La produzione letteraria dell'età vittoriana, Appunti di Inglese

Scarica La produzione letteraria dell'età vittoriana e più Appunti in PDF di Inglese solo su Docsity! LITERARY PRODUCTION The main genre of the Victorian Age was the novel, which perfectly embodied the moral values, the religious beliefs and the many contradictions of the period. The literary production was divided into two main trends: -Victorian compromise: the authors aimed to instruct the readers without criticising the world they belonged to. The main themes were human nature, scientific progress, realistic representation of the problems of the society (moral aim) -Anti-Victorian reaction: the authors aimed to criticise the values of the era. This phase was influences by the birth of Realism which gave importance to the representation of the reality in an objective way (pessimistic point of view) The Age of Fiction Triumph of novel Why was the novel the main genre? There are several reasons: there was an increase in the number of people who could read them and people who could afford to buy them; people could borrow book from circulating libraries; novels were appreciated because they entertained with realistic plots; novels could be read anywhere and were published in instalments in newspaper. Common features of the novels Novels tent to satisfy the needs of the readers; the stories were told by a III-person omniscient narrator; plots were complex and adventurous; novels had moral aim; novels represented human conditions in a realistic way; novels were usually structured in 3 volumes. EARLY VICTORIAN NOVELISTS it was the first phase of Victorian Literature in which the authors used prose to make a realistic portrait of the society in which they lived. They used literature to instruct their readers and to make them aware of the contradictions of their time (contradictions of the Industrial Revolution) without any criticising. Charles Dickens Charles Dickens was the author who best embodied all the features as well as the contradictions of the Victorian Age. He began his career as a journalist and became famous after the publication of his Pickwick Papers. He produced a huge number of novels, such as Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, etc. His novels are mainly tragicomic: the author denounced the evils of the society using a comic tone. They were published initially as instalments in magazines and then as complete books. Dickens' life was crossed by many unpleasant events: when he was a child, he was forced to work ten-hour days in a factory, he suffered years of terrible loneliness and hardship. So, the experiences he had, the place he went to (he travelled to America and to Italy), the people he met would all serve as material for him in his future works. His sympathy with the oppressed, his indignation against social injustice made him one of the most significant voices in the Victorian Age. Pickwick Papers: it was a novel focused on the adventures of Mr Pickwick and his three friends who accompanied their leader on a tour of scientific investigation and discovery through England. Oliver Twist: the novel was published between 1837 and 1839. It marks the beginning of social criticism; the main topics are the exploitation of children and the cruelty of the workhouses. Dicken’s novels are peopled by a host of typical characters, often portrayed as a caricature embodying particular vices or virtues. For example, Fagin from the villain in Oliver Twist, is now synonym with thief. Dicken’s purpose was to denounce the social evils of the time: he faced issues like the consequences of the Industrial Revolution on the lives of the poor, the living and working conditions of the working classes, education, child labour, the legal system ad crime. Dickens was fascinated by urban life and many of his novels were set in London. Oliver Twist’s London was described as a maze of foggy, poorly-lit dirty streets abounding in pickpockets and criminals, where the poor lived in appalling conditions. Oliver Twist Oliver Twist was born in a workhouse. He is an orphan, son of an unknown father, and his mother dies in childbirth. He lived in a workhouse: his living conditions are terrible and he often suffers from hunger. When he asks for some food, the officials send him away to work as an apprentice for an undertaker. Oliver runs away to London, where he becomes involved with a gang of thieves, led by Fagin. On his first mission, he is arrested but then rescued and looked after by Mr Brownlow, the victim of the theft. The gang of criminals capture Oliver and return him to Fagin. He’s forced to take part in a burglary, he’s shotted at and abandoned by the gang. He is taken in by Mrs Maylie, who nurses Oliver back to Health. Nancy, a prostitute who is part of Fagin’s gang, discovers why Fain and his gang are so determined to recapture Oliver: he was the half-brother of Monks, who is one of Fagin's accomplices. Both are son of a wealthy father, who left most of his fortune to Oliver’s mother. Monks plotted to kill Oliver to get the entire inheritance. Nancy is murdered by the gang for revealing this information to Rose and Mr Brownlow. Sikes dies, Fagin is caught and Monks dies in prison. Oliver receives his share of his father's inheritance and is adopted by Mr Brownlow. He can finally enjoy a peaceful life in the countryside. Charles Dickens had personal experience of poverty and child labour and through Oliver Twist express his anger at the living conditions of the poor and the iniquity of the Poor Law of 1834. During Victorian age poverty was seen as a sin. Oliver Twist stands out as child with a pure hearth and a determined spirit. His story finally leads him to his proper place in society and a comfortable life in a country house. Oliver’s happy ending comes as a result of the discovery of his true identity. Dickens’ description pf the cruelty and hypocrisy of Victorian England doesn’t lead to any reform or change in the Victorian mindset. Oliver simply returns to his rightful status. The Bronte sisters The Bronte sisters were three women who don’t fall easily into any of the traditional classifications of Victorian Literature. Emily and Charlotte were considered the most talented and published two of the most famous English novels of all time, respectively Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre. The works of the Bronte sisters explored the world of passion and feelings. Wuthering Heights was a narrative experiment whose plot centred around the impossible love between Heathcliff and Catherine. The novel adopted elements from Gothic tradition and explored themes such as love, death, immortality, and passion. Jane Eyre revolved around a strong female character who fell in love with a mysterious man called Rochester. After a series of complex events, Jane married Rochester. Charlotte’s novel contains an exploration of the theme of womanhood and opens a window on the dark sides of human personality though the analysis of Jane and her alter-ego Bertha Mason, Rochester’s secret and crazy wife. Wuthering Heights PLOT: Wuthering Heights is the retrospective narration of a visitor in Yorkshire telling the story of two households on the Yorkshire moors: Wuthering Heights, the home of the Earnshaws, and Thrushcross Grange, the home of the Lintons. The story begins 30 years earlier, when Mr Earnshaw finds a homeless gipsy-boy on a journey to Liverpool and adopts him as his son. The boy's name is Heathcliff. Mr Earnshaw's