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
A multi-genre and interdisciplinary analysis that compares Sam Shepard＇s classic, Buried Child （1978）, to Mary Shelley＇s Gothic thriller, Frankenstein （2004）. This paper, using a comparative analysis of the tex...A multi-genre and interdisciplinary analysis that compares Sam Shepard＇s classic, Buried Child （1978）, to Mary Shelley＇s Gothic thriller, Frankenstein （2004）. This paper, using a comparative analysis of the texts （a play versus a novel）, argues that Shepard follows Shelley＇s theme and characters in order to frame and create his own even-more modern ＂Prometheus＂, a premise that Shelley borrows to center her novel and to establish the antagonistic origins of her monster-man. Shepard＇s splintered individuals all share a postmodern disillusionment, and as Shelley＇s novel establishes, it is a conflict brought on by an absent or emotionally-removed mother and a brutal father who denies or disavows the ＂child＂ he considers an abomination. Other themes that Shelley and Shepard＇s works have in common include infanticide, incest, a life built on lies, patricide, and an unnatural relationship with Nature.展开更多
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
This study intends to explore and analysis the portrayal of self-damaging behavior, which encapsulates two female characters： Lady Dedlock and Mademoiselle Hortense in one of the most famous novels of Charles Dickens...This study intends to explore and analysis the portrayal of self-damaging behavior, which encapsulates two female characters： Lady Dedlock and Mademoiselle Hortense in one of the most famous novels of Charles Dickens＇ Bleak House （1984）. An evaluation of these two female characters shows and reflects that their self-damaging behavior emerges from low self esteem, which results from a number of reasons. The self-damaging behavior introduced by these women involves： self-imposed isolation, women madness, purposive accidents, physical self-abuse, and most consequently, conscious pursuit of destructive relationships with men. Although Dickens clearly means no maliciousness to women in his works, the great Victorian marital upheaval of June, 1858, is illustrative of Dickens＇s ambivalent attitude towards women, especially towards strong women展开更多
The aim of this paper is the analysis of the supernatural elements in Kipling＇s ＂The Mark on The Beast＂ （1890） Conan Doyle＇s ＂Lot No. 249＂ （1892）, and Wells＇ ＂The Truth about Peycraft＂ （1903） conceived ...The aim of this paper is the analysis of the supernatural elements in Kipling＇s ＂The Mark on The Beast＂ （1890） Conan Doyle＇s ＂Lot No. 249＂ （1892）, and Wells＇ ＂The Truth about Peycraft＂ （1903） conceived of as the expression of the revitalisation of the Gothic imagery which, through the short story, serve to voice and exorcise late Victorian crisis, de-Constructing late Victorian identity. First, the complex nature of late Victorian Britain crisis will be deepened. Second, the short story will be focused on as an independent genre from the novel which mostly epitomized Fin de Si6cle literary fantastic discourse. Finally, the short stories will be investigated as textual examples of what Brantlinger （1988） defined as Imperial Gothic, instrumental in voicing and exorcising the pressures of late Victorian crisis展开更多
Toni Morrison has a unique status in American literature. She is the winner of the National Book Critic Circle Award, the Pulitzer for Fiction and many other literary awards. She was granted the Nobel Prize for litera...Toni Morrison has a unique status in American literature. She is the winner of the National Book Critic Circle Award, the Pulitzer for Fiction and many other literary awards. She was granted the Nobel Prize for literature in 1993, thus becoming the first A^can-American writer to receive this honor. Her first novel The Bluest Eye （1970） tells the story of the bitter and tragic experience suffered by Pecola, a little black girl, and loss of black people＇s self-respect, confidence, value, and culture. The present paper, first of all, gives a brief introduction of the story Then the paper explores the root causes of Pecola＇s tragedy from two aspects： The cause of racial oppression and self-hatred, and the cause of the loss in her independent consciousness. The paper concludes that Pecola is the victim and scapegoat of racial oppression, self-hatred and the loss of her independent consciousness existing in the black community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
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
Michel Houellebecq is perhaps the most successful, the most famous and controversial of all current novelists writing in French. He has become a global publishing phenomenon： His books have been translated worldwide,...Michel Houellebecq is perhaps the most successful, the most famous and controversial of all current novelists writing in French. He has become a global publishing phenomenon： His books have been translated worldwide, film adaptations of his novels have been produced, and the author is the subject of a million-euro publishing deals and successive media scandals in France. The novels depict surprising forms of imaginary resources, a radiating end of the world, a post-nuclear anxiety, and depressive characters. Houellebecq shocks us leaving us in a world where the feelings of love, tenderness and goodwill have disappeared. The purpose of Houellebecq＇s novels is to alert about the real problems of the human society in the twenty-first century. Indeed, in the books we can easily recognize the essential features of contemporary society and the fact that the individual assumes a dehumanization process in which one has to cope with his solitude in a world of emptiness. This socio-cultural dimension is indeed the background of Houellebecq＇s novels, novels in which the protagonists seem to be wedged in a mechanism from which it is difficult to escape： reification and dehumanization on the one hand, ＂robotization＂ of love on the other. This article focuses on the analysis of the texts revealing the poignant characteristics of＂L＇Ere du vide＂ （＂The Era of Emptiness＂） as described by Gilles Lipovetsky： Loneliness, the lack of love and its replacement by sexual relations.展开更多
The paper explores an ambiguous intersection between history and fiction in Scarlet Venice （Hi no Venezia, in original） （1988） by Japanese novelist and historiographer, Shiono Nanami （1937-）. As a prominent tran...The paper explores an ambiguous intersection between history and fiction in Scarlet Venice （Hi no Venezia, in original） （1988） by Japanese novelist and historiographer, Shiono Nanami （1937-）. As a prominent transnational writer who has worked on the Italian Renaissance and the Roman antiquity for about 40 years, Shiono fictionalizes the political culture of 16th century Venice in the context of the Eastern Mediterranean history. Based on her The Tales of the Sea Capital （1981）, historiography par excellence, the novel portrays the political maneuver of the Republic of Venice from viewpoints of diplomacy. With this thematic approach to history, the novel centers on the life and death of Alvise Gritti （1480-1534）, an illegitimate son of famed Venetian Doge, Andrea Gritti. In the metaphorical/metafictional structure of historical crime fiction, the novel unveils the austerity of Venetian polity, while contrasting it with the liberalism fostered in Sultan Suleiman＇s Ottoman court. In conclusion, the author interprets that Alvise Gritti is a victim of the political intricacy with which Venice was wrestling, implying that the republic is the metaphorical murderer. Whereas Alvise＇s death commemorates a drastic step taken by Venice for political negotiation, Shiono＇s recent writings suggest that Japan should model the rigid pragmatism in Venetian politics, along with its effective use of intelligence in diplomacy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A multi-genre and interdisciplinary analysis that compares Sam Shepard＇s classic, Buried Child （1978）, to Mary Shelley＇s Gothic thriller, Frankenstein （2004）. This paper, using a comparative analysis of the texts （a play versus a novel）, argues that Shepard follows Shelley＇s theme and characters in order to frame and create his own even-more modern ＂Prometheus＂, a premise that Shelley borrows to center her novel and to establish the antagonistic origins of her monster-man. Shepard＇s splintered individuals all share a postmodern disillusionment, and as Shelley＇s novel establishes, it is a conflict brought on by an absent or emotionally-removed mother and a brutal father who denies or disavows the ＂child＂ he considers an abomination. Other themes that Shelley and Shepard＇s works have in common include infanticide, incest, a life built on lies, patricide, and an unnatural relationship with Nature.
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This study intends to explore and analysis the portrayal of self-damaging behavior, which encapsulates two female characters： Lady Dedlock and Mademoiselle Hortense in one of the most famous novels of Charles Dickens＇ Bleak House （1984）. An evaluation of these two female characters shows and reflects that their self-damaging behavior emerges from low self esteem, which results from a number of reasons. The self-damaging behavior introduced by these women involves： self-imposed isolation, women madness, purposive accidents, physical self-abuse, and most consequently, conscious pursuit of destructive relationships with men. Although Dickens clearly means no maliciousness to women in his works, the great Victorian marital upheaval of June, 1858, is illustrative of Dickens＇s ambivalent attitude towards women, especially towards strong women
文摘The aim of this paper is the analysis of the supernatural elements in Kipling＇s ＂The Mark on The Beast＂ （1890） Conan Doyle＇s ＂Lot No. 249＂ （1892）, and Wells＇ ＂The Truth about Peycraft＂ （1903） conceived of as the expression of the revitalisation of the Gothic imagery which, through the short story, serve to voice and exorcise late Victorian crisis, de-Constructing late Victorian identity. First, the complex nature of late Victorian Britain crisis will be deepened. Second, the short story will be focused on as an independent genre from the novel which mostly epitomized Fin de Si6cle literary fantastic discourse. Finally, the short stories will be investigated as textual examples of what Brantlinger （1988） defined as Imperial Gothic, instrumental in voicing and exorcising the pressures of late Victorian crisis
文摘Toni Morrison has a unique status in American literature. She is the winner of the National Book Critic Circle Award, the Pulitzer for Fiction and many other literary awards. She was granted the Nobel Prize for literature in 1993, thus becoming the first A^can-American writer to receive this honor. Her first novel The Bluest Eye （1970） tells the story of the bitter and tragic experience suffered by Pecola, a little black girl, and loss of black people＇s self-respect, confidence, value, and culture. The present paper, first of all, gives a brief introduction of the story Then the paper explores the root causes of Pecola＇s tragedy from two aspects： The cause of racial oppression and self-hatred, and the cause of the loss in her independent consciousness. The paper concludes that Pecola is the victim and scapegoat of racial oppression, self-hatred and the loss of her independent consciousness existing in the black community
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Michel Houellebecq is perhaps the most successful, the most famous and controversial of all current novelists writing in French. He has become a global publishing phenomenon： His books have been translated worldwide, film adaptations of his novels have been produced, and the author is the subject of a million-euro publishing deals and successive media scandals in France. The novels depict surprising forms of imaginary resources, a radiating end of the world, a post-nuclear anxiety, and depressive characters. Houellebecq shocks us leaving us in a world where the feelings of love, tenderness and goodwill have disappeared. The purpose of Houellebecq＇s novels is to alert about the real problems of the human society in the twenty-first century. Indeed, in the books we can easily recognize the essential features of contemporary society and the fact that the individual assumes a dehumanization process in which one has to cope with his solitude in a world of emptiness. This socio-cultural dimension is indeed the background of Houellebecq＇s novels, novels in which the protagonists seem to be wedged in a mechanism from which it is difficult to escape： reification and dehumanization on the one hand, ＂robotization＂ of love on the other. This article focuses on the analysis of the texts revealing the poignant characteristics of＂L＇Ere du vide＂ （＂The Era of Emptiness＂） as described by Gilles Lipovetsky： Loneliness, the lack of love and its replacement by sexual relations.
文摘The paper explores an ambiguous intersection between history and fiction in Scarlet Venice （Hi no Venezia, in original） （1988） by Japanese novelist and historiographer, Shiono Nanami （1937-）. As a prominent transnational writer who has worked on the Italian Renaissance and the Roman antiquity for about 40 years, Shiono fictionalizes the political culture of 16th century Venice in the context of the Eastern Mediterranean history. Based on her The Tales of the Sea Capital （1981）, historiography par excellence, the novel portrays the political maneuver of the Republic of Venice from viewpoints of diplomacy. With this thematic approach to history, the novel centers on the life and death of Alvise Gritti （1480-1534）, an illegitimate son of famed Venetian Doge, Andrea Gritti. In the metaphorical/metafictional structure of historical crime fiction, the novel unveils the austerity of Venetian polity, while contrasting it with the liberalism fostered in Sultan Suleiman＇s Ottoman court. In conclusion, the author interprets that Alvise Gritti is a victim of the political intricacy with which Venice was wrestling, implying that the republic is the metaphorical murderer. Whereas Alvise＇s death commemorates a drastic step taken by Venice for political negotiation, Shiono＇s recent writings suggest that Japan should model the rigid pragmatism in Venetian politics, along with its effective use of intelligence in diplomacy
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.
