Charles-Dickens

UnitEight-2CharlesDickens(1812–1870)Part.IIntroduction•Fullname:•CharlesJohnHuffamDickens•thegreatestnovelistoftheVictorianperiodHislife•Earlyyears:•bornon7February1812inPortsea•Journalismandearlynovels•FirstvisittotheUnitedStates•Philanthropy•Middleyears•Lastyears•SecondvisittotheUnitedStates•Farewellreadings•Death(1870)Dickensatworkinashoe-blackingfactoryafterhisfatherhadbeensenttotheMarshalseaCatherineHogarthDickensSketchofDickensin1842duringAmericanTour.SketchofDickens'ssisterFanny,bottomleftEllenTernanHisworks•14novels•ThePosthumousPapersofthePickwickClub1836《匹克威客外传》TheAdventuresofOliverTwist1838《奥列佛·特维斯特》（又译《雾都孤儿》TheOldCuriosityShop1841《老古玩店》DombeyandSon1848《董贝父子》DavidCopperfield1850《大卫·科波菲尔》BleakHouse1852《荒凉山庄》•HardTimes1854《艰难时代》•ATaleofTwoCities1859《双城记》•GreatExpectations1861《远大前程》•AChristmasCarol1843《圣诞颂歌》FeaturesofDickens'sNovels•1)Inhisnovelsheexposesandcriticizesallthepoverty,injustice,hypocrisyandcorruptnessheseesaroundhim.•2)InLanguage,heisoftencomparedwithShakespeareforhisadeptnesswiththevernacularandlargevocabulary.•3)Character-portrayalisthemostdistinguishingfeatureofhisworks.•4)Hisworksarealsocharacterizedbyaminglingofhumorandpathos.Hischaracters•Hisbest-depictedcharactersarethoseinnocent,virtuous,persecuted,helplesschildcharacterssuchasOliveTwist,LittleNell,DavidCopperfieldandLittleDorrit.•AndheisalsofamousforthedepictionofthosehorribleandgrotesquecharacterslikeFagin,BillSikesandthosebroadlyhumorousorcomicaloneslikeMr.Micawber.•Dickens'charactersaresomeofthemostmemorableinfiction.Oftenthesecharacterswerebasedonpeoplethatheknew•WilkinsMicawberandWilliamDorrit(hisfather),Mrs.Nickleby(hismother).InafewinstancesDickensbasedthecharactertoocloselyontheoriginalandgotintotrouble,asinthecaseofHaroldSkimpoleinBleakHouse,basedonLeighHunt,andMissMowcherinDavidCopperfield,basedonhiswife'sdwarfchiropodist.2)LimitsofDickens:apettybourgeoisintellectual•thelimitsofhisclass,failingtoseethenecessityofabitterstruggleoftheoppressedagainsttheiroppressors•believinginthemoralself-perfectionofthewickedpropertiedclasses•tendencyforareconciliationofthecontradictionsofsociety:happyendingsLiterarystyle•floridandpoetic,withastrongcomictouch•Satires:worksofsocialcommentary•Episodicwriting•(inmonthlyorweeklyinstalments)•AutobiographicalelementsPartII.Appreciation1•ThePosthumousPapersofthePickwickClub(1836)•(ThePickwickPapers)•thefirstnovelbyCharlesDickens•asaserial,ThePickwickPapersisasequenceofloosely-relatedadventures.Centralcharacters•SamuelPickwick–•themainprotagonistandfounderofthePickwickClub.•Followinghisdescriptioninthetext,Pickwickisusuallyportrayedasaround-faced,clean-shaven,portlygentlemanwearingspectacles.•NathanielWinkle–•ayoungfriendofPickwick'sandhistravellingcompanion;•heconsidershimselfasportsman,thoughheturnsouttobedangerouslyineptwhenhandlinghorsesandguns.•AugustusSnodgrass–•anotheryoungfriendandcompanion;•heconsidershimselfapoet,thoughthereisnomentionofanyofhisownpoetryinthenovel.•TracyTupman–•thethirdtravellingcompanion,afatandelderlymanwhoneverthelessconsidershimselfaromanticlover.•AlfredJingle–•astrollingactorandcharlatan,notedfortellingbizarreanecdotesinadistinctivelyextravagant,disjointedstyleMr.PickwickSlidesAppreciation2•TheAdventuresofOliverTwist1838•thesecondnovelbyCharlesDickens•OliverTwist•subtitledTheParishBoy'sProgressIntroduction•Thebook'ssubtitle,TheParishBoy'sProgress,alludestoBunyan'sThePilgrim'sProgressandalsotoapairofpopular18th-centurycaricatureseriesbyWilliamHogarth,ARake'sProgressandAHarlot'sProgress.•OliverTwistisnotableforDickens’unromanticportrayalofcriminalsandtheirsordidlives.CharacterList•OliverTwist-anorphan•Themaincharacterofthestory,Oliverisanaffection-starvedlittleboywhowillnotcommitcrimes.Hewasabusedasayoungchild,andonlywantstobeloved.Hisadventuresmakehimthebestoffriendsandtheworstofenemies.•Agnes-•Oliver’smotherwhodiedgivingbirth.Theonlythingsheleftwasalocket吊坠withhernameinscribed.•Mrs.Mann–•ThewomanwhoraisedOliverforthefirstnineyears.Shetreatedhimandherotherorphansverypoorlybybeatingandstarvingthem.•Mr.Bumble-•Thetownbeadle教区执事whothinksverylowlyofOliver.HeeventuallymarriesMrs.CorneyandmakesOliver’slifemoredifficult.•Mr.Sowerberry-•AcoffinmakerthatOliverwasapprenticedto.Hegenerallytreatedtheboywell,butchosehiswife’sliesoverOliver’struths.•Mrs.Sowerberry-•WifeofthecoffinmakerwhodislikedyoungOliver.•JackDawkins-•“ArtfulDodger”isayoungaccomplishedthiefwhofindsOliverontheroadtoLondonandintroduceshimtoFagin.•Fagin-•Themainantagonistinthestory,“TheJew”takesOliverunderhiswingandtriestomakeapickpocketoutofhim.Heisapowerfulcrimeleaderwhohasanaffectionforonlymoneyandwillkillanyonewhostandsinhisway.•Nancy-•AwomanwhoworksforFaginandtriestohelpOliverwhicheventuallyleadstoherdeath.Sheispassionate,caring,andlovesSikes,whoeventuallykillsher.•Mr.Brownlow-•AmanwhoOliver’sthieffriendsrobonthestreet.HetakesOliverin,anddiscovershistrueparentage.•Mr.Sikes–•AnotherevilcharacterwhoisamemberofFagin’sgang.Hehasalittlewhitedogthatfollowshimeverywhere.HethreatensOliverandreluctantlyleaveshimto