《英美文学基础》小组讨论发言稿一、班级：07级英语教育四班第三组：510宿舍二、主讲：张烈红三、讨论成员：王莉刘妍罗晓晴郭婷婷刘臻张莉娄枫琴陈金霞四、主题：The Victorian Period--Charles Dickens & William Makepeace ThanckerayVictorian literatureA.BackgroundChronologically the Victorian period roughly coincides with the region of Queen Victoria who ruled over England from 1836 to 1901.The period has been generally regarded as one of the most glorious in the English history.As a result of the Industrial revolution .England reached the highest point as a world power and the struggle between the working class and the capitalists became the basic contradiction in English social and political life. At the same time,the working conditions under which workers toiled were unimaginably brutal, especially in texible factories and coal mines where women and children were widely employed.The worsening living and working conditions, the mass unemployment and the new Poor Law of 1834 with its workhouse system finally gave rise to Chartist Movement (1836-1848).Amid such a class-struggle period, many writers turned to social criticism.So appeared a new literary trend:critical realism.These realists are mainly concerned with the society, the social system and the people in the society.B.Features of Victorian LiteratureVictorian literature,as a product of its age,naturally took on its quality of magnitude and diversity.It was many-sided and complex, and reflected both romantically realistically the great changes that were going on in people's life and thought .Besides, it truthfully respresented the reality and spirit of the age. The high-spirit vitality, the down-to-earth earnesteness,the good-natured humor and unbounded imagination are all unprecedented .In almost every genre it paved the way for coming century ,where its spirits,values and experiments are to witness their bumper harvest. Great writers and great works abounded.I.Charles Dickens1.Life of DickensCharles Dickens(1812-1870) was born in Portsmouth ,a poor British family,in 1812.He was a son of a petty navy office clerk.Because his father had been taken into prison for debts,he was forced to leave school to work at a blacking factory.In the factory,as a child he always felt hungry,lonely and ignored.The hardship and suffering inflicted upon the sensitive ,young Charles had left an ever-lasting bitter remembrance in his later life.In 1827,Charles entered a lawyer's office,and two years later he became a parliamentary reporter for newspapers.The journalistic experience not only enabled him to get acquainted with some inside knowledge of the British legal and political system,and gave him a chance to meet people of all kinds,but also laid a good foundation for his coming literary career.From 1833, Dickens began to write,occasional sketches of lond life,which were later collected and published under the tittle Sketches by Boz (1836),soon the Posthumous Paper of the Pick-wick Club(1836-1837) appeared in monthly installments.It made him the most popular English author of his time.Dickens was not only an editor but also an ower of several newspapers and magazines.He was also an enthusiastic participant or organizer of some charity activities.Dickens is one of the greatest critical realist writers of the Victorian age and also is known as an outstanding master of the Language.During his 34 years' creating,Dichens wrote 14 novels[The myster of Edwin Drood (《艾德温·德鲁德之迷》）was unfinished] and many other works.2.Creating.A.Background；Dickens lived in the interim from feudalistic society to capitalist society.The development of capitalist society resulted in poverty and bankruptcy of numerous capitalist,and many proletarians got stuck in pretty poor after suffering cruel exploitation. The Cartist Movement which occurred in British had a strong influence on Dickens.Though he was progressive ,his works reflected the civilians' emotions and requests during the Chartist Movement.He sympathized the poor people but was afraid of revolution. Dickens rebuked the capitalist system and used to expose its evil while he disagreed to break down the system.He hoped to rebuit exploiter by educating and moving and to depend their mercy and charity to eliminate social contraditions.B.Works：The working career of Dickens divided into four periods.1).The first age(1833-1841)Main works:《博兹札记》(Sketches by Boz);《匹克威克外传》(The Pickwick Papers); 《雾都孤儿》（Oliver Twist)2).The second age(1842-1848)Main works:《美国纪行〉(American Notes) ；《马丁·翟述伟》(Martin Chuzzlewit); 《圣诞颂歌》（A Christmas Carol) 3).The third age(1848-1859)Main works:《大卫·科波菲尔》（David Copperfield);《荒凉山庄》（Bleak House);《双城记》（A Tale of Two Cities)4).The forth age(1860 以后）Main works:《我们共同的朋友》（Our Mutual Friend); 《艾德温·德鲁德之迷》（The Myster of Edwin Drood)3. Oliver Twist1）Background: As a child, Dickens endured the harsh conditions of poverty. His family was imprisoned for debts,and he was forced to work in a factory at the age of twelve. These experiences haunted him for the rest of his life. And the misery of his childhood is a recurrent theme in his novels. Oliver Twist provided the experience of the poor in 1830s of England. Beneath the novel's raucous humor and flights of fancy ran an undertone of bitter criticism of the victorian middle class attitudes toward the poor. Oliver is a near perfect example of the hypocrisy and venality of the legal system, workhouses, and middle class moral values and marriage practices of 1830s England.2）Story :Oliver himself was born in a workhouse and treated cruelly there, as the norm at the time for pauper children. After he stayed workhouse for 9 years, he was send to coffin shop to learn skills. But he couldn't bear the starvation,poverty and insult.Finally, he escaped the workhouse and ran away to London. Here he received an education in Villainy from the criminal gang of Fagin that included the brutal thief Bill Sikes, the famous artful Dodger and Nancy, Bill Whore. Oliver was rescued by the intervention of a benefactor---Mr Brownlow,but the mysterious Monks got the gang to kidnap the boy again. Nancy intervened but was murdered viciously by Sickes after he had showed some redeeming qualities and had discovered Monk Sinister intention.After Oliver was rescued, he found his relatives and inherited a number of money. At last, he lived a happy life.4.The main stylistic features of Dickens1).Character portrayal was the most distinguishing feature of Dickens' works,including some particular features, exaggerated and highlighted and exposed to the degree of extremity.2).In language,he could adeptly use the vernacular and large vocabularies.3).His words were humorous and witty.And his works were characterized by a mingling of humor and puths.II. William Makepeace Thackerary1.Life of Thackeray.William Makepeace Thackeray was born in 1811, in Calcutta of India ,his father who was the tax collector and the administrator in a company of east India and died when he was four years old .At the same time ,his mother got married once again.At the age of six ,he was sent to Britain to study .In 1829,he entered into the Cambridge University .Then, he studied in German. In 1833 ,he edited the weekly magazine National Flag. Meanwhile, he studied arts and finally he gave it up.In 1836, he worked for a newspaper office as a reporter. Soon, he returned back his country and made a living by writing .Unfortunatelly,his wife was wrong with mental.He published a lot of articles and books after 1833. However, he was regarded as a geniue novelist until the publication of Vanity Fair.In order to keep his sick wife and two daughters living a happy life ,he had to insist on writing all the time and gave many speeches in Britain and in United States.In 1857,he failed in an election.In 1859, he worked as a chief editor of <康希尔杂志>.At last,he was ill. In 1863, he died for heart attacks on the christmas eve in London.2.Works:《彭登尼斯》（The history of pendennis）《亨利·埃斯蒙德》（The history of Henry Esmond）《纽克姆一家》（The newcomes）《弗吉尼亚人》（The Virginians）《名利场》（V anity Fair）3. Story of Vanity FairThe author mainly created the upper-class in the England capitalim society in the early 19th century.The story started from two clues,one of the clues told us a girl named Amelia who was kind and clumsy,lived in a rich family.The other clues described a clever,selifh ,profigate and poor girl.Her name was Shavp, who could pursue fame and wealth and ignored everything.Shavp and Amelia were graduated from Dinketon school.Then Shavp came with Amelia and stayed at Amelia's home somedays. During this time,Shavp seeked Amelia's brother Joseph.But she was not accomplished.Then she went to Putt's home and became a tutor.After that ,she married Randon secretly.At the same time Pitt was proposing with Shavp that made Shavp more regret.Because she loved the opportunity that could make her the wife of Sir Pitt.George was a playboy who was Amelia's husband.In a dance party,George wrote a message to Shavp in order to encourage Shavp eloped with him.After a few years,George died in warfare.Amelia loved George justas before in a decade.Shavp returned to England and became a noble Steyne's wistress.Then Randon knew this news,the couple were separated.After a decade,Shavp came across Amelia and let her read the message which George gave.Then,Ameliafelt as she woke from a dream,and married Dobbin who had loved her for years.4. The main stylistic features of Thackeray1) By using the realistic useage and the high art form conclusion,the author described a photo of life about the up-class capitalistic society in England.2) The author concerned about the fate of common people,studyed of charaster's inner world,bitterly and strongerly criticised the society.5.Proverb：A famous proverb in Vanity FairAn!Vanitas Vanitatum(拉丁语;浮华世界，一切虚空）,which of us is happy in this world? Which of us has his desire? Or having it,is satisfied? 唉，浮名浮利，一切虚空！我们这些人里面有谁是真正快活的？谁是称心如意的？就算当时遂了心愿，过后还是照样不满意？。