An Analysis Of Critical Realism In David Copperfield

Charles Dickens, the great master of critical realism in nineteenth-century, was recognized as the novelist who had had great influence on world literature after Shakespeare. His works depicted extensively the social life of Victorian era in 19th century, and exposed all the evils of bourgeois in the world that was driven by money. The artistic charm of David Copperfield, which was Dickens'masterpiece, was that it had strong smack of everyday real life and lyrical narrative style. The pictures of panoramic view on the early Victorian era in the middle of the 19th century was painted in the novel.By making an analysis of the historical settings, themes, especially the concrete personage images and incidents, and identifying the critical realism in the novel, This thesis was aimed at demonstrating and unscrambling Dickens'original purpose which was to reveal and criticize the social issues in the early Victorian era in the middle of the 19th century. The thesis was made up of five parts. The first chapter briefly introduced the critical realism, Charles Dickens'literary achievements and the background survey of David Copperfield. The second chapter made a general overview of showing the upper class and bourgeois's hypocrisy, greed, pettiness, cruel, and showing the underworld, especially women, children and the plight of the elderly, and the awakening struggle. The third chapter showed the money was the key problems in capitalist world and revealing the bourgeois's clownism. Dickens highlighted the performance of the money on human nature-marriage, family, society-and exposed the evils of money in order to open a "Golden Age of Victoria" the beauty of the curtain, revealing the hidden truth of the subsequent community. The fourth chapter focused on eulogizing human nature kindness, beauty and truth, looking forward to more reasonable and a better life. His diction revealed the deep sympathy for the oppressed and the scorching satire on the social darkness. The fifth chapter drew the conclusion that the truth of the society was criticized:child labor, education, orphans, class issues, such as women's status and consumerism etc. Therefore the detailed analysis of critical realism was significant for us to learn about the development of Dickens'studies and understanding of Victoria Age.