巴比特解构主义解析.docx

巴比特解构主义解析.docx

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巴比特解构主义解析

GRADUATIONPAPER

FORBACHELORDEGREE

HARBINNORMALUNIVERSITY

TITLE:

OnDeconstructionInclinationinBabbitt

STUDENT:

TUTOR:

ZHANGChun-ling（AssociatedProf.）

GRADE:

Grade2008

MAJOR:

EnglishEducation

DEPARTMENT:

EnglishEducationDepartment

COLLEGE:

FacultyofWesternLanguages

andLiteratures

May,2012

HARBINNORMALUNIVERSITY

OnDeconstructionInclinationinBabbitt

YAOBei-bei

Abstract:

SinclairLewis（1885-1951）isoneofthegreatestAmericanwritersinAmericanliterature,andthemostbrilliantpioneerwhoinitiatesanewandspecialeraofliteraturewhenAmericacomestomaturity.Ineveryofhisworks,thereisaspeciallysatiricalobjectsuchasthesocietyofAmericansmalltownsinMainStreet,thecommercialcircleinBabbitt,thescientificcircleinArrowsmith,andthereligiouscircleinElmerGantry,etc.Heassimilatesnutrimentandaccumulatesalargequantityofmaterialsfromhislong-termjournalisticcareer.Thosesatirizedinhisnovelsareuniquefortheabundanceofthedetaileddepictionofsomepervasivestandardizations,principlesandvalues,tosomeextentexaggerated,thespeechandthebehaviorsofAmerica'smiddleclassin1920salongwiththementalattitudeoftheerafindsexpressioninhiswriting.

Babbitt（1922）beingconsideredasthepeakofhisliterarycreation,itisnotdeniablethatIxwis'sseemingsuccessinidentifyingandportrayingemotions,challenges,andconcernsremainsrelativelyvisibleovertime,withwhichmodernreaders-especiallywhite-collarworkersandprofessionals,housewivesleftinthedust,andmiddle-agedrepresentativesofAmericanmiddleclass-seemtoeasilyidentifythemselves.Themaincharacter，George.F.BabbittinBabbitthasbecomeaprototypethatfeelshefindsmercyatthehandofthesecommandmentsofbusinessmoralsandthereforelivesincompleteharmonywithbothhimselfandsociety,butthingsarealwaystheotherwayround.Alltheabove-mentionedfactorsarederivedfromLewis'sunderstandingoftheviolenceofZenithandtheawarenessoftheappallingcruelty,emptinessandhypocrisyinthedeepheartsofmostwell-fedAmericanswhoaredistortedandalienatedbythehumancivilizationshapedbysophisticatedindustry.WhatSinclairLewiswantstobasehissatireonistheunreasonablenessofinstitutionswhichhasdeterminedallrepresentativesoffalseideas.ItisBabbitt'sprogressivespiritandtheenchantmentofoptimismthatendowshimthechancetopsychologicallyandspirituallyescapefromthedominationofZenithandtofindhimselfrefreshedinnature,inotherwords,seekingforhopesintheformerlyrestrainedmargin.

Thepapermakesacomprehensiveanalysisofthespiritofthetime,theproblemofthesocietyandthepossibilitytomediatetheconflictsontopoflogocentrismandtofindrelieffortheconsequentiallyspiritualagonies.Asasignificantphilosophythatcantraceitsrootsin1920sexploringtheanti-rationalism,eitherexistentialismordeconstructionhasbecometheapproachtothethemeofthearticle.Althoughexistentialismdoesnotdirectlyprovidethewaystoreconciletonsofcontradictionsandconflicts,itdoesattachgreatimportancetothesignificanceofindividualsasself-existencewhichhasbeenproventobeabsurdduetosuchastandardizedsociety.Furthermore,existentialismemitssomedeconstructioncharacteristicssuchasthereversionofessenceoverexistenceandcollectivismoverindividualism,etc.BydepictingBabbitt'sself-existenceasabsurdityandpinpointingtheabsolutefreedomthatshedsagleamofhopetoBabbitt'stragiclife,theoriginofBabbitt'sspiritualagoniesexposesitself-一.thelogocentrismthathasbeenpermeatinginwesterntraditionalmetaphysics.Therefore,SinclairLewisstartstoturntothephilosophicalstrategysimilartodeconstructioninordertosubvertaseriesofhierarchies,toshowageneralsupplementordisplacementsystemandtoprovetheoriginaspresencetobeabsence,traceanddifference.AgreatwriterwhohaskeenlysensedtheinstabilitiesoftheAmericansocietyin1920s,SinclairLewismakesgooduseofthemethodssimilartothoseofexistentialismandDerrida'sdeconstruction,whichrendershisnovel,Babbitt,agreatliterarywork.Babbittcanbecomparedtoabookofprophecywhichpredictsthechangesofpeople'smodeofthinkingandthoughts,thecourseofwesternphilosophyandpeople'saspirationtoanon-hierarchicalandpluralisticworldoverwhichthereisnoabsoluteauthority.

Theintroductionbriefsthelifeexperienceoftheauthor,SinclairLewis,the

circumstancesofhiscreationofBabbittandhisliteraryworks.Oneofhismasterpieces,Babbitt,isgivenpriority.Thestyleofhisworks,thestatusinquoofresearchonthenovelhomeandabroadandthepracticalsignificanceofthearticlearealsopresented.Fromtheperspectiveofdeconstructioninthehopeofdrawingpeople'sattentiontocurrentlogocentrismofthemodernworld,Babbittobtainsitspracticalsignificance:

deconstructinglogocentrisminordertoachieveaharmoniousandpluralisticworldandsociety.

Themainbodyincludesfourchapters:

ChapterI，madeofthreeparts,expandsthethemeofthenovelinthelightof

Derrida'sdeconstructiontheory.Thefirstpartisabriefintroductionoftherelationshipsamonglogocentrism,westernmetaphysicsandarche.ThesecondpartpresentsareviewofDerrida'sdeconstructionofwesternmetaphysics-"arche","difference"and"trace",whichisusedtoserveasthebasictheoreticalapproachestothestudyofBabbitt.Deconstructionprovidespeoplewiththestrategytothinkabouttheworldastraceordifferenceandstrengthenegalitarianandnon-hierarchicalinclination.ThethirdpartpresentsbrieflyhowthedeconstructiontheoryisusedinBabbitt.

ChapterIIconsistsofsixparts,presentingdeconstructioninclinationinBabbitt

fromtheangleofexistentialismthatcanberegardedastheproductofsubvertingthe

basicelementsinrationalism.Thefirstpartisabriefintroductionofthedeconstructioninclinationinexistentialismintermsof"Iam,thereforeIthink"or"ExistencePrecedesEssence".ThesecondpartanalyzesindividualismovercollectivisminBabbitt,whichcanbeseenasarepresentationofdeconstruction.ThethirdpartanalyzesthesourceofBabbitt'spsychologicalandspiritualdiscomforts,anguishandagoniesduetoconstantlylosingindividualisminordertogainmorematerialbenefitsinthenovelbasedontheideaof"ExistencePrecedesEssence".Thefourthpartmakescleartheabsurdsituationthecharactersarelivingin.Humanbeingssearchtheirmeaningofexistenceinanabsurdworldandsociety.Thefifthpartinitiallyanalyzeshowtoavoidthetragiclifeintheabsurdworld,inotherwords,choosingtheroadnottaken.Thesixthpartprovestheimportanceof"absolutefreedom"whichcanbeseenasthemotivepowerofdeconstruction.BeingfreetomakechoicesformsBabbitt'sessenceandmakeshimrealizetheabsoluteresponsibilitiesbehind"absolutefreedom".

ChapterIIIconsistsofthreeparts,concretelydeconstructingthreeaspects:

the

deconstructionofBabbitt'sself-consciousnessfrompresencetoabsence;thedeconstructionoftheinterpersonalrelationshipbasedoncommercialtotemismbetweenBabbittandothers;andthedeconstructionofZenithasarcheorthetimesand

circumstanceinwhichBabbittislivingbasedonsubvertingthebinaryoppositionoftheaspirationofsocialgroupovertheindividuals'desires.

ChapterIIandChapterIIIareusedtoputforwardthequestionofhowtosurviveintheabsurdworldwhichisfloodedwithvariousrepresentationsoftheviolentarcheandtoanalyzethesameprobleminthelightofDerrida'sdeconstructionrespectively.

ThereforeChapterNisusedtosolvetheproblembyturningtothehelpofBabbitt'sThoreauvianexperienceinMainewoods.ChapterNfocusesonthedeconstructionofhumancivilizationbasedonsophisticatedindustry,whichinvolvesthreeparts.Thefirstpartisabout'Thoreau'sinfluenceonSinclairIxwis'slifeandworks.ThesecondpartisaboutBabbitt'ssentimentalattachmenttotobacco,whichcanbeusedasabridgetolinkBabbittandthesupernaturalpowerinnature,thusdeconstructinghumancivilizationovernatureinthespirituallevel.ThelastpartisassociatedwithBabbitt'sconcreteactionstoMainewoods,thusprovingthedesireofshakingoffthefettersofarcheandpursuingthevastnetworkofhumancivilizationandnatureorastateof"Heaven-and-ManOneness".

Conclusionsummarizesthewholethesis,reiteratesthedeconstructioninclinationinBabbittandaffirmsthegreatimportanceofdeconstructinglogocentrisminmodern

society.Globalizationhasbecomeapervadingtendencyinmodernsociety,however,

readingLewis'sBabbittfromthedeconstructionperspectivemakesusrealizethat

economicprosperitycannotsolvealltheproblemseithermateriallyorspirituallywearefacingtoday.Itisthemutuallybeneficialco-operation,multilateralismandtheinclusivespiritadvocatedbyDerrida'sdeconstructionthatcanhelpusbuildaharmoniousworldandsocietyinwhichweindividualscanstriveforourharmoniousintegrationofmaterialprosperityandspiritualsoundnessintheprocessofglobalization.

KeyWords:

Deconstruction;Difference;Babbitt;Zenith

1.TheOriginandMainTheoryofDeconstructionandtheDerrideanDeconstructioninclinationinBabbitt

1.1Logocentrism，WesternMetaphysicsandArche

Logocentrismisakindofexplanationwithpostmodernismcharacteristicswith

regardtowesterntraditionalmetaphysics.LogocentrismderivedfromGreek"logos"thatisoftenunderstoodas"reason"or"spirit"or"word"istheoriginofeverything.

Logoc