Dickens e Oliver Twist, Appunti di Inglese

Scarica Dickens e Oliver Twist e più Appunti in PDF di Inglese solo su Docsity! Charles Dickens Life and works Charles Dickens was born in Portsmouth, on the southern coast of England, in 1812. He had an unhappy childhood in fact his father was imprisoned for debt when he was 12 years old and he was put to work in a factory. When the family finances improved and his father was released, he was sent to a school in London. When he was 15 years old, he began working in a lawyer’s office and studied shorthand:a method of rapid writing by means of abbreviations and symbols. (stenografia) By 1832 he become a shorthand reporter of parliamentary debates and began to work as a reporter for a newspaper. In 1833 his first story appeared and in 1836 he adopted the pen name “Boz” publishing “Sketches by Boz”, articles about London’s people and scenes written for the periodical Monthly magazine. It was immediately followed by the “Picwick Papers”, in which he denounces the injustices of the English legal system. It was published in instalments and revealed Dickens’s humoristic and satirical qualities. After, Dickens started a career as a novelist, producing work of increasing complexity, however he also continued his journalistic and editorial activities. Oliver Twist was begun in 1837 and continued in monthly instalments until April 1839. In 1839 he published Nicholas Nickleby. He was a republican but he railed (si scagliò ) against the United State when he visited the country in 1842. He published his American notes in which he advocated international copyright and the abolition of slavery. In 1843 he published a “Christmas Carol”, a christmas book and one year after this story he writed and published “Martin Chuzzlewit”. The protagonist of his novels, Oliver Twist, David Copperfield and the little Dorrit became the symbols of an exploited childhood confronted with the realities of factories and slums (ghetti). Other works like “bleack house” “hard times” and “greet expectations” deal with the conditions of the poor and the working class. Dickens denounces the poor law act which had introduced workhouses but also child labour, exploitation and crime.During his life he had meet princes and presidents and he amassed a fortune.He died in Kent, in 1870. Dickens’s narrative Dickens’s novels were influenced by the Bible,fables, fairy tales and gothic novels. His plots are well- planned but sometimes they were artificial,sentimental and episodic. He published the stories in instalments and this discouraged unified plotting. His narrator is in third person, omniscient and intrusive in fact he established a sort of relationship with the reader. The setting Dickens was the novelist of cities, especially London that was the setting of most of his novels. He depicted three different social levels: • the parochial world of the workhouses where its inhabitants belong to the lower-middle classes, they are calculating and insensible to the feelings of the poor. • the criminal world of the murderers and pickpockets that living in dirty,slums with fear and generally die in a miserable death. Poverty drives them to crime and they use the violence. • the Victorian middle class in which respectable people live showing a regard for moral values and believe in the principle of human dignity. The characters Dickens shifted the social frontiers of the novel. The 18th-century realistic, upper-middle-class world was replaced by the one of the lower orders. He created characters, weak female characters and caricatures who live immortally in the English imagination like Scrooge or Mr Pickwick. In fact he exaggerated and ridiculed particular social characteristics of the middle, lower and lowest classes. Children are often the most important characters in Dickens’s novels. They are often innocent or corrupted by adults. Most of these children begin in negative circumstances and rise to happy endings which resolve the contradictions in their lives created by the adult world. Sometimes wise children are opposed to bad parents highlighting the reverse of the natural order of things: children become the moral teachers and an examples of life. On the other hand (d’altronde) , the purpose of the writer was to give a model of life to follow. The aim Dickens’s aim was to arouse the reader’s interest by exaggerating his characters’ features. He tried also to persuade the common intelligence of the country to alleviate social sufferings, in fact he was on the side of the poor, of the outcast, of the working-class. He criticized his society and make people aware of the social problems without offending his middle-class readers. His didactic aim was effective in fact the rich classes acquired knowledge about their poorer neighbours. Themes The main themes are family, childhood and poverty. The style Dickens’s style is very rich and original. He used a language rich of metaphors, similitude, hyperboles to explain the bad conditions of the common workers. His style is clear, vivid and effective. The main stylistic features of his novels are: • long list of objects and people; • adjectives used in pairs or in groups of three and four; • several details, • repetitions of the same words and sentence structures; • the same concepts are expressed more than once, but with different words; • use of antithetical images and ideas in order to underline the characters’ features. Differences between Jane Austen and Dickens Jane Austen’ s characters belonged to upper middle classes and she ignored the workers condition. • Her novel explains the prejudices of the upper class and shows how gradually the people mentality was changing. She analyzed psychologically her character and her characters are usually women. Charles Dickens considered the bad conditions of the workers, in the industrial cities and in the • work houses. He spoke about the bad conditions in the factories to solve that problem, he gave moral and paternalistic solutions.His novels were published in serial form, and he utilized an episodic structure that leaves the public in suspense every time.His characters didn’t involve psychologically and they are usually children who are exploited. Workhouses Dickens denounces the poor law act which had introduced workhouses. Workhouses were religious institutions where the poor,the orphans,the physically and mentally sick,the disables and the unmarried mothers received board and lodging in return for work. Life in the workhouses was terrible for their system of regimentation,hard work and a monotonous diet. Workhouses were designed to separate groups:families were split up and they could meet during meals or in the chapel but they cannot speak in fact all meals were taken in silence. The idea of workhouses was due in part to an optimistic faith in progress and to the puritan virtues of hard work and duty. According to them the awareness of a dreadful life would inspire the poor to try to improve their conditions. dietro di lui; la brodaglia fu servita; e un lungo ringraziamento fu detto over the short commons. The gruel disappeared; the boys whispered each sui piccoli pasti. La brodaglia scomparve; i ragazzi sussuravano l’un l’altro other, and winked at Oliver; while his next neighbours nudged him. Child as he e ammiccavano ad Oliver; mentre i sui compagni accanto gli davano piccole gomitate. Bambino was, he was desperate with hunger, and reckless with misery. He rose from the come era, era disperato per la fame, ed incauto per la diperazione. Si alzò dal table; and advancing to the master, basin and spoon in hand, said: somewhat tavolo; ed avanzando verso il capo, la scodella ed il cucchiaio in mano, disse: alquanto alarmed at his own temerity:Please, sir, I want some more.'Please, sir, I want some more.' allarmato per la propria temerarietà.'’Per piacere, signore, ne voglio di più.’ The master was a fat, healthy man; but he turned very pale. He gazed in Il capo era un grosso, florido uomo; ma divenne molto pallido. Egli fissò con stupified astonishment on the small rebel for some seconds, and then clung for stupefatta sorpresa il piccolo ribelle per alcuni secondi, e poi si aggrappò per support to the copper. The assistants were paralysed with wonder; the boys with fear appoggio al pentolone. Gli assistenti erano paralizzati dallo stupore ; i ragazzi dalla paura. 'What!' said the master at length, in a faint voice. ’Che!’ disse il capo finalmente, con una debole voce. 'Please, sir,' replied Oliver, 'I want some more.' ’Per favore, signore,’ replicò Oliver, ‘Ne voglio un po’ di più.’ The master aimed a blow at Oliver's head with the ladle; pinioned him in his arms; Il capo tirò un colpo alla testa di Oliver con il mestolo; lo immobilizzò con le sue braccia and shrieked aloud for the beadle. e gridò forte per (chiamare) il sagrestano. The board were sitting in solemn conclave, when Mr. Bumble rushed into the Il consiglio di amministrazione era seduto in conclave solenne, quando Mr. Bumble si precipitò room in great excitement, and addressing the gentleman in the high chair, said, nella stanza con grande eccitazione, e dirigendosi al signore (seduto) nella sedia alta, disse, 'Mr. Limbkins, I beg your pardon, sir! Oliver Twist has asked for more!' ’Mr. Limbkins, chiedo scusa, signore! Oliver Twist ha chiesto più (cibo)!’ There was a general start. Horror was depicted on every countenance. Ci fu un susssulto generale. L’orrore fu osservato su ogni espressione. 'For MORE!' said Mr. Limbkins. 'Compose yourself, Bumble, and answer me ‘Di PIÙ!’ disse Mr. Limbkins. ‘Controllati, Bumble, e rispondimi distinctly. Do I understand that he asked for more, after he had eaten the chiaramente. Capisco che lui chiese di più, dopo che lui avesse mangiato la supper allotted by the dietary?''He did, sir,' replied Bumble. cena assegnata dalla razione? ’Lo fece, signore,’ replicò Bumble. 'That boy will be hung,' said the gentleman in the white waistcoat. 'I know that boy will be hung.' ‘Quel ragazzo sarà impiccato,’ disse il signore con il gilè bianco. ‘So che quel ragazzo sarà impiccato.’ Nobody controverted the prophetic gentleman's opinion. An animated discussion took place. Nessuno contraddì la profetica opinione del signore. Una discussione eccitata ebbe luogo. Oliver was ordered into instant confinement; and a bill was next morning pasted on the outside of the gate, Ad Oliver fu ordinato una immediata reclusione; ed un avviso fu affisso la mattina dopo fuori dal cancello, offering a reward of five pounds to anybody who would take Oliver Twist off the hands of the parish. offrendo una ricompensa di cinque sterline a chiunque porterebbe Oliver Twist fuori dai piedi della parroccchia. In other words, five pounds and Oliver Twist were offered to any man or woman In altre parole, cinque sterline ed Oliver Twist erano offerte a qualsiasi uomo o donna who wanted an apprentice to any trade, business, or calling. che volesse un apprendista per qualsiasi professione, negozio, o occupazione. Giovanna La Corte