CHARLES DICKENS’ HARD TIMES ROMANTIC TRAGEDY OR PROLETARIAT PROPAGANDA (毕业论文外文文献翻译) .doc
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1、CHARLES DICKENS HARD TIMES: ROMANTIC TRAGEDY OR PROLETARIAT PROPAGANDA?Ronnie OldhamThe Department of English, Aalborg University In Hard Times, Charles Dickens gives us a close-up look into what appears to be the ivory tower of the bourgeoisie of his day, yet these middle-class characters are viewe
2、d from a singular perspective, the perspective of those at the bottom of the social and economic system. Though Dickens characters tend to be well developed and presented with a thoroughly human quality, the stereotypical figure of arrogant and demanding Bounderby fails to accurately capture the mot
3、ivations and attitudes of the typical successful businessman of the day and is an indication of the authors political motives. Hard Times, rather than presenting a historically accurate picture of the extraordinary changes brought about by the industrial revolution, is a one-sided attack on the util
4、itarian value system of the middle 19th century based upon emotional blue-collar appeals for labor sympathy that are not uncommon in todays corporate environment. Josiah Bounderby of Coketown represents the utilitarian attitude and, as such, is the villain of the story and clearly the target of Dick
5、ens political argument. Dickens characterizes Bounderby as a powerful individual, driven by greed and guided by a distorted view of human nature. He is the only wealthy industrialist introduced in Hard Times, although Mr. Sleary might arguably be considered the more virtuous businessman. Dickens cle
6、arly portrays Bounderby as a greedy and individualistic, self-serving capitalist; rather than an insightful, forward-looking crafter of a new industrial age. Dickens artfully weaves his political enemy into a pompous, arrogant image reinforced with traditional working-class themes that lead the read
7、er to conclude that Bounderby, as a manifestation of Gradgrinds and Choakumchilds philosophy of fact, represents all that is wrong with industrial society. Dickens apparently expects his readers to accept his portrayal of Bounderby as being typical of this new breed of industrialists, but the charac
8、ter reflects none of the beginnings of modern scientific principles of management date emerging in the first half of the 19th century. By building on the principles of Adam Smiths Wealth of Nations, the works of Babbage, Jevons, Newman, Riccardo, Taylor, von Clauswitz, and others were not only helpi
9、ng shape the future of management philosophy, but were decisively impacting contemporary business thought throughout Dickens lifetime (George 67-78). No indication of these developments can be seen in the character of Bounderby. Author Archibald Coolidge writes that:Dickens has a sort of preoccupati
10、on with money. But he calls businessmen villains and schemers. He almost never shows or describes them at work; when he does, the are show being crooked or at least harsh.It seems fairly clear that he did not analyze the problems of the businessman or those created by himnever analyzed the problems
11、of creating, distributing, or getting wealth (140). This unrealistic portrayal of businessmen is not uncommon for Dickens. Other works by Dickens are peppered with the characters of Ralph Nickleby, Hawk, Squeers, Gride, Quilp, Tigg, Pecksniff, Heep, Smallweed, Krook, Merdle, Flintwich, Casby, Fledge
12、by, Wegg, and Hexam. All reveal Dickens tendency to depict wealthy entrepreneurs as wicked and self-serving embodiments of oppression (Coolidge 189). Indeed, an evil capitalist is almost a stock character for Dickens. A primary working class theme found throughout Hard Times is that managers, such a
13、s Bounderby, unjustly live in the lap of luxury at the expense of the workers. The picture presented is a common one; hard-working laborers, who toil long hours for little pay, resenting the boss, who appears to do little work and yet garners the full reward of their collective efforts. The reality
14、is that many entrepreneurs and mangers are typically more personally involved in the business and have a larger stake in the commercial success of the company than other employees. They tend to have a much larger investment at risk, work longer hours, and secure a proportionately larger take of the
15、companys profit. Commenting on 19th century managerial functions and principles, J. Lawrence Laughlin wrote that:He who controls a large capital actively engaged in production can never remain at a standstill; he must be full of new ideas; he must have power to initiate new schemes for the extension
16、 of his market; he must have judgment to adopt new inventions, and yet not be deceived as to their value and efficiency (223) Bounderby is not described in these terms; however, any successful manager must ordinarily perform many critical functions not acknowledged by those at the bottom of the hier
17、archy. When a manager is perceived as incompetent or exploitative, whether justified or not, resentment of behalf of the workers is common. Todays senior executive salaries in the millions of dollars are viewed with the same disdain, especially when these executives implement downsizing and lay-offs
18、. It is interesting that Dickens paints the aristocracy, through the character of Mrs. Sparsit, as a failed and outdated institution and yet, no comparison is made to traditional class distinctions or to the lifestyle previously enjoyed by peasants and serfs under feudal domination. The clear distin
19、ction drawn between the dirty, crowded worker dwellings and Bounderbys luxurious country estate is reminiscent of the vast traditional differences between the lives of aristocrats and the lives of peasants. No doubt there were similar lifestyle differences between the middle-class bourgeoisie and th
20、e working poor; however, these differences pale in comparison to the class separation that had existed for centuries prior. In reality, the division of labor and the technological advances brought about by the Industrial Revolution resulted in an improved standard of living for most of the working p
21、oor. W.H. Hutt in his essay The Factory System of the Early Nineteenth Century, comments that compared to factory workers, the agricultural laborers lived in abject poverty, and the work to which country children were put was far more exhausting than factory labor (Qtd in Hayek 180). T.S. Ashton, ci
22、ting actual data from the industrial town of Oldham in Standard of Life of the Workers in England, indicates that in 1831 the standard diet of the poor cost about the same as in 1791 (Qtd in Hayek 156-7). They worked and could afford more, certainly not an image conveyed by Dickens in Hard Times. An
23、other working-class theme masterfully entwined into the person of Bounderby is that of demanding and unappreciative bosses having no compassion for their employees. The hands are viewed as mere factors of production, not much different than the machines they operate. Bounderby himself views anyone t
24、hat asks for more than they already have as wanting to dine on turtle soup and venison with golden spoons at his expense. To be fair, labor in the mid-19th century was generally a plentiful commodity and treated as such (George 182) and, according to business historian John Wilson, the high levels o
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