从狄更斯的童年经历分析《大卫•科波菲尔》中的人物形象(2)
毕业论文关键词：狄更斯，童年经历，《大卫•科波菲尔》，人物形象
CONTENTS
Acknowledgmentsi
Abstractii
摘要..iii
1 Introduction..1
2 Background Information about Charles Dickens 3
2.1 Dickens’s Social Surroundings...3
2.2 Dickens’s Childhood..3
3 Analysis of Characters in David Copperfield According to Dickens’s Childhood 7
3.1 David—Expression of Dickens’s Childhood and Reflection of Dickens’s Pursuit for An Ideal Life 7
3.2 Peggotty—Reflection of Dickens’s Anxiety and Love for Mother 8
3.3 Images of Father in David Copperfield 9
3.4 Dora—Reappearance of Dickens’s First Love Maria 10
3.5 Agnes—Incarnation of Dickens’s Ideal Lover 11
4 Conclusion..14
Bibliography.16
1 Introduction
Charles Dickens is generally acknowledged as one of the most distinguished novelists in Victorian period. He made an outstanding contribution to the progress and development of English critical realism. Dickens is a prolific author, and has produced many classic literary masterpieces owing to his diligence and talent. In 1833, Dickens’s first story, A Dinner at Poplar Walk was published in a London magazine. In 1836, Dickens achieved his first success with his serial publication, The Pickwick Papers. The novels that followed are The Adventures of Oliver Twist（1837~1839）, The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby(1838~1839), The Old Curiosity Shop(1840~1841), David Copperfield(1849~1850), Hard Times: For These Times (1854), A Tale of Two Cities (1859) and so on. Dickens was born on 7 February 1812, at Landport in Portsea Island. When he was four years old, his family moved to Chatham, there, he spent the happiest time for five years. Then, Dickens’s father was thrown into debtors' prison and Dickens was forced to leave school and worked in a factory because of poverty. It was really a tough job for a twelve-year-old boy for working ten hours a day. Years later, when he was a man, Dickens has said such working experience is unbearable to recall. And many of his characters are formed during this period. His writing style is humorous, satire and realistic, his literary style is also a mixture of romanticism and realism.
David Copperfield was first published as a novel in 1850. The plot summary is as followed: David's father died before his birth; he grew up under the care of his mother Clara and Peggotty. David's happy time ended when he was only seven years old after his mother's remarriage to Edward Murdstone. His stepfather Murdstone was a very cruel and greedy man who treated David as a drag. He married David's mother just because of her beauty and wealth. Soon after, Murdstone's sister Jane Murdstone moved into David's house. Mr. Murdstone and his sister controlled the house as well as David's coward mother. They "kept" all the keys of the house and did not allow Clara to show love and care for her son. Mr. Murdstone often beat David for falling behind in his studies. Once David reacted by biting Mr. Murdstone and then was send to Salem House, the private school owned by Murdstone's friend Mr. Creakle, an arbitrary and outrageous headmaster, always punishing and threatening his students. In that school, David made friends with James Steerforth and Tommy Traddles, who also played important roles in David's life.
David returned home for a holiday and knew that his mother had given birth to a baby. Shortly after David went back to Salem House, he learnt his mother and the baby died, and he returned home immediately with a grieved feeling. After his mother's funeral, Mr. Murdstone decided to send David to work for a warehouse in London. The working experience there was a pain for David for ever. Later, David's landlord, Wilkins Micawber, a good friend despite great difference in age of Dickens's was sent to prison for debts. Dickens could not bear the loneliness and toil any more, so he decided to run away and found his only relative, his eccentric but warm-hearted aunt Betsey Trotwood. Then his aunt began to raise him and groomed him as a gentleman.