《弗兰肯斯坦》中怪物的精神演化过程分析.docx

《弗兰肯斯坦》中怪物的精神演化过程分析.docx

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《弗兰肯斯坦》中怪物的精神演化过程分析

《弗兰肯斯坦》中怪物的精神演化过程分析

郑州航空工业管理学院

毕业论文（设计）

2013届英语专业0907062班级

题目《弗兰肯斯坦》中怪物的精神演化过程分析

姓名吴延红学号090706223

指导教师范晓航职称教授

二О一三年五月二十六日

MaryShelleyisanimportantnovelistinthehistoryofBritishRomanticliteratureinthe19thcentury.Herwork,Frankenstein,isoneofthefamousGothicnovels,anditwasconsideredthefirstsciencefictioninthemodernsense.TherearemanyinterpretationstoFrankenstein.Manycriticsdiscussitfromthepointofscientificdanger,andsomeonefromtheviewpointoffeminismtoresearchit.Thisthesismainlyfocusesontheprocessofthemonster’sspiritualevolution.

Astheauthormentionsinthepreface,thisstoryisinspiredbyDarwin’sbiologicalresearch.Infact,theromanticerathattheauthorlivesinisonthebackgroundofthedevelopmentofevolution.Frankenstein,infact,ismainlyabouthowthementalofhumanthisorganismevolute.Infact,themonsterisnameless.Thoughhehastheappearanceofhuman,hedoesn’tevoluteintoatrueman.ThemonsterisFrankenstein’screationandisalsothecreationofhimself.Thisthesismainlyanalysesthemonster’sspiritualevolutionanddestruction,fromdesiringtointegrateintohumansocietytotakingrevengeonthehuman.Thisthesisisdividedintothreeparts.Thefirstpartanalysesthemonster’sspiritualgrowthprocessofthemonster,byunderstandingthenature,thehumanandthehumansociety,themonsteradvocatesthenoblevirtuesofhumananddesiretointegrateintothehumansociety.Inthesecondpartanalysesthemonster’sspiritualdestruction.Themonstersuffershitswithoutmercyagainandagain,takingcrazydisruptivebehaviorunderextremedespair.Finallyhecommitssuicidebecauseofhisinnercontradictionstruggleandsuffering.Thelastpartalsoemphaticallyanalyzesthemainfactorsthataffecthismentalchanges.Themonster’snatureispureandinnocent,butduetothelackofself-identify,beingnotrecognizingbythesociety,andthelackoffather’sloveoraffectionfromothers,makingthemonster’spsychologyisimbalanceandpromptingthemonster’sbehaviortogototheextreme.

Keywords:

Frankenstein,Fromm,Spiritualevolution

Acknowledgements

Iwouldliketoacknowledgeandextendmyheartfeltgratitudetothosewhohelpmetofinishthethesis.

Firstofall,duringthetimethatIwrotethisthesis,Igotthehelpfrommanypeople,IwouldliketotakethisopportunitytoexpressmyheartfeltthankstomysupervisorFanXiaohang,whohelpedmeplanthethesis,gavemeinvaluableadvice,andencouragedmetheearlystageofthethesis.Herpatienthelpandtimelyencouragementareworthyofhighacknowledgement.What’smore,shecheckedmythesiscarefullyandhelpedmerevisethethesisandIcouldfinishthispaper.Ontheprocessofcomposingthepaper,shealsoplayedanimportantroleinindicatingabrightroadinmyfuturewriting.

Inaddition,AndIshouldalsoexpressmysinceregratitudetotheotherteachersintheDepartmentofForeignLanguages,includingChenJing,LiuRuihongandsoon.FromwhomI’velearnedalotaboutprofessionalknowledgeandresearchmethodologyaswell.

Lastbutnotleast,myspecialthanksshouldgotomydearfriendsandclassmates.Theyhavegivenmesincerehelpandencouragementsincethewritingofthethesiswasunderway.

Contents

Abstract（inChinese）.............................................................................i

Abstract（inEnglish）.............................................................................ii

Acknowledgements.................................................................................iv

Introduction.............................................................................................1

1.TheMonster’sSpiritualGrowth........................................................3

1.1TheMonster’sUnderstandingoftheNature....................................31.2TheMonster’sUnderstandingoftheHuman...................................5

1.3TheMonster’sUnderstandingoftheSociety....................................6

2.TheMonster’sSpiritualDestruction...................................................7

2.1TheChangeoftheMonster’sMind..................................................7

2.2SeekingHelpfromtheFather...........................................................8

2.3TakingCrazyDisruptiveBehavior...................................................9

2.4DesiringforDeath―SettingHimselfonFire................................10

3.TheReasonsfortheChangesofMonster’sSpirit..............................10

3.1TheLackoftheSelf-Identity..........................................................10

3.2BeingUnacceptable........................................................................12

3.3TheLackofFather’sLove.............................................................13

Conclusion............................................................................................13

WorksCited............................................................................................16

AnalysisontheProcessoftheMonster’sSpiritualEvolutioninFrankenstein

Introduction

MaryWollstonecraftShelly（1797-1851），anoutstanding19th-centuryBritishnovelist,isthesecondwifeofPercyShelley,thefamousRomanticpoet.Shecreates17worksintotalduringherlifetime.However,herreputationrestsonwhatsheoncecalledasher“hideousprogeny”,Frankenstein,orTheModernPrometheus（1881）,whichhastranscendedtheGothicandhorrorgenres.

SincethenovelFrankensteinwaspublishin1881,itspopularityhasindeedbeenprodigious.ItisconsideredoneofthebestGothicnovelaswellasthefirstsciencefictioninthemodernsense.IthasbeenreadbysomanypeopleoverdecadesandhasbeenreprintedinsomanydifferentEnglish-languageeditions.Moreover,IthasbeentranslatedintoChinese,Japanese,Arabic,Urdu,NalayamandmostEuropeanlanguages.Thestory’spopularityisfurtherevidencedbythefactthatinthe19thand20thcenturiesmanymelodramasandhorrormovieswerebasedonthenovel.

ThestoryofFrankensteinwasconceivedin“awet,ungenialsummer”of1861atLakeLemanSwitzerlandwhereMaryandPercyShelleyhadsettlednearByronandhisdoctorJohnPolidori.Theyspentmuchtimetogether,talkingandreading.OneeveningafterreadingGothicstories,Byronsuggestedthat“[theywould]eachwriteaghoststory”.MarywaitedseveraldaysinvainforanideauntilshewasimpressedbyadiscussionbetweenByronandShellyaboutgalvanismandthenotionofcreatinglifeviaelectricityandawokefromanightmarethatnight.Acoupleofdayslater,basedonthedream,Marybegantowritethemonster’snarrative,whichformsthebook’scentralsection.

Sinceitspublication,Frankensteinhasmostlybeenacclaimedandstudiedasagothichonornovel,orasasciencefiction.Recently,Criticshavealsobeguntoapproachitfromreligious,feministic,thepsychoanalytic,Freudianreadingandsoon.In1979,TheEnduranceofFrankenstein:

EssaysonMaryShell’sNovelwhichwaswrittenbyLevin.Georgecollectedmorethantwelveresearcharticlesoffamousscholars.Thisthesiswillfocusontheanalysisontheprocessofthemonster’sspiritualevolutioninFrankenstein.TheauthormentionsintheprefacethatthewritingofthisnovelisinspiredbyDarwin’sbiologicaltheoryresearch.Infact,theauthorlivedintheromanticera,whichwasonthebackgroundofthedevelopmentofthetheoryofevolution.However,intheauthor’sera,themostpopulartheorywasJ.B.Lamarck’sRomantictheoryofevolution,whichisinadvanceofDarwin’theory.Lamarck（1744-1829）considered,everycreaturehasinternaldrivetoperfecthimself,andeveryorganismisincontinuouslyupdateandintheevolutionaryprocessofself-improvement（LuoJicai,2002:

131）.What’smore,manyRomanticideologistevenconsideredthatthespiritofpeopleisalsoinevolution.Hegelthoughtthat,infact,inthisworldtheman’sselfisinaprocessofevolution.Becausetheworldisyourself.

Latermanythinkershavealsoacceptedthetheoryoftheevolution.AmericanpsychoanalystFrommthought,thehumanbeingscan’tstandhimselfaseparation.Inordertoovercomethepaincausedbyisolation,hemaytakesomeevolutionarywaytodeveloptheircognition,reason,andtheabilityoflove,soastosurpassthemselvesandreachanewharmonyandunitywiththeworld.Thisisakindofspiritualevolution.Peoplemayalsotakethenegativeanddegeneratedway,relyingonacertainauthority,forexample,orbydegradingtothestatethattheperceptionhasyetnotproducedtoovercomethissenseofisolation.（Fromm,1960）

Actually,Frankenstein,thisnovelisaboutthespiritualevolutionprocessofthehumanorganism.Infact,themonsterisnameless,called“theCreature”（Shelley,1996）inthisbook.Itsuggeststhatthemonsterishuman,buthasnotevolvedintoatrue“person”.Atthesametime,thewords“creature”and“creation”arecognatewords.ItshowsthatthemonsterisnotonlyFrankenstein’screationbutalsohiscreationoftheself.Thisthesismainlyanalysesthemonster’sspiritualevolutionanddestruction,fromdesiringtointegrateintohumansocietytotakingrevengeonthehuman.

Thethesisismainlydividedintothreeparts,thefirstpartanalysestheprocessofthemonster’sspiritualgrowthfromtheignorancetorecognizethenature,humanandhumansociety.Theprocessofthemonster’spsychologicaldevelopmentfromperceptiontoreasonisthefastgrowthperiodofthemonster’spsychologicalfeeling.Inthisprocess,themonsterbeginstofeelnature,lovenatureandwantstobea