Critical Realism批判现实主义英国文学

1、Critical RealismWhat is Critical Realism?Critical Realism is the main trend of the literary thoughts in the late 19th century. It reveals the corrupting influence of the rule of cash upon human nature. Critical realists first and foremost set themselves the task of criticizing capitalist society fro

2、m a democratic viewpoint of bourgeoisie reality. As far as the literary form or “genre” is concerned, the major contribution made by the 19th century critical realists lies in their perfection of the novels. Like the realists of the 18th century, the 19th century critical realists made use of the fo

3、rm of novel for full and detailed representations of social and political events, and of the fate of individuals and of whole social classes.What are the main characteristics of the English critical realism?English critical realism of the 19th century flourished in the forties and in the early fifti

4、es. The critical realists described with much vividness and artistic skill the chief trait of the English society and criticized the capitalist system from a democratic viewpoint. The English critical realists of the 19th century not only gave a satirical portrayal of the bourgeoisie and all the rul

5、ing classes, but also showed profound sympathy for the common people. In their best works, the greed and hypocrisy of the upper-classes are contrasted with the honesty and good-heartedness of the obscure “simple people” of the lower classes. Hence humor and satire abound in the English realistic nov

6、els of the 19th century. The critical realists of the 19th century did not, and, due to their world outlook, could not, find a way to eradicate social evils.AestheticismFairly early in the nineteenth century there developed in France a devotion to beauty not because beauty reflected a Divine Mind, b

7、ut because it was good in itself in a materialistic world which otherwise seemed chaotic and depressing. The aesthetic movement thus rejected theories which held that the value of literature is somehow related to morality or to some of usefulness, and instead advocated the independence of art from a

8、ny moral or didactic end. The Implication of its slogan is Art for arts sake. In England Oscar Wilde is the representative writer, his main works are: the Picture of Dorian Gray, Ballad of Reading Goal and etc.ImagismIt is a literary movement launched by British and American poets early in the 20th

9、century in reaction against Victorian sentimentalismVictorian sentimentalism. It advocates the use of free verse, common speech patterns, and clear concrete images.窗前晨景地下室厨房里，她们把早餐盘子洗得乒乓响；沿着众人践踏的街道边沿，我感到女仆们潮湿的灵魂在地下室前的门口沮丧地发芽。一阵阵棕色破浪般的雾从街的尽头向我抛上一张张扭曲的脸，又从一位穿着泥污裙子的行人脸上撕下一个空洞的笑，微笑逗留在半空，又沿着屋顶一线消失了。In St

10、anza I, The images, such as rattling breakfast plates and the trampled edges of the street reflected the environment of the city.In Stanza II, the images of the brown waves of fog, twisted faces and muddy skirts, an aimless smile not only manifest the bad condition people lived, but also the essenti

11、al sickness people had. All these images presented are only the fleeting impressions from the speakers subjective point of view. Sadness, dejection, despair and other unpleasant mood pervaded the whole poem.The whole poem is full of the unpleasant images, especially the images of “twisted faces” and “an aimless smile”, these reflected the humble body and the hollow soul of the passer-by vividly. The speaker wanted to convey the sordid aspects of modern city life and essential sickness and agony of human heart and soul through these images, express his discontent towar