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Throughout British development,the middle-class culture played a vital role in socialtransformation and democratization.Notably,momentous social changes in the late 18thand early 19th centuries were significant for the middle-class culture’s formation.Firstly,the development of domestic industries and overseas colonial expansion greatly enhancedBritish national strength.Initiated by the great inventions of the First Industrial Revolution,the advanced machines accumulated a large amount of economic capital for Britisheconomic development.In the meanwhile,these wealth accumulations also guaranteedBritain’s victory against other European colonial powers.By the late eighteenth century,Britain became one of the most influential and prosperous countries on the Europeancontinent.Thus,the confident British were eager to have their own culture to fit theoverall national strength.

Along with the increase in national power,some domestic changes also occurred inthe British social structure.Thanks to the Industrial Revolution and goods trading,the emergent middle class developed rapidly and assumed a significant social position.However,although these middle-class members achieved tremendous economic successthrough self-struggle,the upper class still looked down upon them due to their lack ofnoble birth and cultural refinement.Therefore,these people admired and imitated thearistocracy’s culture.During this process,a shared cultural value system also graduallyformed in order to challenge and eventually replace the aristocracy’s cultural domination.

1.2 Research objectives and significance

Based on the research background,this thesis tries to explore the contents ofRadcliffe’s construction of middle-class culture in the rural writing of The Mysteries ofUdolpho and the causes of its engendering through analyzing her strategies of constructingmiddle-class culture.In order to make a relatively comprehensive analysis,three researchquestions are proposed:How is middle-class culture constructed through the rural writingin The Mysteries of Udolpho?What are the features of middle-class culture constructed inThe Mysteries of Udolpho?Why does Radcliffe construct middle-class culture in thisway?

In order to answer the above three questions,the research content is carried out,andthis thesis expects to provide a new perspective to interpret this novel and Radcliffe’screative ideas in the light of Jameson’s political unconsciousness,as well as deepen theunderstanding of 18th-century English culture by exemplifying a typical case of middleclass’s appeal of improving their cultural status which corresponded to their significantlyimproved economic status.Besides,by exploring how the middle class in the novelpositively shapes the spiritual and cultural temperament of the whole society,this thesisalso expects to provide a better understanding of the value orientations and behaviourpatterns of the Victorian middle class.

Chapter 2 Literature Review

2.1 Critical reviews on The Mysteries of Udolpho

Among numerous Gothic novels that have been published,The Mysteries of Udolphocould b本论文由英语论文网提供整理，提供论文代写，英语论文代写，代写论文，代写英语论文，代写留学生论文，代写英文论文，留学生论文代写相关核心关键词搜索。