浅析《嘉莉妹妹》中的消费文化70984953.docx
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浅析《嘉莉妹妹》中的消费文化70984953
浅析《嘉莉妹妹》中的消费文化70984953
本科毕业论文
中文题目:
浅析《嘉莉妹妹》中的消费文化
外文题目:
AStudyoftheConsumerCultureinSisterCarrie
浅析《嘉莉妹妹》中的消费文化
摘要:
十九世纪末二十世纪初,美国社会经历着一场急剧变革,正在从以生产型为主的社会转变为一个以消费型为主的社会。
西奥多·德莱塞的处女作《嘉莉妹妹》真实地反映了这一时期美国兴起的消费热及由此带来的人们意识形态的转变。
本文尝试研究消费文化在《嘉莉妹妹》中的体现以及它对个人与对美国社会的影响。
论文引言部分介绍了作者西奥多·德莱塞的生活背景,回顾了国内外对《嘉莉妹妹》的研究成果,同时介绍了国内外学者对消费文化的研究并在此基础上提出论文选题理由和意义。
论文主体共两章,第一章介绍消费文化的概念、美国现代消费文化的产生及其在《嘉莉妹妹》中的体现,另外还介绍了《嘉莉妹妹》中的社会需要如何激发消费欲望膨胀及消费带来的悲剧的幻灭感。
第二章论述《嘉莉妹妹》中消费文化在物质消费、情感消费、身体消费三个方面的特征。
受消费文化影响的女性打破了如嘉莉的姐姐明妮般的女性贤妻良母的传统身份定位,她们渴望用自己的方式成为消费者。
同时作者也在消费文化的背景下关注嘉莉与德鲁埃的关系,嘉莉与赫斯特伍德的关系,赫斯特伍德的家庭关系以及嘉莉与姐姐姐夫的关系。
由此更好地解释了消费文化对各种关系而言是冷漠与残酷的。
同时还阐述了在男性掌控的消费社会中女性寻求自我发展所面临的困境,即她们想成为拥有较高社会地位的消费者,但同时又被男人消费着。
论文结尾部分对中心思想做了概述,消费文化和消费意识形态在这部作品里表现得淋漓尽致,但文中的消费是一种炫耀式的消费,归根到底,是为了证明其社会地位和身份,以及这种地位所带来的声望和荣誉。
嘉莉最终沦为消费的牺牲品,强烈的消费欲望指引着她的人生方向,并且在某种程度上决定了其最终命运.
关键词:
消费文化;物质消费;情感消费;身体消费;意识形态;
AStudyoftheConsumerCultureinSisterCarrie
Abstract
Attheturnfromthel9thcenturytothe20thcentury,Americansocietywasundergoingaradicalsocialchange,turningintoaspendthriftandconsumptivecommercialsociety.TheodoreDreiser’sfirstnovel,SisterCarrie,actuallyreflectstheconsumptioncrazeprevalentinAmericaduringthiseraaswellastheresultantchangeofpeople’sideology.ThisthesistriestomakearesearchofthereflectionofconsumercultureinSisterCarrieanditsinfluenceforindividualaswellasthewholeAmericansociety.Theintroductorypartintroducesthebackgroundoftheauthor,TheodoreDreiser;abriefreviewoftheresearchachievementsonSisterCarrieandonconsumercultureathomeandabroad.Andthen,itfurtherillustratesthereasonandsignificanceforchoosingthistopic.
Thebodyofthethesisincludestwochapters.ChapterOneintroducesconsumerculture,followedbyareviewoftheemergenceofmodernconsumercultureinAmericaaswellasitsreflectionsinSisterCarrie.What’smore,howisconsumptiondesirestimulatedbytheneedsofsocietyatthattimeandthetragicresult--disillusionmentbroughtbyconsumption.ChapterTwodiscussestheTheFeaturesofMaterialConsumption,EmotionConsumptionandBodyConsumptioninSisterCarrie.Influencedbyconsumerculture,womenatthattimeareeagertobeaconsumerintheirownways,whichbreaksthetraditionalfemaleidentityas“motherandwife”asCarrie’ssisterMinnie.ItalsofocusesontherelationshipbetweenCarrieandDrouetandCarrieandMr.Hurstwood’s,andtherelationshipbetweenMr.HurstwoodandhisfamilyaswellastherelationshipbetweenCarrieandhersister’sfamilyunderthecontextofconsumerculturewhichfurtherexplainstheindifferenceandcrueltyofconsumerculturetoallkindsofrelationships,whilethesametimeexplainswomen’sdilemmaduringtheirpursuitofself-developmentinamale-dominatedconsumersociety—theywanttobeconsumerswithrelativelyhighsocialstatuswhereastheyareconsumedbymenatthesametime.TheConclusionpartsummarizesthemainidea.Consumercultureandconsumptionideologyarethoroughlyshowedinthisnovel.However,consumptioninthisnovelisactuallyakindofflamboyantconsumptiontoproveone’ssocialstatusandidentity,aswellasprestigeandhonorbroughtbystatus.Carrieultimatelybecomesavictimofconsumption.Herlifedirectionismainlydrawnbythestrongdesireofconsumption;andtosomeextent,thisdesiredecidesherultimatefate.
Keywords:
consumerculture;materialconsumption;emotionalconsumption;bodyconsumption;ideology
Acknowledgments
Myheartfeltgratitudeis,firstofall,deliveredtomysupervisorProfessorXuTingting,forherunselfishandincisiveguidanceandprofessionaladviceinmystudyforBachelorDegree,andforherelaboratereadingandcorrectingofmyearliermanuscriptaswellasherconstantencouragementandguidanceduringtheprocessofwritingthisthesis.Iamalsogreatlyindebtedtoallmyteachersfortheirvaluableteachingandguidanceduringthefouryears.Lastly,Iwouldliketothankallmyrelativesanddearfriendsfortheirsupportandencouragement.ToallthosementionedaboveandtoanyotherswhoImayhavefailedtomention,Iextendmysincerethanks.
Contents
中文摘要……………………………………………………………………………..i
Abstract……………………………………………………………………………….ii
Acknowledgments………………………………………………………………….....iv
Introduction…………………………………………………………………………...1
I.ABriefReviewofConsumerCultureinSisterCarrie…………………...….............3
A.IntroductiontoConsumerCulture…………………………………………...3
B.GeneralReflectionofConsumerCultureinSisterCarrie……………….4
1.GeneralreviewofConsumerCultureinSisterCarrie……………………...4
2.ConsumptionDesireStimulatedbytheNeedsofSocietyinSisterCarrie...5
3.DisillusionmentBroughtbyConsumption……………………….………...6
II.TheFeaturesofMaterialConsumption,EmotionConsumptionandBodyConsumptioninSisterCarrie……..….…….….……….....….……………....8
A.TheFeatureofMaterialConsumption…………………..………………….....9
B.TheFeatureofEmotionConsumption………………………………..……..10
C.TheFeatureofBodyConsumption…………………………..……...……….12
Conclusion……………………………………………………….………..……….....14
Notes……………………………………………………………………………….....15
Bibliography……………………………………………………………………….....16
AStudyoftheConsumerCultureinSisterCarrie
Introduction
RegardedasthepioneerofAmericanmodernnovelsaswellasthefirstgreatwriterinthetwentiethcenturyAmericanliteraryhistory,TheodoreDreiser(1871-1945)brokethroughtheafterwardsdominant“genteeltradition”andtooktheinitiativetodescribetheauthenticurbanlifeinAmerica.ManyofhiscontemporarywritersaswellashisfollowersinAmericanliteraryhistoryweregreatlyinfluencedbythistheme.
Dreiser’sfirstnovel,SisterCarrie,thestoryofacountrygirl’srisetomaterialsuccessfirstasthemistressoftwowealthymenandthenasacelebratedBroadwayactress,waspublishedonNovember8,1900byDoubleday,Page&Company.Whenfirstpublished,itsoldpoorlyandwasnotwidelypromotedlargelybecauseofmoralobjectionstothedepictionofacountrygirlwhopursuesherdreamsoffameandfortunethroughrelationshipstomenwithoutsufferinganyconsequencesanditwascriticizedasan‘‘immoralbook'’bymanyreviewers.In1981,anothereditionofSisterCarriewasissuedbyPennsylvaniaUniversityPress.ItendedwithMr.Hurstwood’ssuicideinsteadofCarrie’s‘‘rockingandthinking'’inherrockingchair.ThusatideofreviewandrevaluationofSisterCarrieispromotedagainbycriticshomeandabroad.SherwoodAndersonwroteinhisDreiserthat“ThefeetofDreiseraremakingapathforus”and“Theyaretrampingthroughthewildnessmakingapath.”1However,forhisopponents,Dreiserwasmoreanagentofregressionthanapathfinderbecauseofhisdepictionofthetriumphofman’s‘‘animal’’natureoverhiscapacityforreasonandmoralchoice.ForexampleStuartP.ShermancondemnedDreiserinhisfamousessayTheNaturalismofMr.DreiserthatDreiserhaderadicated“distinctivelyhumanvalues"’andhadmade“animalinstinctsthesupremefactorinhumanlife".2Sincethemiddle1980s,AmericancriticshaveattemptedtoopennewareasbylayingimportancetotherelationshipofDreiser’sthoughtandworktolarge-scalesocialandculturalissueswhicharosefromanurbansocietyandconsumereconomy.Forexample,inJustLooking:
ConsumerCultureinDreiser,GissingandZola,RachelBowlbyhasmadeadetailedresearchofthedepartmentstoreinSisterCarrieasamicrocosmoftheurbanconsumerculturedevouringsisterCarrieinChicago.
DomesticstudyconcerningDreiserandhisworksstartedfromthe1930s.From1930son,aseriesofDreiser’sworkshavebeentranslatedintoChinese,attractinggreatattentionamongChinesereaders.Butthecriticismofhisworksstartedfrom1978.ResearchershavebeguntoexploreDreiser’smainnovelsfromvariousperspectiveslikenaturalism,feminism,FreudianPsychologyaswellasrealism,makingthestudyonDreiserandhisworkspopular.Inrecentyears,JiangDaochaohasopenedanewareabystudyingDreiser’sworksfromanewperspective--theconsumerculture.Sincethen,therehaveappearedmanyworksabouttheconsumercultureinDreiser’snovels,andtheymainlyfocusontheinfluenceofconsumercultureonDreiser’swritingwhereastheimportantroleofconsumercultureinwomen’sidentityconstructionandtheirsocialstatus.Beforethe1980s,feministscholarsstronglycriticizedconsumerculture,andtheythoughtthatwomenarethevictimsofthemale-dominatedconsumersocietyduringtheprocessoftheirconsumptionandareconsumedbymen.
Thebodyofthisthesiscontainstwochapters.Inchapterone,theauthorintroducestheconceptofconsumercultureanditsreflectionandinfluenceinSisterCarrieandAmericansociety.Chaptertwodiscussesspecificreflectionincludingmaterialconsumption,emotionconsumptionandbodyconsumptionandtheirrespectivefeaturesinSisterCarrie.BothofthetwochaptersaimtorevealthefinaltragedytoCarrie,thatis,sheultimatelybecomesavictimofconsumption.
I.ABriefReviewofConsumerCultureinSisterCarrie
A.IntroductiontoConsumerCulture
Generallyspeaking,consumercultureis“asocialarrangementinwhichthebuyingandsellingofgoodsandservicesisnotonlyapredominantactivityofeverydaylifebutalsoanimportantarbiterofsocialorganization,significanceandmeaning.”3Untilnow,consumerculturehasbeenappliedtoavarietyoffields,includingculturalstudies,theology,sociology,psychology,marketing,anthropology,philosophy,etc.Asaresult,notonlyscholarsindifferentfieldsbutalsothosewhoarespecializedinthesamefieldtendtodefineconsumercultureindifferentways.Thusconsumerculturetheoryhasbecomea