美国文学论文格式.docx

美国文学论文格式.docx

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美国文学论文格式

本科生期末论文设计范文

（2011届）

题目：

19世纪美国男权社会下女性的成长——解读《觉醒》中艾德娜的觉醒过程和原因

学院：

外国语学院

专业：

英语

学生姓名：

廖晓珍学号：

06240108

指导教师：

江玉娇职称：

教授

合作导师：

职称：

完成时间：

2010年4月

成绩：

浙江师范大学本科毕业设计（论文）正文

目录

Abstract.1

摘要1

1.Introduction2

2.TheprocessofEdna’sawakening3

2.1Thesubject-unawareness3

2.2Thesubject-awareness4

2.2.1Sexualawakening4

2.2.2Spiritualawakening5

3.ThereasonsofEdna’sawakening6

3.1Socialbackdrop6

3.2Edna’ssocialcircles7

3.3Edna’scharacters8

4.Conclusion9

WorksCited10

FemaleGrowthintheMale-CenteredWorldin19thCenturyAmerica—AnalysisofEdna’sAwakeningProcessandReasonsinTheAwakening

LiaoXiaozhen

Abstract:

KateChopinisoneofthefewwomenwriterswhobravelyattackthemale-centeredsocietyofnineteenthcenturyAmerica.TheprotagonistEdna,depictedinhermasterpieceTheAwakening,goesthroughahardshipfromsubject-unawarenesstosubject-awarenessinprotestagainstthesocialconstraintsenforcedonnineteenthcenturywomen.Edna’sgrowthdoesnotcomefromthinair.Thispaperalsoexploresthereasonsbehindtheawakeningprocessfromthreeperspectives,namelyhercharacter,hersurroundings,andsocialbackdrop.

Keywords:

growth,awakening,process,reason

19世纪美国男权社会下女性的成长

——解读《觉醒》中埃德娜的觉醒过程和原因

廖晓珍

摘要：

凯特·肖邦是勇于对十九世纪男权社会进行大胆批评的少数女作家之一。

其巅峰之作《觉醒》的女主人公艾德娜,希望摆脱十九世纪社会强加给女性的种种枷锁，经历了从主体无意识到主体有意识的艰苦历程。

艾德娜的成长过程并非空穴来风。

本文同时也从艾德娜的性格因素，社会的宏观因素和生活环境的微观因素探讨了女主人公觉醒过程的三个原因。

关键词：

成长；觉醒；过程；原因

FemaleGrowthintheMale-CenteredWorldin19thCenturyAmerica—AnalysisofEdna’sAwakeningProcessandReasonsinTheAwakening

FLC2006（05）（English）LiaoXiaozhen

Tutor:

JiangYujiao

1.Introduction

KateChopinwasanAmericanauthorofnovelsandshortstoriesinthe19thcentury,bestknownforhercharmingLouisianastories.Todaysheiswell-knownintheliteraryworldforheruniqueandunmatchedvoicesshecreatedinherworksasearlyasthelatenineteenthcentury,whichgaveanimportantviewoffemaleroleinsocietyandpavedwayforthelaterfeministmovement.Sosheisnowconsideredtobeaforerunneroffeministauthorsofthe20thcentury.Manyofherworkscometosubjectssuchasdivorce,affairs,andhomosexualitywhichusuallydrawlotsofcriticsfromtheliteraryworld.Chopin’smajorworksincludetwonovels:

AtFault（1890）andTheAwakening（1899）,andtwocollectionsofshortstories:

BayouFolk（1894）andANightinAcadie（1897）.Ofthese,TheAwakeningisregardedasthemostinfluentialandwidelyreadmasterpieceofKateChopin.

TheAwakeningwaspublishedin1899,laterdescribedas“asensuouswomanwhofollowsherinclinations”（AnthologyofAmericanLiterature,volⅡ[AALⅡ],224）.ItisChopin’smasterpiece,butitsthemeofinfidelityandthepassionsofitsheroinebroughtcondemnation.TheAwakeningwasjudged“toostrongdrinkformoralbabes”thatitwasbanishedfromsightandfromprintfordecadesafterward（AALⅡ224）,anditsauthorandherreputationwerecarriedintoanoblivion.AsWendyMartinmentionedinhisbook,NewEssaysonTheAwakening,“thereviewersintheperiodimmediatelyfollowingpublicationofthenovelcondemnedChopin’sprotagonistasweak,selfish,andimmoral”（7）.FrancesPorcherannouncedintheMay4,1899,issueoftheMirrorthatEdnahas“awakenedtoknowtheshifting,treacherous,fickledeepsofherownsoulinwhichlies,alertandstrongandcruel,thefiendcalledPassion,thatisallanimalandallofearth,earthy”（7）.AreviewerinPublicOpinionannounced“weareallsatisfiedwhenMrs.Pontellierdeliberatelyswimsouttoherdeathinthewatersofthegulf.”AnotherreviewthatappearedatthesametimeinLiteraturedescribesthenovelasan“essentiallyvulgar”story.TherevieweroftheProvidenceSundayJournalannounced,“MissKateChopinisanothercleverwoman,butshehasputherclevernesstoaverybaduseinwritingTheAwakening.Thepurportofthestorycanhardlybedescribedinalanguagefitforpublication”（7）.ManycriticshavefeltthatEdnaPontellierwasnomorethan“aCreoleBovary—aNewWorldrevisionofGustaveFlaubert’sfoolishlysentimentalMadameBovary—TheAwakeningseemstoelaborateashadowystoryaboutfemaleeroticfreedomandevenaboutfeministemotionalindependence”（GilbertandGubar993）.Inaword,TheAwakeningwasdubbedmorbid,essentiallyvulgarandunhealthy.

Withtheemergingoffeministmovementinthelate-20thcentury,theimportanceofthenovelwasrecovered,sodidChopin’sreputationasoneofthefeministforerunners.KennethEble,LarzarZiff,PerSeyersted,andLewisLearyallobservedthatTheAwakeningisnoteworthyforitsunusualcandoraboutfemalesexuality（Wendy13）.Awiderangeofstudiesareconductedonthenovelfromdiversifiedperspectivessuchaspsychoanalysis,feminism,modernism,andstructuralism.YetthoughTheAwakeningisnowwidelyreadandadmired,thecriticalissuesdiscussedforthebookarestillconfined.MarilynneRobinsonmentioned:

“FormostcriticstheissuesstillseemtobewhetherEdnaPontellierisjustifiedinwithdrawingfromhermarriageandherplaceinsociety,andwhetherhersuicideshouldbereadasfailure,tragedy,ortriumph”（Chopin7）.Toexplorealienationandself-destructivenessisnottosetaboutmakingconvertstothem.Thereisplentyofbothintheworld,andineveryindividualexperience,torewardawriter’sattentiontothem,however.TheappropriatequestiontoaskaboutEdnaPontellierisnotwhetherherbehaviorisjustified,butwhatisrevealedinit（Chopin8）.

Sowhatdoherbehaviorsrevealtous?

Howdoessheawakentoself-realizationandautonomy?

Whatmotivateshertotakethosesteps?

Toanswerthosequestions,letusfirsthaveabetterunderstandingofthesecondquestion:

what’stheprocessofEdnaPontellier’sawakening.

2.TheprocessofEdna’sawakening

Basedonwomen’sobject-awarenessmentionedinpsychoanalyticfeminism（Madsen94-119）,theprocessofEdna’sawakeningcanbedividedintotwomainparts:

oneissubject-unawareness;theotherissubject-awareness.Tobeclear,thesubject-unawarenessisgoingtodealwiththeheroine’sunawarenessasanindependentandfreeindividual,whilethesubject-awarenesswillelaborateontheprocesstobeafreeindividualwiththreeparts,namelybiologicalawakening,spiritualawakening,andtheultimateawakening.

2.1Thesubject-unawareness

TheAwakeningbeginsatGrandIsle,afashionablesummerholidayresortofwealthyCreolesfromNewOrleans.TheprotagonistEdnaPontellierandherfamilysettleinabigmansionnearthesea.Ednais,atthebeginning,atraditionalbourgeoishousewife,assumingaconventionalroleasawifeandamother.Herhusbandisasuccessfulbusinessman,whoprovidesherwithacomfortablehomeandadecentlife.Atthebeginningofthestory,“agreenandyellowparrot,whichhunginacageoutsidethedoor,keepsrepeatingoverandover”（Chopin1）.ItindicatesEdnaPontellier’sconfinedlife.Thoughshehasthisseeminggoodlife,sheisallthetimesubordinatedtoherhusband,withnopersonalfreedomatall.Inspiteofthis,sheissatisfiedwiththelife,andthoughherhusbandlooksather“asonelooksatavaluablepieceofpersonalproperty”（Chopin3）,shetakesitwithease.ItistruethatEdnaislivinganadmiringlifewitheverythingathand,buthersocialcircleissoconfined,andsadlysheneverperceivesthefactthatshehasnoself-valueandneverlivesasacompleteindividual.

Asotherwomen,confinedinsocialexpectationofpurity,piety,submissiveness,andcompassioninwomanhood,theprotagonistEdnaisalsotryingtobeagoodwife.InChapterⅴ,thereisascenewhereRobertispraisingEdna’spainting,andduringhisobliviousattention,helayshisheaduponherarm,butsherepulseshimgently.Withhissecondoffense,sherepulsesitfirmly,thinkingthereisnoreasonthatsheshouldsubmittoit（Chopin15）.ThesocialclaimsforwomeninVictoriantimeprisontheirsexualdesiresinmarriage.Sexualfreedom,whichisacceptableinmaleworld,yet,withouttherecognitionofthesocialmorals,becomesanunforgivablesinforwomen（Simone160）.

ThereisanotherperceivablefactorexplainingEdna’seffortstobeagoodwife—AdèleRatignolle,anembodimentofeverywomanlygraceandcharm.Sheisoneofthewomenwho“idolizetheirchildren,worshiptheirhusbandsandesteemitaholyprivilegetoeffacethemselvesasindividualsandgrowwingsasministeringangles”（Chopin10）.Sheprepareswinteroutfitsforherkidsinearlysummertimeandplayspianoonlytoentertainthem.Noneofwhatshedoesisforherself.Ofcourse,hergreatsacrificeisalsoheavilyrewarded.Adèleisadmiredbyallheracquaintances,soisEdna.InfluencedbyAdèle,Ednaisalsostrugglingtobeagoodwife,remainingself-unaware.

2.2Thesubject-awareness

Asthestorygoes,theprotagonistEdnagraduallycomestosubject-awareness,fromphysicaltospiritual.Thoughintheendshechoosesdeath,shegetsherrealfreedominotherworld.Forher,itisstillavictoryinthemale-centeredsociety.

2.2.1Sexualawakening

ThoughEdnaiscarefulabouthertraditionalmotherandwiferole,herlittlerestlessnesshascometodisturbherfromthebeginning.InchapterⅤ,whenRobertisaskingEdnatogoswimming,Ednahesitates,answering“no”with“atoneofindecision”（Chopin16）.AsRobertinsists,Ednagoeswithhim.Swimminginthesea,sheisbewildered,notknowingwhyshedidn’tdeclineitinthefirstplace.Infact,thedesireforsexualfreedomisemergingfromherheart.She“wasbeginningtorealizeherpositionintheuniverseasahumanbeing”（Chopin17）.“Thevoiceoftheseaspeakstothesoul.Thetouchoftheseaissensuous,enfoldingthebodyinits