Chapter 4 The Victorian Period
I. Choose the right answer：
Chronologically the Victorian refers to__________.
A.1798——1832
B.1836——1901
C.the Romantic period
D.the Neoclassical Period
Answer： B （P233）
____works are characterized by a mingling of humor and pathos.
A.Thomas Hardy's
B.Charles Dickens's
C.Charlotte Bronte's
D.George Eliot's
Answer： B （P241）
3. _____is famous for its vivid descriptions of the workhouse and life of the underworld in the 19th century London.
A.Oliver Twist
B.Great Expectations
C.David Copper Field
D.Hard Times
Answer： A （P243）
____is an elaborate and powerful expression of Alfred Tennyson's philosophical and religious thoughts.
A.Idylls of the King
B."Ulysses"
C.Poems， Chieoqy Lyrical]
D.In Memoriam
Answer： D （P274）
4. The most distinguishing feature of Charles Dickens's works lies in his ______.
A.social criticism
B.optimism
C.character-portrayal
D.social setting
Answer： C （P241）
_____is based on the Celtic legends of King Arthur and his knights of the Round Table.
A.In Memoriam
B."Ulysses"
C.Idylls of the King
D.The Princess
Answer： C （P275）
5. _____is Robert Browning's best-known dramatic monologue.
A."My Last Duches"
B."Meeting at Night"
C."Parting at Morning"
D."Pippa Passes"
Answer： A （P287）
6. _____initiates a new type of realism and sets into motion a variety of developments， leading in the direction of both the naturalistic and psychological novel.
A.Charles Dickens
B.George Eliot
C.Charlotte Bronte
D.Thomas hardy
Answer： B （P292）
7. _____works are known as "novels of characters and environment."
A.Charles Dickens's
B.George Eliot's
C.Jane Austen's
D.Geroge Eliot's
Answer： B （P300）
8. ____belives that man's fate is predeterminedly tragic， driven by a combined force of 'nature"， both inside and outside.
A.Charles Dickens
B.Thomas hardy
C.Bernard Shaw
D.T.S. Eliot
Answer： B （P301）
9. The author of the work "Dombey and Son" is _________.
A.Charles Dickens
B.Henry James
C.Robert Lee Frost
D.Ezra Pound
Answer： A （P239-240）
10. The most important characteristic in Ulysses by Alfred Tennyson is _______.
A.mastering of language
B.excellent choice of words
C.use of the dramatic monologue
D.excellent metaphor
Answer： C （P273）
11. "Self-conceited"， "cruel" and "tyrannical" are most likely the names of the character in______.
A.Robert Browning's 'My Last Duchess'
B.Christopher Marlowe's 'Dr.Faustus'
C.Shakespeare's Love's 'Labour's lost'
D.Sheridan's 'The School for Scandal'
Answer： A （P287）
12. Robert Browning's style is_______.
A.identical with that of the other Victorian
B.similar to that of Tennyson
C.perfectly artistic
D.rough and disproportionate in appearance
Answer： D （P285）
13. According to D.H. Lawrence， _____was the first novelist that "started putting all the actions inside".
A.George Eliot
B.Thomas Hardy
C.Charles Dickens
D.T.S. Eliot
Answer： A （P236）
14. Middlemarch is considered to be George Eliot's greatest novel， owing to all the following reasons EXCEPT_______.
A.it vividly English country life
B.it probed into perpetual philosophical thoughts
C.it provides a panoramic view of life
D.it reveals women's true feelings
Answer： B （P293）
15. 'Every day， every hour， brought to him one more little stroke of her nature， and to her one more of his"， the sentence is found in_____.
A.Middlemarch by George Eliot
B.Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy
C.Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
D.Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
Answer： B （P309）
16. Which of the following best describes the protagonist （Henchard） of Thomas Hardy's "The Mayor of the Casterbridge"？
A.He is a man of self-esteem
B.He is a man of self-contempt
C.He is a man of self-confidence
D.He is a man of self-sufficiency
Answer： D （P300）
17. Which of the following description of Thomas Hardy is wrong？
A.Most of his novels are set in Wessex.
B.Tess of the D'Urbervilles is one of the most representative of him as both a naturalistic and a critical realist writer.
C.Among Hardy's major works， Under the Greenwood Tree is the most cheerful and idyllic.
D.From The Mayor of Casterbridge on， the tragic sense becomes the keynote of his novels.
Answer： D （P299——302）
18. Charlotte's works are famous for the depiction of the life of the middle-class working women， particularly________.
A.governesses
B.clerks
C.baby-sitters
D.managers
Answer： A （P255）
II. Read the quoted part and answer the questions：
"You teach me now how cruel you've ——cruel and false. Why did you despise me？ Why did you betray your own heart， Cathy？ I have not one word of comfort——you deserve this…"
Who is the speaker？
What does it refer to "you despise me， you break your own heart"？
What was the meaning of the story from the social point of view？
What is the main device of the story in description？
Answer：
The speaker was Heathcliff.（P270-271）
It refers to Cathy married her husband （Linton） and deserted him and her own love.
From the social point of view， it is a story about a poor man -Heathcliff abused， betrayed and distorted by his social betters/by the people with higher social position， because he is a poor nobody. （P266）
Flashback. （P267）
"In pursuance of this determination， little Oliver， to his excessive astonishment， was released from bondage， and ordered to put himself into a clean shirt. He had hardly achieved this very unusual gymnastic performance when Mr. Bumble brought him， with his own hands， a basin of gruel and the holiday allowance of two ounces and a quarter of bread. A very tremendous sight， Oliver begins to cry very piteously. Thinking， not unnaturally， that the board must have decided to kill him for some useful purpose， or they never would have begun to fatten him up in this way."
Identify the title and the writer.
Why Oliver was released from the bondage？
Why had he been punished？
Interpret "A very tremendous sight".
Answer：
This is an excerpt from "Oliver Twist" by Charles Dickens. （P249）
Because he would be sold to a notorious chimney-sweeper （at 3 pound ten） and became his apprentice. （P243）
Oliver was punished for that "impious and profane offence of asking for more gruel." （P242）]
From the passage we can see the food is so little and poor in fact， but in the little Oliver's eyes， it became "A very tremendous sight". Because in the usual days Oliver and other children were maltreated and abused cruelly， they couldn't eat well and were punished severely by the cruelty and hypocrisy of the dehumanizing workhouse board. （P243）
"Sunset and evening star，
And one clear call for me！
And may there be no moaning of the bar，
When I put out to sea."
Explain the implications of the "sunset， evening star， sea".
Name the title of the poem and interpret it.
Can you say some comment on the poem？
Answer：
Sunset， evening star： the images of the death； sea symbolizes life. （P277-278）
The title is "Crossing the Bar". It means leaving this world and entering the next world -the world of the spirit
The poem expresses the fearlessness to death of the poet and his faith in God and an afterlife.
（The poem is musical in language， rich in poetic images， elaborate in texture and melancholy in air -the characters of Tennyson.） （P273/P278）
"My favour at her breast，
The dropping of the daylight in the west，
The bough of cherries some officious fool
Broke in the orchard of her， the white mule
She rode with round the terrace -all and each
Would draw from her alike the approving speech，
Or blush， at least. She thanked men -good！ But
thanked
Somehow -I know not how -as if she ranked
My gift of a nine-hundred-years-old name
With anybody's gift"
Name the author and the title of the works.
What does it mean "a nine-hundred-years-old name"， and to whom the word was spoken？
Interpret the passage and analyze the character of the speaker.
What is the literary form？
Answer：
This is the "My last Duchess" written by Robert Browning. （P286）
It means the title of the Duchess （of Ferrara） the Duck gave her through marriage has a family history of over 900 years. （P288）
Interpret： My favor -the title of the Duchess is better and more proud than any gifts of the world， but my last duchess was ready to be grateful to others' flatter and
The Duck was a self-conceited， cruel， possessive， and tyrannical person.
The word was spoken to the agent who comes to negotiate the marriage of the Duck. （P287）
The literary form is "dramatic monologue". （the Duck's own defensive words betrays and condemns himself） （P287）
"I will drink
Life to the lees：
all times I have enjoy'd
Greatly， have suffer'd greatly， both with those
That loved me， and alone； on shore， and when
Thro' scudding drifts the rainy Hyades
Vext the dim sea： ……
……but honour'd of them all"
Identify the name of the poem.
Explain "drink life to the lees".
What is the theme of the poem？
In what form is the poem written？
Answer：
The name of the poem is "Ulysses". （P278）
The sentence means： I will keep travelling and exploring till the end of my life. （P281）
The theme is Ulysses can't endure the peaceful commonplace everyday life. Old as he is， he persuaded his old followers to go with him and to set sail again to pursue a new world and new knowledge. （the poem also expresses Tennyson's own determination and courage to brave the struggle of life but also reflects the restlessness and aspiration/anxiety of the age.） （P281）
The literary form is "dramatic monologue". （P281）
"Come， Tess， Tell me in confidence." …
"The trees have inquisitive eyes， haven't they？ … and drive all such horrid fancies away！"
1） Interpret the passage.
Answer：
Tess， as pure woman brought up with the traditional ideas， is abused and destroyed by the destructive force， and the misery made her frightened to the future， which implied the naturalistic viewpoint of Hardy. （P303）
7. "Break， break， break，
On thy cold grey stones， O Sea！
And I would that my tongue could utter
The thought that arise in me."
Name the poet and the poem.
Name the main tone of the whole poem， the device and the rhyme.
Interpret the passage.
Answer：
Alfred Tennyson. "Break， Break， Break". （P276）
The main tone is Sadness. The device is contract. The rhyme scheme is "a b c d". （P277）
The poem expressed the poet's feeling of sadness in memory of his best friend. （P276）
III. Questions and answers：
Ideologically， what influenced Victorian literature？ What characters does it have？
Darwin's theory "the survival of the fittest" shook the theoretical basis of the traditional faith， many authors expressed their doubts and uncertainty in their works；
Utilitarianism was widely accepted and practiced， many conscious authors severely criticized the Utilitarianism， especially its devalue of culture and its cold indifference to human feeling and imagination；
Realism novels criticized the society and defended for the mass， and they concerned about the fate of the common people such as their poverty misery， angry with the inhuman social institution， the social immorality， injustice and money-worship.
Victorian literature represents the reality of the age. The high-spirit vitality， the down-to-earth earnestness， the good-natured humour and unbound imagination are unprecedented. （P235-237）
Jane Eyre is the greatest governess image in the literature history； can you analyze the character of her？
Jane Eyre was a little plain governess with quick wit， honesty， frankness， loving heart and the spirit of independence and self-dignity.
In literature， she is an individual conscious to self-realization. She was lonely and neglected young woman with a fierce longing for love， understanding and a full， happy life.
In author's mind， man's life is composed of perpetual struggle between sin and virtue， good and evil. The heroines' joy， comes from the sacrifice of self and the overcome of some weakness.
By Jane's experience， we can see the cruelty， hypocrisy， and other evils of the upper classes and the misery and the suffering of the poor， and the false social convention on love and marriage. （P256-259）
Analyze the background of the Victorian Period.
Economic developed rapidly and social problems prevailed in England and it became the "workshop of the world".
England settled down to a time of prosperity and stability， the people valued earnestness， respectability， modesty， and democracy.
In the last decades， British empire declined， and Victorian values decayed.
Analyze the character created by George Eliot with an example and his style.
George Eliot set a new type of realism -both naturalistic and psychological novel；
She sought to present the inner struggle of a soul and to reveal the motives， impulse and hereditary influences， the slow growth or decline of the character；
Her masterpiece "Middlemarch" is a study of provincial life， showing a panoramic view of life in a small English town；
She concerned for the destiny of women， the heroin in "Middlemarch" -Dorothea， was a typical character of Eliot. She was a lady with great intelligence， potential and social aspiration. She had the ideals to devote to the society， later， she married an elder man to realize her ideals by helping him in the holy Christianity Career. At the end of the story， she became content with giving her second husband "wifely help".
From her experience， we can see Eliot's view： women were born with the pathetic tragedy. Her spirit declined owing to the social environment and her own weakness.
（the story is full of an air of a lifeless bitterness and disappointment） （P292-294）
Analyze the style of Charles Dickens.
Adeptness/skilfulness with the vernacular and large vocabulary；
The most distinguishing/remarkable character-portrayal；
The best writing from the child's point of view； （His best depicted characters are those innocent， virtuous， persecuted， helpless children）
The depiction of those horrible and grotesque characters；
The mingling/mixing features of humor and pathos/sorrow. （P241）
How do you know the naturalistic idea of Hardy？
The tragic sense is the keynote of Hardy's novels， and he is a nostalgic author.
Hardy's novels always set in Wessex， the fictional primitive and crude region， which is threatened by the invading capitalism， expressing the conflict between the traditional and the modern， the old and the modern.
Man's fate is tragic with born， driven by the force of the nature of outside and inside， and man is bound by his inherent nature and hereditary traits which prompt him to go and search for happiness or success， and set him in conflict with the environment； we can see he is influenced greatly by Darwin's theory "survival of the fittest".
Man proves to be incompetent/impotent before Fate， and he seldom escapes his destiny. The pessimistic view of life predominates most works of Hardy， which earns him the name of a naturalistic writer.
Hardy is noted for he rustic dialect and a poetic flavor， so he is also called local-colorist. （P300——302）
I. Choose the right answer：
Chronologically the Victorian refers to__________.
A.1798——1832
B.1836——1901
C.the Romantic period
D.the Neoclassical Period
Answer： B （P233）
____works are characterized by a mingling of humor and pathos.
A.Thomas Hardy's
B.Charles Dickens's
C.Charlotte Bronte's
D.George Eliot's
Answer： B （P241）
3. _____is famous for its vivid descriptions of the workhouse and life of the underworld in the 19th century London.
A.Oliver Twist
B.Great Expectations
C.David Copper Field
D.Hard Times
Answer： A （P243）
____is an elaborate and powerful expression of Alfred Tennyson's philosophical and religious thoughts.
A.Idylls of the King
B."Ulysses"
C.Poems， Chieoqy Lyrical]
D.In Memoriam
Answer： D （P274）
4. The most distinguishing feature of Charles Dickens's works lies in his ______.
A.social criticism
B.optimism
C.character-portrayal
D.social setting
Answer： C （P241）
_____is based on the Celtic legends of King Arthur and his knights of the Round Table.
A.In Memoriam
B."Ulysses"
C.Idylls of the King
D.The Princess
Answer： C （P275）
5. _____is Robert Browning's best-known dramatic monologue.
A."My Last Duches"
B."Meeting at Night"
C."Parting at Morning"
D."Pippa Passes"
Answer： A （P287）
6. _____initiates a new type of realism and sets into motion a variety of developments， leading in the direction of both the naturalistic and psychological novel.
A.Charles Dickens
B.George Eliot
C.Charlotte Bronte
D.Thomas hardy
Answer： B （P292）
7. _____works are known as "novels of characters and environment."
A.Charles Dickens's
B.George Eliot's
C.Jane Austen's
D.Geroge Eliot's
Answer： B （P300）
8. ____belives that man's fate is predeterminedly tragic， driven by a combined force of 'nature"， both inside and outside.
A.Charles Dickens
B.Thomas hardy
C.Bernard Shaw
D.T.S. Eliot
Answer： B （P301）
9. The author of the work "Dombey and Son" is _________.
A.Charles Dickens
B.Henry James
C.Robert Lee Frost
D.Ezra Pound
Answer： A （P239-240）
10. The most important characteristic in Ulysses by Alfred Tennyson is _______.
A.mastering of language
B.excellent choice of words
C.use of the dramatic monologue
D.excellent metaphor
Answer： C （P273）
11. "Self-conceited"， "cruel" and "tyrannical" are most likely the names of the character in______.
A.Robert Browning's 'My Last Duchess'
B.Christopher Marlowe's 'Dr.Faustus'
C.Shakespeare's Love's 'Labour's lost'
D.Sheridan's 'The School for Scandal'
Answer： A （P287）
12. Robert Browning's style is_______.
A.identical with that of the other Victorian
B.similar to that of Tennyson
C.perfectly artistic
D.rough and disproportionate in appearance
Answer： D （P285）
13. According to D.H. Lawrence， _____was the first novelist that "started putting all the actions inside".
A.George Eliot
B.Thomas Hardy
C.Charles Dickens
D.T.S. Eliot
Answer： A （P236）
14. Middlemarch is considered to be George Eliot's greatest novel， owing to all the following reasons EXCEPT_______.
A.it vividly English country life
B.it probed into perpetual philosophical thoughts
C.it provides a panoramic view of life
D.it reveals women's true feelings
Answer： B （P293）
15. 'Every day， every hour， brought to him one more little stroke of her nature， and to her one more of his"， the sentence is found in_____.
A.Middlemarch by George Eliot
B.Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy
C.Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
D.Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
Answer： B （P309）
16. Which of the following best describes the protagonist （Henchard） of Thomas Hardy's "The Mayor of the Casterbridge"？
A.He is a man of self-esteem
B.He is a man of self-contempt
C.He is a man of self-confidence
D.He is a man of self-sufficiency
Answer： D （P300）
17. Which of the following description of Thomas Hardy is wrong？
A.Most of his novels are set in Wessex.
B.Tess of the D'Urbervilles is one of the most representative of him as both a naturalistic and a critical realist writer.
C.Among Hardy's major works， Under the Greenwood Tree is the most cheerful and idyllic.
D.From The Mayor of Casterbridge on， the tragic sense becomes the keynote of his novels.
Answer： D （P299——302）
18. Charlotte's works are famous for the depiction of the life of the middle-class working women， particularly________.
A.governesses
B.clerks
C.baby-sitters
D.managers
Answer： A （P255）
II. Read the quoted part and answer the questions：
"You teach me now how cruel you've ——cruel and false. Why did you despise me？ Why did you betray your own heart， Cathy？ I have not one word of comfort——you deserve this…"
Who is the speaker？
What does it refer to "you despise me， you break your own heart"？
What was the meaning of the story from the social point of view？
What is the main device of the story in description？
Answer：
The speaker was Heathcliff.（P270-271）
It refers to Cathy married her husband （Linton） and deserted him and her own love.
From the social point of view， it is a story about a poor man -Heathcliff abused， betrayed and distorted by his social betters/by the people with higher social position， because he is a poor nobody. （P266）
Flashback. （P267）
"In pursuance of this determination， little Oliver， to his excessive astonishment， was released from bondage， and ordered to put himself into a clean shirt. He had hardly achieved this very unusual gymnastic performance when Mr. Bumble brought him， with his own hands， a basin of gruel and the holiday allowance of two ounces and a quarter of bread. A very tremendous sight， Oliver begins to cry very piteously. Thinking， not unnaturally， that the board must have decided to kill him for some useful purpose， or they never would have begun to fatten him up in this way."
Identify the title and the writer.
Why Oliver was released from the bondage？
Why had he been punished？
Interpret "A very tremendous sight".
Answer：
This is an excerpt from "Oliver Twist" by Charles Dickens. （P249）
Because he would be sold to a notorious chimney-sweeper （at 3 pound ten） and became his apprentice. （P243）
Oliver was punished for that "impious and profane offence of asking for more gruel." （P242）]
From the passage we can see the food is so little and poor in fact， but in the little Oliver's eyes， it became "A very tremendous sight". Because in the usual days Oliver and other children were maltreated and abused cruelly， they couldn't eat well and were punished severely by the cruelty and hypocrisy of the dehumanizing workhouse board. （P243）
"Sunset and evening star，
And one clear call for me！
And may there be no moaning of the bar，
When I put out to sea."
Explain the implications of the "sunset， evening star， sea".
Name the title of the poem and interpret it.
Can you say some comment on the poem？
Answer：
Sunset， evening star： the images of the death； sea symbolizes life. （P277-278）
The title is "Crossing the Bar". It means leaving this world and entering the next world -the world of the spirit
The poem expresses the fearlessness to death of the poet and his faith in God and an afterlife.
（The poem is musical in language， rich in poetic images， elaborate in texture and melancholy in air -the characters of Tennyson.） （P273/P278）
"My favour at her breast，
The dropping of the daylight in the west，
The bough of cherries some officious fool
Broke in the orchard of her， the white mule
She rode with round the terrace -all and each
Would draw from her alike the approving speech，
Or blush， at least. She thanked men -good！ But
thanked
Somehow -I know not how -as if she ranked
My gift of a nine-hundred-years-old name
With anybody's gift"
Name the author and the title of the works.
What does it mean "a nine-hundred-years-old name"， and to whom the word was spoken？
Interpret the passage and analyze the character of the speaker.
What is the literary form？
Answer：
This is the "My last Duchess" written by Robert Browning. （P286）
It means the title of the Duchess （of Ferrara） the Duck gave her through marriage has a family history of over 900 years. （P288）
Interpret： My favor -the title of the Duchess is better and more proud than any gifts of the world， but my last duchess was ready to be grateful to others' flatter and
The Duck was a self-conceited， cruel， possessive， and tyrannical person.
The word was spoken to the agent who comes to negotiate the marriage of the Duck. （P287）
The literary form is "dramatic monologue". （the Duck's own defensive words betrays and condemns himself） （P287）
"I will drink
Life to the lees：
all times I have enjoy'd
Greatly， have suffer'd greatly， both with those
That loved me， and alone； on shore， and when
Thro' scudding drifts the rainy Hyades
Vext the dim sea： ……
……but honour'd of them all"
Identify the name of the poem.
Explain "drink life to the lees".
What is the theme of the poem？
In what form is the poem written？
Answer：
The name of the poem is "Ulysses". （P278）
The sentence means： I will keep travelling and exploring till the end of my life. （P281）
The theme is Ulysses can't endure the peaceful commonplace everyday life. Old as he is， he persuaded his old followers to go with him and to set sail again to pursue a new world and new knowledge. （the poem also expresses Tennyson's own determination and courage to brave the struggle of life but also reflects the restlessness and aspiration/anxiety of the age.） （P281）
The literary form is "dramatic monologue". （P281）
"Come， Tess， Tell me in confidence." …
"The trees have inquisitive eyes， haven't they？ … and drive all such horrid fancies away！"
1） Interpret the passage.
Answer：
Tess， as pure woman brought up with the traditional ideas， is abused and destroyed by the destructive force， and the misery made her frightened to the future， which implied the naturalistic viewpoint of Hardy. （P303）
7. "Break， break， break，
On thy cold grey stones， O Sea！
And I would that my tongue could utter
The thought that arise in me."
Name the poet and the poem.
Name the main tone of the whole poem， the device and the rhyme.
Interpret the passage.
Answer：
Alfred Tennyson. "Break， Break， Break". （P276）
The main tone is Sadness. The device is contract. The rhyme scheme is "a b c d". （P277）
The poem expressed the poet's feeling of sadness in memory of his best friend. （P276）
III. Questions and answers：
Ideologically， what influenced Victorian literature？ What characters does it have？
Darwin's theory "the survival of the fittest" shook the theoretical basis of the traditional faith， many authors expressed their doubts and uncertainty in their works；
Utilitarianism was widely accepted and practiced， many conscious authors severely criticized the Utilitarianism， especially its devalue of culture and its cold indifference to human feeling and imagination；
Realism novels criticized the society and defended for the mass， and they concerned about the fate of the common people such as their poverty misery， angry with the inhuman social institution， the social immorality， injustice and money-worship.
Victorian literature represents the reality of the age. The high-spirit vitality， the down-to-earth earnestness， the good-natured humour and unbound imagination are unprecedented. （P235-237）
Jane Eyre is the greatest governess image in the literature history； can you analyze the character of her？
Jane Eyre was a little plain governess with quick wit， honesty， frankness， loving heart and the spirit of independence and self-dignity.
In literature， she is an individual conscious to self-realization. She was lonely and neglected young woman with a fierce longing for love， understanding and a full， happy life.
In author's mind， man's life is composed of perpetual struggle between sin and virtue， good and evil. The heroines' joy， comes from the sacrifice of self and the overcome of some weakness.
By Jane's experience， we can see the cruelty， hypocrisy， and other evils of the upper classes and the misery and the suffering of the poor， and the false social convention on love and marriage. （P256-259）
Analyze the background of the Victorian Period.
Economic developed rapidly and social problems prevailed in England and it became the "workshop of the world".
England settled down to a time of prosperity and stability， the people valued earnestness， respectability， modesty， and democracy.
In the last decades， British empire declined， and Victorian values decayed.
Analyze the character created by George Eliot with an example and his style.
George Eliot set a new type of realism -both naturalistic and psychological novel；
She sought to present the inner struggle of a soul and to reveal the motives， impulse and hereditary influences， the slow growth or decline of the character；
Her masterpiece "Middlemarch" is a study of provincial life， showing a panoramic view of life in a small English town；
She concerned for the destiny of women， the heroin in "Middlemarch" -Dorothea， was a typical character of Eliot. She was a lady with great intelligence， potential and social aspiration. She had the ideals to devote to the society， later， she married an elder man to realize her ideals by helping him in the holy Christianity Career. At the end of the story， she became content with giving her second husband "wifely help".
From her experience， we can see Eliot's view： women were born with the pathetic tragedy. Her spirit declined owing to the social environment and her own weakness.
（the story is full of an air of a lifeless bitterness and disappointment） （P292-294）
Analyze the style of Charles Dickens.
Adeptness/skilfulness with the vernacular and large vocabulary；
The most distinguishing/remarkable character-portrayal；
The best writing from the child's point of view； （His best depicted characters are those innocent， virtuous， persecuted， helpless children）
The depiction of those horrible and grotesque characters；
The mingling/mixing features of humor and pathos/sorrow. （P241）
How do you know the naturalistic idea of Hardy？
The tragic sense is the keynote of Hardy's novels， and he is a nostalgic author.
Hardy's novels always set in Wessex， the fictional primitive and crude region， which is threatened by the invading capitalism， expressing the conflict between the traditional and the modern， the old and the modern.
Man's fate is tragic with born， driven by the force of the nature of outside and inside， and man is bound by his inherent nature and hereditary traits which prompt him to go and search for happiness or success， and set him in conflict with the environment； we can see he is influenced greatly by Darwin's theory "survival of the fittest".
Man proves to be incompetent/impotent before Fate， and he seldom escapes his destiny. The pessimistic view of life predominates most works of Hardy， which earns him the name of a naturalistic writer.
Hardy is noted for he rustic dialect and a poetic flavor， so he is also called local-colorist. （P300——302）