曾经的论文
Dickens’ Religions Views Implied in A Tale of Two Cities
《双城记》中的宗教影响
Abstract: With French Revolution as the background, A Tale of Two Cities, one of Dickens’ masterpieces in his old age, whose aim is to propagate his passion of religion: Christ’s benevolence and eternity reflects a truth of people’s sufferings and denounces noble’s atrocity.
Key Words: A Tale of Two Cities; Dickens; religions views; humanism; benevolent spirit
A Tale of Two Cities was written by Charles Dickens and finished in 1859. The story taking the French Revolution as its background and it is not difficult to find that at both the beginning and the end of the story the views of religions are involved, which revealed the begin the darkness and class contradictions in the decadent society. The exploited the poor, the revolutionaries who fought violently with violence, and benevolent people who were greatly hurt. Among the very different kinds of the people, he lay his views of religions through this novel. Dickens’ religions views were formed in the era of religions “laique”. He was aiming to propagate passion of religion: Christ’s benevolent spirit、humanism and eternity.
1、 About the Stories
During the Victorican Age, many great events took place, such as Chartist Movement、 the Revolution of 1848, and so on. In this period, with media and his own eyes, Dickens realized that the revolution was the natural and perhaps inevitable consequence of social oppression lasting over centuries. After decade, just when he worked on A Tale of Two Cities, he reached his peak time, both in his artistic aspect and in his views. What’s more, the social reality provided him the story lines: in Europe, especially in Britain and France, the revolution movements froze into a low time, while the noble’s atrocity controlled the social tendency. Dickens’ understanding of the society had been deepened during this period. As a result, Dickens as a realist had shown up in his novel capitalist social maladies mercilessly and criticized reactionary forces sharply and he was desired to find a chance to attempt to write these ideas in his certain novels. A Tale of Two Cities was born then.
A Tale of Two Cities has a well-knit plot and it is dramatic. The novel mainly contains three threads — namely three stories about Dr. Manette 、Charles Darnay and Sydney Carton and Madame Defarge. And there is, of course, a complicated connection with one another. The story happens in two cities — London and Paris. What takes place around Dr. Manette is the main thread in this novel and it goes from the beginning to the end. The story starts with his persecution and the whole story includes three books such as “Volume The First”, “Volume The Second” and “Volume The Third” with forty-five chapters altogether which have their own titles each. In the chapter “Recalled to Life” of “Volume The First”, the author points out that “the period was so far like the present period” which gives us the impression that the people in France and Britain are all oppressed. It is in such a background that the author begins narrating Dr. Manette’s revival. In “The Golden Thread” in “Volume The Second” , the story goes sometimes around Dr. Manette and sometimes around Monseigneur of Marquis Evremonde, developing alternately. They are in contrast to each other. The author likens “the golden thread” to Lucie’s love, which makes Darnay become the son-in-low of Dr. Manette, although Darnay is the son of a younger aristocrat. With the same appearance but absolute different destiny compared with Darnay, Sydney Carton is a symbol of Dickens’ religions views who lead a peaceful but desperate life with the main characters in London. The people are oppressed and exploited deeply and cruelly by Monseigneur of Marquis Evremonde who cause the residences to suffer a lot and incurs their wrath. The book further shows the social reason of the French Revolution. In the “The Track of a Storm”, the author relates the new suffering to some innocent persons like Dr. Manette brought by Madame Defarge after the Revolution.
2、 The Moralization Function of Religions
Dickens emphasizes the Christian has great impacts on human being’s purity of their spirits. His religions views take a great part in all his works, and in his views, the paradise is not a kind of reward but just a kind of expiation. A Tale of Two Cities, whose aim to propagate Christ’s benevolence and eternity reflects a truth of people’s sufferings and denounces noble’s atrocity. It is obvious that the religion views in his novel are based in humanism.
Dr. Manette is one of the symbol of Dickens’ religions views if the judgment of violence and benevolence, especially his attitude towards Charles Darnay who is the son of a younger aristocrat of Monseigneur’s. Dr. Manette loved his daughter Lucie and so does the one she loved. He preferred to endure his painful experience in Bastille by himself and choose to forgive the world made him upset rather than ruin his dear daughter’s happiness with Darnay.
Compared with benevolent Dr. Manette, Madame Defarge abruptly became a cruel woman with a knife counting dropping heads. So in the beginning her essence was blood, which came from her revenge for her father, her sister and her brother. Her family was what Dr. Manette wrote in the Bastille – that of Darnay’s father and uncle had ruined one. Her knitting was counting heads off her revenge absolutely laid bare, even her revenge pervaded everyone who had relationship or friendship with the noble. Finally, Madame Defarge’s soul vanished after fighting with Miss Pross. She killed herself. That is to say, the one who has a benevolent heart and tries to give up revenge will be a true man to live while others who don’t will be vanished. This is the moralization of Christian views.
As for Charles Darnay, although he was born in a family of Monseigneur of Marquis Evremonde, he was endowed with high-minded by the author. He gave up his status, changed his name and removes to Britain. He is tough-minded and kind-hearted what’s more he had a sense of compassion. When he received the S.O.S letter from France to heal his servant, he went back to France without any hesitance. Here, we can draw a conclusion that the author set a compare pares, obviously, the spirit of Darnay and the cruel heart of Madame Defarge.
Lucie, the ligament of the family which the author strongly for is another symbol of the moralization example. At the very beginning, it was her “golden hair” that recalled her father’s memories. “Only his daughter had the power of charming this black brooding from his mind. She was the golden thread that united him to a Past beyond his misery and to a Present beyond his misery: and the sound of her voice, the light of her face, the touch of her hand, had a strong beneficial influence with him almost always.” Not only for her father Dr. Manette but also for her family and what’s more for Carton. In this story, Lucie is the hope and she is the angel from the paradise who has the ability to “recall to life”. Charles Dickens reckoned that the moralization of the Christian is simple but abundant. The models of Christ are saintly and pure, and the life of Christ’s is perfect and marvelous. In his opinion, religions take an essential place in human’s life and spirit.
3、 Benevolence and Love in Dickens’ Religion Views
As for Dickens, religion is the spiritual hometown of the kinds. The origin of the religion is the kindness and love from the God, of which the meaning is care and love. And Carton is another important character of the symbol of benevolence and humanism.
In London, he saved Darnay’s life in the court for the first time he appeared and left an impressive impression for us. But his desperate attitude towards his life made people surprised. As he said “I am a disappointed drudge……I care for no man on earth, and no man on earth cares for me”. Carton was a man “up one minute and down the next, now in spirits and now in despondency” before he fell in love with Lucie. He knew it is unreality and to be a luxury in his life to pursuit the girl he loved, but it is Lucie’s reliance and understanding made him a man no more dark and desperate. In his degradation he had not been so degraded but that the sight of Lucie with Dr. Manette, and of the home made such a home by her, had stirred old shadows that he thought had died out of him. Since he knew her, he had been troubled by a remorse that he thought would never reproach him again, and had heard whispers from old voices impelling him upward. As a result, he had unformed ideas of striving a fresh, beginning anew, shaking off sloth and sensuality, and fighting out the abandoned fight. This is one aspect of the love and benevolence reflected by Carton’s changes when he feels the love and care from Lucie and Dr. Manette.
Another very important aspect of the benevolence reflect by Carton is his love. He loves Lucie, and this emotion is a kind of saintly and unselfish. He said to Lucie that “For you, for any dear to you, I would do anything. If my career were if that better kind that there was any opportunity or capacity of sacrifice in it, I could embrace any sacrifice for you and for those dear to you.” And he really does so in the last part to save Darnay. The let’s see a new approach the author showed that Carton in prison was repelled by that evil social system and had to be dominated by fate Carton’s death apparently was originated from that experience which he stood in Court—an entrance to death. He had experienced that horror of death, so now he wanted to be sentenced for Darnay without horror; on the contrary, he thought he had the well-being of himself. He heard him told the child his story, with a tender and faltering voice. It’s a far, far better thing that he did, that he had ever done, it’s a far, far better rest that he went to than he had ever known.
In the last part of the novel, we can see clearly that the motivation of his career and the origin of the courage is his belief in religion and belief in love: “I am the Resurrection and the Life, saith the Lord: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live; and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.”
4、Humanism in Christian Views
The leading views in Dickens works is humanism. As a trend of thought , humanism began from the Renaissance which based on a kind of abstract and pervasive humanity. Therefore, “human’s benevolence” became an important part of Dickens religions views. He took the revolution movement as a cruel activity in human’s civilization and may be, sometimes, it is a kind of personal revenge just like Madame Defarge, hence, he was not for the revolution. He insisted on ameliorating the whole society via emotional moralization. Though Dickens had class limitation, he had been siding with the laboring people.
Dr. Manette is the model of humanism in A Tale of Two Cities. Dr. Manette was the core of the family; however, Dickens put his longing in this family to make it as the example of humanism. Dr. Manette had an intensive sense of justice, though he had been stranded in Bastille for 18 years because of disclosure of the crime of Marquis Evremonde, however, his belief of humanism remained faithful until death. He abhorred Monseigneur of Marquis Evremonde, hence when he knew Lucie’s lover- Darnay was descend of Evremonde, he beard great pains in his heart. But the author just put it into description: the first time Dr. Manette saw Darnay in the Court in London “his face had become frozen, as it were in a very curious look at Darnay: an intent look deepening into a frown of dislike and distrust, not even unmixed with fear .With this strange expression on him his thoughts had wandered away”. But when Darnay vindicated his truthful love with Lucie, the author described his expression as: “A struggle was evidently in his face, a struggle with that occasional look which had a tendency in it to dark and dread”. And as for Lucie and Darnay said goodbye to him for a short journey, “He had naturally repressed much, and some revulsion might have been expected in him when the occasion for repression was gone. But, it was the old scared lost look that troubled Mr. Lorry; and through his absent manner of clasping his head and drearily wandering away into his own room when they got up-stairs, Mr. Lorry was reminded of Defarge the wine-shop keeper, and the starlight ride.” And then, Dickens used large length to describe Dr. Manette got schizophrenia again – he couldn’t remember anyone, anything, only making shoes again and again……The author didn’t write Dr. Manette’s struggle nor pains, but he put all the emotions into details-description. And also the artistic techniques such as contrast, symbol and exaggeration and so on are widely used in this novel to show us a great father who repressed his own kind and enmity to make his dear daughter to be blessedness. Finally, he succeeded. And it is the humanism in his mind that worked to make him giving up the bitterness. We have to say, this is the example of benevolence and humanity in Dickens’ religions views.
Anyway, the works are not as those of other men, simply and merely great works of arts, but also like the phenomena of nature, which are to be studied with entire submission of our own faculties and in the perfect faith than in them there can be not too much or too little, nothing useless or inert – but that, the further we press our discoveries. The more we shall see proofs of design and self – supporting arrangement where the careless eyes had been nothing but accident. Though many critics point out that A Tale of Two Cities lacks of the feature of Dickens’. They believe that the religions tendency makes the work lacking of the power of critical realism. In fact, the religions views is not the byproduct of this novel, on contrast, it is the essential title of the work. From this aspect, “[i]A Tale of Two Cities is the most typical masterpiece of Dickens’, because the temperament of the author’s is well represented by the work.”
References:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[i] [1]Charles·Dickens. A Tale of Two Cities[M].Shanghai: Shanghai International Books Press,2008
[2]Andrew Sanders. A Short History of English Literature[M].Beijing: Foreign Languages’ Press,1980
[3]Feng Hong. Images of Prison in A Tale of Two Cities [J].Journal of Weinan Teachers University. 2008-23
[4]John·Forster. The Light of Charles Dickens [M]. London:JM.DENT&SONSLTD,1948
[5]Weiren,Wu .“Charles Dickens” from “History and Anthology of English Literature” [M]. Beijing: Foreign Languages Teaching and Research Press, 1995
[6] 赵炎秋.狄更斯长篇小说研究[M].北京：社会科学文献出版社，1995
[7]宗红梅.论《双城记》中狄更斯的宗教观.[J].南昌：南昌高专学报，2007-4
[8]丛娟.《双城记》的人物形象塑造及其价值意蕴新析[J].韶关学院学报（社会科学版），2004-4
[9]周慧梅.略论《双城记》中的仁爱精神[M].湖北：湖北第二师范学报，2008-25
《双城记》中的宗教影响
Abstract: With French Revolution as the background, A Tale of Two Cities, one of Dickens’ masterpieces in his old age, whose aim is to propagate his passion of religion: Christ’s benevolence and eternity reflects a truth of people’s sufferings and denounces noble’s atrocity.
Key Words: A Tale of Two Cities; Dickens; religions views; humanism; benevolent spirit
A Tale of Two Cities was written by Charles Dickens and finished in 1859. The story taking the French Revolution as its background and it is not difficult to find that at both the beginning and the end of the story the views of religions are involved, which revealed the begin the darkness and class contradictions in the decadent society. The exploited the poor, the revolutionaries who fought violently with violence, and benevolent people who were greatly hurt. Among the very different kinds of the people, he lay his views of religions through this novel. Dickens’ religions views were formed in the era of religions “laique”. He was aiming to propagate passion of religion: Christ’s benevolent spirit、humanism and eternity.
1、 About the Stories
During the Victorican Age, many great events took place, such as Chartist Movement、 the Revolution of 1848, and so on. In this period, with media and his own eyes, Dickens realized that the revolution was the natural and perhaps inevitable consequence of social oppression lasting over centuries. After decade, just when he worked on A Tale of Two Cities, he reached his peak time, both in his artistic aspect and in his views. What’s more, the social reality provided him the story lines: in Europe, especially in Britain and France, the revolution movements froze into a low time, while the noble’s atrocity controlled the social tendency. Dickens’ understanding of the society had been deepened during this period. As a result, Dickens as a realist had shown up in his novel capitalist social maladies mercilessly and criticized reactionary forces sharply and he was desired to find a chance to attempt to write these ideas in his certain novels. A Tale of Two Cities was born then.
A Tale of Two Cities has a well-knit plot and it is dramatic. The novel mainly contains three threads — namely three stories about Dr. Manette 、Charles Darnay and Sydney Carton and Madame Defarge. And there is, of course, a complicated connection with one another. The story happens in two cities — London and Paris. What takes place around Dr. Manette is the main thread in this novel and it goes from the beginning to the end. The story starts with his persecution and the whole story includes three books such as “Volume The First”, “Volume The Second” and “Volume The Third” with forty-five chapters altogether which have their own titles each. In the chapter “Recalled to Life” of “Volume The First”, the author points out that “the period was so far like the present period” which gives us the impression that the people in France and Britain are all oppressed. It is in such a background that the author begins narrating Dr. Manette’s revival. In “The Golden Thread” in “Volume The Second” , the story goes sometimes around Dr. Manette and sometimes around Monseigneur of Marquis Evremonde, developing alternately. They are in contrast to each other. The author likens “the golden thread” to Lucie’s love, which makes Darnay become the son-in-low of Dr. Manette, although Darnay is the son of a younger aristocrat. With the same appearance but absolute different destiny compared with Darnay, Sydney Carton is a symbol of Dickens’ religions views who lead a peaceful but desperate life with the main characters in London. The people are oppressed and exploited deeply and cruelly by Monseigneur of Marquis Evremonde who cause the residences to suffer a lot and incurs their wrath. The book further shows the social reason of the French Revolution. In the “The Track of a Storm”, the author relates the new suffering to some innocent persons like Dr. Manette brought by Madame Defarge after the Revolution.
2、 The Moralization Function of Religions
Dickens emphasizes the Christian has great impacts on human being’s purity of their spirits. His religions views take a great part in all his works, and in his views, the paradise is not a kind of reward but just a kind of expiation. A Tale of Two Cities, whose aim to propagate Christ’s benevolence and eternity reflects a truth of people’s sufferings and denounces noble’s atrocity. It is obvious that the religion views in his novel are based in humanism.
Dr. Manette is one of the symbol of Dickens’ religions views if the judgment of violence and benevolence, especially his attitude towards Charles Darnay who is the son of a younger aristocrat of Monseigneur’s. Dr. Manette loved his daughter Lucie and so does the one she loved. He preferred to endure his painful experience in Bastille by himself and choose to forgive the world made him upset rather than ruin his dear daughter’s happiness with Darnay.
Compared with benevolent Dr. Manette, Madame Defarge abruptly became a cruel woman with a knife counting dropping heads. So in the beginning her essence was blood, which came from her revenge for her father, her sister and her brother. Her family was what Dr. Manette wrote in the Bastille – that of Darnay’s father and uncle had ruined one. Her knitting was counting heads off her revenge absolutely laid bare, even her revenge pervaded everyone who had relationship or friendship with the noble. Finally, Madame Defarge’s soul vanished after fighting with Miss Pross. She killed herself. That is to say, the one who has a benevolent heart and tries to give up revenge will be a true man to live while others who don’t will be vanished. This is the moralization of Christian views.
As for Charles Darnay, although he was born in a family of Monseigneur of Marquis Evremonde, he was endowed with high-minded by the author. He gave up his status, changed his name and removes to Britain. He is tough-minded and kind-hearted what’s more he had a sense of compassion. When he received the S.O.S letter from France to heal his servant, he went back to France without any hesitance. Here, we can draw a conclusion that the author set a compare pares, obviously, the spirit of Darnay and the cruel heart of Madame Defarge.
Lucie, the ligament of the family which the author strongly for is another symbol of the moralization example. At the very beginning, it was her “golden hair” that recalled her father’s memories. “Only his daughter had the power of charming this black brooding from his mind. She was the golden thread that united him to a Past beyond his misery and to a Present beyond his misery: and the sound of her voice, the light of her face, the touch of her hand, had a strong beneficial influence with him almost always.” Not only for her father Dr. Manette but also for her family and what’s more for Carton. In this story, Lucie is the hope and she is the angel from the paradise who has the ability to “recall to life”. Charles Dickens reckoned that the moralization of the Christian is simple but abundant. The models of Christ are saintly and pure, and the life of Christ’s is perfect and marvelous. In his opinion, religions take an essential place in human’s life and spirit.
3、 Benevolence and Love in Dickens’ Religion Views
As for Dickens, religion is the spiritual hometown of the kinds. The origin of the religion is the kindness and love from the God, of which the meaning is care and love. And Carton is another important character of the symbol of benevolence and humanism.
In London, he saved Darnay’s life in the court for the first time he appeared and left an impressive impression for us. But his desperate attitude towards his life made people surprised. As he said “I am a disappointed drudge……I care for no man on earth, and no man on earth cares for me”. Carton was a man “up one minute and down the next, now in spirits and now in despondency” before he fell in love with Lucie. He knew it is unreality and to be a luxury in his life to pursuit the girl he loved, but it is Lucie’s reliance and understanding made him a man no more dark and desperate. In his degradation he had not been so degraded but that the sight of Lucie with Dr. Manette, and of the home made such a home by her, had stirred old shadows that he thought had died out of him. Since he knew her, he had been troubled by a remorse that he thought would never reproach him again, and had heard whispers from old voices impelling him upward. As a result, he had unformed ideas of striving a fresh, beginning anew, shaking off sloth and sensuality, and fighting out the abandoned fight. This is one aspect of the love and benevolence reflected by Carton’s changes when he feels the love and care from Lucie and Dr. Manette.
Another very important aspect of the benevolence reflect by Carton is his love. He loves Lucie, and this emotion is a kind of saintly and unselfish. He said to Lucie that “For you, for any dear to you, I would do anything. If my career were if that better kind that there was any opportunity or capacity of sacrifice in it, I could embrace any sacrifice for you and for those dear to you.” And he really does so in the last part to save Darnay. The let’s see a new approach the author showed that Carton in prison was repelled by that evil social system and had to be dominated by fate Carton’s death apparently was originated from that experience which he stood in Court—an entrance to death. He had experienced that horror of death, so now he wanted to be sentenced for Darnay without horror; on the contrary, he thought he had the well-being of himself. He heard him told the child his story, with a tender and faltering voice. It’s a far, far better thing that he did, that he had ever done, it’s a far, far better rest that he went to than he had ever known.
In the last part of the novel, we can see clearly that the motivation of his career and the origin of the courage is his belief in religion and belief in love: “I am the Resurrection and the Life, saith the Lord: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live; and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.”
4、Humanism in Christian Views
The leading views in Dickens works is humanism. As a trend of thought , humanism began from the Renaissance which based on a kind of abstract and pervasive humanity. Therefore, “human’s benevolence” became an important part of Dickens religions views. He took the revolution movement as a cruel activity in human’s civilization and may be, sometimes, it is a kind of personal revenge just like Madame Defarge, hence, he was not for the revolution. He insisted on ameliorating the whole society via emotional moralization. Though Dickens had class limitation, he had been siding with the laboring people.
Dr. Manette is the model of humanism in A Tale of Two Cities. Dr. Manette was the core of the family; however, Dickens put his longing in this family to make it as the example of humanism. Dr. Manette had an intensive sense of justice, though he had been stranded in Bastille for 18 years because of disclosure of the crime of Marquis Evremonde, however, his belief of humanism remained faithful until death. He abhorred Monseigneur of Marquis Evremonde, hence when he knew Lucie’s lover- Darnay was descend of Evremonde, he beard great pains in his heart. But the author just put it into description: the first time Dr. Manette saw Darnay in the Court in London “his face had become frozen, as it were in a very curious look at Darnay: an intent look deepening into a frown of dislike and distrust, not even unmixed with fear .With this strange expression on him his thoughts had wandered away”. But when Darnay vindicated his truthful love with Lucie, the author described his expression as: “A struggle was evidently in his face, a struggle with that occasional look which had a tendency in it to dark and dread”. And as for Lucie and Darnay said goodbye to him for a short journey, “He had naturally repressed much, and some revulsion might have been expected in him when the occasion for repression was gone. But, it was the old scared lost look that troubled Mr. Lorry; and through his absent manner of clasping his head and drearily wandering away into his own room when they got up-stairs, Mr. Lorry was reminded of Defarge the wine-shop keeper, and the starlight ride.” And then, Dickens used large length to describe Dr. Manette got schizophrenia again – he couldn’t remember anyone, anything, only making shoes again and again……The author didn’t write Dr. Manette’s struggle nor pains, but he put all the emotions into details-description. And also the artistic techniques such as contrast, symbol and exaggeration and so on are widely used in this novel to show us a great father who repressed his own kind and enmity to make his dear daughter to be blessedness. Finally, he succeeded. And it is the humanism in his mind that worked to make him giving up the bitterness. We have to say, this is the example of benevolence and humanity in Dickens’ religions views.
Anyway, the works are not as those of other men, simply and merely great works of arts, but also like the phenomena of nature, which are to be studied with entire submission of our own faculties and in the perfect faith than in them there can be not too much or too little, nothing useless or inert – but that, the further we press our discoveries. The more we shall see proofs of design and self – supporting arrangement where the careless eyes had been nothing but accident. Though many critics point out that A Tale of Two Cities lacks of the feature of Dickens’. They believe that the religions tendency makes the work lacking of the power of critical realism. In fact, the religions views is not the byproduct of this novel, on contrast, it is the essential title of the work. From this aspect, “[i]A Tale of Two Cities is the most typical masterpiece of Dickens’, because the temperament of the author’s is well represented by the work.”
References:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[i] [1]Charles·Dickens. A Tale of Two Cities[M].Shanghai: Shanghai International Books Press,2008
[2]Andrew Sanders. A Short History of English Literature[M].Beijing: Foreign Languages’ Press,1980
[3]Feng Hong. Images of Prison in A Tale of Two Cities [J].Journal of Weinan Teachers University. 2008-23
[4]John·Forster. The Light of Charles Dickens [M]. London:JM.DENT&SONSLTD,1948
[5]Weiren,Wu .“Charles Dickens” from “History and Anthology of English Literature” [M]. Beijing: Foreign Languages Teaching and Research Press, 1995
[6] 赵炎秋.狄更斯长篇小说研究[M].北京：社会科学文献出版社，1995
[7]宗红梅.论《双城记》中狄更斯的宗教观.[J].南昌：南昌高专学报，2007-4
[8]丛娟.《双城记》的人物形象塑造及其价值意蕴新析[J].韶关学院学报（社会科学版），2004-4
[9]周慧梅.略论《双城记》中的仁爱精神[M].湖北：湖北第二师范学报，2008-25
