The Creation In Historical Context

Charles Dickens has claimed a lofty status in English literature as a realistic author with sharp awareness of social critique, whose novels vividly present complicated social facts in Victorian period and diverse panoramas in London. His first social novel, Oliver Twist, dealing with the dark realm of underworld and lower class life in 19th-century England has long been praised as a masterpiece of critical realism. However, by rereading this work from the perspective of New Historicism, we cannot deny the revelation that neither writing nor interpretation of a literary text can separate itself from the specific historical context. Consequently, it is questionable to realize the artistic ideal such as"true reappearance"and"objective criticism"in critical realism. Meanwhile, the social reality in Oliver Twist which cannot break away from the social and cultural context of the day, do not reflect the objective truth absolutely. In Oliver Twist, the characterization of the two females Nancy and Rose with the feature of"textual historicity"intensively embodies Dickens' historical limitations. As a result, the Jewish female Nancy who has people's sexual and racial prejudices turns into cultural stereotype.This thesis falls into three chapters. Taking Dickens' novel creation for example, chapter one discusses the Jewish stereotyped images in reality and in literature canon, revealing the inalienable correlation between text and historical context. The Jewish people who frequently emerge as"Diaspora"and"scapegoat"in Dickens' works signify cultural prototype. In a sense, it reports the Jewry's diasporic fate that has also been discriminated and persecuted constantly. On the other hand, Dickens did not break away from the anti-Semitic convention and sexual bias in the Victorian history and in the British history. Therefore, referring to"faithful expression", his characterization of the Jewish female has been distorted in all respects by the reason of cultural stereotyped prejudices. Chapter two basing on the close reading of Oliver Twist and the contrastive analysis expounds Dickens' cultural stereotype demonstrated in his characterization of the Jewish female character Nancy. Prejudices against Nancy in contrast with the Christian girl Rose are found multi-level of narrative linguistic trait, character portrayal and plot design specifically. Though in the same youthful time, the two girls are portrayed dramatically different in their temperament and fate, and the text permeates the author's stereotyped fictionality. As to the narrative tone, Dickens bitterly wages depreciative and sarcastic words against Nancy despite the fact that she is by nature nice and sacrificial. While for Rose, Dickens does not stint the sentimental and lyric expressions to glorify her. Thus, the above character types are the biased fabrication by Dickens from his ideological belief on Jews and women. On the other hand, Nancy the character metaphorically reflects the miserable fate of Jewry as a marginal group. In plot design, Dickens intentionally emphasizes the two women's differences in personality and fate, highlighting Nancy's inferiority and Rose's nobleness, which delivers the dominating Victorian ideology. Chapter three goes further to excavate the historical limitations of Dickens' prejudicial discourse in light of feminism, Marxism, cultural studies, and New Historicism. In Victorian period, the ideal female is expected to be"angel in the house". Nancy from the bottom class obviously challenges the Victorian value of middle class with her irritable and indulgent behaviors. Hence, she is to some extent demonized by the author who is plagued with sexual and racial prejudice. What is more, Dickens who blames the social sin caused by economic exploitation and class discrepancy for the Jewry's racial scoundrelism, echoes anti-Semitic social ethos in literature and reports the author's historical limitations. As a result, the analysis of historical context is instructive to interpret literary texts, author's creation and reader's reception.The emergence of the Jewish stereotyped images in Dickens' works is not occasional, but they are the concrete reflection in literature of anti-Semitic tradition in European history and they are deeply imprinted by the Victorian cultural context. Although Dickens is highly praised as an outstanding representative of critical realism, indeed he does not separate himself from the deep-rooted restriction of racial and sexual prejudices. Therefore, it is illuminating for readers to possess historical perspective and cultural critique consciousness to interpret and reinterpret the text and it is significant to rethink and reread the literary classics by virtue of diverse beneficial perspectives.