? (viii) The social value of novels

Tess of the D 'Urbervilles is Hardy's most influential work. I believe that every reader will ask a question after reading the novel. What caused Tess's tragedy?

I think it will be easy to understand the era when Hardy lived, that is, the writing background of the novel and the social problems that the writer tried to reflect.

1, what is the Victorian era?

The Victorian era, that is, Queen Victoria reigned for 64 years (1837- 190 1), is considered as the top of the world. At that time, Britain's total economic output accounted for 70% of the world, and its trade exports were several times more than the sum of other countries in the world. The British Empire ushered in the "golden age" and entered the period of "not falling into the empire". Its main performance is as follows:

First of all, the explosion of scientific inventions has promoted the great development of industry. People believe in scientific progress and are full of optimism and confidence in the industrial revolution. The appearance of steamboats has brought unprecedented prosperity to transportation and trade, and railway traffic extends in all directions, running through east, west, north and south. In the era of Victoria's peace and prosperity, machines replaced manpower and blew the revolutionary horn of replacing individual handicrafts with large-scale factory production.

Second, the social vision is wonderful and grand. Britain is the world trade center and the global hegemon. People are proud of this unparalleled position. There is a record that vividly describes the mentality of Americans at that time: "The plains of North China and Russia are our cornfields; Chicago and Odessa are our granaries; Canada and the Baltic Sea are our forest farms; Australia and western Asia have our pastures; There are our cows in Argentina and the grasslands of western North America; Peru transports silver; Gold from South Africa and Australia flows to London; India and China grow tea for us; Our coffee, sugar cane and spice plantations are all over the Indies; Spain and France are our vineyards; The Mediterranean is our orchard; The cotton fields that we have grown in the southern United States for a long time are expanding to all warm areas on earth. "

Third, the queen has become a model of social fashion. Queen Victoria reigned for 64 years, and the country entered the peak of prosperity. This is not because she has made any earth-shattering career, but because she does nothing, just abides by the duties of the constitutional monarch and takes the initiative to set an example of the times. She lives a rigorous life, works hard, is full of responsibility for others, and is famous for advocating moral cultivation and modesty and courtesy. She is a good wife and mother, a typical lady and an excellent housewife.

Under the influence of the Queen, great changes have taken place in social customs, forming a progressive concept of gender equality and racial equality. Diet is exquisite, small kitchen utensils are popular, and cooking books are popular. English afternoon tea was born in this period. It is said that Anna, the queen's attendant, feels very hungry every afternoon, so she asks her servants to bring some snacks to eat. Many people have followed suit, and the custom of afternoon tea has gradually become a routine ceremony. With the teahouse in the street open to the public, the tea party has become a social form, where aristocratic ladies and ladies often meet their boyfriends.

Fourth, the literary genre is dazzling. The economic foundation determines the superstructure, and peace and prosperity promote the prosperity of the art world. Classicism, neoclassicism, romanticism, impressionism and post-impressionism are radiant, showing a situation in which a hundred flowers blossom.

Fifth, there are hidden worries under the background of prosperity. When the people of China were intoxicated with the fruits of industrialization and indulged in the infinite pride of world hegemony, thinking that all this was due to the superior British system, they did not expect that many social ills were covered up, and then the development of the system lagged behind the social and economic development, accumulating various social contradictions. For example, the moral decline of China people, the prevalence of money worship and the widening gap between the rich and the poor. By the second half of the19th century, the United States gradually rose and Britain stepped down from the position of global hegemon. Many talents began to reflect and remedy the national system, but it was too late.

Sixth, the emergence of critical realism literature. During this period, novels were widely popular and prospered. However, some far-sighted scholars have made different voices. They care about the country and people, care about people's life and destiny, and take the initiative to take the responsibility of criticizing society and defending people's interests. They are deeply indignant at the inhuman social system, money worship and degenerate morality, large-scale poverty and injustice, and try to awaken society through their works.

Writers Dickens' Oliver Twist, A Tale of Two Cities, Thackeray's Vanity Fair, Bronte Sisters, and Madame Gaskell all expressed their worries about the changes and conflicts brought about by industrialization in the19th century, and gave infinite sympathy to the working people. This is the background of Hardy's times.

Hardy is one of these writers, and his Tess of the D 'Urbervilles boldly attacked the traditional Victorian morality. Imagine, in an era when everyone is looking forward to the future and intoxicated with peace and prosperity, how much courage does it take for a writer to openly challenge the authority and secular tradition of the Queen? Therefore, once the novel was published, it immediately caused fierce controversy. After the publication of Jude the Obscure, he had to turn from writing novels to writing poems. It can be seen that Tess of the D 'Urbervilles had a great influence at that time, and this is the social value of the work. Next, let's explore the causes of Tess's tragedy by analyzing Tess's three runs away from home.

Tess ran away from home three times.

First time away from home: Chun Ruiji. /kloc-when she was 0/6 years old, Tess lost her main property because of the death of her old horse, so she had to give in to her parents' vanity and go to Chunruiji to marry her. A few months later, she was raped by Alec This is Tess's first victim.

Who is Alec? The son of a businessman. Their family moved from other places, bought D 'Urberville's surname and became a false aristocrat. Because of his wealth and position, he idles around all day and does nothing. This role represents the stage of urban assets, and the nouveau riche plays and oppresses a pure and beautiful rural girl by virtue of her money position.

Second time away from home: Tabri Dairy Factory. At the age of 20, Tess finally recovered from the pain and shame of the past, hoping to live a happy life without distress and contempt, but was abandoned by her new husband. If Alec's injury to Tess is mainly physical, there is also some pressure from rumors in his hometown, but Clay's injury to her is completely spiritual, deeper, heavier and harsher than the first injury.

Who's Clay? He was born in a priest's family, with knowledge, education and status. He boasted that he was open-minded and progressive, but he could not accept Tess's chastity. He represents an urban intellectual who thinks highly of himself, but he can't get rid of the shackles of secular and traditional morality, thus causing secondary harm to Tess.

Leaving home for the third time: cold storage of Sophora japonica. Clay abandoned his new wife and went to Brazil. Tess can't stay at home and go out to work, earning money while waiting for her husband to change his mind. However, Alec appeared, and he forced Tess to commit herself to be his mistress at the critical moment when her father died, her family lost support and she could not find a new house. He is vulgar and dissolute. Apart from being rich, he couldn't get spiritual happiness and dependence for Tess, and he never thought of giving him a formal name. He just wants to regard Tess as the object of satisfying personal desires and pleasure games. When Clay came back from Brazil, Tess resolutely killed the evil enemy for true love, even if it was beaten to pieces. Because she thought she had been cheated by Alec twice.

It can be seen from the above experience (1) that Tess's advantages are: smart and beautiful, simple and capable, not afraid of hardship, strong personality, full of family responsibility and loyal to love. (2) Tess is growing and maturing. The first time she was young and ignorant, she made the mistake of losing her virginity. The second time when she was ready to embrace love with hope, she was hurt more. Finally, she finally woke up and decided to resist, preferring to be a criminal rather than being tortured and bullied again. (3) Is it only Alec that Tess resists? She rebelled against the society at that time. Is this just the injustice that Tess suffered alone? She is a typical epitome of all lower-class female victims. This is the social problem and ideological theme that writer Hardy wants to reflect. (4) Based on Tess's tragic fate, the writer reveals the contradiction and contrast between the vigorous industrial revolution and the collapse of rural society, as well as the great contrast formed by the poor in the upper class who are extravagant and simple in order to survive, satirizes the hypocrisy of religion, the destruction of traditional virtues by aristocratic descent and bourgeoisie, and eulogizes Tess's spiritual character of breaking the shackles and striving for freedom and happiness.

3. The causes of Tess's tragedy;

? Combined with the social background of Victorian era, it is not difficult to analyze who pushed Tess into the abyss step by step.

(1) Social factors. In the patriarchal era, women's status is low. Many scoundrels and gangsters like Alec raped girls without being punished, and instead became religious preachers who preached kindness and virtue. This is the sorrow of society, and it is also a great irony. Clay made the same mistake in London when he was young. Tess forgave her husband, but he couldn't forgive his wife. Men can do whatever they want, and women can only stick to chastity, even if she is an innocent victim. This is the sorrow brought to Tess by a society that respects women.

(2) Economic factors. After reading the novel, maybe we will say that if Tess stayed at home, a series of tragedies would not have happened later. Is it that simple? Not exactly. In fact, it is through novels that the writer reveals the conflict and influence of the Victorian era, the gap between the rich and the poor and the machine industry on traditional villages. Tess went out again and again. Why? Because the tide of industrialization has destroyed the self-sufficient small-scale peasant economy in the past, it is impossible to live without going out to work. The situation of Tess's family was the problem faced by thousands of villages in Qian Qian at that time. Farmers can't survive without land and money, so they have to go out to make a living. Finally, Tess knew that Alec was a demon. After her father died, she had to entrust herself to others in order to take care of her family. Alec saw this and succeeded again and again. Therefore, Tess of the D 'Urbervilles reflects the process of the disintegration of English rural traditions under the erosion of capitalist industrialization. This is the height and social significance of Hardy's works.

(3) Family and traditional customs. Tess's parents are simple-minded and vain, urging their daughter to recognize their relatives. It is undoubtedly one of the reasons for hurting children, but it has profound social roots behind it. In fact, vanity has something to do with the aristocratic lineage that the British have always advocated. As long as there is noble blood, no matter how poor you are, you are also noble, but what's the use? For this, Hardy made many hints in his novels and satirized them again and again. "Without the support of the king's financial resources, the noble lineage of the D 'Urbervilles is worthless. "From this, we can also feel that writers are strongly opposed to the pedantic concept of advocating aristocratic descent.

(4) the lack of personal character. Although there are social, economic and family factors that push Tess to the fire pit step by step, her submission to her parents' vanity, hypocrisy of religious morality and social customs are also factors. After losing her virginity, Tess has always felt that she is a sinner and bears a heavy sense of guilt. It was not until the end that she completely recognized and awakened and resolutely resisted. If she could be as simple-minded as her mother and do everything like a cloud, maybe she wouldn't end up in such an unfortunate situation.

(9) The artistic features of the novel

1, with strong local color. This is the greatest feature of Hardy's novels. There are a lot of environmental descriptions in the works, which do not exist in isolation, but are integrated with the situation, psychology and social outlook of the characters at that time.

(1) Mahler Village: The beautiful and quaint atmosphere and the description of mechanical harvest in autumn are in sharp contrast, which shows that industrialization is invading this traditional village step by step. The villa where Rhea lives is out of tune with the surrounding landscape, which highlights that they are outsiders.

(2) Pure Ridge: The description of the forest and fog in the evening indicates that Tess's misfortune is coming.

(3) Tabuli Milk Factory: Abundant land, warm climate and beautiful valley show that Buli Valley is not a pure land completely invaded by mechanization. It is in this paradise-like world that Tess really found temporary warmth and security, returned to the carefree days before, and tried to forget the shame.

(4) Sophora japonica: The cold and hardships in winter, the scene of large-scale harvesting by machines in autumn harvest, and the constant indecent assault on Tess by small bosses in the workplace show that the rural economy and moral conscience here have been completely destroyed, and there is no beautiful and peaceful pastoral atmosphere, which has been completely replaced by ruthless industrial machines and ruthless money relations.

Why is Hardy so good at environmental description? It is said that Hardy's father often looked into the distance with binoculars and told his son about the terrain he saw and the reasons for its formation. His hobby was completely passed down to Hardy, and it became a habit of Hardy's life. Rural soil, dense fog, mountains and rivers, valleys, wasteland, bushes, grotesque trees, small animals and hanging scenes have all become the objects of Hardy's observation. This experience of enjoying mystery, joy and emotion in the distance not only makes Hardy's natural poems, but also makes his novels the biggest feature that distinguishes him from other writers.

Hardy's profound understanding of nature is not only related to his long-term observation, but also related to his musical hobbies. Reading his works, we will clearly feel that every forest, meadow, fog, sunshine and river in his works are breathing, walking and talking like creatures. Happiness comes, making people feel so lovely and kind, and tragedy comes, so terrible and gloomy. This is Hardy's writing charm.

In addition, the novel also uses a large number of rural areas, dialects, legends, superstitious stories and proverbs to further strengthen the local flavor and local color, so that we can clearly see the customs of ancient Wessex. This is also the most important aspect of local literature. Think about it, Lu Zhen, Lu Xun's hometown, and Xiangxi, Shen Congwen's, don't they also lack such elements?

2. Zhang Chi has clear structure, friendly and vivid language and moderate plot. Judging from Hardy's writing style, it is as beautiful, fluent and exquisite as Jane Austen, but more powerful than the latter, and as objective and shocking as the Leng Yan style of French writer Faubourg. From the ideological height, compared with Dickens, Balzac and Tolstoy, the style of writing is not so rough, but the depth of thought is by no means different. In the psychological description of the characters, it is very apt, sometimes it makes people feel too harsh and harsh, especially after it is integrated into Hardy's best environmental description, it is more penetrating, making people sometimes relaxed and happy, sometimes gloomy and heavy, sometimes sighing and amazed, with endless aftertaste. This is why I like Hardy's novels very much.

The plot has layers of foreshadowing and suspense, which is fascinating. There are a lot of clues in the novel, and they are closely related, which increases the reader's interest and inquiry. Examples are as follows:

(1) confessed from the beginning that Tess's father was addicted to alcohol and suffered from heart disease, which laid the foundation for his later early life. (2) The priest's textual research on the information of aristocratic lineage is also to draw out the relatives behind Tess. (3) Clay met Tess on May Day, leaving an introduction for their later reunion and love. (4) The design of Clay's mother as a stepmother also provides an explanation for a series of misunderstandings and tragedies that should not have happened when Clay and Tess broke contact later. (5) Before Clay went to Brazil, he confessed his father's address, which paved the way for Tess to humiliate her in-laws and ask for help. Otherwise, how could she have the courage? Tess came to the temple to ask her parents-in-law for help. As soon as she heard the dialogue between the Clay brothers, she suddenly lost confidence. On her way home, she happened to meet Alec who was on a sermon trip, which laid the groundwork for Alec's second entanglement and oppression of Tess. (6) Tess's father died, the house was taken back, and the family had to move. They didn't find a new house for the time being, which left Alec with a chance to succeed again. This arrangement is too numerous to mention, and it can be described as ingenious, ingenious, nested, well-founded and impeccable. This is also the uniqueness of the writer's structural arrangement.

4. Coincidence, irony and the use of symbols. The most grounded thing is that coincidences, legends, proverbs, epigrams and satires are widely used in the plot to highlight the tragic fate of the characters. At the critical moment, just a simple proverb makes us feel uneasy, but something that should not have happened has happened.

(1) When Tess's mother wanted to send her daughter to visit relatives, a villager in the pub reminded her, "Madam, you must be careful not to spill blue malt on the ground!" That's what happened. How does blue malt survive? As a result, Tess got married and went home in humiliation. (2) When Alec first met Tess, he sent many roses and hurt his hand. Tess vaguely felt that this was an ominous sign. However, due to family responsibilities, she went to be a chicken farmer for the second time, and the result was unfortunate. She just answered the warning: "Beauty comes at a price." (3) Tabley Milk Factory, with its beautiful scenery, made Tess feel happy when she first arrived, but Hardy reminded her: "Where there is a beautiful place, there are hissing snakes." This poisonous snake is in the back. She met clay by chance. The night before the wedding, Tess hid the letter under Clay's door. She didn't want to hide it under the carpet and let her secret be hidden again. The next day, the tragedy happened immediately. Tess happened to be lying on the most famous Stonehenge site in England on the night of her arrest. Stonehenge was originally the altar of the temple, but Tess became an unfortunate victim. What a great irony! In the novel, such coincidences and symbols are equally numerous. From this, we can feel how much effort the writer has made in completing this masterpiece in three years!

5, tragic color. Hardy is recognized as a tragic novelist. Except Tess of the D 'Urbervilles, almost all his other works ended in tragedy. What is tragedy? Lu Xun's explanation is straightforward. "Tragedy is tearing beautiful things to others." There is no doubt that the harder you tear it, the greater the effect. Hardy is such a writer. He is like a hardworking bee and ant, and he has carefully built a beautiful home. Like a patient spider, she carefully weaves a beautiful spider web to protect it from wind and rain. However, he suddenly changed his mind, let a strong wind hit and a heavy rain hit, and those beautiful dreams vanished in an instant. This is Hardy.

Why ruin your carefully woven dream? I think, compared with those works that make people happy and laugh, tragedy can make people cherish, sympathize and think deeply. It is a heartbreaking force, a reflection from the depths of the soul, an inspiring fire and an unspeakable tragic beauty. This is the artistic charm of Hardy's works and the core reason why later generations like it. Therefore, Hardy is known as "Shakespeare in English novels".

His novel is like a sad and melancholy elegy, which shows a writer with feelings and conscience's concern for people's sufferings and society. His novels, like a long poem, warmly praise the beautiful, kind and simple lower-class women like Tess, how to climb the glory of human nature with unyielding life on the road of pursuing happiness and freedom; His novels, like a series of soul-stirring lamentations, let the Great British Empire step down from the position of the global hegemon, and the glory of the "empire that never sets" began to dim, giving the most silent but powerful lament!

Step 6 think and imagine

Tess of the D 'Urbervilles is a masterpiece with rich content, exquisite structure, charm and far-reaching significance. The natural environment, social environment, family, life, life, love and hate were comprehensively and profoundly described and reflected. In addition to the problems discussed above, after reading this novel, I think you may have many other assumptions and ideas besides sadness and anger. The following are listed for your deep thought.

(1) What if Tess doesn't listen to her parents and visit her relatives?

(2) What if Tess finds that Alec is not a good person and refuses to be a chicken farmer for the second time?

(3) What if Tess's child is not dead?

(4) What if Tess's letter hadn't been stuffed under the carpet and Clay knew the secret on the day he went to church to get married?

(5) When Clay confessed for the first time that he was living with a woman in London, what would Tess take in exchange for not forgiving him?

What if Tess listened to her mother's warning and didn't tell the secret until after she got married?

What if Tess met her in-laws at the Temple of Em when she came back?

(8) If you are Tess's in-laws and know clearly that your son has abandoned his new wife and gone to Brazil, should you ask or give your daughter-in-law due care during this year?

(9) What if Tess didn't kill Alec and wasn't hunted?

(10) What would happen if Tess fled England?

(1 1) Some people may say that Tess 16 was too ignorant and uncontrollable. However, can we ask, if it is your 16-year-old daughter, can you guarantee that she is not ignorant, has self-control and can see through sweet words?

If we list a long list of such questions, it will better explain the artistic charm of Hardy's novels and the endless thinking left to us, won't it?

People who have read this book, apart from grief and tears, are left with deep thoughts. This is the wealth left to the world by the son of a poor stonemason. A novel can touch the soul and make readers think about life and social philosophy, which is admirable.

(X) Translator Zhang Guruo

A foreign literary work, even if it is excellent in itself, needs an excellent translator to reflect its charm and charm. I like Zhang Guruo's translation very much. In 1930s, he successfully translated Hardy's Tess of the D 'Urbervilles and The Return of the Native, which made him famous and won the reputation of "Hardy's expert". It is said that in order to translate his works, he studied all Hardy's works, learned about Hardy's hobbies and favorite books before his death, and went to Hardy's hometown many times to experience the writer's life and the cultural customs of English countryside. From the numerous annotations listed in this book, we can see that the translator has made great efforts, and he is undoubtedly a loyal Hardy fan.

Zhang Guruo (1903- 1994), Professor Peking University, a native of Yantai, is a great literary translator. He has been engaged in the teaching and translation of English language and literature all his life and is respected for his concentration and integrity in research. He has made outstanding achievements in the field of translation, translating seven famous English classics with about 4 million words. He is a famous translator and translator of the older generation in China. His language is simple and elegant, his translation style is sophisticated and beautiful, and his words are full of virtue, erudition and humanistic feelings.

Let's take two passages in Tess of the D 'Urbervilles as examples to see how a good translation makes people enjoy reading, which is meaningful and lasting. How does a bad translation make people read dry, tasteless and even unable to read?

For example, that quarter with rosy cheeks and bright eyes was dressed in a light summer dress, and it looked so charming that it skipped along the road like a pigeon on the roof slope that he stopped to look at them for a while before coming near.

"The four of them, red-faced, watery-eyed, wearing light-colored summer clothes, crowded on the slope of the road, squatting side by side on the roof like a flock of pigeons, looking very charming and lovely, so he stopped first, studied it carefully, and then approached."

In the translation of this passage, Zhang Guruo vividly reproduces the demeanor of four young girls in a descriptive way. "The face is red, the eyes are watery, and the summer dress is light." The use of these three descriptions not only vividly shows the images of the four girls to readers, but also makes people feel the pleasure of vision and hearing. "Red Face" vividly expresses the shyness of girls; "watery eyes" obviously show the tenderness of girls; "Light summer clothes" vividly outlines the lightness of girls. Therefore, Zhang Guruo's translation not only effectively conveys the musical features of Hardy's language, but also gives the target readers a lot of imagination, so that people can get similar aesthetic feelings to the source readers.

Another example is what he knew before but didn't know-the seasons in their mood, morning and evening, night and noon, the wind in their different temples, the water in trees, mist, shadows and silence, and the sound of inanimate things.

"In addition, he can also listen to the twilight, midnight and pavilion noon, mighty running water, misty fog, the rise and fall of grass, the rise and fall of wood, silence and silence, dim and silence, and inanimate things-all this, I only vaguely knew a little before.

Zhang Guruo translated this sentence by combining the whole sentence with the scattered sentence. As we know, the whole sentence has the characteristics of neat structure, harmonious tone, smooth expression and distinct semantics; The characteristics of casual sentences are just the opposite. The combination of whole sentences and scattered sentences not only avoids the monotony and boredom of expression, but also strengthens the vividness of expression. His translation not only embodies the aesthetic characteristics of sentence patterns, but also visually reproduces the aesthetic effects of the original, such as "mighty water, misty fog, the rise and fall of grass, the rise and fall of wood", which is presented to readers like a picture scroll.

Without a deep literary foundation and an understanding of the author's original intention, thoughts and works, it is difficult to translate such a charming and vivid translation with philosophical aesthetic feeling. Unfortunately, this knowledgeable and profound old expert passed away on 1994, but his beauty of writing, thick writing style and rigorous spirit of scholarship are always immersed in the hearts of every reader.

Fortunately, his daughter Zhang Ling is also a famous translator, scholar and writer. The main translated works (including co-translation with Zhang Yang) include: A Tale of Two Cities, Wuthering Heights, Pride and Prejudice, The Mayor of Casterbridge, Selected Short Stories of Hardy, The Lonely Abyss, etc. Zhang Yang is her husband. Can we not be happy to see such a family that inherits his father's footsteps?

Here, let's thank this translator. It is because of their efforts and Excellence that a bridge has been built between eastern and western literature. I remind you again, reading western classics depends first on who the translator is. Good translation will add a lot of color to the original text, while poor translation may make you unable to continue reading, so why should you enjoy beauty? Tess of the D 'Urbervilles translated by Mr. Zhang Guruo is the best translation in the world.

It is said that in Hardy's time, his hometown Dorset was one of the poorest areas in Britain, with an average life expectancy of only 25 years. Hardy almost died when he was born, but he was sickly all his life and suffered a lot in his youth. He didn't become famous until his later years, but he finally died at the age of 88. Perhaps this is God's greatest blessing to a local writer who is honest, kind and broad-minded and should not have been a stonemason! Finally, let's pay our most sincere respects to this writer who is diligent in research, brave in thinking, brave in challenging the times and full of far-reaching thoughts.

Time is really hard.

It steals half and keeps the other half.

Therefore, the majestic dusk body of war,

It's a beating heart at noon.

Tess of the D 'Urbervilles: Thomas? Hardy, Zhang Guruo, People's Literature Publishing House.

The film Tess of the D 'Urbervilles (1979): Natasha? Starring kinski, produced by Rennes Studios.

Systematic article: Tess of the D 'Urbervilles

? Tess of the d 'Urbervilles

? Tess of the d 'Urbervilles