A Humanistic Exploration of Urban Violence in Margaret Drabble’s the Radiant Way and A Natural Curiosity 玛格丽特•德拉布尔《金光大道》和《天生好奇》中都市暴力的人文主义推求], Master thesis, English Language and Literature, Shanghai International Studies University, Shanghai, China 2014. [application of Fromm's theories to art]

  • 玛格丽特•德拉布尔(1939-)是二战后英国文坛颇负盛誉的女作家之一。她的三部曲《金光大道》、《天生好奇》和《象牙门》自1989年发表以来,备受评论界关注。以暴力为代表的都市哥特元素成为这三部作品的一个核心特点。尽管近年来国内外研究德拉布尔的学者日渐增多,却鲜少有评论家对《金光大道》和《天生好奇》这两部作品中的都市暴力问题展开系统性研究。本论文选取埃里希•弗洛姆在《逃避自由》和《爱的艺术》中所阐释的人文主义哲学为支撑,试析德拉布尔两部作品中以都市暴力为核心的哥特元素,旨在为探弋作品中所蕴藉的人性深度,并为其道德维度提供新的研究视角。埃里希•弗洛姆的人文主义哲学囊括了对于异化、自由和爱的探讨,它掘入人的情感内里,将极权主义、破坏性和机械趋同等消极自由所导致的牵绊展露得纤悉无遗。相反,积极自由意味着通过爱和生产性劳作而与世界自发产生联系,保持人格的整一性。虐待与受虐消解主体;成熟的爱却带来自我的救赎与合一。论文引言追述了德拉布尔两部小说发表以来批评家的观点,提出来进一步探索的空间和可能性,并阐述了弗洛姆哲学思想的要点和论文的框架结构。结语部分总结了论文的基本观点。论文主体分为两章。第一章是>《金光大道》中都市暴力的引发与扩散<,探讨了家庭环境中的性格偏差如何刺激暴力倾向以及社会大环境对异常行为的传播而导致的都市暴力,目的是为了逃避异化,寻得自由。从微观上看,小说中连环杀手保尔的犯罪行为可以追溯至其母亲的虐待癖。从宏观上说,社会也是始作俑者,因为在20世纪80年代的英国,撒切尔政府推行个人主义和商业自由化,加剧了社会异化。同时,以电视为主导的大众媒体所起的刺激和传播作用都使得社会弊病以都市暴力的形式交相呈现。第二章是>《天生好奇》中都市暴力的对抗与救赎<,挖掘了三位女性主人公通过成熟的爱和生产性工作寻找自我和拯救暴力的努力。尽管莉茨和艾利克斯直面了美杜莎的哥特形象,她们却没有被石化,反而重新认识自我,颠覆了传统的神话原型。通过其对连环杀手保尔无私的爱和慷慨帮助,艾利克斯成功平抚了暴力所留下的创伤。另外,三位女主人公之间的深厚友谊为她们重塑自我和追寻积极自由铺就了道路。论文借助弗洛姆的人本主义思想探究了德拉布尔两部作品中的暴力主题和哥特元素。小说中所彰显的城市暴力从微观层面可以归结为人性中的虐待癖和受虐性,从宏观层面来看,则肇始于由外部社会政治因素所滋养和传播的普遍异化现象。诚然,玛格丽特•德拉布尔将笔锋转向人文主义,字里行间涵射出成熟的爱是拯救都市暴力与实现积极自由的有效方式。
  • Margaret Drabble (1939 – ) is regarded as one of the most important postwar British women writers. Her trilogy >The Radiant Way< , >A Natural Curiosity< , >The Gates of Ivory< , published since 1989, have been frequented by literary critics with multiple views since their inception. One core characteristic of the trilogy is its Gothic elements featured by urban violence. Admittedly, the Drabble scholarship has expanded with growing momentum both home and abroad. However, they have not touched upon the issue of urban violence in either The Radiant Way or A Natural Curiosity with systematic research. - By vehicle of Erich Fromm’s humanistic philosophy crystallized in his Escape from Freedom and The Art of Loving, a tentative analysis of these two novels’ urban Gothic elements is carried out in this thesis, thus presenting a new dimension to the interpretation of the depth of human nature and morality veiled in >The Radiant Way< and >A Natural Curiosity<. - Erich Fromm’s humanistic philosophy of alienation, freedom and love penetrates into the profundity of human character and thoroughly elucidates various thwarting impacts of negative freedom wrought by authoritarianism, destructiveness and automaton conformity. On the contrary, positive freedom equates with the spontaneous activity of the integrated personality in relation to the world through love and productive work. In truth, sadistic or masochistic strivings result in the disintegration of the subject, while mature love brings forth redemption and reunion of the self. The introduction gives a succinct review of the critical history related to Drabble’s two works, puts forward the possibility for further study, and elucidates Erich Fromm’s philosophy and argumentative structure of the whole thesis. The conclusion makes a brief summary of the arguments. The main body of the thesis is composed of two chapters. - Chapter 1 >The Instigation and Diffusion of Urban Violence in ‘The Radiant Way’< discusses how the familial infusion of deviancy and the social dissemination of abnormality have contributed to the urban vi¬olence as a means of escaping from alienation for the sake of freedom. On the microscopic level, it is the maternal sadism that caused the serial killer Paul’s criminal deeds. On the macroscopic level, it turns out that the society hould also be held accountable. Individualism and privatization preached by the Thatcher Government in the 1980s aggravates social alienation. Coupled with the instigating and propagating role of mass media typified by television, social malaise keeps cropping up in the form of urban violence. - Chapter 2 >The Confrontation and Salvation of Urban Violence in ‘A Natural Curiosity’< explores the three female protagonists’ endeavor of rediscovering themselves and salvage violence through mature love and productive work. Although Liz and Alix have confronted the Gothic image of Medusa, they are not petrified and they have reaffirmed their selfhood, thus, subverting the traditional myth. Through her unconditional love and generous help for the serial killer Paul, Alix has managed to salvage violence. In addition, the sisterhood among the three female protagonists paves the way for reintegration of self and realization of positive freedom. In summary, this thesis conducts a research into the urban Gothic elements featured by violence in Drabble’s two novels on strength of Fromm’s humanistic philosophy. - The conclusion can be drawn that urban violence on a micro level could be attributed to the innate human nature of sadism and masochism; while on a macro level, it is catalyzed and cemented by external social and political forces that breeds and disseminates alienation. Margaret Drabble has wielded her pen in the direction of humanism, implying that the moral way to salvage urban violence and attain positive freedom is through mature love.

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Metadaten
Author:Juan Zou
Document Type:Dissertations
Language:Chinese
Year of first Publication:2014
Release Date:2015/12/14
Format:no copy existent / keine Kopie vorhanden
IdNo:Zou_Juan_2014
Writings about Erich Fromm (Secondary Literature):Dissertations / Dissertationen
Erich Fromm's Library and Erich Fromm Archive:Dissertations / Dissertationen
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