英国文学鉴赏

THE BOOKRIEW OF GREAT EXPECTATIONS

Great Expectations is one of Charles Dickens’s most famous works. It was published in 1861.

I must confess that I started to read this book with a little bit of reluctance. But instead of the boredom I expected. Great Expectations is one of the most complex and moving love stories I have ever read.

The character in this masterpiece left me the deep impression is Pip. Pip‘s character is influenced by many factors，especially the circumstances of the Victorian Age. Pip is a young orphan boy who lives with his elder sister and her husband. He knows that he will be a blacksmith like his brother-in-law when he grows up. But an anonymous benefactor settles a lavish allowance on him. Pip goes to London and starts life in a society that is completely alien to him. His newfound prosperity and his undying love for his childhood friend Estella change him in many ways. He becomes more and more ashamed of his humble origins. But many disasters and challenges await him. The novel chronicles Pip’s experiences from childhood to adulthood. It is a tale of love and passion.

Miss Havisham is also a character who left me a deep impression. In fact, she should have a nice life,but her wedding was destroyed by her fiance. She chose a wrong way to continue her life.

The plot of this book is wonderful. At first, it seems there is not much relation among each chapter. However, all the plots join in the end and all things puzzles you will go in a sudden. It’s a good feeling I never felt before.

文学与艺术传媒学院

广告五班

王任斯

2010531032

About " to be , or not to be , that is a question" Hamlet's "T o be, or not to be" soliloquy is arguably the most famous soliloquy in the history of the theatre.

When he uttered these words he is certain that the world is full of pain, he is uncertain of what will happen in the afterlife. When the ghost of the dead King appears to Hamlet and fills him with a powerful desire for revenge, Hamlet becomes more and more desperate to destroy Claudius and avenge his father's memory. Hamlet enters, speaking thoughtfully and agonizingly to himself about the question of whether to commit suicide to end the pain of experience:"T o be, or not to be: that is the question". He says that the miseries of life are such that no one would willingly bear them, except that they are afraid of "something after death". Because we do not know what to expect in the afterlife, we would rather "bear those ills we have," Hamlet says, "than fly to others that we know not of"

In my opinion, Hamlet is hardly the popular hero- he is confused and indecisive, he is unable to act and he procrastinates. He achieves something only when some external calamity forces him to react. He is preoccupied with thoughts of death and suicide. Hamlet spends all of his time thinking about his family and his revenge. Never does he think about how the citizens of an entire country are affected by the events taking place at the castle.

文学与艺术传媒学院

广告五班

王任斯

2010531032