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An Analysis of Black Identity of >The Known World< from the Perspective of Fromm’s Concept of Freedom, Master thesis, World Literature, Liaoning University, Shenyang, Liaoning, China 2021 [application of Fromm’s theories to art].

  • Edward Jones is one of the preeminent African-American writers of contemporary literature, whose masterpiece is >The Known World<, for which he wins the National Book Critics Circle Award 2003, Pulitzer Prize 2004, and International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award 2005. >The Known Word< is an account of the survival and tortuous fate of black slave owners and slaves from a perspective that black literature has never touched before, enriching the diversity of character identity in black literature and rewriting the connotation of freedom. This thesis analyzes black identity in >The Known Word< from the perspective of Fromm’s concept of freedom Erich Fromm constructs two unique concepts of negative freedom and positive freedom from the perspectives of sociology and psychology. Fromm proposes that the freedom people usually pursue is the extrinsic negative freedom. In the pursuit of negative freedom, a sense of loneliness and powerlessness often emerges, and in order to get rid of these feelings, people choose to escape from freedom again, by eliminating their own individuality and integrating into the surrounding environment, making themselves further and further away from freedom. Only the intrinsic positive freedom can lead people to the path of authentic freedom, achieving freedom and peace within people. In >The Known Word<, Jones also encapsulates the process of black slave owners and black slaves pursuing freedom and finding themselves in a social environment dominated by white culture and white people. Some people experience the pursuit and escape of negative freedom and lose their identity, while others successfully embark on the path of positive freedom, find their identity, and successfully realize the reconstruction of their identity. This thesis is divided into three parts, the first part is the introductory part, including an introduction to Edward Jones and his work >The Known Word<, an analysis of the current state of domestic and international research on >The Known Word<, and related explanations of Fromm’s concept of freedom and the significance of the chosen topic of this thesis.– The second part is the main part of this thesis, which consists of three chapters. The first chapter illustrates that the black slave owners Henry and Maude and the black slave overseer Moses aspire to realize their own identity by pursuing negative freedom, but as a result, they cannot counteract the loneliness and powerlessness of following the negative freedom and instead have the tendency to escape from freedom, give up freedom and lose their own identity. They all damage their families in a way, undermining the foundation of their identity and exploit their compatriots for more wealth, losing themselves in slavery.– The second chapter explains the causes for the lost identity of Henry, Maude, and Moses by analyzing the mechanism of escape from freedom — the hegemonic position of the whites in society and the lack of confidence in their own black culture make them willing to be ruled by slavery and drift away from freedom.– The final chapter explores the reconstruction of the identity and of black slaves Alice and Minerva, the black slave owner Calvin and so on, who complete the reconstruction of their identity through the realization of positive freedom. The regression of black identity and self-realization is achieved through the awakening of consciousness and the construction of harmonious family and social relationships.– The last part concludes and sublimates the above chapters. The parsing of the entire thesis leads to the conclusion that Fromm’s concept of freedom is fully reflected in the magnificent and vast description of black identity in >The Known World<. The concept furnishes us a better perspective and opportunity for the understanding of Edward Jones’ >The Known Word<. It also gives us the opportunity to better understand the responsibility of Jones’ writing and his deep thoughts about the history and future of black people. Meanwhile, in times of various values collide, the blacks’ pursuit of freedom and identity in the novel is also of great practical significance, guiding people to realize their intrinsic freedom and find the true meaning of life. [English: www.cnki.net, 4/2022]

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Metadaten
Author:Zhenjun Guo
Document Type:Dissertations
Language:Chinese
Year of first Publication:2021
Release Date:2024/04/04
Format:no download and copy possible
IdNo:Guo_Zhenjun_2021
Writings about Erich Fromm (Secondary Literature):Dissertations / Dissertationen
Erich Fromm's Library and Erich Fromm Archive:Dissertations / Dissertationen
Licence (German):
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