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A Study Of The Ethic Themes In Charles Reade’s Foul Play

Posted on:2015-06-22Degree:MasterType:Thesis
Country:ChinaCandidate:M C LiuFull Text:PDF
GTID:2285330431486699Subject:English Language and Literature
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Charles Reade is a famous novelist in the late period of the Victorian Age, whooccupies an important position in the school of sensation novel. His novel Foul Playis regarded as one of the masterpieces of the sensation novel. The thesis attempts toanalyze the theme of the novel Foul Play from the perspective of the literary ethiccriticism.The thesis consists of six parts, including the introduction, four main bodychapters and the conclusion. The introduction consists of a brief introduction ofReade’s life experience and a literature review on Charles Reade as well as theargument, research methods and the significance of this thesis. The firstchapter introduces the concept of ethic and the specific ethic in the Victorian Age. Thesecond chapter mainly analyzes the novel from the viewpoint of family ethic: theethic disputes between the Wardlow and the Rolleston families, concluding that thedifferent family environments and values foster different outcomes and emphasizesthe importance of family education. The third chapter mainly analyzesthe love ethic, the love of young Wardlow for Helen Rolleston and the love betweenRolleston and young Penfold. It reflects that responsibility and devotion in love arethe foundation of true love. The fourth chapter mainly deals withthe existence ethic, which emphasizes the forbearance and the moral baseline of theexistence ethic.In conclusion, the writer points out that Charles Reade’s novel presents someethical thoughts to some extent, especially from the viewpoint of justice. As thebackground is set in the Victorian capitalist society, the values will not cater to thetaste of the man of the Victorian Age. The justice that he advocates is just thedissatisfaction and moaning to the social reality. Besides, the thesis will also present asystematic study of the novel’s plot design, characterization and setting of the noveland inspire scholars to study Reade’s novels as a whole. At last, the literary ethiccriticism is applied to analyze Reade’s works can further illustrate the significance ofthe novel Foul Play in British literature.
Keywords/Search Tags:Foul play, Family Ethic, Love Ethic, Existence Ethic
PDF Full Text Request
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