了不起的盖茨比英文论文.docx

了不起的盖茨比英文论文.docx

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了不起的盖茨比英文论文

摘要

弗朗西斯·司科特·菲茨杰拉德是二十世纪美国最重要的作家之一,被推崇为“爵士时代”的编年史家和桂冠诗人。

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。

《了不起的盖茨比》于1925年发表,是二十世纪最优秀的小说之一。

托·斯·艾略特称它是“亨利·詹姆斯以后美国小说迈出的第一步。

《了不起的盖茨比》是对美国梦的实质的批评。

美国文化的特征之一表现为:

在强化追求物质财富的成功的同时,忽视了为追求物质财富的成功而采取合法手段的重要性。

本论文从人物分析着手，从社会、历史、以及作者自身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存在。

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：

《了不起的盖茨比》；弗朗西斯·司科特·菲茨杰拉德；成功

Abstract

F.Scott.FitzgeraldwasoneofthemostrepresentativeAmericannovelistsofthe1920s.Hewasnotonlyaleadingparticipantinthetypicallyfrivolous,carefree,moneymakinglifeofthedecadebutalsoadetachedobserverofit.TheGreatGatsby（1925）isregardedbymanycriticsasoneofthefinesttwentieth-centuryAmericannovels.T.S.Eliotcalledit“thefirststeptheAmericannovelhastakensinceHenryJames.”TheGreatGatsbyisageneralcritiqueoftheAmericandream.Americancultureischaracterizedbyastrongemphasisonthegoalofmonetarysuccessandaweakemphasisontheimportanceofthelegitimatemeansforthepursuitofsuccess.

ThisthesisanalyzestherootsofthedisillusionmentofGatsby’sdreamfromthehistoricalandauthorialperspectives,ByexploringtheoriginsandessentialnatureofGatsby’sdream,thenaivetyandinnocenceinthepersonalityandthecrueltyofJazzAgesocietyepitomizedbytheruthlessandimmoralBuchanan,thepaperdrawstheconclusionthatacombinationoftheseelementsdefinesGatsby’sfailureanddestructionintheend.Themediscussioninthispaperisbasicallydonethroughhistoryandcharacteranalysis,whichaimsforbetterunderstandingofthoseconnotationsofthenovel.

Keywords:

TheGreatGatsby,F.Scott.Fitzgerald,success

Contents

1.Introduction

1.1ThesynopsisofF.Scott.Fitzgerald

F.Scott.Fitzgeraldwasoneofthenovelistsofthe1920s.Hewasnotonlyanactive,leadingparticipantinthetypicallyfrivolous,moneymakinglifeofthedecade,butalsoadetached,profoundobserverofitatthesametime.Hisownlifewasamirrorofthetimes.Heledapricelesslifeandachievedmuchduringthe“RoaringTwenties”,drinkinghardwhisky,drivingfastcars,andtakingmuchdelightinit.

F.Scott.FitzgeraldwasbornonSeptember24,1896,andnamedafterhisancestorFrancisScottKey,theauthorofTheStar-SpangledBanner.FitzgeraldwasraisedinSt.Paul,Minnesota.Thoughanintelligentchild,hedidpoorlyinschoolandwassenttoaNewJerseyboardingschoolin1911.Despitebeingamediocrestudentthere,hemanagedtoenrollatPrincetonin1913.Academictroublesandapathyplaguedhimthroughouthistimeatcollege,andhenevergraduated,insteadenlistinginthearmyin1917,asWorldWarIneareditsend.

Fitzgeraldbecameasecondlieutenant,andwasstationedatCampSheridan,inMontgomery,Alabama.Therehemetandfellinlovewithawildseventeen-year-oldbeautynamedZeldaSayre.Zeldafinallyagreedtomarryhim,butheroverpoweringdesireforwealth,fun,andleisureledhertodelaytheirweddinguntilhecouldproveasuccess.WiththepublicationofThisSideofParadisein1920,Fitzgeraldbecamealiterarysensation,earningenoughmoneyandfametoconvinceZeldatomarryhim.

1.2SocialandhistoricalbackgroundofTheGreatGatsby

TheGreatGatsby（1925）isregardedbymanycriticsasoneofthefinesttwentieth-centuryAmericannovels.T.S.Eliotcalledit“thefirststeptheAmericannovelhastakensinceHenryJames.”However,theimmediateresponsetothenovelwasoverwhelminglynegative.Itwasnotuntil1950sthatTheGreatGatsbybecamepopularallovertheworld.IttookalongtimeforthegreatnessofTheGreatGatsbytoemerge.TheGreatGatsbyisageneralcritiqueoftheAmericandream.Americancultureischaracterizedbyastrongemphasisonthegoalofmonetarysuccessandaweakemphasisontheimportanceofthelegitimatemeansforthepursuitofsuccess.Bycombiningthetraditionalbiographicalandhistoricalapproaches,andtheapproachofculturalcriticism,thethesistriestore-explorethesignificanceoftheAmericandream.InIntroduction,thethesisbrieflyintroducesFitzgerald’slife,worksandthesocial,historicalcontextinwhichTheGreatGatsbywascreated.ChapterOnegivesareflectionoftheAmericandream,focusingonthesacredtraditionandtheseculartraditionwhichhavecontributedtotheearlyformationoftheAmericandreamintermsofreligion,economyandpolitics.ChapterTwoanalyzesthedevelopmentofGatsby’sAmericandreambydwellingonBenjaminFranklin’sandDanCody’influenceonJamesGatzrespectively,ChapterThreeexpoundsonthewitheringoftheAmericandreamthroughtheanalysisofthecharacterizationoftheprotagonist-Gatsby,MeyerWolfsheim,DaisyFayandTomBuchanan.GatsbyandTomrepresentthetwomajorforcesinAmericansociety:

idealismandmaterialism.Gatsbybecomesavictimofthenewcommercialculturewherematerialsuccessisdominating.InConclusion,thethesisarguesthatTheGreatGatsbyisaboutthepredicamentofhumanbeingsingeneral,thusitisnecessaryformantofigureoutwaystominimizethecontradictionsbetweenman’ssocialdevelopmentandtheworldofnature,materialisticabundanceandspiritualpursuit,idealismandreality.

2.FormationoftheAmericanDreaminTheGreatGatsby

2.1TheAmericanDream

TheAmericanDreamasaspecialproductoftheAmericancivilizations,beginstotakeshapeatthestartingpointoftheAmericancivilizationwhenthefirstEuropeanPuritansettlerscametothenewworldintheearlyseventeenthcentury.Therefore,someoftheAmericanPuritanreligiousandmoralconceptshavegoneintothemakingofthefollowingthreeessentialqualitiesoftheAmericanDream.

First,theAmericanDreamadoptsapositiveattitudetowardsmaterialsuccessandconsidersitasallimportantexpressionofself-fulfillment.ThatexplainsthereasonwhymaterialsuccessiswhatonemostlikelyfirstthinksofwhenitcomestothetopicoftheAmericanDream.

Secondly,theAmericanDreamisalsoknowntosupporttheideathatthechancetoachievematerialsuccesswillfallsontothepersonwhohashighmoralstandards.Accordingly,spiritualdevelopmentisnecessaryformaterialsuccessinthelogicoftheAmericanDream.ThisideaofappreciatingspiritualdevelopmentequallystemsfromAmericanPuritanreligiousbelief.

Finally,OptimismisanotherremarkablecharacteristicoftheAmericanDream.WecanseethisqualityfromGatsby;heneverloseshisfaithandconfidenceinhisabilitytoattainhislifegoalfromthemomentwhenhekissesDaisyfirsttimefiveyearsagountilthelastdaysofhislife.

TheAmericanDreamisthedreamofalandinwhichlifeshouldbericherandbetterforeveryone,providingthemwithopportunitiesaccordingtotheirabilitiesorachievements.Itencouragespeopletoworkthroughefforts,courage,creativityanddeterminationtomovetowardsprosperity,ratherthanrelyonanyotherforces.Inonetime,itdidhelpsomepeopletofightforsuccess.Butastimeflew,theAmericandreamwenttotheotherside.Sointhiscase,theessayaimstodiscussthedisillusionoftheso-calledAmericanDream,alsothethemeofTheGreatGatsby,withtheanalysisofthetragedyofitsmaincharacter——Gatsby.

ThispartintendstomakeanstudyofhowtheAmericanDreamgetsenrichedanddevelopedwiththeadvancementofthenation.

First,theAmericanDreamisanidealthatexpresseshumanhopesandwishesforademocratic,liberalsociety,whereman’sbasicdemandforsurvival,self-fulfillmentandsocialrecognitioncanbeensured.Itissupposedthatinsuchasociety,nomanisdespisedduetohisoriginandeveryoneshallequallyhavetheopportunitytoachievehisduesuccessandhappinessifheworkshardtowardagoal.

Secondly,carryingforwardthePuritantradition,theAmericanDreamgoesontohealthilygrowupinAmericancapitalistdemocraticsoil.Anditsuccessfullypushestheadvancementofthenationandbecomesarealityinmanyfortunateself-mademencasesintheearlyageofAmerica.Amongthesepeople,BenjaminFranklin,ThomasEdisonandAbrahamLincolnarethemostfamousrepresentatives.Theyallcomefrompoororiginsandwintheunanimousreverenceofthenation.TheirsuccessfullegendarycareersproclaimtotheworldthateveryonecanachievesuccessinAmericaifhehasconfidence,aspiration,determination,andvirtues,regardlessofhisorigin.

Consequently,withitsworthwhileroleintheprogressofthenationandindividuals,theAmericanDreamgraduallybecomesanunwaveringbeliefinthemindofthewholenation.

2.2TheAmericanDreamofGatsby

Inthelastchapterofthenovel,Gatsby’sfatherproudlyshowedGatsby’sscheduleandgeneralresolveswrittenin1906onthelastfly-leafofthe“ragged”copybookcalledHopalongCassidy（Fitzgerald,1992:

110）toNick.IttellshowdeeplyyoungGatsbyhasabsorbedtheideasofBenjaminFranklinthroughhisautobiographyintohisambitiontobesuccessful,believingthatamancanbewhathewanttobebyhardworking.

HoratioAlger（1834-1899）,writerofthebookHopalonCassidy,isanotherpersonwhohadlargeinfluenceonyoungJamesinforminghisearlybelief.AlgerhasprobablybeenthemostwidelyreadofallAmericanwriters.“Hisnovelstendtofollowthesamepattern:

aboyworkshiswayupfrompovertytorespectabilitythroughhardwork,thriftandgoodluck.”（Matterson,1990:

65）ToAlger,everythingisdeterminedbytheeffortsandthecharacteroftheindividuals.GatsbyactuallystartsbystrugglingforadvancementintheAlgermethod.

So,Gatsby’sDream,assomecritics