英语论文网

本文是一篇英语毕业论文，笔者通过三个章节的分析，论文得出结论：以宗教和金钱作为伦理始点所维系家庭关系的不可行性，而以爱、淳朴和善良为基础的自然人性为伦理始点才是稳固家庭和谐关系的坚实基础。最后结合乔治·艾略特对淳朴乡村的眷恋和对自然人性的赞扬，阐述了《织工马南》中所蕴含的伦理对当今社会构建和谐家庭的警示与启发。

Chapter OneTough Family Construction with Pathological ReligionBeliefs as Ethical Starting-Point

A.Marner’s Devout Religious Conversion:Making Church a Home

Ethical literary criticism emphasizes the interpretation and elaboration of literaryworks from the ethical standpoint of the time by returning to the historical ethical scene(Nie,Introduction to Ethical Literary Criticism 256),so it is very important to makeclear the ethical background of Silas Marner and to analyze deeply the the relationshipbetween family and ethics by using ethical literary criticism.As for the historicalbackground of Silas Marner,George Eliot did not specify it,but it can be inferred.InChapter One,Part One,there is a rough timeline:“In the early years of this century”(8).And“this century”refers to nineteenth century.At that time,Silas Marner has been inRaveloe for 15 years.And before that,Silas Marer was already an adult when he left hishometown of Lantern Yard.Therefore,it can be speculated that the story in the novelbegins around 1780.In Chapter Three,there is a subtle time hint:“always provided thathis doings did not bring trouble on a family like Squire Cass’s,with a monument in thechurch,and tankards older than King George”(29).King George refers to George III,who died in 1820 at the age of 82 and was known for his longevity.So,from this,it canbe inferred that the time in the novel is after 1820.After this,Marner adopted Eppie.Atthe end of the story,they two have been living together for 16 years,so by the end of thenovel,the time is around 1840.Therefore,the research on the ethical backgrounds ofLantern Yard,Raveloe,the Cass family,and Marner’s family are based on the socialbackgrounds of Britain in the late eighteenth century and early nineteenth century.

B.The End of Marner and Sarah’s Way to Family:The Minister’sDeterminism

According to Hegel,the family when completed has the three following phrases:(a)The form of its direct conception,marriage.(b)External reality,the family property andgoods and care of them.(c)Education of children and dissolution of the family(Hegel139).Thus,marriage is the first step in building a family.But the collapse of the maritalrelationship between Silas Marner and his fiancee Sarah leads him to lose the possibilityof forming a family,and the shattering of this marital relationship deprives Marner ofhis ethical identity in family relations.

George Eliot mentions in the first chapter of the novel that Silas Marner has beenengaged to a young maid,Sarah,before he left his hometown of Lantern Yard.Since thepeople of Lantern Yard are devoutly religious and make religion the center of theirethics,the marriage process is also conducted strictly according to the standards of theChurch,“their engagement is known to the church,and has been recognized in theprayer-meetings;it could not be broken off without strict investigation,and Sarah couldrender no reason that would be sanctioned by the feeling of the community”(14).Families are built by two people,and marriage is the beginning of building a new family.

Chapter TwoTragic Destinies of Families with Money as EthicalStarting-point