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Ethical Predicaments in Ian McEwan’s Major Novels, PhD thesis [伊恩•麦克尤恩主要小说中的伦理困境], English Language and Literature, Shanghai International Studies University, Shanghai, China 2010 [Application of Fromm's theories to art].

  • 伊恩•麦克尤恩如今已是蜚声当代英国文坛的大家,其作品得到了批评家和读者的一致赞誉。但在其事业早期,他的小说却因聚焦暴力、死亡、性乱等主题而备受争议,他也因此被戏称为>阴森的麦克尤恩<。三十多年的创作生涯中,麦克尤恩一直不断推陈出新,其后期作品的风格也与早期小说迥然不同,然而值得注意的是,在任何创作阶段麦克尤恩从未放弃对伦理困境的关注与探索,可以说伦理困境贯穿了其所有作品。批评家已经关注到麦克尤恩小说特殊的道德力量,但从伦理角度进行的研究仍处在起步阶段,伦理困境在其创作中的特殊地位尚未得到重视,这对于麦克尤恩小说研究来说不能不说是一个缺憾。因此本文尝试从伦理的角度切入,挖掘其主要小说中不同的伦理困境,以期揭示其创作中的传承与创新。麦克尤恩主要小说中的伦理困境包括:自由的悖论,伦理反乌托邦,以及伦理两难之境。小说中的每一个主要困境都来自他对时代伦理问题的关注与思考,同时也体现了他在不同创作时期的艺术特色。>伦理<在本文中主要指人们行动中所需遵循的是非观念与原则,同时也包含具体情境下人们对于是非的特殊认识与体验;>困境<意为困难的处境。伦理困境兼有两者之意,在此困难处境中人们或面对两难的伦理选择,或无法逃脱不道德的生活。研究表明,伦理困境在麦克尤恩的每部小说中都有体现,且呈现出阶段性的发展脉络,总体来说呼应了时代伦理环境的变化以及其自身艺术技巧的提升。将麦克尤恩的所有小说作为研究对象将更为理想,但考虑到论文写作的实际条件,本文将仅探讨其三部主要小说《水泥花园》、《时间中的孩子》、《赎罪》中的伦理困境,因所选小说为麦克尤恩三个创作阶段的代表作,其中的伦理困境也具有一定的代表性。本文共分五章。第一章为引语,简要介绍了麦克尤恩在当代英国文坛的重要性,并对国内外的麦克尤恩研究进行了一番梳理,指出了研究中尚存的不足,然后厘清了论文中所涉及的关键术语,最后介绍了论文的选题与结构。第二章探讨了《水泥花园》中的主要伦理困境,即自由的悖论,主要从伦理无序状态、积极的自由、以及消极的自由三方面切入。本章首先简述了小说创作背后的哲学及文化思潮,突出了时代的自由精神对于小说主题的影响。主体部分从探讨水泥花园中的孩子们如何摆脱传统伦理体系的约束开始,分析了家庭中紧张的代际关系,揭示了孩子们摆脱父权压制的欲望与行动,以及他们最终到达的伦理无序状态。自由具有积极意义,自由的获得释放了孩子们被压制的天性与创造力,营造了平等、宽容的气氛。汤姆的异性装扮以及姐弟的乱伦常被认为是伦理无序中的道德堕落或迷误;诚然,以传统道德标准来评判或者脱离小说情境来判断,两种现象几乎都是无法接受的变态或反常行为,然而,麦克尤恩所采用的一系列艺术手法、以及其对具体情境的凸显暗示了另一种伦理指向,引导读者注意反常行为可能具有的积极伦理维度。但是自由同时又带来痛苦,对传统伦理价值的否定以及伦理关系的颠覆使人陷入无尽的虚无与孤独。自由内在的悖论造成难以回避的伦理困境,这是麦克尤恩对二十世纪六七十年代自由精神的反思;同时小说探索自由悖论时对私密领域、个体心理的关注也体现了他早期小说的特色。第三章剖析了《时间中的孩子》所展现的伦理反乌托邦困境。在麦克尤恩创造的未来社会中,政界道德腐化、家庭婚姻关系脆弱、人与自然极端对立,个体处于无法逃脱的伦理困境之中;小说中的伦理反乌托邦影射了撒切尔政府时期英国的社会状况。社会分配的不公,政治家道德的堕落,两者有力地揭示了政界的腐化。根深蒂固的男权思想或加剧家庭矛盾或扭曲婚姻关系,男权思想既体现在丈夫将自我的世界观强加于妻子,又表现在对妻子无私母性的期望,两者都将预设的角色强派给女性。在人与自然的关系中,人类对环境伦理的漠视是两者关系紧张的主要原因;麦克尤恩暗示读者,政府以及男性的人类中心主义、工具理性破坏了人与自然的和谐。当然,仅以性别判断个体的世界观或者行为似乎不妥,麦克尤恩在2008年的采访中也承认这是浪漫主义的假想。本章共揭示了伦理反乌托邦困境的三个维度,由此可见,麦克尤恩一直积极关注当代英国社会的伦理问题,其创作视野也更趋广阔,两者将他对伦理困境的探索带入了一个新的阶段。第四章阐释了《赎罪》中的伦理两难之境,探讨了童年布里奥尼进退维谷的窘境、战争中军人的两难伦理选择、以及作家布里奥尼进退两难的困境。本章首先简要论述了麦克尤恩在创作后期对于人物主导型小说的青睐,这也许可以解释为何伦理两难之境成为麦克尤恩伦理困境探索的新焦点。对于童年布里奥尼的窘境小说中着墨并不多,但它具有不可忽视的伦理涵义。小说未突出小布里奥尼在进退维谷的窘境中如何选择,而是侧重表现她如何陷入这一窘境,以及窘境背后的社会、文化根源。这一表现策略在布里奥尼的作家身份未显现时可能会得到读者的赞同,然而身份一旦表明,这一表现策略的伦理涵义即发生改变,读者也必须重新阐释小布里奥尼的伦理窘境。小说第二部分展示了军人在敦刻尔克大撤退中所遭遇的伦理两难处境,促使读者以新的视角看待这一历史事件;其两难处境主要分为禁令两难和责任两难。本章最后讨论了作家布里奥尼进退两难的困境,困境一涉及小说的出版,困境二与布里奥尼坚持以写作赎罪紧密相关,从根本来讲,前者是外加的伦理两难之境,后者是自我强加的困境。本章中探讨的三大伦理两难之境表明,麦克尤恩在后期作品中更侧重于揭示伦理困境的复杂与微妙,这与其创作理念的变化相呼应。第五章对全文进行了总结,分析了每部主要小说所呼应的时代伦理问题,并在后现代文化与文学背景之下审视麦克尤恩小说的重要性,最后指出伦理困境的文学表达古已有之,而麦克尤恩的贡献在于他对于新时代伦理问题的高度关注与深刻思考,以及在表现手法上的探索。
  • Ian McEwan is one of the most significant British writers since the 1970s. His early writings were controversial for their focus on violence, death and sexual deviance, which earned him the nickname >Ian Macabre<. Nevertheless, with 11 novels behind him and one winning the Booker Prize, McEwan is now lauded for the ethical vision in his works. Throughout his writing career, ethics have been his major concern, which require further studies. This dissertation is devoted to the exploration of ethical predicaments in his three major novels, aiming to shed light on the continuity and evolution of his investigation of ethics throughout his career. Varied ethical predicaments characterize McEwan’s major novels, including the paradox of freedom, the ethical dystopia, and the ethical dilemma. Each predicament is a response to the particular ethical concerns of his time, demonstrating artistic features of a specific phase of his career as well. >Ethics< not only refer to the accepted beliefs, principles, and rules about right and wrong that guide people in their conducts, but also encompass the contextualized personal understandings of right and wrong. Derived from >ethics<, >ethical< though it can suggest >morally< correct, >always denotes< of or relating to ethics in this dissertation unless specified as otherwise. Predicaments are particular situations that the individual finds difficult and unpleasant. Ethical predicaments as discussed in this dissertation refer to unpleasant situations where it is difficult or impossible for the individual to act rightly. It is discovered that ethical predicaments occupy a vital position in most of McEwan’s novels. Furthermore, the major ethical predicaments in his fiction generally follow a line of development, in response to the changing ethical concerns of his time and his developing artistic techniques and vision. In view of manageability, this dissertation focuses on ethical predicaments in McEwan’s three representative novels – >The Cement Garden<, >The Child in Time<, and >Atonement< – identifying a distinctive ethical predicament in each one, so as to reveal the continuity and development in his treatment of ethical predicaments. Chapter One consists of a brief introduction of McEwan’s standing in Contemporary British literature, a review of English and Chinese scholarship on Ian McEwan, with particular focus on ethical criticism, a definition of the key terms, and then a brief introduction of the scope and structure of the dissertation. Chapter Two investigates the predominant ethical predicament in The Cement Garden the paradox of freedom, with three sections respectively dealing with the ethical anarchy, the positive freedom, and the problematic freedom. Central to this chapter is the argument that the paradoxical features of freedom trap the children in an ethical predicament. Before plunging into concentrated discussions, the chapter first briefly examines the philosophical and cultural influence on McEwan, which may account for his special treatment of freedom in this debut novel.– Section One investigates how the children arrive at ethical anarchy through gradual removal of parental authorities. In the light of Erich Fromm’s theory, it could be discerned that the family is based on an authoritarian ethical system which forces the children to subjugate their freedom to conformity to social norms. Through subverting the patriarchal control and challenging the mother as a teacher of moral precepts, the children eventually enter an ethically anarchic situation.– The ensuing section, centering on the positive freedom, aims to uncover the constructive role freedom plays in reforming traditional ethics. Cross-dressing and incest, the children’s >deviant< behaviors, are often interpreted as signs of depravation brought about by their newly gained freedom. Admittedly, in ordinary circumstances the children’s transgressive acts seem pathological; however, with McEwan’s special artistic representation, their >deviance< affirming spontaneity and creativity, could be read as a critique of the oppressive, hypocritical facets of traditional ethics.– Section Three explores the other side of the paradox – the problematic freedom, disclosing the nothingness and loneliness resulting from their ethical anarchy. Without parental authorities in the house, there is no absolute criterion of moral goodness for the children who have not yet learned to create new values by themselves to confer meaning to life. Consequently, the children experience an excruciating sense of nothingness. Besides, their newfound freedom also results in agonizing loneliness, or a deep sense of unconnectedness, for the removal of the old authoritarian ethical system severs the established interpersonal relations, which, though oppressive to the children in varied ways, used to provide them with a sense of belonging. The markedly different directions the children take when freely developing their individuality also add to their loneliness. Therefore, freedom plays a constructive role in reforming the traditional ethics, but it also tends to bring about distressing nothingness and loneliness. This paradox of freedom constitutes the major ethical predicament in the novel, demonstrating the author’s critical reflections on the ethos of the 1960s and 1970s, as well as his preoccupation with the private domain and the inner world in his early works. Chapter Three moves to examine the ethical predicament in >The Child in Time< – the ethical dystopia – a fearful futuristic situation where the individual is involved in moral corruption or problematic ethical relations. This chapter also falls into three sections, focusing on the moral corruption of the political arena, the vulnerability of marital relations, and the disharmony between nature and humans. A brief examination of the related circumstances in Thatcher Britain precedes the detailed discussions.– Section One probes into the moral corruption of the political arena in the futuristic society, concentrating on the unsettling social injustice indulged by the government and the politicians’ abandonment of ethical principles. As for the first aspect of corruption, McEwan is mainly concerned with the distributive injustice, that is, the abandonment of fairness in the distribution of wealth and benefits among the people. For the second, the author mostly delves into the politicians’ dishonesty.– Section Two focuses on the vulnerable marital relations caused by male dominance. Stephen’s attempt to impose his outlook on Julie aggravates their marriage crisis, while Charles’ assumption that Thelma should act like a self-sacrificing mother distorts their marital relationship.– Section Three inquires into the disharmony between nature and humans, disclosing that humans’ lack of environmental ethics leads to the tattered ecosystem. To be more exact, McEwan seems to suggest that it is the government’s and males’ materialistic, anthropocentric view of nature that is largely responsible for the environmental crisis. On the whole, the chapter reveals three major dimensions to the ethical dystopia portrayed in the novel. It could be seen that the specific ethical concerns in the 1980s Britain and McEwan’s broadened vision carry forward his exploration of ethical predicaments. Chapter Four is devoted to the investigation of ethical dilemma in Atonement, examining in turn young Briony’s ethical dilemma, the ethical dilemma in war, and Briony the writer’s ethical dilemma. McEwan’s recent preference for character-led novels is briefly analyzed at the beginning to account for his scrutiny of ethical dilemma in most of his later novels.– Section One probes into the ethical dilemma that traps young Briony, analyzing the portrayal of the dilemma within two narrative frameworks so as to reveal its rich ethical implications. As a reader unaware of the revelation in the coda, one is invited to penetrate the surface of a personal dilemma to uncover the root causes of young Briony’s quandary rather than focus on the dilemmatic situation. However, when the coda is revealed, the motive behind such representation becomes suspicious.– Section Two explores the soldiers’ ethical dilemmas in the Dunkirk retreat, identifying their >prohibition dilemma< and >obligation dilemma<. McEwan’s vivid portrayal of the soldiers’ internal struggles in the dilemmatic situations lends a fresh perspective to the mythologized historical event.– Section Three examines the ethical dilemmas facing Briony the writer, focusing on her >externally-imposed ethical dilemma< and >self-imposed ethical dilemma<. The economic base proves to be the root cause of Briony the writer’s dilemma as to whether she should persist in publishing her novel or not. In this sense, the dilemma is externally imposed on Briony. Briony imposes another ethical dilemma on herself when attempting to atone through writing. Therefore, this chapter primarily investigates three major ethical dilemmas in the novel, demonstrating McEwan’s exertion to reveal the subtlety and complexity of ethical predicaments.– Chapter Five concludes the dissertation with a short summary of its main contents, which is followed by a brief account of the social and cultural backgrounds of the urgent ethical issues McEwan responds to in his major novels. It also examines the relevance of McEwan’s novels to our time by placing them in the postmodern context, finally winding up the discussions about ethical predicaments by placing McEwan in an enduring tradition.

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Metadaten
Author:Xiaohong Chen
Parent Title (Chinese):Ian McEwan is one of the most significant British writers since the 1970s. His early writings were controversial for their focus on violence, death and sexual deviance, which earned him the nickname >Ian Macabre<. Nevertheless, with 11 novels behind him a
Document Type:Dissertations
Language:Chinese
Year of first Publication:2011
Release Date:2014/01/28
Format:no copy existent / keine Kopie vorhanden
IdNo:Chen_Xiaohong_2010
Writings about Erich Fromm (Secondary Literature):Dissertations / Dissertationen
Erich Fromm's Library and Erich Fromm Archive:Dissertations / Dissertationen
Licence (German):
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