英语毕业论文 了不起的盖茨比美国梦的破灭the American Dream in The Great GatsbyWord文件下载.docx
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CollegeofForeignLanguages
(April,2010)
Acknowledgements
Iwouldliketotakethisopportunitytoexpressmygratitudetoalltheteacherswhohavetaughtmeandofferedmeinvaluableadviceduringmyfour-yearstudyatUniversity.
InparticularIwouldliketothankmysupervisors,Ms.Yang.Shehasbeenavailableatalltimeswithahelpfuladviceandahelpinghandthroughoutmywholewritingprocessofthethesis.Shehasprovidemewithinstructiveguidanceinmodifyingthetopic,inpreparingthematerialpertinenttothetopicandinwritingthethesis,andhaspaidgreatpatienceinreadingandrevisingtheentiremanuscript.Withouthergeneroushelp,Icouldnotevencompletethethesis,letalonepresentitwiththepresentform.
FinallyIwouldalsoliketothankmyparentsandallmyfriends,whohavegivenmeinnumerousencouragementandcriticalsupportinmystudytheseyears.
Abstract
F.Scott.Fitzgerald(1896-1940),asthemostfamouschroniclerandlaureateoftheJazzAge,isoneofthemostrepresentativeAmericannovelistofthe1920s.Hewasnotonlyaleadingparticipantinthetypicallyfrivolous,carefree,moneymakinglifeofthedecadebutalsoadetachedobserverofit.Owingtoitsextraordinaryliterarymerits,Fitzgerald’sGreatGatsbyislistedamongthemostnotabletwentieth-centuryAmericannovels.
ThisthesisanalyzestherootsofthedisillusionmentofGatsby’sdreamfromthesocial,historicalandauthorialperspectives.ByexploringtheoriginsandessentialnatureofGatsby’sdream,thenaivetyandinnocenceinhispersonalityandthecrueltyoftheJazzAgesocietyepitomizedbytheruthlessandimmoralBuchanans,thepaperdrawstheconclusionthatacombinationoftheseelementsdefinesGatsby’sfailureanddestructionintheend.Themediscussioninthispaperisbasicallydonethroughhistoryandcharacteranalysis,whichaimsforbetterunderstandingoftheconnotationofthenovel.
Keywords:
Scott.Fitzgerald;
TheGreatGatsby;
Americandream;
disillusionment
内容摘要
弗朗西斯·
司科特•菲兹杰拉德往往被推崇为“爵士时代”的编年史家和桂冠诗人,是二十世纪美国最重要的作家之一。
他不仅亲身经历了美国历史上“最会纵乐、最讲究炫丽”的时代的生活,而且以敏锐的目光,审视着那个时代所发生的一切。
代表作《了不起的盖茨比》一问世便以其蕴涵的重大社会意义和表现的精湛艺术成就引起巨大轰动,被认为是二十世纪美国文学中最优秀的作品之一。
本论文从人物分析着手,从社会、历史、以及作者自身的经历和世界观等多方面探讨导致主人公盖茨比梦毁人亡的根源所在。
美国梦幻灭不仅有其深刻的社会历史原因,且与盖茨比性格中的自我毁灭因素息息相关。
通过分析我们可以看出盖茨比之梦的历史渊源和实质,盖茨比性格中的天直单纯和不谙世故以及以汤姆、黛西为代表的美国社会的冷酷无情和道德沦丧。
这些从根本上决定了美国梦的幻灭。
本文主要通过人物分析来分析作品的主题,并将二者有机地统一起来,意在较全面深刻地解读作品的内涵。
关键词:
司科特·
菲茨杰拉德;
了不起的盖茨比;
美国梦;
幻灭
Contents
Introduction……………………….............................................................................1
I.FitzgeraldandTheGreatGatsby……………….....................................................1
1.1Fitzgerald'
sLifeandHisWorks……………………………………….……..........1
1.2SocialandHistoricalContextofTheGreatGatsby……………….............…..…..2
II.TheDisillusionoftheAmericanDream…………………………….…...............3
2.1TheSo-calledAmericanDream:
AHistoricalRetrospect………….………........3
2.1.1OriginoftheAmericanDream…………………………………….…........…….3
2.1.2DevelopmentoftheAmericanDream………………………………..……....….4
2.1.3CorruptionoftheAmericanDream…………………………………....…......….4
2.2TheDisillusionmentofGatsby'
sDream………......................................................6
2.2.1OriginsofGatsby’sDream…………………………………………...........…....6
2.2.2EssenceofGatsby’sDream……………………………………….…...…..........7
2.2.2.1ElementsofGatsby’sDream…………………………………….….....…......7
2.2.2.2ADreamwithItsElementsinConflict……………………………........….....8
III.CrueltyoftheSociety……………………….......................................................9
3.1TheConflictsbetweentheNewRichandtheEstablishedRich……..….…......….9
3.1.1TheEconomicDifference…………………………………………….....….......9
3.1.2TheSocialConflict………………………………………………….......…......10
3.2CrueltyoftheSocietyEpitomizedbytheImmoralBuchanans………….....…....11
Conclusion………………………………………………………..............................13
References……………………………………………………………..……......…..15
Introduction
I.FitzgeraldandTheGreatGatsby
1.1Fitzgerald’sLifeandHisWorks
F.Scott.Fitzgeraldwasthemostrepresentativenovelistofthe1920'
s.Hewasnotonlyanactive,leadingparticipantinthetypicallyfrivolous,moneymakinglifeofthedecade,butalsoadetached,profoundobserverofitatthesametime.Hisownlifewasamirrorofthetimes.Heledapricelesslifeandachievedmuchduringthe“RoaringTwenties”,drinkinghardwhisky,drivingfastcars,andtakingmuchdelightinit.
F.Scott.FitzgeraldwasbornonSeptember24,1896,inSt.Paul---intheMiddleWestofAmerica.Hisfatherwasapoorbutwell-breddescendentofthefamily.DuringaChristmasvacationspentinSt.Paul,FitzgeraldfallinlovewithGinevrakingwhoisawealthyChicagodebutante.ButlaterGinevrakingrejectedhimbecauseherfatherthoughtthathewasnotrich.In1917,FitzgeraldmetZeldaSayreandfellinlovewithhersoon.However,althoughZeldawillingtobecomeengagedtoFitzgerald,didnotfinallyagreetomarryhimuntilhecouldshowhisabilitytosupporther.Sothemomentthearmyreleasedhimin1919,"
HebecameanovelistforthesolepurposeofearningenoughmoneytomarryZelda!
"
(Elizabeth1982:
62)In1919,hepublishedhisfirstnovelThisSideofParadise,whichwasanimmediatesuccess.Suddenly,Fitzgeraldgotrichandfamousattheageoftwenty-three,andthenhereturnedtoZeldaandmarriedher.ZeldacausedFitzgerald'
sgreatesthappinessanddeepestsorrowthroughouthislife.
Forfouryears,thestylishyoungcoupleplungedintothewealthysocietyoftheirgeneration.TheyrecklesslypursuedtheirpleasuresfromAmericatoEurope,spendingmoremoneythantheyearned.Duringthisperiod,FitzgeraldwroteTheBeautifulandDamned(1922)andTalesoftheJazzAge(1922).In1925,hewrotehisbestnovelTheGreatGatsby.However,everythingchangedafterthefirstbreakdownin1930.Fitzgeraldsankintoalcoholismandwastroubledbyfinancialandpsychologicalproblemscausedbyhiswife'
sluxuryandjealousyofhiswriting.TenderIstheNight(1934)wascompletedaroundthattime.Hespenttherestofhislifewritingstoriesandscreenplayanddiedin1940,attheageof44.Itwasnotuntiltenyearsafterhisdeaththatthegreatgeniusofhiswritingcameintofullrecognition.
1.2SocialandHistoricalContextofTheGreatGatsby
Thedecadeof1920’sofAmericahadasharplydefineduniquenessthanmostrecognizedperiods.WorldWarIhadleftallEuropeanbelligerentsweakandnumbedspiritually.America,however,nothavingbeeninvolvedintheWarforlong,remainedjustasforcefulasbefore.Aneconomicboommarkedthefirstfewpost-waryears,andmaterialismspreadrapidlyalloverthecountry,andpeoplebecamemoregreedyandselfabsorption.TheAmericandreamturnedtobeadreamofmoney,andwealthbecamethesymbolofsuccess.Howeverthegapbetweenthewealthyandthepoorwasstillpainfullyobviousinsociety.
Prosperousineconomyasitwas,alotchangesinspiritualandsocialvaluesweretakingplaceinthe1920s,whichdeeplyaffectedtheyoungergeneration.Theattitudeofthetimewasalsoabacklashagainsttheexperienceofthewar.Youngpeopleturnedtheirbackstothevaluesoftheirparents.Girlsenjoyedthefreedomintheirrelationshipswithboys,whichwouldbeimpossiblebefore.Arevolutiontookplaceinpeople’sattitudestowardssexandmoral.Thepursuitformaterialfulfillmentandsensualenjoymentbecamethedominanceofyoungpeople’slife.
TheAmericanTwentiesisalsoaperiodwhencitycrimeswereontherise.AlotofgroupsaswellasindividualstookthechancetomakelargeprofitsovertheProhibition.
II.TheDisillusionoftheAmericanDream
AHistoricalRetrospect
ThischapterintendstoexplorethereasonwhytheAmericanDream,asFitzgeraldattemptstostateinhisTheGreatGatsby,bringsaboutfailureandcorruptioninthe1920sinsteadofsuccessasitdoesintheearlyyearsofAmericanhistorybymeansoflookingbacktosomehistoricalphenomenarelevanttothechangingprogressoftheAmericanDreamfromthecolonialperiodtothe1920s,thatis,fromitsorigintoitsdevelopmentandfinallytoitscorruption.
2.1.1OriginoftheAmericanDream
TheAmericanDream,asaspecialproductoftheAmericancivilization,beginstotakeshapeatthestartingpointoftheAmericancivilizationwhenthefirstEuropeanPuritansettlerscametothenewworldintheearlyseventeenthcentury.Therefore,someoftheAmericanPuritanreligiousandmoralconceptshavegoneintothemakingofthefollowingthreeessentialqualitiesoftheAmericanDream.
First,theAmericanDreamadoptsapositiveattitudetowardsmaterialsuccessandconsidersitasallimportantexpressionofself-fulfillment.ThatexplainsthereasonwhymaterialsuccessiswhatonemostlikelyfirstthinksofwhenitcomestothetopicoftheAmericanDream.
Secondly,theAmericanDreamisalsoknowntosupporttheideathatthechancetoachievematerialsuccesswillfallsontothepersonwhohashighmoralstandards.Accordingly,spiritualdevelopmentisnecessaryformaterialsuccessinthelogicoftheAmericanDream.ThisideaofappreciatingspiritualdevelopmentequallystemsfromAmericanPuritanreligiousbelief.
Finally,OptimismisanotherremarkablecharacteristicoftheAmericanDream.WecanseethisqualityfromGatsby;
heneverloseshisfaithandconfidenceinhisabilitytoattainhislifegoalfromthemomentwhenhekissesDaisy