Abstract

Daddy Long-Legs is an epistolary novel by the American writer Jean Webster. The novel follows the protagonist, Judy, through her college years. She writes letters to her benefactor, a rich man whom she has never seen, and she calls him Daddy- Long-Legs. This thesis aims to analyze Judy’s double character in Daddy-Long-Legs, and the influence of environment on her character. Judy’s growth process reveals that environment plays an important role in shaping her character, and character helps to decide her destiny.

Key words:  Judy，Daddy-Long-Leg，character，environment，destiny

摘要

《长腿叔叔》是简•韦伯斯特的一部书信体小说,小说根据女主角茱蒂的大学生活而展开。茱蒂每月要给她的赞助人写信，但她却从没有见过她的赞助人，而在信中茱蒂将他称作长腿叔叔。本文着重分析女主角茱蒂的双重性格，以及环境对茱蒂性格的影响。茱蒂的成长过程揭示了环境在塑造人物性格中发挥了重大作用，而性格对个人的命运也有极大的影响。

关键词：茱蒂；长腿叔叔；性格；环境；命运

1.    Introduction
Daddy Long-Legs is a 1912 epistolary novel by the American writer Jean Webster. Jean is a famous novelist whose works pay much attention to orphans. Daddy Long-Legs is her most famous book, and has always been well-received since it was published. This book was hailed by the media, "one of the best books in this century”, and is also one of “ten important books affected my growth” which was voted by the students in 5 famous universities in Europe and the United States. It has been adapted for movies, cartoons, TV series in many countries, and is the required masterpiece for all the young girls.