Abstract

 Charles Dickens, who is one of the most prominent novelists in the 19th century in England, is a productive novelist. His works are not only the models of realistic novels, but also the representations of the perfect combination of romanticism and realism. Nevertheless, gothic elements, as one of significant features of romanticism, are exhibited completely in Great Expectations, which can be regarded as one of the greatest model of the combination of the gothic elements and realism. Great Expectations tells the story of an orphan called Pip who longs for great expectations. However, the story ends up with the vanishing of the dream of great expectations and the awakening of self-consciousness. This novel shows the gothic features in four aspects, namely the horrific and gloomy settings, the mysterious and dramatic plots, the brutal and grotesque characters and the reflective themes. This thesis mainly analyzes the gothic elements from the following perspectives. Great Expectations, which is regarded as the representation combined with the gothic elements and realistic writing styles, contributes to the development of literature in two aspects. On the one hand, it breaks through the tradition of gothic novels. It makes the backgrounds that used to be traditional places like monasteries and castles more authentic and being in line with the features of architectures during Victorian age. Adopting the bigalopolis in which people are inhuman and gainful after the Industrial Revolution as backgrounds, it develops the traditional gothic literature. On the other hand, it strongly criticizes the city surrounded by crimes and crooked human nature, which also develops the realism. By analyzing the gothic elements shown in Great Expectations, the thesis briefly explores and discusses the literary value and artistic value, uncovering the rotten capitalism as well as appreciating the charm of this great work. 

Key Words: Great Expectations; The Gothic Elements; Realism

Contents

Abstract

摘要

1 Introduction-1

2 The Gothic Settings in Great Expectations-4

3 The Gothic Plots in Great Expectations-7

3.1 Suspension-7

3.2 Unusual Events-8

4 The Gothic Features of the Characters in Great Expectations-10

4.1 The Gothic Appearance of the Characters-10

4.2 The Gothic Psychology of the Characters-12

5 The Gothic Themes of Great Expectations-14

6 Conclusion-16

Bibliography-18

Acknowledgments-20