Critical-Realism-in-English-Literature批判现实主义

CriticalRealisminEnglishLiteratureInmidandlate19thcentury,appearedanewliterarytrend--criticalrealism.Englishcriticalrealismofthe19thcenturyflourishedinthefortiesandintheearlyfifties.Thecriticalrealistsdescribedwithmuchvividnessandartisticskillthechieftraits(characteristics)oftheEnglishsocietyandcriticizedthecapitalistsystemfromademocraticviewpoint.Itfounditsexpressionsintheformofnovel.ThegreatestEnglishrealistofthetimewasCharlesDickens.Withstrikingforceandtruthfulness,hecreatespicturesofbourgeoiscivilization,showingthemiseryandsufferingsofthecommonpeople.AnothercriticalrealistwasWilliamMakepeaceThackeray.Hisnovelsaremainlyasatiricalportrayaloftheupperstrataofsociety.OthersareBrontesisters,ElizabethGaskell,GeorgeEliot,andThomasHardy.Thenovelistsexposedandcriticizedthecorruptedsocietymercilessly.Theyaregenerallyknownascriticalrealists.TheEnglishcriticalrealistsofthe19thcenturynotonlygaveasatiricalportrayalofthebourgeoisieandalltherulingclasses,butalsoshowedprofoundsympathyforthecommonpeople.Intheirbestworks,thegreedandhypocrisyoftheupperclassesarecontrastedwiththehonestyandgood-heartednessoftheobscuresimplepeopleofthelowerclasses.HencehumorandsatireaboundintheEnglishrealisticnovelsofthe19thcentury.Thehumorisoftenusedtostressthefinequalitiesofthepositivecharacters.Atthesametime,bittersatireandgrotesqueisusedtoexposetheseamysideofthebourgeoissociety.Criticalrealismrevealsthecorruptinginfluenceoftheruleofcashuponhumannature.Hereliesessentiallydemocraticandhumanisticcharacterofcriticalrealism.Butthecriticalrealistsdidnotfindawaytoeradicatethesocialevilstheyknewsowell.Theydidnotrealizethenecessityofchangingthebourgeoissocietythroughconscioushumaneffort.Theywereunabletofindagoodsolutiontothesocialcontradictions.Theirworksdonotpointtorevolutionbutratherevolutionorreformism.Theyoftenstartwithapowerfulexposureoftheuglinessofthebourgeoisworldintheirworks,buttheirnovelsusuallyhavehappyendingsoranimpotentcompromiseattheend.Hereweseethestrengthandtheweaknessofcriticalrealism.Whatisthemajorcontributionmadebycriticalrealistsinthe19thcenturyAge?Themajorcontributionmadebythe19thcenturycriticalrealistsistheirperfectionofthenovel.Liketherealistsofthe18thcentury,the19thcenturycriticalrealistsmadeuseoftheformofnovelforfullanddetailedrepresentationsofsocialandpoliticalevents,andofthefateofindividualsandofwholesocialclasses.However,therealisticnovelsofthe19thcenturywentastepfurtherthanthoseofthe18thcenturyinthattheynotonlypicturedtheconflictsbetweenindividualswhostoodfordefinitesocialstrata,butalsoshowedthebroadsocialconflictsoverandabovethefateofmereindividuals.TheirartisticrepresentationofvitalsocialmovementssuchasChartism,andtheirvividdescriptionofthedramaticconflictsofthetimemakethe19thcenturyrealisticnoveltheepicofthebourgeoissociety.Thefeatures:ThethoughtsfirstlyappearedinFranceinthe1830sandspreadtoEuropeandAmerica.Itdescribes,analysesanddisclosesandcriticizesthereality.“批判地再现当时存在的社会制度和社会关系，解剖性地暴露、撕毁一切的假面具，故称之为批判现实主义。”(1)Reflectstherealityobjectively,concretelyandgenuinely.(2)Disclosesandcriticizestherealitystrongly.(3)Createsthetypicalcharactersunderthetypicalcircumstances.TheyweremoreorlessinfluencedbytheChartistMovements.TheBritishcriticalrealistwritersweresympatheticwiththemiseriesofthepoorlaboringmassesandcriedoutloudagainstsocialinjustice,sotheywerehumanists.Buttheydidn’tapprovetheuseofviolencetorightthesocialwrongs,soit’simpossibleforthemtofindouttherealwaytoinnovatethesociety.Theachievementsofthecriticalrealists:Theyachievedgreatlyintheartofwriting.TheperiodwasregardedasthethirdpinnacleintheEuropeanhistoryofliteratureafterGreekmythologyandElizabethandrama.Therepresentativesofcriticalrealists:CharlesDickens,WilliamMakepeaceThackerayandGeorgeEliotFeaturesofCharlesDickens'sNovels1)Dickens'snovelsofferamostcompleteandrealisticpictureoftheEnglishbourgeoissocietyofhisage.Theyreflecttheprotestofthepeopleagainstcapitalistexploitation,andcriticizethevicesofcapitalistsociety.2)Dickensisapettybourgeoisintellectual.Hecouldnotoverstepthelimitsofhisclass.Hebelievedinthemoralself-perfectionofthewickedpropertiedclasses.Hefailedtoseethenecessityofabitterstruggleoftheoppressedagainsttheiroppressors.Thereisadefinitetendencyforareconciliationofthecontradictionsofsociety.Thatiswhymostofhisnovelshavehappyendings.3)Hisnovelstellmuchoftheunhappyexperiencesofhisownchildhood.4)Dickensisagreathumoristandsatirist.Hisnovelsarefullofhumorandsatire.CharacteristicsofThacheray'sNovels(1)Heisoneofthegreatestcriticalrealistsofthe19thcenturyEurope,Hepaintslifeashehasseenit.Withhispreciseandthoroughobservation,richknowledgeofsociallifeandofthehumanheart,thepicturesinhisnovelsareaccurateandtruetolife.(2)Thackerayisasatirist.Hissatireiscaustic(scathing)andhishumorsubtle.(3)Besidesbeingarealistandsatirist,Thackerayisamoralist.Hisaimistoproduceamoralimpressioninallhisnovels.