外国语学院英国文学论文题目：透过《名利场》探究社会腐化现象专业：英语姓名：周xx学号：200804xxxx指导教师：完成日期：2011 年6月13日Reveal the Reasons of Social Corruption tThrough Vanity FairSpecialty: EnglishDirection: CultureApplicant: Zhou WxxxAdvisor:Submitted to College of Foreign LanguagesFor the Certificate of Completion of British literatureAt Hulunbeier CollegeMay 13, 2011透过《名利场》探究社会腐化现象摘要：《名利场》是19世纪著名批判现实主义小说家威廉·梅克皮斯·萨克雷的代表作。

小说中塑造了各式各样的人物，自私和虚伪充斥整篇小说。

通过分析人物，我们可以得出这样的结论: 19世纪的英国社会已经腐化。

本文认为社会腐化首先源于社会经济的迅速发展，巨大的财富是滋生社会腐化的物质基础。

其次在于社会主流文化的导向作用，健康向上的主流社会文化能够有效抑制负面文化的滋生。

第三，社会生活中人们的精神态度，这里的精神态度指的是人们对于主流文化的主观能动作用，即人们是否推崇社会主流文化。

关键词：《名利场》萨克雷社会腐化主流文化Reveal the Reasons of Social Corruption tThrough Vanity FairAbstract：Vanity Fair is the famous critical realism masterpiece of William Makepeace Thackeray in the 19th century. Thackeray in the novel created a wide variety of characters; most of the people are full of selfish and hypocrisy. By analyzing the characters, we can come to this conclusion: that his society had corrupted. There are three reasons for social corruption. Firstly, rapid development of social economy, great wealth is the material basis for social corruption. The Second one, the direction of mainstream culture, a healthy mainstream culture can effectively inhibit the negative culture. The last one, people's mental state in social life, mental state here refers to people's subjective dynamic-role to the mainstream culture, namely whether people follow the mainstream culture.Key words: Vanity Fair Thackeray social corruption mainstream cultureContentsIntroduction (1)Chapter 1 Social Corruption Study of Vanity Fair through Material Development and Social Mainstream Culture1.1 The Effect of Material Development to Social C orruption (2)1.2 The Effect of Social Mainstream Culture to Social C orruption (2)Chapter 2 Social Corruption Study of Vanity Fair through People’s Mental State2.1 The Mental State of Ruling Class (3)2.2 The Mental State of Middle C lass (4)2.3 The Mental State of the Lower Classes (4)Conclusion (5)Bibliography (6)Reveal the Reasons of Social CorruptionThrough Vanity FairIntroductionLike many novels of the time, Vanity Fair was published as a serial before being sold in book form; it was printed in 20 monthly parts between January 1847 and July 1848. (As was standard practice, the last part was a "double number" containing parts 19 and 20.) The parts resembled pamphlets, and contained the text of several chapters between outer pages of steel-plate engravings and advertising. Woodcut engravings, which could be set along with normal moveable type, appeared within the text. The same engraved illustration appeared on the canary-yellow cover of each monthly part; this colour became Thackeray's signature (as a light blue-green was Dickens'), allowing passers-by to notice a new Thackeray number in a bookstall from a distance. Vanity Fair was the first work that Thackeray published under his own name, and was extremely well-received at the time. Most modern editions either do not reproduce all the illustrations, or reproduce them so badly that much detail is lost.In Thackeray’s work there are many similarities with Bunyan's "Vanity Fair". In the Vanity Fair, they teased life, plotting, preparation of lies, flattery noble, fighting each other. Thackeray meant the book to be not only entertaining but also instructive, an intention demonstrated through the book's narration and through Thackeray's private correspondence. According to analysis we can find that in the work it shows us the corruption of society. First it shows us the highly developing capital society through various picture of corruption both in material and spirit. Then Thackeray describes different people who stand for different class. This thesis analyzes the social state from the aspect of social material development and the social culture. Furthermore it also classifies the figures into different classes to analyze their mental state as a certain group. At last we find the reason for corruption.1. Social Corruption Study of V anity Fair through Material Development and Social Mainstream CultureIn this part just as we mentioned we analyze the influence of capitalism on corruption. The first aspect is material development. The second is social mainstream culture.1.1 The Effect of Material Development to Social CorruptionAfter 1801, the United Kingdom won the final war with France lasting for 14 years. British Royal Navy controlled the seas, its foreign trade doubled; its commercial also got a great development. War expands the scope of the British colony, providing cheap raw materials, industrial products also provide the majority of the market, creating a favorable environment for industrial development. With the help of new machines, the United Kingdom continuously improves its productivity which is several times the speed of development. Industrial output of the UK is also rising in the mid-19th century, Britain has become the world's most advanced country.The rapid development of industrial also speeds the urbanization. Manchester, Birmingham, Sheffield, Glasgow and other large industrial cities raise rapidly, a large number of rural people swarmed to cities; the United Kingdom is extremely rapid process of urbanization.Drifting away in rural civilization, rural way of life is gradually fading out of sight, replaced by a new lifestyle and philosophy.In the work we can see the highly developed economy. It is development of economy that paves the way for British; also it provides the hotbed for the corruption of the people.1.2 The Effect of Social Mainstream Culture to Social CorruptionIn the work we can see that the process of industrialization, the industrial bourgeoisie and the interests of the working class from the past gradually evolved into antagonistic classes. In the Industrial Revolution, large industrial machinery gradually replaced handicraft production; workers have become the accessories of machine. Maximize profits is the object of capitalists, they do everything possible to increase working hours, increasing labor intensity with lower wage even if women and children. Capitalists can not give workers the necessary safety. Poor workingenvironment, serious health hazards threat workers’ health and personal safety. "Market competition, also caused a large number of the poor. To the late 19th century, Britain had nearly a million people unemployed. The development of capitalism comes to the free heyday, bourgeois contempt for human rights, not to the unemployed and the poor as they think, that poverty is due to "personal laziness". With such ideas as a guide, 1834, under the impetus of the industrial bourgeoisie, the government enacted a "Poor Law." This law established in the country workhouse, where no source of income, in need of social assistance is required to enter the workhouse. But the poor were still forced to do heavy manual labor with extremely poor living conditions.This change people ideal about society, people become money worship they try their best to make money for life. Money becomes the only rule of judging a person.Chapter 2 Social Corruption Study of V anity Fair through People’s Mental State In the work different figures stand for different classes, here we will analyze the mental state of different classes according to the figures.2.1 The Mental State of Ruling ClassRepresentative figure: George Osborne.George Osborne is the son of businessman, here we choose him as the representative figure. May be he can not stand all the capitalists in his time but he shows the mental state of the most capitalists. George Osborne, Amelia's husband, the only son of the rich businessman. He is a handsome young man, but his behavior and appearance quite different. his corrupt ideas are full of bourgeois hedonism. As a son, Osborne exhausted all means to cheat money from his father, but never wanted to return to his father. He had to respect for his father on the surface, because the old Osborne controlled the economic lifeline of inheriting his fortune. As a husband, Osborne is a liar; he does not love his wife. As an unborn child's father, he never take his responsibility, he just was waste of money, as usual, never consider the child's future. As an officer, he favors the war, not for defending the country of foreignaggression, but wants to get a higher rank and profit. Sometimes he like children, do not know what is right and what is wrong. He never considers the consequences and things that bring harm to others. He deceived anyone, even himself, because he always thought Becky like himself.From the analysis we can draw the conclusion that the Ruling Class--- capitalists got lost in their time, in their mind all that they considering is themselves---how to find joys, their corruption dominate the society.2.2 The Mental State of Middle ClassRepresentative figure: DobbinDobbin manages to be the so-called Middle Class as his position---captain. He has conscience, compassion and deep feelings. But in his time, he inevitably is considered a bit strange. He helps Amelia marry to George in order to make Amelia happy. Dobbin thinks that Amelia is the ideal wife. After he knew Osborne wanted to run away, he did not tell the secret Amelia, he tried his best to persuade Osborne. Dobbin takes initiative to protect Amelia. After the past few years, Dobbin tired of his role. At the end of the novel, Dobbin found his mistake and finally tell him for Amelia and his own view: I know how deep your feelings, it is not loyalty to the memory of the past, do not think that my love is more valuable, but I'm feeling more generous. Finally, Becky made her the only good choice in her life - she exposed the negative sense of George Osborne’s behavior and contributed to their marriage.From the analysis we can draw the conclusion that the Middle Class got pressure in that time. They had to suffer all the difficulty for happiness, may be most of them do not so corrupt but they can not change the reality of corruption. The only thing that they can do is to help to others.2.3 The Mental State of the Lower ClassesRepresentative figure: Rebecca Sharp, Amelia SedleyRebecca Sharp is the heroine of the novel. She is a cunning, selfish, hypocritical woman debauchery. She is clever, beautiful, and desperate to use her own advantagesto find a position in the noble class. Rebecca Sharp is the daughter of a drunkard and poor female dancers. Becky's object of her life is to obtain wealth and noble status in society. Her dream is to become such a person: both flatter people, also be flattered by others. Thus Becky is ready to do everything - deception, betrayal even ruining the lives of others. Everyone is a ladder designed for her, she raise higher and higher, both in money and power. Once she does not need this person, she would have no hesitation abandon him. The author reveals the attitude of her heart---greed, callous and self-interest. Although Becky is a strong-willed, energetic woman, she will never achieve her goals and dreams, because a woman such as Becky can not fin real happiness and joys. Obviously, Becky is not a hero.Amelia benefit is another heroine. In the novel, the author describes her as a good mother of her son, loyalty to her husband, good daughter to her parents, but she also has a lot of hidden shortcomings. Thackeray's satire of Amelia is no less than Becky's irony. It was only after a very long time, in the end of the novel, Becky came to open the eyes of Amelia, and give her the letter Osborne wrote to her, and then she knew the nature of Osborne. Because Amelia is relying on fantasy to survive, so her entire life seems empty and the lack of real content.From the analysis we can draw the conclusion that the lower Classes is in the bottom of society. They suffer o lot to survive. The only thing that they can do just as Rebecca and Amelia---trying their best to reach the top class or relying on their on husband.ConclusionWe can draw the conclusion that the corruption of society has three main reasons, the first one the highly developed productivity which pave the basis for corruption, the second reason, the ruling class corrupt themselves. The third one, the lower class does not have the realization to revolt the corruption.Bibliography[1] (英)威·梅·萨克雷( W.M.Thackeray ). 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