@misc{Guo, author = {Guo, Wenchao}, title = {Women's Freedom Tortured by Existence - Interpretation of the Doctrine of >Summer Bird Cage< [生存对女性自由的拷问 - 对《夏日鸟笼》的人本主义解读], Master thesis, English Language and Literature, Ludong University, Yantai, Shandong, China 2012 [Application of Fromm's theories to art].}, abstract = {>A Summer Bird-Cage< (1963) is the virginal novel of Margaret Drabble (b. 1939), the famous contemporary woman writer in Britain. In the novel, Drabble creates two different characters, Sarah and Louise. Though they are sisters, they vary from one another in life value and pursuit. Through the description of their discrepancies, Drabble uncovers the contemporary British women's predicament. Actually, A Summer Bird-Cage undertakes to reveal the true state of contemporary women, whether the women >in the cage< or >outside of the cage<, cannot escape from alienation and loneliness. Previous scholars and critics have done some research on the theories of alienation, freedom and love, for example, the well-known American humanistic psychologist and philosopher in the 20th century, Erich Fromm has made a profound study on them. Furthermore, several scholars and critics make studies on literary works based on the Fromm's theories. As for A Summer Bird-Cage, there are also a lot of studies on it since its publication, though more to be followed in the future, just as what the thesis intends to do. Based on these studies and enlightened by Fromm's theories, the thesis takes A Summer Bird-Cage as the object of study, trying to analyze the contemporary women's predicament in this novel from the aspects of alienation, freedom and love.- In terms of alienation, Drabble shows a panorama of women's dilemma in the contemporary society in A Summer Bird-Cage, and she studies the various conflicts brought about by the materialized society in the course of industrialization, elaborating that the western modern society is suffering from alienation without love. It follows that alienation as a common phenomenon has spread over each corner of the contemporary society.- As far as freedom is concerned, through the common predicament of both married and unmarried women in A Summer Bird-Cage, it reveals that freedom is double-edged as well as marriage. As for freedom, women pursue it, but too much freedom may not contribute to their predicament. As for marriage, it is not only a >cage< with bondage, but also a >bay< for women to escape from freedom. Freedom or marriage seems like a double-edged sword, torturing women's existence at times. Thus, facing freedom, are women supposed to go after it or escape from it? They are at a loss.- As for love, it is the theme running through A Summer Bird- Cage. Fromm has made a profound study on love in contemporary society, and he makes a conclusion that people's alienation and fear of freedom originate from lacking of love. In the novel, both Sarah and Louise don't have the proper understanding of love. Moreover, they live a life without love. All these result in their predicament. Consequently, it may safely be concluded that, >Love is the answer to the problem of human existence< (Fromm 1956: 7). And love can be the satisfactory answer to the problem of human existence. While, as for the dilemma brought about by the modern civilization, Drabble fails to point out a way-out, and she lacks the courage to overthrow the alienated and male-dominated society.- However, the open ending of the novel also hints that Drabble may see a pin point light penetrating darkness and a ray of hope beyond despair. The greatness of Margaret Drabble lies in the fact that her works reflect women's social predicament vividly and truly. To a certain degree, Drabble's A Summer Bird-Cage provides with an access to the knowable community by depicting the women intellectuals' life in the contemporary society. Essentially, love is only regarded as a struggle for the women, particularly when their existence is threatened.}, language = {zh} }