时代良知的呼唤——作为社会评论家狄更斯对英国社会发展的影响

The Calls of Social Conscience in Victorian Age——Charles Dickens' Influence on British Social development Both as a Social Commentator and Critic

狄更斯以杰出的文学大师而闻名于世,同时也是社会评论家和批评家。狄更斯对"维多利亚时代"的社会和民生问题给予了极大关注,他在其作品中展现出卓越的透视力,有效地利用小说对维多利亚时代的社会、政治和道德弊端进行尖锐的批评,同时对英国社会的弱势阶层给予了深切的同情,并且对一些重要的社会改革和民生改善做出了贡献。狄更斯相信社会必须具有道德才能生存,道德的力量可以造福社会,有意识地将自己的小说建造成一个道德库,以此来改造社会,消除人间罪恶。他的大多数小说是对英国工业化和城市化的描写与批判,成为"英国状况"题材小说的创始人。他对社会的评论提高了阅读者的集体意识,有效推进了越来越影响当局决策的公众舆论的形成,也间接地导致了一系列的社会福利、政治、法律、城市治理及教育等方面的改革,带动了许多优秀作家利用小说对社会进行分析和批判,并影响英国社会的发展。

Charles Dickens is not only a great British writer in the 19th century,he is also a social commentator and critic showing great concern about British Victorian society and people＇s wellbeing……the central topic of his novels. His works displayed extraordinary insight into the social issues. He took good advantage of novel to criticize the vices in social,social ethics. At the same time,he paid great sympathy for the working people. Also he made great contribution to the social reforms and the improvement of welfare. Dickens believed that society could only survive in condition of morality,which could benefit the whole society. Therefore,he kept writing his novel with a strong sense of morality,creating a novel a repository of social conscience. He founded ＂ The Condition-of-England Novels＂ which aroused the consciousness of mass people,enhanced the public consensus that influenced governor＇s decision-making,and resulted in a series of reforms in the areas of social welfare,politics,legislation,city management,education and so on. His success influenced many remarkable novelists to further deal with some social issues in their novels.