard Times9. Both two famous English writers, William Makepeace Thackeray and John Bunyan, once wrote ______.A. Paradise LostB. Of StudiesC. Vanity FairD. Oliver Twist10. ___is the first important governess novel in the English literary history.A. Jane EyreB. EmmaC. Wuthering HeightsD. Middlemarch11. “‘Damn the fool! There he is’, cried Heathcliff, sinking back into his seat. ‘Hush, my darling! Hush, hush, Catherine! I stay. If he shot me so. I’d expire with a blessing on my lips.’” The novel from which the passage is taken must be ______.A. Jane Austen’s Pride and PrejudiceB. Charles Dickens’ The Old Curiosity ShopC. Samuel Richardson’s PamelaD. Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights12. Which of the following women does not belong to the famous Bronte Sisters?A. Mary BronteB. Charlotte BronteC. Emily BronteD. Anne Bronte13. Which of the following statements about Emily Bronte is NOT true?A. She was famous for her Wuthering Heights.B. She wrote 193 poems.C. She lived a very short life.D. Her masterpiece is noted for its optimistic tone.14.In Hardy’s Wessex novels, there is an apparent_____ touch in his description of the simple and beautiful though primitive rural life.A. realisticB. nostalgicC. romanticD. sentimental15. Hardy’s last two novels _____ received a lot of hostile criticisms which led to his turning to poetry.A. The Dynasts and Jude the ObscureB. Tess of the D’Urbervilles and Jude the ObscureC. The Return of the Native and Tess of the D’UrbervillesD. The Return of the Native and Jude the Obscure16. Robert Browning’s My Last Duchess is composed in the form of a(n) _____.A. dramatic monologueB. extended metaphorC. syllogistic argumentD. dialogue17. “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 winter of despair, we had everything before us,we had nothing before us;we were all going direct to Heaven,we were all going direct the other way.”This quote is the opening paragraph from _____ by the immortal Charles Dickens.A. Oliver TwistB. Hard TimesC. A Tale of Two CitiesD. A Christmas CarolIV. 作品赏析题1. “Do you think I can stay to become nothing to you? Do you think I am an automaton? —a machine without feelings? And can bear to have my morsel of bread snatched from my lips, and my drop of living water dashed from my cup? Do you think, because I am poor, obscure, plain, and little, I am soulless and heartless? — You think wrong! — I have as much soul as you—and full as much heart! And if God had gifted me with some beauty, and much wealth, I should have made it as hard for you to leave me, as it is now for me to leave you. I am not talking to you now through the medium of custom, conventionalities, nor even of mortal flesh: — it is my spirit that addresses your spirit; just as if both had passed through the grave, and we stood at God’s feet, equal—as we are!”Questions:1) Identify the author and the title of the novel from which the quoted part is taken.2) Who is the speaker and whom is the speaker addressing?3) Summarize the speaker’s meaning?2. “I was only going to say that heaven did not seem to be my home; and I broke my heart with weeping to come back to earth; and the angels were so angry that they flung me out into the middle of the heath on the top of Wuthering Heights; where I woke sobbing for joy.”… “It would degrade me to marry Heathcliff now; so he shall never know how I love him: and that, not because he’s handsome, Nelly, but because he’s more myself than I am.”Questions:1) Identify the author and the novel from which the quoted part is taken.2) Who is the speaker and whom is the speaker addressing?3) What does the quoted part imply about the speaker?V. 论述题1. Please analyze the orphan –Oliver’s image in Charles Dickens’ nov el Oliver Twist.2. Please compare the two female characters in Vanity Fair, Amelia Sedley and Rebecca (Becky) Sharp.3. Do you think Tess is a pure woman? Why or why not?English Literature in the Victorian AgeI. 判断题1-5 F T F F T 6-10 T T F T F 11-12. F FII. 连线题1-5 E A B G I 6-10 K L N C F 11-15 O H J M DIII. 单选题1-5 B D C D C 6-10 B D B C A 11-15 D A D B B 16-17 A CIV. 作品赏析题1.1) The quoted part is taken from Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre.2) Jane Eyre is speaking to Rochester.3) Jane Eyre loves Rochester but misunderstands that he will soon marry to another lady Miss Ingram. Sad and heartbroken, she is reluctant to leave Rochester but has to do so. She does not want to witness her beloved one to get marry though Rochester wants her to stay in Thornfield. When forced to confront Rochester, Jane Eyre desperately and openly declares her equality with him and her love for him. She denies his order to stay and retorts his words by saying the quoted part.2.1) The quoted part is taken from Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights.2) Catherine is speaking to the servant Nelly.3) After Catherine accepted Edgar Linton’s marriage proposal, she expressed her inner feelings to the servant Nelly. Catherine shows her dilemma of a mate choice. Despite her strong spiritual bond with Heathcliff, she is exposed to another way of life represented by Linton, which is equally powerful temptation for Catherine. Her words and dilemma are not only about class gap or realistic demand, but also about her understanding of herself and her nature.V. 论述题1. Key words: poverty-stricken(poor); pitiful; naïve; brave; kind-hearted; sympathetic; tough.2. Key words:Amelia Sedley, the daughter of a wealthy merchantRebecca (Becky) Sharp, an orphan (In a time of social climbers, Becky Sharp is a mountaineer)Becky is portrayed as a strong-willed and cunning young woman determined to make her way in society, and Amelia Sedley as a good natured, loveable, though simple-minded young girl.3. Tess is a pure woman:a. pure here not refers to the physical meaning but the spiritual one. Throughout the novel, Tess was loyal to her true feelings. She remained her loyalty to Angel. Alec only claimed her body. She was spiritually with Angel all the time.b. She is responsible and does her best for the family.c. She is honest.d. She could face her tragedy with great dignity.。

English Literature in the Victorian AgeI. Multiple Choice.1.____ is the greatest representative of English critical realism.A. Jane AustenB. ThackerayC. DickensD. Charlotte2.____ is Thackeray’s one of the best known works.A. Sense and SensibilityB. The Book of SnobsC. The Pickwick PapersD. The Song of Lower Class3. Pride and Prejudice’s first title is ____.A. First ImpressionB. A Book Without a HeroC. The NewcomesD. Persuasion4. Vanity Fair has a sub-title. It is ____.A. First ImpressionB. A Book Without a HeroC. The NewcomesD. Persuasion5. In the 19th century English literature, a new literary trend ____ appeared. And it flourished in the forties and in the early fifties.A. romanticismB. naturalismC. realismD. critical realism6. English critical realism found its expression chiefly in the form of ____ .A. novelB. dramaC. poetryD. sonnet7._____’s Vanity Fair is a satirical portrayal of the upper strata(阶层) of society.A. George EliotB. Elizabeth GaskellC. W. M. ThackerayD. John Bunyan8. The ____ Movement appeared in the thirties of the 19th century.A. EnlightenmentB. RenaissanceC. ChartistD. Romanticist9. The Chartist writers introduced a new theme into literature, the struggle of the _____ for its rights.A. soldiersB. peasantsC. bourgeoisieD. proletariat10. The greatest of Chartist poets was _____.A. Earnest JonesB. John MiltonC. Thomas HardyD. John Keats11. The story of ______ deals with the adventures of a retired old merchant.A. A Tale of Two CitiesB. David CopperfieldC. Pickwick PapersD. Oliver Twist12. The novel _____ exposes the terrible conditions of English private schools.A. Nicholas NicklebyB. Oliver TwistC. Hard TimesD. Great Expectations13. The story of _____ deals with the sufferings and hardships of an old man named Trent, and his granddaughter, Nell.A. Pickwick PapersB. The Old Curiosity ShopC. Great ExpectationsD. Hard Times14. Which novel makes a fierce attack on the bourgeois system of education?A. Oliver TwistB. Hard TimesC. Great ExpectationsD. A Tale of Two Cities15. Which novel is a great satire upon the society and those people who dream to enter the higher society regardless of the social reality?A. A Tale of Two CitiesB. David CopperfieldC. Great ExpectationsD. Dombey and Son16. In the novel _____, Dickens describes the Chartist Movement and shows his sympathy for theworkers.A. Great ExpectationsB. A Tale of Two CitiesC. Hard TimesD. Oliver Twist17. The Victorian Age in English literature was largely an age of prose, especially of the _____.A. novelB. poetryC. essayD. legend18. Mr. Peggotty and Steerforth are two characters in Dickens’s novel _____.A. A Tale of Two CitiesB. David CopperfieldC. Pickwick PapersD. Oliver Twist19. In _____, common sense and moral propriety took the place of the principle of Romanticism and became the predominant preoccupation in literary works.A. RenaissanceB. the Elizabethan periodC. the gilded ageD. the Victorian period20. “Of all my books,” wrote Dickens, “I like this the best.” Which work does it refer to? _____A. David CopperfieldB. A Tale of Two CitiesC. Pickwick PapersD. Oliver TwistII. True-or-False Statement.1. Heathcliff is a character in the novel Wuthering Heights. This novel shows that pure and true love in a class society is impossible of attainment.2. George Eliot was the pseudonym of Maria Ann Evans.3. In the novel Adam Bede, Adam falls in love with a village girl called Hetty Sorrel who is deduced and deserted by a squire.4. William Makepeace Thackeray’s first literary success came with a series of satirical sketches entitled The Book of Snobs published between 1846 and 1847.5. Charlotte Bronte’s popularity as a social satirist rivaled that of Dickens by 1859.6. The title of the novel Vanity Fair is taken from Chaucer’s The Pilgrim’s Progress.7. Tennyson’s Break, Break, Break expresses his optimistic attitude towards death when he is old.8. Dante Gabriel Rosetti remained a poet in his painting and a painter in his poetry.9. In Carlyle’s works, archaic words and expressions are revived and new ones invented in the German manner.10. In the basic plot of A Tale of Two Cities, the fate of Dr. Manette is closely interwoven with the development of the French Revolution.III. Matching.Column A Column B1. Charles Dickens A. V anity Fair2. William M. Thackeray B. The Professor3. Charlotte Bronte C. Wuthering Heights4. Emily Bronte D. Treasure Island5. Anne Bronte E. David Copperfield6. Thomas Hardy G. Agnes Grey7. Alfred Tennyson F. Middlemarch8. Oscar Wilde I. Tess9. Robert Louis Stevenson J. The Eagle10. George Eliot K. The Picture of Dorian GrayIV. Appreciation of Literature Works.1. PoetryHow do I love thee? Let me count the ways.I love thee to the depth and breadth and heightMy soul can reach, when feeling out of sightFor the ends of Being and ideal Grace.I love thee to the level of everyday’sMost quiet need, by sun and candle-light.I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.I love thee with a passion put to useIn my old griefs, and with my childhood’s faith.I love thee with a love I seemed to loseWith my lost saints, I love thee with the breath,Smiles, tears, of all my life! and, if God choose,I shall but love thee better after death.Question:1) Who is the writer? And what is the name of the poem?2) What is the key word in the poem?3) How does the writer express such a feeling?2. NovelThe counting-house clock was at half-past twelve, and there was general preparation for going to dinner, when Mr. Quinion tapped at the counting house window, and beckoned to me to go in. I went in, and found there a stoutish, middle-aged person, in a brown surtout and black tights and shoes, with no more hair upon his head (which was a large one, and very shining) than there is upon an egg, and with a very extensive face, which he turned full upon me. His clothes were shabby, but he had an imposing shirt-collar on. He carried a jaunty sort of a stick, with a large pair of rusty tassels to it; and a quizzing glass hung outside his coat, —for ornament, I afterwards found, as he very seldom looked through it, and couldn’t see anything when he did.“This,” said Mr. Quinion, in allusion to myself, “is he.”"This,” said the stranger, with a certain condescending roll in his voice, and a certain indescribable air of doing something genteel, which impressed me very much, “is Master Copperfield. I hope I see you well，sir?”Questions:1) Who is the writer? And what is the name of the poem?2) Make a brief comment on Master Copperfield.V. Topic Discussion.What is the strength and weakness of English critical realism?English Literature in the Victorian AgeI. Multiple Choice.1-5 CBABD 6-10 ACCDA11-15 CABBC16-20 CABDAII. True-or-False Statement.1-5: TFTTF 6-10: FFTTTIII. Matching.1-5: FABCH 6-10: IJKDFIV. Appreciation of Literature Works.1. PoetryAnswer:1) Mr. Browning. How Do I Love Thee2) The key word in the poem is “love”.3) This poem expresses Mrs. Browning’s ardent love for Robert Browning repeatedly. Elizabeth says in the second to third lines that she loves Browning with every aspect of her soul. She then goes onto say that she loves him enough that it meets the needs of every day and every night in lines 5 and 6. Through lines 7,8,9 and 11 Elizabeth repeats the phrase, “I love thee…” to build intensity and show emphasis. Line 7 says that she loves him “freely,” or willingly, as men who try and reach “Right,” which in this case could mean righteousness, or in correlation with the previous word “freely” it may mean freedom. Line 8 means that she loves him, as it says, purely, without any want for praise. Then she expresses her love for him as much as she used to love the saints as a child. At last, her love extends to all her life and even afterlife.2. NovelAnswers:1) Charles Dicken. David Copperfield2) First, Charles Dickens’s David Copperfield is an autobiographical novel to some extent, but it has far great significance. Second, David Copperfield is written in the first person and is the most autobiographical of all his books. In the novel Dickens makes good use of his experience to attack the social evils of the day that were prevalent in Victorian England. Therefore, the novel is not just a personal record, but a broad picture of the society of the author’s day. Dickens’s own experience was turned to good account likewise in the creation of a number of very vivid characters. Third, this novel, there is the eulogy of simple people, their joys as well as sorrows. Dickens gives his usual contrast between the selflessness and mutual helpfulness of the simple folk and the immorality of the upper classes He makes his condemnation of the so-called civilized, respectable members of his time. Fourth, the novel was written at a time when his creative powers had reached their height. All these give the book a combination of verisimilitude familiarity and artistic maturity seldom met with in his other novels.V. Topic Discussion.What is the strength and weakness of English critical realism?1) The English critical realists of the 19th century not only gave a satirical portrayal of the bourgeoisie and all the ruling classes but also showed profound sympathy for the common people. In their best works, the greedy and hypocritical upper classes are contrasted with the honest and good-hearted lower classes. Hence humor and satire abound in the English realistic novels of the 19th century. Humorous scenes set off the actions of the positive characters, and the humor is oftentinged with a lyricism which serves to stress the fine qualities of such characters. At the same time, bitter satire and grotesque are used to expose the seamy side of the bourgeois society. Critical realism reveals the corrupting influence of the rule of cash upon human nature. Here lies the essentially democratic and humanistic character of critical realism.2) But the critical realists did not find a way to eradicate the social evils they knew so well. They did not realize the necessity of changing the bourgeois society through conscious human effort. They were unable to find a good solution to the social contradictions. 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 their novels usually have happy endings or an impotent compromise at the end. Here we see the strength and the weakness of critical realism.。

2021年自考《英美文学选读》（英）维多利亚时期：CharlesDickensI.Charles Dickens1. 一般识记His Life & Literary CareerCharles Dickens (1812-1870) was born at Portsmouth. His father， a poor clerk in the Navy Pay office，was put into the Marsalsea Prison for debt when young Charles was only 12 years old. The son had to give up schooling to work in an underground cellar at a shoe-blacking factory - a position he considered most humiliating. We find the bitter experiences of that suffering child reflected in many of Dickens’s novels. In 1827，Charles entered a lawyer’s office，& two years later he became a Parliamentary reporter for newspapers. From 1833 Dickens began to write occasional sketches of London life，which were later collected & published under the title Sketches by Boz (1836)。

Soon The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club (1836-1837) appeared in monthly installments. And since then，his life became one of endless hard work. In his later years，he gave himself to public readings of his works，which brought plaudits & comfort but also exhausted him. In 1870，this man of great heart & vitality died of overwork，leaving his last novel unfinished.2. 识记His Major WorksUpon his death，Dickens left to the world a rich legacy of 15 novels & a number of short stories. They offer a most complete & realistic picture of English society of his age & remain the highest achievement in the 19th-century English novel. In nearly all his novels，behind the gloomy pictures of oppression & poverty，behind the loud humor & buffoonery，is his gentleness，his genial mirth，& his simple faith in mankind.The following is a list of his novels & other collections in three periods：(1) Period of youthful optimistSketches by Boz (1836); The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club (1836-1837); Oliver Twist (1837-1838); Nicholas Nickleby (1838-1839); The Old Curiosity Shop (1840-1841); Barnaby Rudge(1841)(2) Period of excitement & irritationAmerican Notes (1842); Martin Chuzzlewit (1843-1845); A Christmas Carol (1843); Dombey & Son (1846-1848); David Copperfield (1849-1850)(3) Period of steadily intensifying pessimismBleak House (1852-1853); Hard Times (1854); Little Dorrit (1855-1857); A Tale of Two Cities (1859); Great Expectations (1860-1861); Our Mutual Friend (1864-1865); Edwin Drood (unfinished)(1870)3. 领会Distinct Features of His Novels(1) Character Sketches & ExaggerationIn his novels are found about 19 hundred figures，some of whom are really such “ typical characters under typical circumstances，” t hat they become proverbial or representative of a whole group of similar persons.As a master of characterization，Dickens was skillful in drawing vivid caricatural sketches by exaggerating some peculiarities，& in giving them exactly the actions & words that fit them：that is，right words & right actions for the right person.(2) Broad Humor & Penetrating SatireDickens is well known as a humorist as well as a satirist. He sometimes employs humor to enliven a scene or lighten a character by making it (him or her) eccentric，whimsical，or laughable. Sometimes he uses satire to ridicule human follies or vices，with the purpose of laughing them out of existence or bring about reform.(3) Complicated & Fascinating PlotDickens seems to love complicated novel constructions with minor plots beside the major one，or two parallel major plots within one novel. He is also skillful at creating suspense & mystery to make the story fascinating.(4) The Power of ExposureAs the greatest representative of English critical realism，Dickens made his novel the instrument of morality & justice. Each of his novels reveals a specific social problem.4. 领会His Literary Creation & Literary AchievementsCharles Dickens is one of the greatest critical realistic writers of the Victorian Age. It is his serious intention to expose & criticize in his works all the poverty，injustice，hypocrisy & corruptness he saw all around him. In his works，Dickens sets a full map & a large-scale criticism of the 19th-century England，particularly London. A combination of optimism about people & realism about society is obvious in these works. His representative works in the early period include Oliver Twist，David Copperfield & so on.His later works show a highly conscious modern artist. The settings are more complicated; the stories are better structured. Most novels of this period present a sharper criticism of social evils & morals of the Victorian England，for example，Bleak House，Hard Times，Great Expectations & so on. The early optimism could no more be found.Charles Dickens is a master story-teller. His language could，in a way，be compared with Shakespeare’s. His humor & wit seem inexhaustible. Character-portrayal is the most outstanding feature of his works. His characterizations of child (Oliver Twist，etc.)，some grotesque people (Fagin，etc.) & some comical people (Mr. Micawber，etc.) are superb. Dickens also employs exaggeration in his works. Dickens’s works ar e also characterized by a mixture of humor & pathos.5. 应用Selected ReadingAn Excerpt from Chapter III of Oliver TwistThe novel is famous for its vivid descriptions of the workhouse & life of the underworld in the 19th-century London. The author’s intimate knowledge of people of the lowest order & of the city itself apparently comes from his journalistic years. Here the novel also presents Oliver Twist as Dickens’s first child hero & Fagin the first grotesque figure.This section，Chapter III of the novel，is a detailed account of how he is punished for that “ impious & profane offence of asking for more” & how he is to be sold. At three pound ten，to Mr. Gamfield，the notorious chimneysweeper. Though we can afford a smile now & then，we feel more the pitiable state of the orphan boy & the cruelty & hypocrisy of the workhouse board.。