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The prominent modernist writer Katherine Mansfield exhibits her innovative modernity, mixture of complex sentiments and rational interior exploration most conspicuously in her short stories. Yet despite the modernity of her thought, spontaneity and extroversion, of her expression and her other pivotal contributions to modernist literature, she is marginalized in literary arena with some of her themes, such as escape, being neglected by her readership and scholarship. However, escape as a complex and action has actually been one of the most essential themes recurring in Mansfield’s short stories and her life when she has kept struggling between idealism and realism. And escape as a shared choice of her characters trapped in predicaments or psychological dilemmas is often formulated in the contradiction between the escapists and society as well as their own intrapsychic conflict. Therefore, the thesis will engage Erich Fromm’s theories of human nature and escape to offer a socio-psychological reading of Mansfield’s escape theme accordingly. The thesis discusses the escape theme of Mansfield’s 16 short stories in three aspects of manifestations, causes and final destinations of escape. Chapter one focuses on the two major patterns of escape in terms of its manifestation: retreat and camouflage, which are respectively defined by escapists’ receptive orientation or marketing orientation. Receptive oriented Rosabel and the old lady and marketing oriented Gregory and Duquette are among the train of escapists examined here.– Chapter two unrolls the causes of the escape. The external determinants include three kinds of social forces restraining various human needs and two kinds of alienated family relations caused by authority or immature love. Miss Brill’s escape posed by social ostracism, Linda’s escape stemming from social convention and Ma Parker’s escape due to social hierarchy demonstrate how these three social forces determine their escapes. Moreover, escapes of Kezia and Matilda as results of their alienated relations with parents and the escapists including Monica and Mr. Salesby formulated in their alienated relations with spouses highlight the causality between the alienated family relations and escape. And the internal determinant refers to the identity dilemma that stems from one’s doubt over either his real self or social self. Both Bertha’s escape from her real self and Millie’s from her social self are made in a common backdrop of their identity dilemma.– As for the two opposite destinations including the positive and the negative ones, chapter three elucidates them as respectively the results of positive freedom or negative freedom procured by escapists represented by Miss Moss. Briefly, either through retreat or camouflage, most escapists perpetuate or exacerbate their predicaments after transient alleviation brought by their escapes. Only a few productive oriented ones could escape from predicaments ultimately for their escapes underpinned by their productiveness are quintessentially spontaneous negotiations with the world rather than self-deluding compromises or evasions. Hence they could realize their inherent potentiality, remain self-consciousness and external connection in the midst of escape and extricate themselves from their predicaments afterwards.– Besides, the theme of escape illustrated in the thesis is actually imbued with Mansfield’s own life experience and philosophy. Through offering a socio-psychological interpretation of Mansfield’s escape theme, the thesis hence hopefully aims to enrich the understanding of Mansfield and her characters, draw more attention to Mansfield and invoke, in particular, more reflections on the escape of her short stories, especially in the contemporary context of human existence. [English: www.cnki.net, 4/2022]
As one of the most prestigious writers in contemporary British literary circles, Kazuo Ishiguro won the 2017 Nobel Prize for Literature owing to the fact that his novel with great emotional force, >has uncovered the abyss beneath our illusory sense of connection with the world<. Kazuo Ishiguro’s works have received a high degree of attention as soon as they were published. His works emphasize self-salvation and cherish the warmth of the world, break through the limitations of the theme of immigrant writers and set his sights on the universal human nature of the world. >The Remains of the Day< is the third novel published by Kazuo Ishiguro. It is known for its simplicity, elegance and subtle narrative style and it is also his most prestigious work so far. Kazuo Ishiguro succeeded in portraying the role of Stevens, a high-level butler who dedicated his life to the career of butlers in >The Remains of the Day<. The novel unfolds with Stevens, an ordinary British butler, using a reminiscence narrative approach. Stevens, the protagonist in his twilight years, has a reputation, but he is lonely, self-abased and helpless, and his identity is severely alienated. With Miss Kenton’s letter and permission from his new employer, Stevens sets off on a six-day trip. Through the memories of the past, the people he meets and the things he sees during the journey, he explores the true meaning of life and rebuild the alienated identity. The novel leaves the reader with a hopeful open ending, which implies that Stevens will embrace a more real life on a positive way in the rest of the time.
Academia usually studies and interprets >The Remains of the Day< from the perspectives of post-colonialism, cultural studies and narrative techniques. Some critics also analyze the power mechanism embodied in the novel from the perspective of the image of the other. However, the research on Stevens’ identity cognition is not enough. Therefore, from the perspective of social psychological analysis, this thesis finds that Stevens’ identity cognition is seriously alienated. The influence of social environment, the relationship between the dominant and the dominated, and the human nature that is the fear of loneliness are the most fundamental psychological factors of Stevens’ identity alienation. From the perspective of social psychological analysis, this thesis will reveal the lonely and helpless living state of Stevens, the root of Stevens’ identity alienation under the influence of the change of the times and the people around him, and the road of redemption to rebuild his identity recognition. In the meantime, the thesis aims to explore the intention that Ishiguro Kazuo tries to achieve in depicting the living conditions of the universal individual in modern society. First, in view of the theory of >abstract< social psychological analysis, the thesis discusses the social and environmental factors which contribute to the formation and alienation of Stevens’ identity under the imperialist consciousness. Next, with the help of Fromm’s authority theory, the deep psychological causes of Stevens’ identity alienation from his treatment of father-son affection, loyalty and love are investigated. Then, from the perspectives of history and memory, love and emotion, the thesis analyzes the significance and value of Stevens’ salvation of identity alienation. >The Remains of the Day< enlightens us that we should recognize our own identities and adapt to society correctly. Even if our identities are alienated, we can be redeemed and rebuilt through our own efforts, rekindling hope in life. [www.cnki.net, 1/2023]
Margaret Drabble (1939 –) is one of the most influential and prolific women writers in contemporary British literature, who has awarded the CBE and the DBE by the Queen of England. Different from the contemporary female intellectuals’ struggle in previous works, Drabble shows great humanistic concerns after 1980s, and explores such contemporary social dilemmas as moral disorder, loss of faith, twisted relationship, and money worship. As a mature work of Drabble, >The Radiant Trilogy<, >The Radiant Way<, >A Natural Curiosity<, >The Gates of Ivory<) completely shows her reflections on ideological changing in modern society. Based on Erich Fromm’s humanistic philosophy, this thesis exposes the alienation with human distortion and moral decay, deepening the study of Drabble’s work from moral dimension. Fromm’s humanistic philosophy discussed the alienation, negative freedom and love, exposing the relation of >quantification< and >abstraction< with self-alienation, invisible authority and consumption alienation etc. Besides, he regards the reconstruction of self-identity, the reclaiming of love and the restoration of creative life as essential elements to realize the integrity of human with the self, the outside world and human activities. Chapter one explains how alienation is caused and intensified by modern social development in >The Radiant Trilogy<. It discusses the political, economic, informative and cultural crisis based on >quantification< and >abstraction< under the capitalist system and the technological revolution. The causes of alienation vary from person to person, but from macro-perspective, society was the root. Individualism and commercial liberalization of Thatcher Government in the 1980s aggravates the alienated situation in society, meanwhile, the regime of bureaucratic, the capitalization of the economy, the decreasing value of knowledge, and the distortion of information contributes to a widespread alienation.– Chapter two discusses the Internal reflections of alienation on human nature in >The Radiant Trilogy<, including the absence of self, the twisted relationships, the invisible authority, the decay of professional moral and the distortion of values. Alix and Shirley’s various results of alienation under different living environments, Liz’s loss in >party socializing<, the public’s indifference to Paul, Charles’ commercialization in work, and Miss Porntip’s money worship all embodies the results of alienation’s attack to traditional ethical standards and social customs.– Chapter three explores the approach to overcome alienation in >The Radiant Trilogy<. With Fromm’s idea of >the new human<, thesis excavates three protagonists’ efforts on transcending alienation through self-return, mature love and creative life. Once lost in unreliable social friendship, Liz rediscovers her self-identity and regains the warmth of family. Alix, with selfless love and generosity, heals Paul’s wounds left by alienation and original sin. In addition, the friendship between Liz, Alix and Esther builds a radiant way for them to pursue a removal of alienation. Alienation is aroused by social, political, economic, cultural factors, and specifically embodied as the separation of human from himself, from others, from work, and from consumption. With Margaret Drabble’s turning from feminism to humanism, >The Radiant Trilogy< expresses the radiance and hope of saving alienation in modern society with mature love and productive activities. [www.cnki.net, 1/2023]
Anne Tyler is deemed as one of the most outstanding writers and literary critics in contemporary America. Over her long career, distinguished by her vivid description of the conflicts in family life, Tyler has continually published over twenty novels, as well as over fifty short stories and numerous book reviews. Among them, Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant (1982) and >The Accidental Tourist< (1985) are two typical examples. The two novels share a common theme: alienation and loneliness, and the author uses the narrative model of internal focalization in both novels. The difference is that in >Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant<, Tyler flexibly adopts three models of internal focalization: fixed internal focalization, variable internal focalization and multiple internal focalization. While in >The Accidental Tourist<, fixed internal focalization is employed throughout the story. These two novels do not have the tortuous and bizarre storyline, but only revolve around trivial matters that have occurred in family, including the contradiction and estrangement between family members and so on. Judging from the existing literature at home and abroad, there is still great potential for in-depth research on Anne Tyler and her two novels. Based on Gérard Genette’s Narrative Theories, this thesis is devoted to a comparative study of alienation in Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant and >The Accidental Tourist< by means of close reading and theoretical analysis, so as to help readers gain a deep understanding of Tyler’s writing style and alienation theme, and also render a new perspective for further interpretation of Tyler’s family novels. This thesis consists of six parts. Chapter One first gives a brief introduction to the writer Anne Tyler and her works. Then, the definition of alienation is presented, especially Fromm’s views on alienation. In the end of this chapter, the significance and structure of the thesis are pointed out.– Chapter Two is Literature Review. In this part, the study on Anne Tyler and her two representative novels at home and abroad are shown.– Chapter Three is the theoretical framework of the thesis, in which Genette’s narratology theory is explained in detail, especially the narrative focalization: zero focalization, internal focalization, external focalization.– Chapter Four and Chapter Five are the main body of the thesis. Chapter Four aims to compare and analyze the manifestation of alienation in the two novels from different internal focalization types. This chapter can be divided into two parts. The first part will analyze the self-alienation in the two novels. The second part will explore the alienation of interpersonal relationship in the two novels, including two types: the alienation among family members and the alienation with non-family members. And the environmental alienation will be taken into consideration in this part, which accelerates the alienation of characters in the two novels.– Chapter Five is expected to elaborate the external and internal reasons of the alienation in the two novels, and explore the countermeasures to overcome alienation. External reasons, such as the social and historical background, the writer’s experience, the influence of American Southern literature and the family background are analyzed. In view of the internal reasons, this thesis puts an emphasis on personal attitude and choice. In terms of countermeasures, the strength of family ties weakens the alienation in >Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant<. While in >The Accidental Tourist<, the greatness of affection helps the protagonist Macon overcome alienation partially.– Chapter Six – conclusion part, the author summaries the previous viewpoints and puts forward the suggestion for further study. [www.cnki.net, 1/2023]
E. M. Forster’s works mostly reflect the social realities of his time. At the beginning of the 20th century England was in a significant historical period of social transformation. Although material wealth was abundant people’s spiritual state and moral level were constantly retrogressive. >Where Angels Fear to Tread< was set in this background. The moral values expressed in the Mrs. Herritons the family relationships between members and the mental state of each person all reflected the social status quo of their time. This thesis analyzes the phenomenon of alienation in >Where Angels Fear to Tread< through Fromm’s theory of alienation. Alienation has become a common social phenomenon people are in a state of controlling and being controlled so they lost their own independent personality productivity and creativity. In addition money and interests dominate social relations which makes people feel less care for each other thus the social relationship is becoming more and more indifferent. This phenomenon of alienation was not only reflected in British society at the beginning of the twentieth century but also was evident in contemporary times. This thesis studies the novel with the theory of alienation. Through analyzing the manifestations of alienation in characters exploring the causes of alienation and finally achieving the ultimate goal of curing the alienation of characters this thesis not only reflects the novelist’s desire to reveal the alienation of the British middle class but also provides methods and ideas to solve the spiritual alienation of modern people through the study of alienation resistance. This thesis is mainly divided into three parts-introduction main body and conclusion. The introduction gives a brief presentation to the novelist and his works followed by a comprehensive overview of the current state of domestic and international research on >Where Angels Fear to Tread<. Finally the purpose and significance of the text are explained. The introductory part is a prelude to the rest of the study. The main part is divided into three chapters.– The first chapter starts with the embodiment of alienation which explores the embodiment of alienation between individuals and society between individuals and other people and between individuals and themselves. From these three aspects the thesis makes a specific study on the embodiment of alienation and characters’ behavior under alienation.– The second chapter mainly explores the causes of alienation. There are many reasons for characters’ alienation. On the one hand characters’ personality defects lead to their self-loss. On the other hand the influence of long-term family environment is on a person as well as the influence of social environment on them.– The third chapter studies the resistance to alienation. The resistance to alienation also starts from three aspects. The first is the individual’s efforts to get rid of his own alienation. Secondly from the perspective of love it explains the importance of creative love to improve people’s alienation. Thirdly from the social perspective it expounds the positive role of a good social environment for people to get rid of alienation. The conclusion summarizes the content of the above chapters. It can be seen that Foster has a sober understanding of the society he lives in. He expresses the concern of people’s alienation and shows his hope for overcoming alienation. With the rapid development of productive forces the great wealth of material materials and the increasing consumer demand the seemingly sound society hides a profound spiritual crisis which also coincides with Fromm’s alienation theory. Through the analysis it can be seen that studying human alienation is necessary and feasible. [English: www.cnki.net, 4/2022]
This thesis conducts a comparative study between >The Summer before the Dark< by the British writer Doris Lessing and >The Edible Woman< by the Canadian writer Margaret Atwood from the perspective of Fromm’s humanistic psychoanalysis. >The Summer before the Dark< and >The Edible Woman< share a significant common theme, that is, the dilemma of contemporary women. Alienation is a prevalent phenomenon in modern society and as members of that society, females cannot escape from this problem. >The Summer before the Dark< describes the story of a middle-aged housewife, Kate, who pursues her true self after temporarily escaping from her family, and >The Edible Woman< depicts working class Marian’s process of searching for mental independence and escaping from an alienating spiritual predicament. By examining the view of human nature, alienation and road to sanity proposed Erich Fromm, this thesis thoroughly analyzes and compares the similarities between the two protagonists’ behavior when confronted with alienation, their process of awakening self-awareness and differences in their routes to mental sanity. Through systematic comparison and analysis, it can be concluded that Kate’s maternal love for children and Marian’s erotic love for Peter provide the respective sources of their alienation. Obsession with others gives them a false sense of identity which enables them to cast off their deeply-rooted feelings of separation. In such symbiotic relationships with others, both Kate and Marian lose their self-awareness as an individual being and they cannot realize their spiritual dilemma. Mental independence and self-awareness are the key to getting rid of plight and the way to mental health for them. Through intensive study, the thesis suggests a solution for those trapped in a spiritual dilemma: productive love. Productive love can meet man’s need for union with others and provide a sense of identity with the prerequisite of the development of integrity. It is the final answer to conditions of individual living plight and the only way to achieve personal equilibrium. [English: www.cnki.net, 4/2022]