The present thesis takes Joseph Conrad＇s best-known novel, Lord Jim as a text of analysis to explore its themes that are the ambiguous nature of good and evil, the importance and fragility of ideals, the isolation of...The present thesis takes Joseph Conrad＇s best-known novel, Lord Jim as a text of analysis to explore its themes that are the ambiguous nature of good and evil, the importance and fragility of ideals, the isolation of the individual, and the threat of disaster and failure that looms behind the calm surface of every day. It focuses on the psychological process of the protagonist, Jim, by employing Freud＇s psychoanalysis to solve the puzzle surrounding Jim.展开更多
As a genre that expressed women＇s dark protests, fantasies and the fear, female Gothic was not theorized until the late 1960s, and before its theorization, this convention was adopted by many women writers in their w...As a genre that expressed women＇s dark protests, fantasies and the fear, female Gothic was not theorized until the late 1960s, and before its theorization, this convention was adopted by many women writers in their works. Charlotte Perkins Gilman＇s The yellow wallpaper is one of the many examples. As the epitome of female gothic, The yellow wallpaper utilized the female gothic conventions--the grotesque symbol of yellow wallpaper, the hysteric narrative format and the archetype image of madwoman, to express women＇s status of her time--their repression, rebellion and quest for the ＂true self＂.展开更多
My paper analyzes the issue of the alternation between two complementary concepts which can be analyzed in the novel The Heart Song of Charging Elk： imprisonment and freedom. In order to achieve this goal, I have use...My paper analyzes the issue of the alternation between two complementary concepts which can be analyzed in the novel The Heart Song of Charging Elk： imprisonment and freedom. In order to achieve this goal, I have used several critical theories of authors such as： Michel Foucault, Carl Jung, and Pierre Bourdieu. The analysis is concerned with exploring the alternation between the themes of freedom and imprisonment and the way in which these issues influence the evolution of the main character. I argue that the two themes are in a relation of interdependency and they can be interpreted as opposites from a rational point of view. The rational point of view, although valuable, is, however, incomplete without the exploration of the emotional and subjective factor. This factor can account for the ＂unreasonable＂ events from a broader perspective： that of the imagination. As Michel Foucault argues, power exists only in action. Power is also a rather elusive concept. In the same way, the perception of reality can be represented more accurately from a subjective point of view. More exactly, reality is constructed with every thought, emotion, and action of the individual. To sum up, I argue that, from a sociological point of view, the main character is striving to assimilate his personality in a new and hostile cultural environment. On the other hand, from a psychological point of view, he is confronting his inner shadow, as Carl Jung defines the hidden part of the personality. This has a result of the emergence of a genuine sense of self. As the critic Pierre Bourdieu argues, there are a set of common characteristics of taste which define the social belonging of an individual. In the analyzed novel the character manages to adapt to the new situation and to overcome the obstacles that he finds on his way.展开更多
Approaching from the perspective of feminist criticism, this paper compares the female protagonists in Shakespeare＇s well-known tragedy Hamlet and Gilman＇s short story ＂The Yellow Wallpaper＂. While the first perso...Approaching from the perspective of feminist criticism, this paper compares the female protagonists in Shakespeare＇s well-known tragedy Hamlet and Gilman＇s short story ＂The Yellow Wallpaper＂. While the first person narrator in ＂The Yellow Wallpaper＂ is a modem signifier of the archetypal Ophelia as the sacrificial lamb of the patriarchal oppression, the two differ in their manifestations of madness, which could be accounted for by their respective historical and social environment with women＇s awakening consciousness of self-identity展开更多
This paper examines how the socio-cultural contexts have affected readers＇ responses to particular Saudi novels. It draws on Fish＇s concept of ＂interpretive communities＂, which argues that interpretation is an ins...This paper examines how the socio-cultural contexts have affected readers＇ responses to particular Saudi novels. It draws on Fish＇s concept of ＂interpretive communities＂, which argues that interpretation is an institutional practice, and that consequently readers hold shared prior assumptions that constrain their interpretive strategies （Fish 1980）. Not surprisingly then, some responses to Saudi authors are based on the ideological belief that their novels consist of acts of rebellion against a conservative culture. A close reading of the conflict between Saudi novelists and the social responses to their works can reflect how cultural and social contexts shape the reception of contemporary Saudi novels, and can also help to construct public attitudes toward these texts. Saudi novelists have faced a number of social constraints and factors which have affected the development of the novel in Saudi Arabia. For example, works by al-Gosaibi, Munif, Khal, al-Hamad, al-Mohaimeed, Alsanea, and al-luhani have all been banned because they were seen to pose a major threat to the dominant, patriarchal Saudi ideology. While the social controversy around these writers was raging, some other writers applied self-censorship to avoid touching upon what were perceived to be the most sensitive issues.展开更多
文摘The present thesis takes Joseph Conrad＇s best-known novel, Lord Jim as a text of analysis to explore its themes that are the ambiguous nature of good and evil, the importance and fragility of ideals, the isolation of the individual, and the threat of disaster and failure that looms behind the calm surface of every day. It focuses on the psychological process of the protagonist, Jim, by employing Freud＇s psychoanalysis to solve the puzzle surrounding Jim.
文摘As a genre that expressed women＇s dark protests, fantasies and the fear, female Gothic was not theorized until the late 1960s, and before its theorization, this convention was adopted by many women writers in their works. Charlotte Perkins Gilman＇s The yellow wallpaper is one of the many examples. As the epitome of female gothic, The yellow wallpaper utilized the female gothic conventions--the grotesque symbol of yellow wallpaper, the hysteric narrative format and the archetype image of madwoman, to express women＇s status of her time--their repression, rebellion and quest for the ＂true self＂.
文摘My paper analyzes the issue of the alternation between two complementary concepts which can be analyzed in the novel The Heart Song of Charging Elk： imprisonment and freedom. In order to achieve this goal, I have used several critical theories of authors such as： Michel Foucault, Carl Jung, and Pierre Bourdieu. The analysis is concerned with exploring the alternation between the themes of freedom and imprisonment and the way in which these issues influence the evolution of the main character. I argue that the two themes are in a relation of interdependency and they can be interpreted as opposites from a rational point of view. The rational point of view, although valuable, is, however, incomplete without the exploration of the emotional and subjective factor. This factor can account for the ＂unreasonable＂ events from a broader perspective： that of the imagination. As Michel Foucault argues, power exists only in action. Power is also a rather elusive concept. In the same way, the perception of reality can be represented more accurately from a subjective point of view. More exactly, reality is constructed with every thought, emotion, and action of the individual. To sum up, I argue that, from a sociological point of view, the main character is striving to assimilate his personality in a new and hostile cultural environment. On the other hand, from a psychological point of view, he is confronting his inner shadow, as Carl Jung defines the hidden part of the personality. This has a result of the emergence of a genuine sense of self. As the critic Pierre Bourdieu argues, there are a set of common characteristics of taste which define the social belonging of an individual. In the analyzed novel the character manages to adapt to the new situation and to overcome the obstacles that he finds on his way.
文摘Approaching from the perspective of feminist criticism, this paper compares the female protagonists in Shakespeare＇s well-known tragedy Hamlet and Gilman＇s short story ＂The Yellow Wallpaper＂. While the first person narrator in ＂The Yellow Wallpaper＂ is a modem signifier of the archetypal Ophelia as the sacrificial lamb of the patriarchal oppression, the two differ in their manifestations of madness, which could be accounted for by their respective historical and social environment with women＇s awakening consciousness of self-identity
文摘This paper examines how the socio-cultural contexts have affected readers＇ responses to particular Saudi novels. It draws on Fish＇s concept of ＂interpretive communities＂, which argues that interpretation is an institutional practice, and that consequently readers hold shared prior assumptions that constrain their interpretive strategies （Fish 1980）. Not surprisingly then, some responses to Saudi authors are based on the ideological belief that their novels consist of acts of rebellion against a conservative culture. A close reading of the conflict between Saudi novelists and the social responses to their works can reflect how cultural and social contexts shape the reception of contemporary Saudi novels, and can also help to construct public attitudes toward these texts. Saudi novelists have faced a number of social constraints and factors which have affected the development of the novel in Saudi Arabia. For example, works by al-Gosaibi, Munif, Khal, al-Hamad, al-Mohaimeed, Alsanea, and al-luhani have all been banned because they were seen to pose a major threat to the dominant, patriarchal Saudi ideology. While the social controversy around these writers was raging, some other writers applied self-censorship to avoid touching upon what were perceived to be the most sensitive issues.
