MrKnowall教学内容.docx

MrKnowall教学内容.docx

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MrKnowall教学内容

ReadingMr.Know-all”：

APost-colonialPerspective

Mr.Know-allisashortstorywrittenbytheEnglishauthorW.SomersetMaugham（1874-1965）,whoismostfamedforhisnovelOfHumanBondage.Besides,healsoearnshisreputationforhisplays,andshortstories.Itissaidthathehasbeenthehighestpaidwriteraroundtheworldinthe1930s.Heisrichintravelingexperienee,whichindeeddoesgreatfavortohisworld-renownedtravelstories.Thisstory,Mr.Know-all,isoneofthesemasterpieces.

ThisstorytakesplaceonashipfromSanFranciscotoYokohamaintheinterwaryears,thatistosay,thisstoryissetinspecialtime--intheyearsbetweenWorldWarIandWorldWarII.ThemajorcharacterisMrKeladaandthetidecharactersareMr&MrsRamsayandthenarratorhimself.OntheshipfromSanFranciscotoYokohama,thenarratorhastoshareacabinwithMrKelada.ThenarratordoesnotlikehimbecauseheisnotanativeEnglish.Besides,MrKeladaalwayskeepstalking,intendingtoshowthatheknowsmuchmorethananyotherpeopleontheship,whichleavesthenarratortheimpressionofloquacityandvanity.Heisagoodmixerandhasknowneveryoneontheshipwithinonlythreedays.Duetohisloquacity,heisnamedMrKnow-all”，whichistakenbyhimasacomplement.MrRamsayistheonlypersonwhodebateswith

MrKelada.TheybetwithMrsRamsay'pearlchain.MrKeladadealswithpearlbusinessandheisexpertinpearl,soMrKeladainsistsMrsRamsayyspearlchainispreciousandbetswithMrRamsayahundreddollarswhileMrRamsaydeclaresitaculturedonecostingonly18dollars.MrKeladacloselyexaminesthepearlchain.ButwhenheisabouttoannouncehisvictoryhecatchesasightofMrsRamsayspalyface.AtlastMrKeladachangeshismindandadmitsheiswrong,withtheriskofdamaginghisreputationandlosingonehundreddollars.Howeverthenextday,hereceivesaletterenclosedahundred-dollarnote.ThenarratorunderstandsthatMrKeladamakesawhitelieandatthatmomenthedosenotentirelydislikeMrKelada.

MrKnow-allistypicalpost-colonialliterature.Post-colonialliteratureisabodyofliterarywritingthatrespondstotheintellectualdiscourseofEuropeancolonizationintheAsia,Africa,MiddleEast,thePacific,andotherpost-colonialareasthroughouttheglobe.Post-colonialliteratureaddressestheproblemsandconsequencesofthede-colonizationofacountryandofanation,especiallythepoliticalandculturalindependenceofformerlysubjugatedcolonialpeoples;anditalsoisaliterarycritiqueofandaboutpost-colonialliterature,theundertonesofwhichcarry,communicate,andjustifyracialismandcolonialism.[1]Thecontemporaryformsofpost-colonialliteraturepresentliteraryandintellectualcritiquesofthepost-colonialdiscourse,byendeavourringtoassimilatepost-colonialismanditsliteraryexpressions.

Asaresult,racehasbeenanimportantthemeinthepost-colonialliterature.Racism,underwhichrace-relatedissuesaremostlydiscussed,invoIvesthebeliefinracialdifferences,whichactsasajustificationfornon-equaltreatment,ordiscrimination,ofmembersofthatrace.Thetermracismiscommonlyusednegativelyandusuallyisassociatedwithrace-basedprejudice,dislike,discrimination,oroppression.SociologistDavidWellmandefinesracismasa“culturallysanctionedbelief”[2];sociologistsNo?

lA.CazenaveandDarleneAlvarezMadderndefineracismas“...ahighlyorganizedsystemofrace-basedgroupprivilegethatoperatesateverylevelofsocietyandisheldtogetherbyasophisticatedideologyofcolor/racesupremacy."[3]Suchideologyofsupremacycanbetypicallyreflectedinpost-colonialtheoryandliterature,whoseoverlappingthemesincludetheinitialencounterwiththecolonizer,thedisruptionofindigenousculture,theconceptof“othering”,colonialoppression,whitesupremacy,andsoon.

MrKnow-allisagoodrepresentationofpost-colonialthemesandcanbebetterinterpretedbyunderstandingthementalitybehindthecolonistideology.Thisideologydividespeopleoftheonetimecommonwealthcountriesandtheirdescendantsintocolonizers—the“self”andthecolonizee—the“other”,anddevelopssuchmentalityintowhitesupremacy,discriminatingagainstallotherethnicities.

Thementalityofprejudiceanddiscriminationcanevenbeclearlyseenattheverybeginningparagraphs.Thefirstsentenceofthenarratoristhat“waspreparedtodislikeMaxKeladabeforeIknewhim.”WhythenarratorhassuchastrongemotiontoMrKeladaevenbeforeknowinghim?

Ontheonehand,thenarratordoesnotwanttoshareacabinwithastrangerduringthe14-daytourfromSanFranciscotoYokohama;ontheotherhand,asamoreintenseandimmanentreason,thenarr