荆棘鸟 论文Word文档格式.docx

1、 讲师 学生姓名： 学号： 专 业： 旅游英语 院（系）： 外语系 答辩日期： 2013年4月24日 2013年 4日 13日编号 郑州华信学院2013届毕业论文题 目Female Consciousness in The Thorn Bird学生姓名学 号系 部外语系专 业旅游英语班 级旅游英语班指导教师孙丽娟二零一三年四月AcknowledgementI would like to express my gratitude to all those who helped me during the writing of this thesis.First and foremost, I w

2、ould like to show my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Sun Lijuan, a respectable, responsible and resourceful teacher, who has provided me with valuable guidance in every stage of the writing of this thesis. Without her enlightening instruction, impressive kindness and patience, I could not have c

3、ompleted my thesis. Her keen and vigorous academic observation enlightens me not only in this thesis but also in my future study. I shall extend my thanks to my supervisor for all her kindness and help. I would also like to thank all my teachers who have helped me.My sincere thanks should also go to

4、 all my teachers for their scholarly advice and generous help during my study in Foreign Language Department. Any progress that I have made is the result of their profound concern and selfless devotion.Last my thanks would go to my beloved family for their loving considerations and great confidence

5、in me all through these years. I also owe my sincere gratitude to my friends and my fellow classmates who gave me their help and time in listening to me and helping me work out my problems during the difficult course of the thesis. 摘要考琳麦卡罗是当代澳大利亚一位多才多艺的女作家。她著名的家世小说荆棘鸟在1977年问世后，引起了极大的轰动。本文以女性研究为基础，首先

6、阐述了女性意识的基本涵义。接着作者力图从社会背景与时代女性的关系这个层面上研究探索该书三代女性的女性意识。最后，作者阐明了女性意识的社会意义，指出女性意识的内容并非是固定的，它是不断变化发展的，是时代发展的一面镜子。关键词：女性意识；荆棘鸟；考琳麦卡洛Abstract Colleen McCullough is a versatile contemporary Australia woman writer. Her famous family saga The Thorn Bird caused tremendous sensation after publication in 1977. O

7、n the basis of womens studies. This thesis first elaborates the basic connotations of the female consciousness. And then studies and investigates the females of three generations from a level related to social background and female consciousness of that time. In the end, the author clarifies the soc

8、ial significance of the female consciousness pointing out that the contents of female consciousness are not irrevocable and that they change and develop continuously as a developing mirror of the times. Key words: female consciousness; The Thorn Birds; Colleen McCullough Contents 1.The Background of

9、 Colleen McCullough and her The Thorn Bird1.1The background of Colleen McCulloughMs Colleen McCullough is a famous writer who did a very good job on psychological creation. As a female writer, she knows the feelings and the psychology activities of women very well. From the late 1960s to the 1980s,

10、there was a vibrant womens movement in the western countries. The movement brought about major changes in most womens lives as well as in everyday life in the United States in which the author of the book, Colleen McCullough, has lived for quite a long time. Feminist ideas are part of the intellectu

11、al climate. Influenced by her living background and the ideological revolution of her time, Colleen McCullough nurtures her feminist consciousness. She suggests that a harsh suppression usually brings out a strong flame of rebel. Her feminist outlook finds full expression in the rebellious thoughts

12、and actions of the female characters in The Thorn Bird, each possessing a stronger rebellious spirit against the patriarchal society. Furthermore, the lives and attitudes of the female characters of the three generations in the book represent three different stages of the feminist movement. Therefor

13、e, while portraying her protagonists, the author hints at the evolution of womens psyche in the stream of feminist movement.1.2.The background of The Thorn BirdThe Thorn Bird, with its intricate plot, vivid character depiction and thoughtful theme, claims to be a fascinating novel. Since its publica

14、tion, it has set records for sales and popularity. Published in 1977, over a half million hardback copies of the book had been sold in 1979. After it was translated into several other languages, it gained even more widespread popularity, particularly among female readers, and was crowned as “the Aus

15、tralian Answer to Gone with the Wind” by The Guardian. The novel won its overwhelming popularity not only because of its fine style of writing, but also its thought-provoking theme and ambiguous connotations, which have been interpreted from different perspectives.An examination of the content of th

16、is book, therefore, is highly likely to reveal the connotation hidden in the novel which triggers the female readers common feelings. Studies about this book in the past mainly concerned with a comparative study, with an emphasis on its theme. Most theses related to this novel explore the religious

17、background, the conflicts between human nature and superhuman strength, the love and fate, and in most cases, an appreciation of the fine qualities of the characters. The novel is frequently compared with the Scarlet Letter and Notre Dome de Paris in terms of religion as well as with The History of

18、Soul in terms of belief and fate. However, male chauvinism rooted in female characters minds through mental evolution of three female characters, which leads to their affliction, has seldom been explored in this novel.2.Correct Understanding of Female ConsciousnessOn female consciousness, we need to

19、 clarify two views: First, female consciousness is not a sexual antithesis between men and women, or not the denial of the female individual difference in society. Second，it is also not a trend that absolutely objects to patriarchy culture, in order to acquire with similar position, right to the mal

20、e，and to show off its own consciousness. Female Consciousness，self- evident as it is, is a consciousness compared to males, under the premise of females independent consciousness, with its self-examination for foundation to investigate the male- centered main stream culture, therefore realizes the f

21、emale-oriented marginal culture, A perfect female consciousness should be a unity combined gender consciousness with what we call a human beings consciousness, is a kind of female culture in which the females human nature can develop fully and healthily.Being half of social members, the female shoul

22、dnt negatively adapt themselves to the surroundings and society, or compromise and sacrifice themselves for the male, they should learn to keep their own dignity and rights, therefore master their own life. Facing various challenges in life and society, they should learn to cope with them independen

23、tly, saying farewell to the weakness in emotion, helplessness in mental state, and clearing up various fetters that suppress them. Both of the female and male need to get along in harmony and to respect each other mutually, giving enough space to the other party, rather than sacrificing the other pa

24、rty as the premise for their own development.3.The Legend of The Thorn BirdThere is a legend about a bird, which sings just once in its life, more sweetly than any other creature on the earth. “From the moment it leaves the nest it searches for a thorn tree, and does not rest until it has found one.

25、 Then singing among the savage branches, it impales itself upon the longest, sharpest spine. And, dying, it rises above its own agony to out-carol the lark and the nightingale. One superlative song, existence the price. But the whole world stills to listen and God in His heaven smiles. For the best

26、is only bought at the cost of great pain. “ 4.The Reflection of Female Consciousness in The Thorn Bird In the previous part, the author has mainly explored some related terms to the motif, female consciousness, as well as sources of its emerging. We can see that, one s gender consciousness and the g

27、ender behavior arent shaped from ones birth, but gradually forged in social cultural environment. Womens destiny is not dominated by the physiological factors; the gender role in the following part, the author will elaborate in a variety of examples reflected in McCulloughs The Thorn Bird. Seen from

28、 the main characters of the three different generations, we could see that the female images mostly had deviated from the traditional moral standards and customs. They not only resisted the position stipulated to the traditional women in spirit, and, their bravery and pursuit to love also exceeded t

29、he individuality suppressed by the destiny. The three female characters had surpassed the female image worshiped by traditional patriarchy culture, re-defined the contents of female gender roles, and fully embodied a course from losing oneself, looking for oneself, to discovering oneself .McCullough

30、 poses such questions as females restrictions by the marriage and family, their fetters by the traditional ideas and the moral concepts, their ties by the conducts and actions as well as their courage out of the immigrant nation, therefore presents a vivid picture of the female consciousness in the

31、modern world. 4.1. The gist of the storyThe Thorn Bird tells the story of the Cleary family in three generations from 1915 to 1969. Maggie is the central character, and the story opens in New Zealand with the whole familys struggle to survive on the farm. Her mother, Fee, is overworked and ignores h

32、er, and her father Paddy is always busily working for supporting the family. The brothers work hard on the farm to make a living. Then the whole family gets a new chance to move to Drogheda, a large farm in New South Wales in Australia where the father Paddys sister Mary lives. Mary, who is the richest person in that area, hires them to take care of her estate. Ralph, the main male character of the story, a handsome, ambitious priest stuck in the o