“英美文学选读”总复习概要

“英美文学选读”总复习概要

Chapter4 Victorian Period1836-1901

2. background

（1）early years： rapid economic development as well as serious social problems

（2）the next twenty years： prosperity and relative stability. a national spirit of earnestness， respectability， modesty domesticity

（3）the last three decades： the decline of the British empire and the decay of the Victorian values

3. idea：

（1）Darwin‘s The Origin of Species； The Descent of Man shook the theoretical basis of the traditional faith

（2）Utilitarianism： whether it could promote the material happiness

（3）socially conscious writers criticized（2）‘s depreciation of cultural values， cold indifference towards human feeling

（4）literature： magnitude and diversity， romantically and realistically

4.critical realist writers： criticized the society， concerned about the fate of common people

Charles Dickens

1.theme：critical realist writers， criticize： poverty， injustice， hypocrisy，corruptness

2.works： Oliver Twist； The Pickwick Paper； David Copperfield； Domeby and Son； A Tale of Two Cities； Bleak House； Little Dorrit； Hard Times； Great Expectations

3.characteristics：

（1）he is skillful in the dialect and have a large vocabulary

（2）character portrayal

（3）characters are mostly innocent， helpless ，persecuted child characters

（4）a mixture of humor and sympathism

（5）bizarre figure， horrible

4.Oliver Twist： the cruelty and hypocrisy of the workhouse system and the dark criminal underworld life

The Bronte Sisters

1.scene：vast，rough，untouched moorland wilderness

2.Charlotte Bronte： Jane Eyre

Mr. Rochester and Jane Eyre.

Rochester： a grim-looking， energetic， quick-tempered， but an understanding middle-aged man

Jane Eyre： has a burning spirit and a longing to love and be loved

Jane Eyre： struggles for recognition of her basic rights and equality as a woman. It‘s an individual conscious struggle towards self-realization. She gets joy through the sacrifice of herself or her weakness overcome

3.Emily Bronte： Wuthering Heights（uses flashbacks）

Nelly：Catherine‘s old nurse， narrator， told Mr.Lockwood， a temporary tenant the story

Alfred Tennyson

1.Crossing the Bar； Ulysses； Break， Break， Break

2.evaluation：Poet Laureate （Wordsworth， Southey）

3.features：a powerful expression of th e poet‘s philosophical and religious thoughts， his doubts about life， soul.

Robert Browning

1.features：perfects “dramatic monologue”， keeps readers onmouseover，thoughtful and enlightened

2.works： My Last Dutches， in heroic couplets， dramatic monologue

George Eliot