1. 研究目的与意义（文献综述包含参考文献）

1. Introduction 1.1 Research background Thomas Hardy is one of the greatest tragedy novelists and poets in Victorian era and a writer spanning two centuries, whose novels are well-known for characterization and environment. Hardy mainly focuses on novels, in his early and middle years inheriting and carrying forward the traditional culture of the Victorian era, and in his later years his outstanding poetry promoted prosperity of English literature in the 20th century. Like Dickens, he severely criticized the Victorian society. Hardy#8217;s major works include The Return of the Native (1878), The Mayor of Casterbridge (1886), The Woodlanders (1887), and Tess of the d'Urbervilles (1891), the last of which attracted criticism for its sympathetic portrayal of a "fallen woman" and whose subtitle, A Pure Woman: Faithfully Presented, was intended to raise the eyebrows of the Victorian middle classes. As one of the most mature works, Tess of the d'Urbervilles performs the advanced thinking of the times and challenges Victorian ideas and old customs. Though describing Tess#8217; life, struggle and disillusionment, the novel reflects people#8217;s pursuit for a better life as well as intensive conflicts between humans and the environment, thus teeming with broad and profound social significance. With its sensitive depiction of the wronged Tess and with its powerful criticism of social convention, the worth of Tess of the D'Urbervilles is based on the state of intactness of her hymen.” Quite a few things are wrong when a rapist offering to marry his victim is considered a good resolution because he seduced and raped her and takes away her so-called virginity, regardless of whether she wants him or not. Something is wrong when a woman becomes ”damaged goods” in the eyes of the society and cannot consider herself pure because of others#8217; terrible action. In this novel, Tess' tragedy has been the focus of debate. Heartless circumstance, poor family, timid character, dissolute Alexei and ruthless Claire all render Tess on the guillotine step by step while Claire, known as Angel, is the murderer. He is not an angel although he has progressive ideas, the pursuit of ideals and the firm beliefs for love. In this case, the author of the thesis believes that male chauvinism, the belief that men are superior to women, greatly determines he is not an angel. The first documented use of the phrase "male chauvinism" is in Clifford Odets#8217; play Till the Day I Die (1935). In the Victorian age, male chauvinism was the mainstream of the society. Women were disrespected not only by men but also by the whole society, including women themselves. Although a young man with advanced thinking, Claire has male chauvinism. At the beginning of his pursuit of Tess, he is immersed in his imagination. Later when he knows Tess' sufferings, he abandons her and goes to Brazil, which reveals his strong sense of male chauvinism. 1.2 Need for the study This study analyzes whether Angel is a real angel from the perspectives of his original family, his character and the relationship with Tess. Obviously he is not. Critics have the general idea that Angel, who is the representative of the selfish and hypocritical bourgeoisie, directly causes Tess#8217; tragedy. Angel#8217;s open-mindedness and narrow action functions as the result of industrialization and patriarchal society as well as reflects the contradictions of tradition and modernity, old and new values, which will help the reader understand Hardy#8217;s Tess of the d'Urbervilles from a new angel and thus highlight the rational elements of Hardy#8217;s views on nature and the society. 2. Literature review Although having encountered brutally hostile reviews, Tess of the d'Urbervilles is now considered a major work of fiction and one of the most successful and attractive novels written by Thomas Hardy in 1891. The characterization of Angel mainly includes the comparison between Angel and Alec, the comparison between Angel and male characters from other novels, and the characteristics of Angel. Bradbury Malclom (2005) also compares Angel with Alec, believing the latter is quite straightforward. He is an evildoer who never hides his real intentions and after Angel abandoned Tess and he still hasn#8217;t changed his love for Tess and finally forces Tess to live with him. It is obvious that there are huge differences between Angle and Alec. Pan Lilin (2011) points out that there are two men throughout Tess#8217;life: Alec defiles her body, and Angel, covered with angel halo, breaks her heart with his ruthlessness, selfishness and hypocrisy, and therefore destroys her spiritual world. Mu Mengru (2012) summarize three similar aspects of the two heroes: their relationship with Tess; their circles of life; their positive and negative influences on Tess. In recent years, scholars have shifted their attention to the comparisons between Angel and other male characters in some famous novels. For example, researchers prefer to compare Angel with Jia Baoyu in A Dream of Red Mansions. Cheng Li and Niu Huiqin (2009) conclude that it is the social factor that finally contributes to their tragic life, for they are similar for their spirit of resistance and tragic ending. Besides, some scholars find that Angel and Jia Baoyu share the similar family background, which allow them to express their personalities freely. For example, Chen Qiaolian and Huang Ailing (2009) find that Angel grows up in a middle-class family and Jia Baoyu lives in a notable family. However, their progressive ideas cannot help them get over the shackles of the feudal/capitalistic society. Besides, Liu Shuixin (2012) compares Angel with Zhang Sheng in Chinese novel Yingying and claims that moral codes play an essential role in the relationship. Angel, who believes Victorian morality, is impossible to accept a woman#8217;s losing virginity. However, although living in a feudal society, Zhang Sheng still has the courage to be with Cui Yingying. There is no doubt that one#8217;s characteristics play an essential role in his life. So the characteristics of Angel naturally catch researchers#8217; eyes. Bernard Capp (2014) studies the tragedy from this angle, believing that Hardy named his hero "Angel' may have his own intention and that the most fundamental reason for Angel#8217;s character is the social environment. Anyway, Claire can not completely get rid of the social customs and moral standards. J.T. Laired (2013) holds the similar viewpoint. It is obvious that Claire has been in the pursuit of his ideals, while his struggle was excessively weak when faced with the whole society. He is still seriously affected by the far-reaching implications of Victorian era. Williams Merryn (2007) points out that throughout Claire's growth process, it can be seen that the middle-class Claire hates the lineage prejudice. She believes that people should be respected by their knowledge and morality. Claire, the character is full of contradictions, which is part of the success of the novel in terms of shaping the character. In terms of the characteristics of Angel, Zhang Chunyu (2009) indicates that Angel has gone beyond most of his contemporaries and his limitations are contributed by the capitalist society. In spite of the Victorian era, family plays a great part in one#8217;s personality. Shi Ruixin (2010) also believes that as regards religion, society and marriage, Angel is an intellectual of liberal and progressive thinking, who has the courage to fight with traditional ideas and tries to get rid of the shackles of class distinction. Ma Xinguo (2011) attributes Angel#8217;s backwardness to his family and states that when knowing that his son wants to marry Tess, Mrs. Clare disagrees, which shows that although Angel#8217;s parents are not hypocritical as other people in the middle class, the social status determines their keeping the social morality to maintain their interest. Therefore, when Angel knows the secret of Tess on the night they get married, he can#8217;t forgive her, which is in fact the presentation of the imprisonment of morality that remains instilled by his parents. To his parents, he is a traitor instead of an angel. Pan Lilin (2011) mainly analyzes whether Angel is an angle or a devil from the perspective of psychology and personality. From the time when Tess and Angel meet with each other, fall in love and finally get married, Tess is full of self-abasement, bondage and suffering, as well as endless torment. However, there is no lack of positive comments on Angel. Works Cited Akerman, Robert. Thomas Hardy#8217;s Tess of the d#8217; Urbervilles. Beijing: Simon amp; Schuster Press and Beijing Language Teaching and Research Press, 1996: 98-110. Bradbury, Malclom. The Modern British Novel 1878-2001. Beijing: Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press, 2005. Capp, Bernard. ”The Double Standard Revisited: Plebeian Women and Male Sexual Reputation in Early Modern England”. Past amp;Present, 2014: 70-100. Ding, Shizhong. [丁世忠], 哈代小说伦理思想研究. 巴蜀书社, 2008:105-106. Hardy, Thomas. Thomas Hardy#8217;s Personal Writings: Prefaces, Literary Opinions, Reminiscences. Harold Orel, Hampshire: Macmillan, 2012. Hardy, Thomas. Tess of the d#8217;Urbervilles. Beijing: Foreign Language Press, 1993. Hewit, Douglas. English Fiction of the Early Modern Period. London: Longman Group UK Ltd., 2013. Hills, J. Miller. Fiction and Repetition: Several English Novels. Oxford: Basil Blackwell Publisher Ltd., 2011. Liu, Zaifu. [刘再复], 性格组合论. 合肥：安徽文艺出版社, 1999. Ma, Xingguo. Literary Theory of Feminism. Jinan: Shandong Education Press, 2011. Marjorie, Carson. The Bidy and the Text: A Reading of Hardy#8217;s Novels. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991: 90-99. Merryn, Williams. A Preface to Hardy. Beijing: Peking University Press, 2005: 3-5. Niu, Huiqun. ”A Brief Analysis of the Female's Love Experience in Tess of the d'Urbervilles”. Overseas English 7 (2009): 257-260. Pan, Lilin. ”The Tragic Color in Tess of the d#8217;Urbervilles”. Overseas English 10 (2011): 232-233. Shi, Ruixin. [石锐新], 析哈代作品中的男权主义. 牡丹江师范学院学报, 2010, (1): 29-31. Twells, Alison. British Women#8217;s History. London: I. B. Tauris amp; Co. Ltd., 2007. Wang, Yiqun. [汪义群], Thomas Hardy. 上海: 上海外语教育出版社,1999. Yao, Peizhi. [姚佩芝]. 《德伯家的苔丝》#8212;哈代综合悲剧观的完美体现. 湖南师范大学社会科学学报, 2003. Zhang, Boxiang. [张伯香]. 英美文学选读. 北京：外语教育与研究出版社, 2003. Zhang, Chunyu. ”Tess and Feminism”. Read and Write Periodical, 2009, (1): 2.

2. 研究的基本内容、问题解决措施及方案

1. Research Topic This thesis analyzes that Claire is not a real angel in three aspects and the relevant causes. Claire is not an angel at all, for he is the direct cause of Tess#8217; tragedy. He is not an angel if we examine the relationship between him and his parents. He is not an angel if we pay close attention to his character. The analysis of Claire can help us gain a deep understanding of the novel as well as the Victorian society. 2. Research Methods Major research methods include close reading of the text, document research, deduction. 1). Close reading of the text. It is one of the major research methods employed in the main body of this thesis. That is, the present study will analyze why Claire is not an angel. We may get access to Claire#8217;s kindness, progressive ideas and passion, which shape the character of an angel successfully. Especially, when Tess firstly knows Claire, he is such a popular man who other milkmaids are all in love with. From the details he lives in the village and his pursuit for Tess, it#8217;s obvious that Claire is an angel. However, it breaks readers#8217; hearts when he refuses to forgive Tess. From his words and mental activities, we may draw the conclusion that he is totally not an angel. 2). Document Research. A document research refers to collecting, identifying, analyzing, evaluating and concluding document materials. Choosing correct documents and materials from various kinds of books is significant. The materials must have close connection to this paper or involve some essential elements implied in the study. For example, although Liu Zaifu#8217;s study almost has nothing to do with Tess, it focuses on man#8217;s character which is an vital aspect in this paper. 3). Deduction. Reasonable deduction reflects the process of logical thinking. For example, the thesis will draw a conclusion that Angel is not a real angel and his tragedy is determined by the era when industrialization began while people are still immersed in backward thinking.