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 Gatsby.docx

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 Gatsby.docx

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英语毕业论文了不起的盖茨比美国梦的破灭theAmericanDreaminTheGreatGatsby

OntheRuinoftheAmericanDreaminTheGreatGatsby

StudentName:

TutorName:

Submittedasapartialfulfillmentoftherequirementsforthedegreeof

BachelorofArts

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

2.1TheSo-calledAmericanDream：

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