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[Chinese abstract not available.] Erich Fromm was a famous American psychologist, philosopher and one of the most influential thinkers in the 20th century. His consumption alienation theory provides a theoretical perspective to analyze the crisis of human nature development in capitalist society. He used Freudian psychoanalysis to analyze Marx’s theory of alienation, and combined the two theories to analyze the social contradictions of capitalism, especially the spiritual crisis and the crisis of human nature, which enriched the social psychology content of Marx’s critical theory of capital. Avoiding consumption alienation is not only conducive to promoting the harmonious development of our society and economy, but also conducive to reducing the pressure on resources and environment. Here, based on Marx’s theory of labor alienation, the perspective of contemporary Chinese Marxist theory to the thought of Fromm’s consumption alienation from Fromm, but is not limited to Fromm’s economic philosophy interpretation, it can be seen that Fromm adopted Freud to the unconscious mental analysis method, (1)analysis of the capitalist society inevitably causes of consumption alienation, namely to boost consumption is to alleviate the crisis of overproduction of capitalism;(2)From the perspective of social psychology, this paper analyzes the negative effects of con¬sumption alienation on human beings, which means that human beings lose their rational and loving ability and are reduced to >robots< under the control of capital logic. (3)It predicts the bleak prospect of the collapse of the logic of capital. Consumption alienation has brought about a negative effect on the capitalist society, leading to the crisis of human nature and natural ecology, and finally the collapse of the capitalist society. (4)Finally, the author gives a utopian plan of >sound society< to cure capitalist group neurosis from three aspects of economy, politics and culture. Sublation of Fromm’s thought of consumption alienation, in under the guidance of Marxist theory, social psychology on the basis of critique of capital and the consumption object, subject, consumption process in the dual economic philosophy and social psychology, aiming at the current situation and existing problems of consumer, to evade the potential consumption alienation, put forward the corresponding countermeasures. Therefore, it will be discussed from the following five aspects. The first chapter aims to clarify the philosophical and psychological origins of Fromm’s idea of consumption alienation. Fromm’s alienation of consumption is the derivation theory of Marx’s alienation of labor. The focus of contemporary capital logic is shifted from the field of production to the field of consumption, which leads to the transformation of alienation of labor to alienation of consumption. Consumption alienation also includes the ideological control of capitalism, which is unconscious. Freud’s individual unconscious can be extended to Fromm’s collective unconscious, which can reveal the social psychological manipulation mechanism behind consumption alienation. The second chapter discusses the variation of the relationship between consumer object and human in the consumption alienation from the theoretical level, which is an abstract analysis, and analyzes the philosophical and psychological reasons of consumption alienation. In the alienation of consumption, people pay more attention to the symbolic value and non-functional attribute of goods, and people’s >false demand< is stimulated. This further leads to the variation of human relationships, including the lack of human initiative, the materialization of human relationships, and human’s demand for nature. Although these are not conducive to the development of human nature, they are conducive to the logic of infinite capital appreciation, which means the inherent irreconcilable conflict between >humanism< and >capital<. The third chapter discusses the internal destruction of human nature caused by consumption alienation, the illusion of happiness deliberately created, and the inevitable ecological crisis. This is an empirical analysis, which analyzes the multiple serious consequences brought by consumption alienation. In the alienated consumption, human beings do not establish their subjectivity, but become >robots< of unconscious consumption. The happiness gained through consumption is based on >false satisfaction< and can only be illusory happiness. Excessive consumption stimulates the expansion of production, which surpasses the carrying capacity of natural resources and ecology, and inevitably leads to ecological crisis.
The fourth chapter discusses the way of sublating consumption alienation from the socialist market economy. The foothold is to sublating the logic of capital and establish the primacy of >people-oriented< rather than >capital<. At the individual level, we should establish human subjectivity through creative labor, emphasize fraternity and cooperation, and realize human’s free and comprehensive development. At the social level, based on the character cultivation of the productive society, we should discard the logic of capital appreciation, establish a green consumption culture, and promote the construction of a harmonious society in economic, cultural and political aspects. The fifth chapter discusses the limitations of Fromm’s criticism of consumption alienation. Fromm’s critique of consumption alienation is a profound revelation of the social contradictions of contemporary capitalism, which is characterized by social psychological deconstruction. However, Fromm overstated the influence of psychological factors, and his >healthy society< program was Utopian in nature, which deviated from the Marxist standpoint to a certain extent. On the whole, (1)Based on Marx’s criticism of political economy, this paper analyzes Fromm’s idea of consumption alienation in both philosophy and social psychology, and this reinterpretation undoubtedly has the background of Marxism in contemporary China. (2)To reveal the >conscious< and >unconscious< control of the whole society by the capital logic behind consumption alienation, especially its suppression of human nature in both physical and mental dimensions;(3)Let people see the real mask of consumerism in the ideological control and economic expansion in the capitalist society, as well as the inherent paradox and inevitable collapse trend of the logic of capital;(4)The criticism of Fromm’s criticism of consumption alienation is for the purpose of >the West serves China<, so as to strengthen the Marxist view of green consumption with Chinese characteristics and promote the healthy and orderly development of China’s socialist economy. [Translation: www.cnki.net, 9/2021]
Since the 1990s, urban literature has risen and become the most important literary landscape. As an important part of urban literature, urban poetry has been gradually developing in the middle and late 1980s. With its constantly spring-up, the research on urban poetry has gradually increased. In the early days, most of the research and discussion of related concepts. After the 1990s, along with the introduction of Western urban poetry theories, urban poetry research showed a diversified research trend as well as achieved a fruitful result. The Chinese cities after the 1990 s have striking similarities with Baudelaire’s Paris described by Benjamin. Therefore, based on the texts of Chinese urban poetry after the 1990s and took reference of Western multidisciplinary urban studies, this thesis analyzes the writing of urban poetry in this period and its modern urban consciousness in a comparative perspective, and demonstrates the urban development and human spiritual dilemma of universal significance in the process of urbanization. The first chapter of the thesis mainly analyzes the urban landscape as imagery. Based on the research ideas of Roland Bart’s semiotics and Kevin Lynch’s urban planning, it draws and studies the formal characteristics and semantic structure in Chinese urban poetry after the 1990 s, which applied the related concepts and methods of urban space theory and architectural phenomenology, using basic units such as city streets, nodes, landmarks to combine urban architecture and the space. Dense streets are a typical feature of urban space, which also present the most authentic people’s life. In poetry, abstract and conceptual streets often symbol the urban space, representing fastness or congestion. The specific streets with clear directivity become the memory carrier or the emotional projection in the poet’s narration. The constantly demolished old streets are regarded as the epitome of urban culture. Typical urban nodes are like squares with the nature of gathering points as well as railways and stations with the nature of connecting points. The connotation of city squares in poetry has gone from a space with rich political accommodation or ideal accommodation to a huge public entertainment function. The urban railway is not only a symbol of modern civilization, but also a metaphor of time, and a symbol of the ideal love of urban people. The station with a strong spirit is not only a place for strangers and nostalgia, but also the maternal symbol of the initiator of era and nurturing new life. As the symbol and unique characteristic of a city, tall buildings transcend reality and enters the imaginary level in poets’ writing from symbolizing power and rebirth to squeezing, siege and becoming an ancient behemoth. To get rid of the invisible majesty and pressure brought by the shape of tall buildings, poets choose to take the top or glass windows, curtain walls of tall buildings to determine their position and perceive the shape of the city. The second chapter shows the modern crowds wandering in the city. It divides into three types, i. e. wanderers, aliens and margins, defined by Benjamin, Simmel, and Robert Parker on the role of urban people combining the poet’s subjective life experience, urban vision, and self-identity. Wanders are further divided into wandering meditators, lonely garbage pickers, and angry critics. Wandering meditators walk through the streets to achieve a complex relationship among the city and urban people; lonely garbage pickers observe the people and objects in the city as a >garbage picker< in Baudelaire’s pen to collect his own poetry; angry critics take the angle to stand on the opposite side of the city, revealing the deformed development of the city in a manner that is incompatible with the city, and the ecological crisis and human survival crisis. There are two types of aliens. Some of them can >dwells on this earth poetically< in the city. They eagerly present and examine the city’s unique mundane feelings with their own original vision and take a proactive attitude toward the city. Another part are people ran back and forth between the countryside and the city. They were >dual-aliens< between the countryside and the city. Marginal people mainly include those who have a real-world marginal situation and those who have a >self-marginal< mentality. The marginalized people with realistic marginal situations often have rural growth backgrounds, and most of them still live in small towns. By showing the urban life and living conditions of urban fringe people, they express the filth and greatness, lofty and despicableness of the city on the one hand, and on the other hand the aspect also completed the identification of the marginal identity of the self, and realized the comfort and salvation of the self. Although marginalized people with a self-marginal mentality live in cities, they all have long or short experiences in rural life. They are particularly aware of the sadness, bitterness, and heaviness of life. They express the hidden worries and sorrows in the process of urban modernization by writing about the lives of people on the periphery of the city. The third chapter presents the alienated modern urban spirit. It takes on Simmel’s sociological theory, Fromm’s theory of human nature, and Jungian personality analysis psychology to illustrate the alienated urban spirit in modern cities. Modern cities continue to throw people into new experiences, new environments, and new crowds. When these new stimuli make city people feeling the threat, they will use their rationality and then produces indifferent. Indifference makes people form reserved interpersonal relationships. Indifferent individuals are forced to enter various relationships, so personality masks are caused and lead to constant splits in personality. Finally, indifferent modern people seek psychological balance, occasionally reveals his sincere emotions, creating a stranger’s emotional penetration. The biggest impact of indifference on modern urbanites is to make individuals suffer from loneliness. The loneliness with multiple faces has become a common mental state of modern people. It originated from the poet’s attitude of self-estrangement and the decline of the physical home (country) and the nowhere to put the spiritual home in the process of urbanization. Facing loneliness, different poets have different attitudes, which reflect the different moods of the poets. In addition, the rise of a consumer society, the expansion of material desires, and the pressure of survival forced poets to change their attitude towards commodities and strive to approach poetry in the material flood. The objects of modern civilization will gradually be degenerated with the passage of time and the changing environments. The meaning and value of money will continue to collapse, and people will never be able to achieve a poetic dwelling. Finally, the expansion of body desires is a typical symptom of modern society. Cities are full of erotic desires, and sexual desire has become the >top priority< of modern society. Herein, love is no longer a pure spiritual pursuit, but a vain term tied to material needs and even equates to prostitution. He inspires individual passions and desires, and at the same time turns individuals into puppets controlled by passions and desires. [Translation: www. cnki.net, 4/2023]
Franz Kafka is known as one of the forerunners of western modernist fiction. As a representative of Chinese avant-garde fiction writer, Can Xue, with her creation influenced by Kafka, has been called >Chinese Kafka< by the Nobel Prize judge Göran Malmqvist. The two writers have both created alienated mother images in their works. Therefore, taking the >mother image< as the penetration point, the thesis endeavors to study the similarities and dissimilarities of the mother images in Kafka’s >The Metamorphosis< and Can Xue’s >Old Floating Cloud<, and to explore the causes behind the alienated mother images as well as the significance of the representation of them. In addition to the introduction and conclusion, the thesis is composed of three chapters. The introduction part begins with a close analysis of the related theme and clarifies this study’s significance and methodology.– Based on close reading, chapter one analyzes the evil mother images in >The Metamorphosis< and >Old Floating Cloud< and points out that neither of them possess traditional mothers’ virtues, but the two authors present the images of alienated mothers in different ways. Under Kafka’s depiction, the mother image in >The Metamorphosis< undergoes a dynamic change, while Can Xue puts the mother images in a static structure, presenting the inherent catastrophe within the motherhood.– Chapter two examines the causes for alienated mother images in the two works from the perspective of patriarchy and modernity crisis. Using Simon Beauvoir’s theory of >The Other Sex< and Fromm’s theory of >alienation<. this thesis demonstrates that the mothers in both books are both victims and accomplices of the patriarchy. Meanwhile, the mother in >The Metamorphosis< has lost love for her son because of her excessive pursuit of capital under the sway of modernity. The mothers in >Old Floating Cloud< are caught in the spiritual predicament in modern society, which also alienates their relationship with their children.– Chapter three discusses the significance of the representation of the alienated mother images by Can Xue and Kafka in terms of the books’ cultural and social background as well as the writers’ own experiences. Although the two writers have different focuses, they both express criticism of patriarchy and offer reflection on the crisis of modernity. Comparing the alienated mother images in >The Metamorphosis< and >Old Floating Cloud< provides a different angle in the comparative study between Can Xue and Kafka. The mothers in the two works are alienated under the influence of patriarchy and modernity crisis, which, in a practical sense, reminds us that we need to pay more attention to the identity of mothers and the spiritual plight of modern people. [English: www.cnki.net, 4/2022]
Erich Fromm(1900.03 – 1980.03)is not only a famous psychologist, philosopher and sociologist in the 20th century, but also a Western Marxist and one of the main representatives of Frankfurt school. He has made great achievements in many disciplines. Although his thought is broad, humanism is the core and an important symbol of his thinking system. China today has built a well-off society in an all-round way, and people’s livelihood is still the focus of attention. Fromm’s humanistic thought can also bring enlightenment for the Chinese government to improve public services and better meet the needs of the people. At the same time, in order to realize a harmonious society, we must enrich Marx’s thought of >human<, because it can promote the Sinicization of Marxism and implement the requirements of >people centered<. Fromm’s detailed description of the situation of people in the capitalist society makes us more aware of the real state of people in the capitalist society, which can not only resist the unhealthy trend of thought, but also make the development of Chinese society more stable. The study of Fromm’s humanism still has a certain reference value for us to study today’s capitalist society, especially the modern western society with highly developed commodity economy. Therefore, Fromm’s theory still has profound theoretical value and practical significance today, which is worth learning. This paper studies Fromm’s humanistic thought from the following four aspects: The first part is about the formation and development of Fromm’s humanism. We mainly discuss from two aspects, namely, the formation background and the theoretical source. The first angle is the theoretical background of Fromm’s humanistic thought, mainly including the collision of the three trends of thought and Fromm’s choice of thought; the second angle is Fromm’s personal experience. We introduce his family experience and academic experience, and discuss the influence of his personal background on his thoughts. We mainly discuss Fromm’s humanism from four aspects: how to inherit Marx’s humanism, how to carry forward Freud’s humanism, how to develop Maslow’s humanism and Frankfurt School’s humanism. This part summarizes and combs Fromm’s humanistic thought. This paper explores Fromm’s ideological system from three perspectives: the view of existence, the view of human nature and the view of freedom. Based on the analysis of Fromm’s works, this paper tries to restore the whole picture of Fromm’s humanistic ideological system. The third part focuses on the theoretical characteristics of Fromm’s humanistic thought. Taking >human< as the fundamental is the logical starting point of Fromm’s humanistic thought. Fromm describes the general nature and sociality of human, because human is always his most concerned problem. At the same time, Fromm also has a common characteristic of Frankfurt School scholars, he is also very good at using criticism to construct theory. He criticized from two dimensions of human and society. Most importantly, his value pursuit of human liberation makes his theory full of humanism and humanistic care. Finally, from the perspective of Marxism, this paper examines and analyzes Fromm’s humanistic thought. This paper affirms the constructiveness of Fromm’s humanistic thought in many fields, such as human nature theory, capitalist research, and the healing of society and human beings. On the other hand, it also finds its limitations by digging deeply into Fromm’s humanistic thought. The main mistake lies in the misinterpretation and deviation of some theories from Marxism. In addition, it also discusses the Contemporary Enlightenment of Fromm’s humanistic thought, that is, to reasonably enrich Marx’s >human< thought, to strengthen the direction of guiding social construction, and to continue to care about the living situation and mental health of modern people. [Translation: www.cnki.net, 1/2023]
Fromm is the representative figure of Western Marxism, is the international famous psychoanalysis humanism philosophers and psychologists Fromm based on humanism, chose cross perspective of philosophy, psychology, puts forward the unique analytical humanistic issues on human nature, he will be the macroscopic theory of Marxism and psychoanalysis of microscopic method, develop the research on the study of Marxist philosophy. Fromm proposed digestion of consumption alienation method, as well as consumption alienation research has important reference value for future generations. This article through three chapters to Fromm’s consumption alienation thought systematically in this paper, the first chapter elaborated Fromm’s consumption alienation thought source of social and cultural background and theoretical knowledge, Fromm’s rise in a consumer society disadvantages of capitalism appeared era, the development of people is faced with many grave problems In such a background, people gradually enveloped in content, is controlled by things Fromm actively seek to eliminate consumption alienation more advice on how to build a sound society. He absorbed Marx, Lukács, Marcuse’s theory of alienation to put forward his own theory of alienation of consumption. The second chapter is the main body of this paper, discusses from five sections, the first is Fromm definition of consumption alienation, in Fromm’s view, consumption alienation refers to the consumer in the consumer behavior, loss of subjectivity, consumption from means become purposes. The second is for researches in the cause of alienation spending, Fromm’s think that the emergence of consumption alienation has internal and external two aspects Internal cause is the person to escape the psychological mechanism of freedom, and the external cause is the pursuit of capital logic of capitalism, when value become capitalists focus, and the goods was abstracted into things. A third is Fromm the hazard analysis on consumption alienation Fromm’s thought consumption alienation will bring freedom illusion and false happiness can make a real loss of consumption experience can make the human to dry up four is Fromm to eliminate consumption alienation idea, he thought that if you want to build a healthy social, psychological and society as a whole to change simultaneously. From the psychological changes, Fromm’s claim to adhere to the survival way of life, to establish the productive character In terms of social change, Fromm advocated to the whole capitalist society economic, political and cultural change Fromm believed that as long as individuals and society worked together to reform, good results would be achieved. Five is the analysis of the value of Fromm’s consumption alienation theory, the theory has its rationality and limitations of anyone, Fromm’s consumption alienation idea is no exception Its superiority lies in the expanded the Marx’s theory of alienation, is on Marx inherited the spirit of the age, in addition, Fromm’s theory of man’s subjective spirit also attaches great importance to, but still cannot cover the defect of its theory, which has a dream. [Translation: www.cnki.net, 1/2023]
[Chinese abstract not available.] Charlotte Bronte, one of the most celebrated English writers of the nineteenth century, >Villette<, as the last autobiographical novel of her life, has traditionally been considered a classic in the tradition of the novel. The novel’s heroine, Lucy Snowe, embodies Charlotte in her journey from the acquisition and deepening of self-consciousness to the stage of self-struggle to reach a life of self-realization, showing the current state of existence. This thesis intends to explore the issue of alienation in >Villette< from the perspective of Erich Fromm’s alienation theory. Erich Fromm’s alienation theory is divided into three important parts: the theory of human nature, the theory of alienation and the theory of love. The theory of human nature is the starting point and basis for analyzing the problem of human dilemma and helping people to get out of it; the problem of human alienation is the core problem of the impact of capitalist society on people; and the theory of love is a path proposed by Erich Fromm to help people to seek happiness under the influence of other ideas and combined with his own experience path. This thesis uses Erich Fromm’s theory of human nature, theory of alienation and theory of love to explore in depth the alienation that exists in >Villette< and the reasons for it from both the individual and social levels, and to explain how to rescue the alienation from the perspective of Erich Fromm’s theory of love. By applying Fromm’s theory of alienation to analyse the phenomenon of alienation in >Villette<, the following points are found: Firstly, the impact of alienation in the novel is not only on the external social environment in which people live, but also on the spiritual world of those who live in it. Therefore, the causes of alienation must be analyzed in relation to both individual and social factors. Secondly, escape is not the answer, but rather a comprehensive and correct understanding of oneself, breaking the illusion and facing the reality. Active participation in society and the establishment of positive relationships with people through genuine love will help people to escape from their alienation. Thirdly, Charlotte Brontë expresses her concern for human society and the environment by describing the alienation of human nature in the Victorian era, and shows where the hope for the salvation of human alienation lies. The struggle of Lucy, the protagonist of the novel, has inspired countless readers to keep pursuing for their own ideals. The study of alienation in >Villette< provides a new perspective on the analysis of this work from the perspective of alienation, and also helps to give modern people a profound reflection on their views on life, love and career, and provides some reference for subsequent research. [Translation: www.cnki.net, 9/2021]
As an eminent Jewish American writer, Philip Roth is well-known as an incisive observer of America’s social scene. His works mainly deal with several themes, including Jewish identity, spiritual crises of humankind, the American Dream, and conflicts between human nature and the ethic or morality of modern society. His masterpiece, the winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award in 2001, >The Human Stain< probes into the plight of self in American society. Up to now, different scholars at home and abroad have analyzed it from a variety of perspectives, like ethnic identity, racial passing, trauma, archetype, and narrative method. Unlike the previous studies, this thesis analyzes it from the perspective of Erich Fromm’s alienation theory. As a ubiquitous social phenomenon in modern society, alienation, a mode of subjective experience, indicates that man regards himself as an alienated one or receives the outside world passively. In this novel, these major characters suffer from alienation respectively, including self-alienation, the estranged relationships with one another as well as alienation in the whole society, which results from some irrational thought prevailing in America, like deep-seated racial and gender disparity, political correctness, the climate of persecution and cruel Vietnam War. Based on textual analysis and reference learning, this thesis concludes that though people go through alienation seriously, they can get rid of it through the salvation of love, the pursuit of identity, and the healing power of nature. Sincerely, this thesis can contribute to an interpretation of >The Human Stain< from a new perspective alienation, and raise attention to modern man’s living predicaments and its salvation or solutions. [www.cnki.net, 1/2023]
Martyna Majok is a Polish-American playwright. Her second play >Cost of Living< was published in 2018 and won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in the same year. The main characters in >Cost of Living< are the disabled: Ani and John, and their respective caregiver: Eddie and Jess. They desire to connect with others and the society, while at the same time, gaps of disability, race and class are created between them. However, they do not compromise or give up because of this, but are still actively looking for the salvation of love. This paper interprets the survival dilemma and salvation methods of the characters with the help of Erich Fromm’s human existence theory, revealing the living conditions of the marginalized in the United States who are shackled by disability, race, and class. It calls on the society to give more humanistic care to the marginalized and the disadvantaged. This paper consists of five parts, including the introduction, three main chapters and the conclusion. The introduction summarizes the life experience and main works of Majok, the main content of >Cost of Living<, the current research status of this play at home and abroad, and the theoretical framework. The first chapter combines with Fromm’s thinking on the existence dilemma of the modern people to analyze the survival dilemma of the four characters in the play. The disability brought both mental and physical torture to John and Ani; Eddie had to endure loneliness in the process of individualization; under alienation, Jess became a commodity for exchange of interests, and alienated from others constantly. In the play, both the disabled and the caregivers were caught in an inescapable survival predicament and could not perceive kindness, trust and love between individuals.– The second chapter explores the reason why the characters were in such dilemma with Fromm’s theory of human need. Due to the social exclusion, Ani and John were eager to establish relatedness with the outside. Eddie took the initiative to seek company and rootedness, and Jess was desperate to gain a certain social identity. These unsatisfied spiritual needs made them fall into a desperate situation, and their wrong attempts to meet their needs even got them into deeper dilemma.– The third chapter analyzes different attempts made by the characters to get rid of their predicaments and achieve self-salvation. Infected by love, Ani rekindled her hope and enthusiasm for life. John took the initiative to step out of self-closure. Eddie and Jesse also boldly tried to love others. All the characters made different attempts to build relationships and love with others, but gained different results, which proves that only love based on understanding, respect and trust can lead them out of the predicament of existence and then realize the salvation of love. The play reflects Majok’s ardent care for the fate of the marginalized in the United States. On the basis of Fromm’s existence theory, this paper represents the real living conditions of the characters and the reasons for their deep predicament. Life is full of hardship and pain, and the marginalized represented by the characters in the play who lacked social attention and care are in deeper dilemma. However, predicament does not mean despair, surrender and compromise. Those who live in it should bravely fight against difficulties with an optimistic attitude. Meanwhile, the society should give them more attention and love, so that they can find the meaning of existence in the world full of loneliness and alienation, and realize self-salvation. [www.cnki.net, 1/2023]
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]
Ian Mc Ewan is one of the most influential and prolific writers in contemporary England, who is known by the British public as “the national writer”. Influenced by his personal growth experience, many of his works reflect the crisis of modern society and the distortion of human nature. Meanwhile, he is good at displaying the loneliness and anxiety of modern people with the sharp language. >Enduring Love< is Mc Ewan’s sixth novel, and also his transitional work. The novel was hailed by the British Book Critics as one of the best novels of the year. The novel begins with a sudden balloon accident, and from then on the fate of the characters has been closely linked. The accident not only reflects the indifference of the social group, but also distorts the identities of the participants. Domestic and foreign critics mainly study this work from the perspectives of trauma, ethics and narrative, but few of them study it from the perspective of alienation. Therefore, based on Fromm’s theory of alienation, this thesis analyzes the theme of alienation in >Enduring Love<. In Fromm’s opinion, the alienation of human beings in modern society is inevitable. Human beings are alienated from others, from the society and even from themselves. The alienation of human nature is a kind of spiritual and psychological experience. The alienated person shows the distorted personality and the psychology of divided self, and they are no longer the creator of their own behaviors, but the slave of their behaviors and consequences. Taking the balloon accident as the background and the characters of Joe and Jed as the clues, this thesis discusses the self-alienation, the alienation from interpersonal relationships and the alienation from society in >Enduring Love<. In addition, it further explores the causes of the alienation, as well as the attempts made by individuals to eliminate the alienation and reconstruct themselves. Firstly, from the aspect of self-alienation, the healthy development of the personality has been hindered by the absent of family warmth and traumatic experiences. Secondly, for the alienation from interpersonal relationship, the traditional gender perspective in patriarchal society and the social unconscious oppression of human nature have caused interpersonal communication barriers and the lack of trust. Finally, in terms of the alienation from society, the communicative principle of egoism and the exclusion to the marginalized people are the common illnesses in modern society, which pushes the alienation of human nature to a deeper abyss. Alienation is a common phenomenon in modern society, which has penetrated into every aspect of our life. Analyzing of the alienation theme in >Enduring Love<, this thesis aims to explore the causes of the alienation of human nature in modern society, which arouse people to pay more attention to their own spiritual needs. Besides, it will arouse people to improve individual’s sense of self-identity and build trust in relationships. The marginalized people should also be more tolerated and understood at the same time so as to form a harmonious and sane social environment. Only the respect and tolerance can make people realize the return of love and morality, thus realizing the redemption of human nature. And only love can build a sane society. [Translation: www.cnki.net 8/2021]
The main purpose of this thesis is to explore the influence of the social unconscious on human beings in a future context. In psychoanalyst Erich Fromm's view, the social unconscious refers to Individuals who are afraid of being separated from the society they live in, they often adapt and distort their human needs to meet the requirements of our social system. However, with the strengthening of personality and self-awareness in our present society, how will the relationship between the social subconscious and people's self-awareness change in the future? This is the key issue of this thesis. In the first part, by studying the definition of the social unconscious and related works, this thesis tries to understand the root cause of the influence of the social unconscious and how it affects people's behavior and decision-making. In the second part, this thesis makes an in-depth study of Cyberpunk and objective imagery in related works, revealing that Cyberpunk is a projection of the real world, and clues for many problems in the real world can be found in the Cyberpunk world. In the third part, this thesis explores the changes in people's consciousness in the Cyberpunk world. Finally, this thesis concludes people will not be rid of the influence of the social unconscious whether in the real world or the future world. Even as people's self-awareness is constantly enhanced, self-awareness and social unconscious will always exist as contradictory to one another.
Raymond Carver is the >father of minimalism< in the United States in the 1970s and 1980s. He is famous for his minimalism in form and length, style and material. There is always an important theme in Carver’s works – >loneliness<. Starting from the predicament of interpersonal communication, Carver writes about people’s experience and feelings of loneliness in life. There are frequent communication dilemmas in Carver’s novels, including gender communication dilemma and intergenerational communication dilemma, and the latter is the continuation of the former in family life. If there is often silence between the sexes, then there is also a lack of normal and warm communication between generations, replaced by verbal conflicts. In addition, TV culture also has a great impact on interpersonal communication. Carver’s characters are often addicted to TV programs, which makes the communication barriers that originally exist in interpersonal communication become more serious, and strengthens people’s spiritual emptiness and boredom and lonely, closed state of existence. Carver not only focuses on this kind of loneliness in the ordinary sense of everyday life, but also depicts the abstract, universal and philosophical picture of loneliness. In the way of literature, he echoed and verified the theory of American social psychologist Erich Fromm: >loneliness<, as the shadow of >freedom<, coexists with >freedom< and lies in the whole human living condition. The problem of >loneliness< can’t be solved fundamentally. The characters in the novel often use violence to escape loneliness, which is obviously undesirable. There is also a more rational and beautiful way for human beings: love and understanding – this is the right way to deal with the problem of loneliness and relieve the pain of loneliness, and it is also the glimmer of hope revealed in Carver’s later novels. In addition, Carver shows the theme of loneliness with his unique minimalist artistic techniques – >vacancy< narrative strategy, uncertain discourse and time and dull and narrow narrative scene. Carver often deliberately omits some important plots and dialogues, resulting in a certain >vacancy< in the process of the novel, in order to invite readers to explore the rich implication and strong sense of fear, threat and loneliness hidden behind the simple text. He also creates a new atmosphere through uncertain discourse, the narrator’s ambiguous narration of events and the design of uncertain time. It creates a suspense atmosphere and a terrible sense of threat, which perfectly sets off the desperate psychological state of the characters surrounded by loneliness. Finally, the dull and narrow narrative scene limits the characters’ activity space, creates a dull and depressing atmosphere, and highlights the characters’ lonely living condition. [Translation: www.cnki.net, 11/2022]
Striking a balance between ecological protection and social development is not only intrinsic for humans to attain sustainable development but also a vital principle for China to boost modernization. In contemporary society, >ecology< has been inextricably linked with our production, lives and survival. On the one hand, people cannot live without the air and water provided by nature, and our society cannot produce anything or make progress without exploiting and utilizing sources from nature. On the other hand, nature demonstrates dissatisfaction to humans in various forms such as abnormal weather, resource shortage, reduction of biodiversity, and frequent disasters, as well as confrontation and rejection of human behaviors. Mankind not only bears the environmental pressure imposed by nature on our daily lives but also suffers from psychological depression and mental anxiety since whether we can survive sustainably is unknown, not to mention the continuous wars and conflicts due to competition for resources, which directly threaten human lives. The ecological environment, for us, becomes an increasingly serious crisis that poses a grim challenge to our survival. What lies in the core is that our survival is facing a crisis. Confronted with such a crisis, we need to reflect on how the relationship between man and nature evolves and how to deal with it, and to conduct a critical study on the roots and current situation of the current ecological crisis. This would help us to correctly understand and deal with the relationship between man and nature, probe into the origins of people’s psychology and living style when the ecological crisis erupts, and resolve people’s anxiety and worries about the crisis. After sorting out how humans’ cognition of nature evolves, the paper unfolds mainly from four aspects. First, based on the psychodynamic analysis of Marx’s historical materialism, the paper plunges into the characteristics of the current ecological crisis, such as its globality and complexity, spontaneity and sociality, hazard and severity; in which it analyzed that the current ecological crisis has both natural roots due to natural changes and social roots due to changes in production, life and survival methods brought about by humans’ industrialization; both humans’ cognitive limitations and the drawbacks of human rationality evolving into instrumental rationality. The crisis is also caused by the value pursuit of the capital’s nature, namely, profit-seeking. Second, the paper conducts a psychoanalytic criticism on the current ecological crisis, aiming at illustrating the necessity of introducing psychoanalysis into ecological crisis to solve the conflict between unlimited desire and limited resources, and to meet the realistic requirements of choosing >possession<, >aesthetic<, >fear< as a survival way while realizing human liberation. The psychoanalytic criticism of the ecological crisis sets the relationship between man and nature on the three levels of humans’ desire and drives: instinctual impulses, social unconsciousness, and ideal situation, through which the complexity of ecological crisis is related to the three levels of character tension of human desire, that is, the internal tension among individual character, market character and social character. In this way, the analysis of ecological crisis has added the critical dimension of the theory of human nature. Whether it is Heidegger, who emphasizes the existential concealment of human nature by objects, or Marcuse, who reveals the entanglement and confrontation between desire and civilization, we can infer that human existence is not only a process of continuously satisfying desires and creating new desires, but also a shift from the satisfaction of things and spirit to the pursuit of a higher state of consciousness, meanwhile rising to the control of desire and repeated anxiety of satisfaction. The complexity lying in the choice of survival mode reflects the >flow< of desire and the breakthrough of unconsciousness to consciousness. Third, it puts the ecological crisis and survival crisis under the comparative perspective of Fromm and Zizek's psychoanalysis. It shows that the current ecological crisis is not only an issue concerning the natural environment but also the direct result of human labor alienation, human alienation and even the alienation of modern capitalist society, which even causes the psychological alienation of modern people. Fromm proposed that we should transform the mode of survival from >possession< to >existence<, using the modest way out of constructing a sound society made of a new generation of humans, whereas Zizek claimed that humans should get rid of the setting of >original nature<, >humans are the wound of nature<, >crisis has already occurred<, mankind is in a state of >survival in fear<, that we must confront the ecological crisis pessimistically, finally realize the ideological suture of the >fracture< between man and nature, and we can take radical >social surplus< revolution if necessary. Although the two methods are different, they both reflect the concern about the actual living conditions of human beings and the concern for sustainable survival in the future, as well as the imminent pressure of the current ecological crisis on how to transfer our survival mode. Fourth, to deal with the current ecological crisis, it uses psychoanalytic methods to critically examine Marx’s historical materialism, summarize its advantages and disadvantages, and then propose a symbiotic construction option for China’s ecological civilization. The use of psychoanalytic methods to criticize the current ecological crisis correct people’s misunderstandings of industrial civilization, readdress the root cause of the industrial society’s exacerbation of ecological crises, examine people’s attitudes and consequences towards nature. Such methods also establish a mentality of treating nature equally and avoid the binary opposition between >anthropocentrism< and >eco-centrism<, and rectify the alienation of the relationship between man and nature and the psychological alienation of people caused by over-exploitation of nature. They lead us to correctly cope with the spiritual depression brought about by the ecological crisis and provide possible choices for ecological civilization to surpass industrial civilization. The shortcomings of this analysis method are apparent. It examines nature with a morbid vision by resorting to the mere improvement of individual characters while abandoned the function of man’s practical action in nature. In what depicts in the method, men wander in the >a mille plateau of desire< and the >the desert of the real<, sliding into the tragic dilemma of passive response or direct fear. We should realize that the current ecological crisis is no longer just a natural environmental issue, but a life-and-death issue of human survival. The ecological crisis will not only deteriorate living conditions and navigate mankind to a path of perdition, but also result in mental illness as people are in a long-term crisis state. Mankind should realize the unity of ecological revolution and social revolution in the coexistence of man and nature, so as to realize the unity of natural liberation and human liberation; and resolve the ecological crisis in the community of life coexisting between material, life and mind, thus meeting the real needs and promoting the spiritual realm simultaneously; in the creative ethical practice of man and nature, human’s possession is essentially achieved, so that humans are part of nature and return to nature. In short, only by unifying the love of human beings and the environment around them, getting rid of the binary opposition between >anthropocentrism< and >eco-centrism<, recognizing that man and nature should have a harmonious and symbiotic relationship, and constructing the community of life of humans and nature, using industrial ecologicalization and ecological industrialization to transform the production mode, can we shift from the survival mode of >possessing< materials to the symbiosis type. We shall apply ecological concepts, ecological values, and ecological culture into our production and lives, and truly embodies the modern meaning of >nature is man’s inorganic body< put forward by Marx. Only by replacing industrial civilization with the concept of ecological civilization can mankind turn crises into opportunities, fulfil the liberation of nature and men, and solve the dilemma of ecological crisis, survival crisis, and spiritual anxiety. That’s how we can realize the sustainable development of mankind. [Translation: www.cnki.net, 11/2022]
Humanism is the frequently discussed topic of Western Marxist theorists. As an international thought, the representative school and representative figures of humanistic Marxism exist in European and American area, in particular, the research of Eastern European scholars is more extensive and in-depth. After the World War II, some eastern European countries have appeared the research groups of Marxist theory, which are characterized by the critical theory of humanism. They experienced the socialist model of Stalinism and the process against that pattern. They are the theorists and the active supporters of reform. They stressed the humanistic character of socialism. Academics call them >Eastern Europe’s Neo-Marxism<. Agnes Heller was a Hungarian woman philosopher and a representative of the Budapest School of Eastern Europe’s Neo-Marxism. Heller’s exploration of humanistic Marxist thought began in the late 1950s. At that time, Eastern Europe was in the political and cultural background of >Revival of Marxism< and criticized the cultural crisis in the capitalist society and the socialist society of the Soviet Union. From the micro level of human existence and social structure, she had put forward the way to promote the development of people themselves and the social humanization reform. After World War II, although the Soviet Red Army made some Eastern European countries get rid of the colonial rule, but Stalinist society is a highly authoritarian collective society and humanism has been severely weakened. Driven by the desire to against Stalinism, revive Marxism and guided by her mentor Lukács, Heller joined the humanistic Marxist of Hungarian. Marx’s theory of life practice, alienation, needs and human liberation, Lukács’ reification thought and ontology of daily life, and Fromm’s theory of human nature all had a profound impact on Heller. Her though began to mature from then on. From the analysis of Marxist theory of human nature and alienation, Heller put forward the concept of daily life, emphasized the ontological status of daily life, and explored the way to realize the humanization of daily life from the microscopic perspective, thus forming the theory of daily life. Closer to the theory of daily life is Heller’s theory of needs, which is also a theoretical exploration to guide human beings out of alienation under the trend of humanistic thought. After summarizing Marx’s exposition on need and value, Heller put forward her own radical need thought and the conception of the reconstruction of future social need system, and her criticism of need directly pointed to the capitalist system that meets the need of formalism and the Soviet socialist system that dictates the need. Heller believed that the society should carry out a general revolution, the main body of the general revolution is the individual with radical needs, and the formation of individual radical needs consciousness needs the guidance of radical philosophy. Heller further used the Utopian ideal construction of the rationality of radical philosophy, and conceived a radical democratic society which surpassed the contemporary capitalism and the existing socialism. Both the humanization of daily life and the establishment of a radical democracy to meet the radical needs reflect Heller’s ideal of actively building a truly human homeland and realizing the ultimate concern for human existence. Heller’s humanistic Marxist thought, on one hand, enriched and developed Marxist theory, reflect on people’s daily life from a micro perspective, understand theory and practice from the point of view of human needs, and drew scientific rationality critical spirit from Marx’s thoughts, provides a micro-way for human’s self-liberation. On the other hand, the historical limitations of her thinking are also evident. Such as, Heller’s theory of personality development ignored the value of material production and political and economic change; it laid too much stress on the value category analysis of needs and ignored the practicality and relationship of needs; t negated the contradiction between productive forces and production relations and break away from the essence of social production. Heller’s elaboration and development of Marx’s thought, and the profound explanation of the survival and development dilemma of contemporary human beings, are our important theoretical and ideological resources. [Translation: www.DeepL/Translator, free version, 10/2021]
Alienation is a social phenomenon that runs through the process of human social development. Alienation refers to the change of nature, society and the relationship between people and human nature. With the development of science and technology and productivity, people’s quality of life is getting better and better. However, people are controlled by technology and material desire more and more deeply, alienation as a kind of pathological existence of human is more and more serious. >Modern< means the era of modern life, each generation has its own life, so every era has its >modernity<. Today, we refer to >modern< mainly refers to a certain period in the process of human history evolution, which marks the transformation of social form, mainly refers to the social form since the Renaissance and enlightenment, and indicates that human society has entered capitalist society from feudal society modernity is the alienation of capitalist society. The modernity criticized by Fromm is instrumental rationality in the enlightenment modernity. In terms of his thought itself, it is not only a criticism of modernity, but also a side of modernity prism. Fromm combines the social criticism theory of Frankfurt school and becomes a pole of modern aesthetics. This paper focuses on the analysis of Fromm’s alienation of human nature and his criticism of modernity. First, this paper combs the concrete connotation of Fromm’s alienation of human nature: Fromm absorbs the essence of Freud and Marx’s thought. On the one hand, he points out the close relationship between alienation and empathy from the perspective of psychopathology, and reveals the alienation of individual psychological mechanism, from the alienation of needs, alienation of emotion. The alienation of will shows the psychological symptoms of individuals. On the other hand, Fromm draws on Marx’s thought of humanism and studies on labor alienation in the dynamic level of social communication, and introduces it into the social psychological level. Through the analysis of the alienation of hope and religion in the consumer society, the morbid of his time is revealed. In Fromm’s view, in modern society, personality alienation, self-loss, escape freedom and authority worship, and survive under illusion, we must reveal and criticize the sick condition of individual and society, get rid of illusion and establish a sound personality and a sound society. Secondly, this paper studies the scheme of the way to perfection put forward by Fromm, and discusses the contemporary Enlightenment of the criticism of modernity in Fromm’s alienation of human nature. Fromm’s alienation of human nature reveals the disadvantages of capitalist society, criticizes the alienation brought by modernity, which makes human nature changed and the mentality of pursuing his subjective will deviates. [Translation: www.cnki.net, 11/2022]
It has become a trend in the academia to study Byron, the great Romantic poet and his poems inter-disciplinarily. Most scholars at both home and abroad have carried out inter-disciplinary studies on Byron’s poetry from the perspectives of religion, history, politics, philosophy, ecology, science and visual arts. Moreover, some scholars have also employed psychology and psychoanalysis to approach Byron’s poetry against the backdrop of their rapid development. However, many scholars devote to exploring Byron’s personal diseases and the therapeutic function of Byron’s poetry to his own diseases but ignoring the other therapeutic functions. This status quo provides a space for the further exploration on the mutiple therapeutic functions in Byron’s poetry. Therefore, based on the psychologist and psychoanalyst, Freud’s theory of individual therapy and the social psychologist Fromm’s theory of social therapy, this study analyzes the therapeutic functions of Byron’s poetry to himself, the British society and the oppressed countries at that time. This research not only expands the objects of Byron’s poetry therapy, but also analyzes the therapeutic effect in reality, which makes a breakthrough in the paradigm of literary therapy. Therefore it has significant meanings on studies of Byron’s poetry and literary therapy. This thesis is composed of six parts: introduction, four chapters and conclusion. The introduction, which gives a brief introduction to Byron and his poetry, synthesizes the relevant literatures of the inter-disciplinary research of Byron’s poetry at home and abroad, and elaborates the central argument, research methodology and the research significance.– The first chapter briefly describes the history and classification of literary therapy and gives some examples. Moreover, the first chapter introduces in detail Freud's theory of individual therapy and Fromm’s theory of social therapy, which lays the theoretical foundation for this study.– The second chapter employs Freud’s theory of individual therapy to study Byron’s self-treatment in his poetry. This chapter analyzes Byron’s mental diseases and finds that Byron treats his mental diseases by talking with readers and transferring his emotions to others in his poetry. Under the treatment of his poetry, Byron gets the emotional comfort and achieve his self-realization in the fields of poetry and revolution.– The third chapter adopts Fromm’s theory of social therapy to explore the therapeutic function of Byron’s poetry to the British society. This chapter makes an in-depth analysis of the diseases in the British society at that time and the process of Byron’s treatment of the diseases through Oriental writing and humorously satirical writing in his poetry, and concludes that the therapeutic effect of Byron’s poetry on the British society lies in that it helps to improve the British society to some extent.– The fourth chapter also uses Fromm’s theory of social therapy to investigate the therapeutic function of Byron’s poetry to the oppressed countries such as Italy and Greece at that time. This chapter analyzes the >diseases< of the oppressed countries and finds that Byron treats them in his poetry through his glorification of ancient civilization and heroic deeds. And the ultimate therapeutic effect is to inspire the people of the oppressed countries to fight for freedom.– The last part is the conclusion, which is the summary and generalization of the whole thesis. It is shown in the conclusion that Byron’s poetry cures the diseases of Byron himself, the British society and the oppressed countries to a certain extent. [English: www.cnki.net, 4/2022]
Oedipus complex is a key concept in psychoanalysis. It is related to the theory of sexual instinct within the system, the field of unconsciousness, the analysis of dreams, neurosis and other important categories, and has caused numerous disputes since its birth. In the past, the evaluation of Oedipus complex mainly focused on three aspects: one is that children depend on their mother rather than sexual desire for food and emotional needs; the other is the penile centralism and neglect of mother in Freud’s theory; the third is the universality of Oedipus complex. These controversies still follow the critical thinking of Malinowski and Fromm, but actually do not touch the core of Oedipus complex. Because the Oedipus complex in Freud’s view is essentially a concept about sex, and the successors of Lacan and other psychoanalytic schools have responded to these disputes by reinterpreting the Oedipus complex.– Therefore, this paper will focus on the initial definition of Oedipus complex and explore the original rationality of this concept. Freud first discovered the special relationship between early children and their parents when exploring the causes of neurosis. This relationship appears again frequently in typical dream cases and self-analysis. Therefore, Freud regarded this connection as a common phenomenon and applied it to clinical treatment and analysis. In addition to returning to the context in which Freud raised this issue, we also introduce Levi Strauss and Foucault’s theory of sex and gender from the perspective of triangular interpersonal structure and human gender differences to reflect on the bias of traditional interpretation of the concept of Oedipus complex. Specifically speaking: Freud believed that the sexual desire contained in Oedipus complex can only appear in the form of heterosexuality, that is, the first impulse of a child should be directed to the heterosexual side of the parents. According to Foucault’s analysis of the relationship between power and sex, sexual experience is produced rather than born with us. Therefore, in this sense, the concept of Oedipus complex constructed by Freud falls into the power. Furthermore, Freud limited the external manifestation of Oedipus complex to the family triangle in the general sense of experience. This kind of setting only pays attention to the interaction between kinship roles, and does not consider each role in the whole system. In Levi Strauss’s view, the deep structure of kinship is the uncle nephew relationship based on the premise of >incest taboo<, which includes four words: >brother-sister-father-son<. This >basic structure of kinship< is universal and stable in explaining all the facts of kinship. To sum up, this paper intends to analyze the heterosexual form and triangular relationship in Oedipus complex through Foucault’s theory of sexual experience and Levi Strauss’s theory of kinship structure. [Translation: www.cnki.net, 4/2023]
Fromm is an important representative of the Frankfurt School in the 20th century, as well as a well-known humanist philosopher and well-known humanist philosopher and psychoanalytic psychologist. The thought of Fromm’s humanistic is based on the investigation of human nature and the analysis of the actual living conditions of human beings. He believes that the rapid development of economy and technology in Western capitalist society has also caused human alienation and social morbidity. On the basis of in-depth analysis and criticism of this, Fromm reveals the survival dilemma of modern people, and hopes to achieve human liberation through psychological revolution (>The Art of Loving< and social revolution (the establishment of a sound society). The article is divided into three parts. The first part is the analysis of the theoretical origins of Fromm’s humanistic thought, mainly involving Freud's psychoanalysis, Marx's theory of alienation, the Frankfurt School’s Critical theory, and the influence of Eastern Zen thought on him. The second part is the analysis of the main content of Fromm’s humanistic thought, taking human nature of good and evil, and the multiple character structure of humans as the logical starting point, leading to the antinomy of existence, the psychological tendency to escape freedom, and the existence of reoccupied existence. In response to these contradictions, Fromm not only proposed to cultivate >new people< from the perspective of psychological revolution, that is, to cultivate creative love and productive personality, but also put forward the idea of overall social change in the fields of economy, politics, and culture, and advocated the establishment of a >new society< aiming at the full and free development of people. The third part is the analysis and evaluation of Fromm’s humanistic thought, analyzing the influence of Fromm’s thought in Frankfurt School, and interpreting the contemporary value of Fromm’s humanistic thought. [English: www.cnki.net, 4/2022]
The human term is Marx’s lifelong theoretical subject. As the core connotation of Marx’s philosophy, Marx’s alienation theory expresses Marx’s profound thinking and active exploration of human value. Marx’s alienation theory differs from Hegel’s and Feuerbach’s theory. For Marx, he takes the realistic individual as the object of study, discusses four parts of alienation in >Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts of 1844<. This book discusses about the four specific aspects of labor alienation theory. Marx’s alienation theory is not invariable, but with the maturity and deepening of Marx’s thought constantly changing and developing. >Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts of 1844< as a concentrated expression of Marx’s early alienation theory, highlights the human alienation. At the middle and late of alienation theory focuses more on the level of methodology. After the publication of the 1844 manuscripts, western Marxists further enriched and developed Marx’s alienation theory. With Lukács and Fromm as representatives, they also proposed the alienation theory at the spiritual and psychological levels. Based on Marx’s alienation theory, this paper analyzes the theme of alienation in the novel from three aspects, including the alienation under the customs and conditions, the alienation of individuals and collectivity, and the alienation of family relations, by means of literature research, comparative analysis and other methods. The first level of alienation expresses existential alienation and spiritual alienation through some means of expression. The second alienation focuses on the three characters depicted by Xiao Hong, and reveals the alienation of individual and collective. The third level mainly focuses on the alienation of the sex and family in >Hū lán hé zhuà<. The significance and value of individual life and existence revealed in the novel can also play a certain role in warning and guiding the problem of alienation arising in the developing of society. More than one hundred years ago, when China was facing the choice of system, Marx’s alienation theory played a significant role. For the current reality, we need to combine Marx’s theory alienation with social development, and realize, criticize and improve ourselves in the new stage of social development, so realize liberation and the freedom of human. [Translation: www.cnki.net, 1/2023]
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]
[Chinese abstract not available] >The Summer Before the Dark< is a novel written by Doris Lessing, which is praised as the best novel after Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s >One Hundred Years of Solitude< by New York Times. The novel tells the story of the middle-aged woman Kate Brown who has been working for the family for more than twenty years since marriage. One summer, her husband went on business and her children had their plans, so she could go on a journey. During the summer journey, she began to rethink the role she had played for more than twenty years and the relationship with her husband and children, finding that she had been living under the camouflaged mask and negative freedom. Living with Maureen, she gradually knew who she was and her self-awareness was awakened. At the end of the journey, she completed self-realization and gained true inner freedom, that is, positive freedom. This paper firstly makes an introduction to Doris Lessing and >The Summer Before the Dark< and reviews the studies at home and abroad. Based on the studies, the significance of this paper is put forward. Next, it takes Erich Fromm’s theory of freedom as the theoretical framework to point out the negative freedom embodied in the protagonist Kate including authoritarianism, destructiveness and automaton conformity. Besides, this paper analyzes the three stages of the protagonist Kate to achieve positive freedom including the sprouting period, the development period and the achievement period. Fromm points out that the achievement of positive freedom depends on self-realization. After experiencing negative freedom, Kate starts to realize herself step by step and moves towards positive freedom. Finally, it concludes that Kate achieves positive freedom based on the above analysis. This paper applies Erich Fromm’s theory of freedom to analyze >The Summer Before the Dark<, which aims to inspire people to think about which kind of freedom they are in under the rapid development of science and technology, hoping that people can attach great importance to the negative freedom in the present society. [English translation: www.cnki.net, 9/2021]
Kurt Vonnegut (1922 – 2007) is a prominent American writer. As a soldier surviving the World War II, he is exceptionally concerned about the society in wartime and the future of human beings. This thesis takes Vonnegut’s fourth novel >Cat’s Cradle< published in 1963 as the research subject. Through the portrayal of the major characters – Dr. Felix Hoenikker and his three children, Dr. Asa Breed and Jonah, the novel exposes a series of social issues such as the misuse of science and technology, religious nihilism, and man’s alienation. Based upon Ihab Hasan’s postmodernism theory and Eric Fromm’s alienation theory, this study aims at interpreting the creative features of >Cat’s Cradle< from three aspects: alienation, indeterminacy and Fragmentation through analyzing the content and the form. Simultaneously, the research tries to dig out Vonnegut’s writing intention, which is to break the scientism and religious nihilism and arouse man’s courage and wisdom of facing up to life. Chapter One begins with a brief introduction to Kurt Vonnegut’s life and his works, pointing out that Cat’s Cradle is worth studying due to its experimental writing style and concern for the social reality. Then, the significance and the layout of the study are indicated.– Chapter Two introduces and analyzes the previous studies on >Cat’s Cradle< at home and abroad, through which the writer finds it necessary to study the textual and practical significance of >Cat’s Cradle< in postmodern context. The theoretical framework of the thesis includes Ihab Hassan’s postmodernism viewpoints and Erich Fromm’s theory of alienation.– Chapter Three draws on Fromm’s alienation view and Hasan’s self-less-ness and depth-less-ness view, pointing out that alienated people in postmodern society often lose their human nature, and nihility and absurdity are the main features of human beings. Through the analysis of the main characters in the novel such as Dr. Hoenikker, Dr. Asa Breed, Dr. Hoenikker’s children and narrator Jonah, Vonnegut’s depiction of the absurdity and indifference in human nature is exposed.– Chapter Four discusses the characteristic of indeterminacy embodied in >Cat’s Cradle< from the aspects of identity and theme. It not only analyzes the importance of indeterminacy in highlighting the author’s writing intention, but also denotes that indeterminacy has permeated into the thoughts and actions of people living in postmodern society. Vonnegut’s concerns and worries about the instability of postmodern society are also demonstrated.– Deriving from the postmodernism literary feature of Fragmentation, Chapter Five tries to dig out the significance of fragmentation in realizing the author’s writing intention and subverting the creation of traditional novels. Meanwhile, the adoption of Fragmentation insinuates the chaotic and disordered state of postmodern society.– Chapter Six summarizes the main content of this thesis, indicating the importance of Vonnegut’s excellent writing skills in exposing social reality problems, and inspiring the public to think and act positively for the survival and development of postmodern society and human beings. >Cat’s Cradle< presents a moral tragedy in a comedy way. It is novel in plot, clever in conception and rich in theme, therefore, it is popular among readers and worthy of further study by scholars. In addition, Vonnegut’s profound reflection on history and serious concern for reality greatly inspire readers all over the world. Therefore, this book is not only a classic literary work worthy of study, but also a novel with paramount practical significance. [www.cnki.net, 1/2023]
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]
Marx’s concept of class not only plays an important role in the formation of early Marxist philosophy, but also deepens it in the exploration of late Marxist philosophy. Because Marx began to construct the concept of >class< from the early stage, and constantly deepened the concept of kind in the mature and late stage, so the study of Marx’s concept of class is of great significance to understand and grasp the development process of Marxist philosophy and the Sinicization of Marxist philosophy. However, because Marx criticized Feuerbach’s abstract concept of class and didn’t directly use the terms related to the concept of class in his later period, most researchers in the academic circles think that Marx’s concept of class is an >immature< concept, and Marx later replaced the concept of class with the concept of >society<. Therefore, based on Marx’s early and late original works, this paper will deeply explore the historical evolution of Marx’s concept of category, so as to objectively refute the above >immature< view. Althusser and Fromm hold opposite views on Marx’s concept of class. The former thinks that Marx’s early >ideological stage< involves >class< thought, while the latter >scientific< stage abandons >class< thought. Fromm thinks that there is only one humanistic Marx, and Marx’s concept of class has continuity. It is undeniable that Marx did use the philosophical terms with the color of Feuerbach’s >class concept<, and also highly valued the historical achievements of Feuerbach’s philosophy, but this does not lead to the conclusion that Marx’s class concept remained in the Feuerbach stage. Through the analysis of Marx’s concept of class and its formation process, this paper finds that although Marx’s concept of class has inherited and developed the terms related to Feuerbach’s concept of class, it has fundamentally gone beyond the basic connotation of Feuerbach’s concept of class, and has continued to deepen in Marx’s mature and late works. Therefore, the basic connotation of Marxist concept is not a mature concept, but it runs through Marxist philosophy. The study of Marx’s concept of class has two dimensions of theoretical and practical value. The theoretical dimension is conducive to maintaining the integrity of Marx’s philosophical thought and opposing the >class theory< of Marx’s thought. In the practical dimension, Marx’s concept of category provides philosophical basis for the construction of contemporary Chinese philosophy, the correct handling of the relationship between man and nature, and a community with a shared future for mankind. [Translation: www.cnki.net, 4/2023]
The film literary drama >No Escape< is a crime genre drama with the theme of >revenge<. It mainly tells that Fang Tonghang, a spiritless novelist in a small town, discovered that his uncle suddenly became a suspect in a murder case. In order to clear his uncle’s suspicion, Fang Tonghang had to find the real murderer within three days. During the process of finding the real murderer, Fang Tonghang uncover a twenty-year past by visiting and researching different witnesses and exhibits. The plot finally focuses on a broken father-daughter relationship, discussing the alienation of people under money worship. The main storyline of the film literary drama >No Escape< is that the small town novelist Fang Tonghang received a contract intention from Honghui Publishing center after repeated setbacks in his work. The victim was Zou Tezhu, vice president of Honghui Group, who went to Li town for a holiday in a low-key manner. By mistake, the former assistant policeman Zhiwei, who chased the traffickers because of suspicion, became the >true murderer< witnessed by the inn attendant Xiao Mao. To restore his uncle Fang Zhiwei’s innocence, Fang Tonghang had to be ordered by Wei Tingjun, vice president of the Honghui Group, capture the real murderer within three days. Through interviews with waiter Xiaomao, uncle Wu who sells cigarettes, cleaning staff aunt Wu, and Wei Tingjun, the party concerned, the possibility of the murderer was found. In the end, real murderer Jing Lan was identified by the return trafficker Lao San in the secondary plot.– Creation interpretation uses five parts: summary of the work, character setting, narrative structure, mirror language style and creative reflection to sort out and think about the drama creation. The main part of the work overview is based on the origin of the topic selection, around the drama structure, combined with the aesthetic tendency of the genre film and the moral and ethical themes, it tells the origin of the creation and a brief plot analysis. The character setting part mainly focuses on the three main characters of Fang Tonghang, Jing Lan, and Wei Tingjun, explaining the significance of their creation, using Maslow’s demand theory and Marx’s theory of human alienation proposed by Fromm to explain the projections on Jing Lan and Wei Tingjun. In the narrative structure, use the book-in-book structure similar to the movie >Atonement<, and focus on the >introduction of events< and >critical events< proposed by Syd Field, which will introduce the construction before the event and the internal operation rules of the key event Describe. Mirror language style part analyzes the basic aesthetic structure of this drama, taking the Korean crime genre film >Cry<as an example, expounds the stylized pursuit of the genre film under the decadent aesthetics of the small town. The creative reflection part summarizes the shortcomings in the creative experience, and reflects on the shortcomings in the script creation from the perspective of characterization and plot structure. [Translation: www.cnki.net, 6/2023]
[No Chinese abstract available.] Joyce Carol Oates is a famous contemporary American writer who has been nominated for the Nobel Prize in literature for many times. She pays attention to the living state and spiritual world of American people and her works are famous for exposing the violent acts and evil phenomena in American society. >The Gravedigger’s Daughter< is a masterpiece which shows the turning of her creative direction to the Jewish theme. It tells the story of Jewish descendants who flee to the United States to avoid the Holocaust. As a representative of Frankfurt School, Fromm puts forward humanism on the basis of criticizing and inheriting Marxism and Freud’s theory, reveals and analyzes the common alienation in the capitalist society, proposing the way to build the sane personality and society, which expresses his concern and thinking about the plight of human. Based on Fromm’s humanism, this paper makes an in-depth analysis of the alienated phenomena, causes and solutions in >The Gravedigger’s Daughter<. It points out that the sound development of human beings in the capitalist society is facing great pressure and challenges and hopes to arouse people’s attention to the survival of modern people. This thesis consists of five chapters. The first chapter is the introduction. Firstly, it mainly introduces Joyce Carol Oates and >The Gravedigger’s Daughter<. Secondly, it makes a literature review of the relevant researches at home and abroad. Finally, it briefly introduces the main core concepts of Fromm’s humanism. The second to the fourth chapters are the main body of the thesis, which respectively interpret the work from three aspects: phenomena, reasons and solutions of alienation.– The second chapter reveals the alienated phenomena in the works from the alienated characters of the main characters and the alienated living styles of the Schwarts.– The third chapter discusses the personal and social reasons of alienation. It expounds that the Schwarts finally break down because they can not meet the special needs rooted in human existence and bear the oppression of racial discrimination and morbid civilization.– Based on Fromm’s theory of >love< and >being<, the fourth chapter expounds that the protagonist achieves self-value due to self-love and maternal love, and realizes self-redemption by active living, so as to explore the methods of resisting alienation.– The fifth chapter is the conclusion, pointing out that modern westerners and society generally face the problem of alienation, and Fromm’s relevant theory provides a good idea to solve this problem. Only meeting the special needs rooted in human existence and cultivating a loving, proactive and creative way of life can save the spiritual crisis of modern man. [Translation: www.cnki. net, 9/2021]
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]
The theory of social character is a creative theory that Fromm combines Marx’s social thought and consciousness view on the basis of Freud’s theory of character. Fromm regards Marx as a person of world historical significance. Although Freud sees personal psychological factors, he neglects the influence of social environment on human personality, which limits his vision. Marx thinks far more deeply and more than Freud. He examines human behavior from the social and economic structure, but the irrational factors were ignored, so Fromm tried to >melt the two into one furnace<. Meanwhile, the misreading and Misreading of Marx thought by >pseudo Marxism< made Fromm spend a lot of energy on studying and thinking about Marxism, not only criticizing it, but also expounding his understanding of Marxism. The author proposes the theory of social character to make up for the deficiency of Marx in the micro psychological level and the concrete transformation mechanism between economic foundation and superstructure. The concept of >social character< clearly reflects the traces of Marxist thought. Under the influence of Marx’s thought, Fromm examined the character in the relationship between man and the world, insisted that >the main thing of human is social existence<, and modified Freud with Marx ’social tendency, and explained the decisive effect of social economic structure on social character from the root and change of social character.– At the same time, we also noticed the role of >bond< and >explosive mortar< of social character, so as to explain the relative independence of social character. Not only that, Fromm also explored the foundation and premise of social character, namely, social unconsciousness. He put unconsciousness in the concrete world of reality for understanding, insisted that >consciousness is the product of society< and modified Freud’s >libido< with Marx’s >historical power<. He not only expounded the decisive role of social existence on social unconsciousness, but also saw the negative effect of social unconsciousness on social existence, and tried to make people realize the repression of facts, and seek the way of social change to break this repression.– Fromm’s theory of social character is influenced by Marx’s thought. Although he always bases on the people in the real society and examines the human character in social history, he still regards Marx thought as spiritual existentialism in essence, and the theoretical focus is on the role of social character on human behavior and thinking, and does not really understand Marxism, not only does the understanding of human nature stay in the abstract theory of human nature, but also does not touch the fundamental contradiction of capitalist society, and it is not realistic with a strong utopian color. [Translation: www.cnki.net, 4/2023]
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]
As socialism with Chinese characteristics enters a new era, people’s leisure needs are growing, and the problem of leisure and human development has become increasingly prominent. On the basis of criticizing the antagonism of capitalist leisure, Marx put forward the communist ideal which takes human’s overall and free development as the basic principle, which has important enlightenment to reflect on contemporary leisure. Understanding leisure, learning leisure, as well as practicing leisure are the only ways to realize the all-round development of people and a better life for people. The former leisure thought can deepen our understanding of Marx’s leisure thought, and can be used as a tool to reflect on the leisure problem. Hegel’s philosophy of master and slave initially revealed the antagonism of leisure and its way out, and Feuerbach’s criticism of alienation provided a model for reflection on leisure alienation. He regarded god as the highest leisure person and love as the essence of human, which meant that the way to overcome leisure alienation lies in the integration of leisure and human development. French utopianism socialism proposed the combination of leisure and work. Veblen criticized the conspicuous consumption of the leisure class. Fromm criticized the emphasis on possession over survival. These theories revealed that leisure and human development can be unified. The leisure discussed by Marx is divided into three levels, including the leisure of rest and relaxation, the leisure of consumption and entertainment and the leisure of human development. Marx’s leisure thought is deeply embedded in consumption theory, free time theory and labor theory. Specifically, human development is the fundamental purpose of leisure, which is the path to human development; Consumption is an important carrier of leisure, and real leisure consumption can promote human development; Free time is the essence of leisure and expands the space for human development; Labor is the foundation of leisure, labor and leisure unity can expand leisure space, make leisure more realistic; The four aspects are interrelated and all reflect the practical logic of communism which takes human development as the center. Marx’s leisure thought has important enlightenment for understanding contemporary leisure theory, leisure status, leisure problems and countermeasures: to build a new leisure value system, to coordinate the relationship between human and nature, society and self; to build a new connotation of leisure consumption and overcome consumer materialization, pay attention to humanistic meaning; to build a new connotations of free time, and realize the comprehensive and free development of human being; to build a new type of labor-leisure relationship, achieve the unity of the two, and to realize the highest human value. [Translation: www.cnki.net, 1/2023]
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]
[Chinese abstract not available.] William Golding is regarded as an outstanding British poet religious novelist, modern fabulist and humanist of the 20thcentury. His masterpiece, >Lord of the Flies<, enjoys great popularity in the history of the English literature, which was once the bestseller of the campuses in American universities. In 1983, Golding won the throne of the Nobel Prize in literature because of his brilliant writing style as well as his penetrating thinking of humans’ living conditions in his works. >Pincher Martin< is the third novel written by Golding, which was published in 1956. Although the influence of this novel is inferior to that of his renowned masterpiece >Lord of the Flies<, Golding tried to find a new way to compose. He created a man’s spirit after death as the hero of the story, portraying the brutal instinct hidden in the human nature with a unique perspective. As a result, the publication of this work won a huge success. The novel tells a story of a military officer named Christopher Hadley Martin who had encountered a marine peril and drifted to an isolated island on which he struggled against death to survive. Most readers tend to be touched by Martin’s iron man’s spirit when they read this novel for the first time. However, when Golding was portraying Martin’s struggle against death to the utmost extent, he also revealed that Martin was actually a selfish egoist, a real villain in his real life by inserting Martin’s memory in the text at the same time. Martin had even planned to murder his best friend just out of his jealousy. The motivation that made him struggle bitterly on the rock actually came from his human nature which was both fierce and greedy. In the end, the consciousness of Martin turned into a pair of pincers of a lobster. And at the same time, the writer told his readers in the final chapter that the body of Martin had already been killed soon after he was thrown into the sea, and his experience on the rock was nothing but the process of an evil spirit struggling in his own purgatory. This thesis is based on the basic theory of human nature posed by Erich Fromm, the well-known American humanistic philosopher and psychoanalytic psychologist. The purpose of it is to analyze Martin’s nature and behaviors, exploring the novel’s theme of human nature. Apart from the introduction and the conclusion, the thesis is composed of four chapters. The introduction mainly tells some basic information of Golding’s life experiences and his novel >Pincher Martin<. On the basis, it summaries the literature review of Pincher Martin both at home and abroad. It also shows the innovations of the thesis, and presents the main argument and the structure of the thesis.– Chapter one is the theoretical foundation of the thesis, which sets forth part of Fromm’s theory of human nature. It mainly explains the intension and the extension of human nature, the escape from the evil human nature and the redemption of human nature.– Chapter two analyzes the evil human nature of Martin. This part not only points out that Martin has a complex dual personality, but also points out the specific embodiment of Martin’s evil desire in the novel.– Chapter three expounds Martin’s escape from his evil human nature. This chapter points out that the way Martin escapes from his evil human nature is through death, and then makes a detailed analysis of his living in illusion.– Chapter four is about Martin’s redemption of his evil human nature, which points out that human nature can be redeemed by kindness and love.– The conclusion of the thesis points out that Golding relentlessly criticizes the evil essence hidden in human nature through the portrayal of Martin. Through Martin’s experience, Golding illustrates the following lessons: First of all, evil is inherent for people, which can give people infinite potential. Hence, the evil human nature can also make a man brave, fearless, and indomitable. Secondly, through the story of >Pincher Martin<, the writer aimed to tell the truth that human nature is evil and to persuade people to believe in kindness and love. Otherwise, people will be controlled by the evil desire hidden in their hearts. Only kindness and love can redeem people’s evil human nature. In all, through the revelation of Martin’s evil nature and the exploration of ways of redemption, Golding shows his concern for the problem of human nature in modern society. His prose is to arouse readers’ thinking about this social problem. The argument about human nature in >Pincher Martin< provides a new perspective in analyzing Golding’s works. [English translation www.cnki.net, 8/2021]
Western capitalist societies in the 1940s and 1950s had a significant improvement in the level of productivity development, but during this period there were problems with the overall mental status of social members. Fromm believes that society as a whole will be in a morbid state just like individuals. At this time, criticism of society should be used to replace the rejection of individuals who do not adapt to society. In order to carry out social critical work, Fromm mainly absorbed the ideas of Freud and Marx, combined psychoanalysis with the social and historical research method as the prototype of historical materialism, and changed the validity of Freud’s theory from the personal or family scope extends to the social scope, and social character is formed from this.– This article systematically introduces and explores the theory of social character. On the one hand, the introduction reveals the research background and significance of this article, on the other hand, it also introduces the status quo of the research on Fromm’s thought at home and abroad, especially his theory of social character.– The first chapter introduces the two major theoretical sources of social character: Freud’s theory and Marxist philosophy, including Freud’s psychoanalysis, subconscious theory and individual character dynamics and society as a prototype of historical materialism. The specific content of historical research method and historical materialism.– The second chapter restores its complete theoretical form from the three aspects of the formation process, main content and function of social character, laying a foundation for exploring the theoretical and practical significance of social character.– Chapter Three discusses the theoretical significance of social character in depth, mainly from the position of the theory in Fromm’s thought and its significance to historical materialism. Specifically, social character is an important theoretical weapon for Fromm to criticize Western capitalist society. Fromm also uses the ideal social character-productive character to try to restore the historical subject; in addition, social character not only supplements and developed the relationship between social existence and social consciousness, economic foundation and superstructure, and also explored the relationship between subject and object in historical materialism, and restored the subjective dimension of historical materialism on this basis.– Finally, the fourth chapter of the article reveals the practical significance of social personality for thinking and resolving the main contradictions in our society. [Translation: www.cnki.net, 7/2023]
As the earliest form of literary expression, myth has provided a wide range of creative ideas for later writers with its profound changeable themes and thought-provoking connotations, and the vitality of love reflected in myth has also attracted more and more attention. Since Freud, the school of psychoanalysis and its branches have absorbed a great deal of classical nutrients concerning the practice of modern psychoanalysis in the Romantic epics Metamorphoses and Love Proverbs, which were systematized by the Roman poet Ovid. Aiming at the love topic of mankind for thousands of years, there is a close dialogue between psychoanalysis and literature in different historical contexts. Based on the theories of Freud, Lacan, Fromm and other psychoanalysts about love and the predicament of human existence, this paper attempts to analyze the symptoms of love in myth romantic epic Metamorphoses written by Ovid, and to observe >Ars amatoria<, which is shining with the glory of human nature, through the study of the symptoms of myth, and then to demonstrate: Only through the guidance and transformation of real freedom, hope and creativity can love finally become social and sound love.– This article is divided into four chapters and three parts: First of all, in the introduction part, this article will briefly explain the research significance and research status at home and abroad. Secondly, the article in the second part consisted of three chapters, aims to research on Freud’s unconscious and neurosis, Lacan’s mirror stage and the >Three Realms Theory<, Fromm’s doctrine of sound love as the foundation. Taking the classic epic Metamorphoses as a case, this paper aims to probe into the successful or tragic love in the epic from the psychological perspective of psychoanalysis, and summarize the crux and root causes of various love syndromes under an objective and meticulous text interpretation method.– The first chapter focuses on the relationship between love and freedom in two steps: The first step mainly focuses on the analysis of the stories of Eco and Philomela in >Metamorphoses<, expressing the relationship between the control and anti-control of subject, language and vision, and pointing out that human beings are always facing the dilemma of becoming >the subject that cannot stand up< in the existing order; the second step mainly compares Tereus’s >love< and Daphne’s >love< with >the subject who cannot stand up<, showing that the excessive >free< love desire leads to the loss of shame of the subject, and the serious consequences of not being able to truly realize free love.– The second chapter will focus on the relationship between love and hope in the stories of Lanthe, Pygmalion and Adonis. On the one hand, it shows that the psychological archetypes of >Anima<, >Animus< and >Mana< based on primitive experience not only stipulate the hope of love in accordance with human nature, but also prove the futility of the hope of love by the existence of >the ultimate thing< and death. On the other hand, on the basis of comparing >magic< with >Thesmophoria Worship< and >Adonis cult<, this paper analyzes hopeless obsession and positive belief, and emphasizes that only the latter can perfect free love and make it full of hope.– The third chapter focuses on love and creativity, and illustrates the defects of love between Narcissus and Eco, Thisbe and Pyramus: Due to the lack of conscious emotional motivation and the ability of free love, human beings have developed the >Copying Love< without any creativity. The creation and destruction of life is the subject’s proof of the inevitability of existence, and it also confirms the powerful power of erotic instinct. In addition, Orpheus and Pygmalion provided inspiration for the free play of the subject’s erotic impulses in art, through the understanding of art, the combination of the subject and the work of art promotes the creative sublimation of love and desire. Finally, in the third part, the fourth chapter, Based on the research results of Fromm, Marcuse and others on the formation, development and perfection of the subject personality in society, this paper returns from the love myth epic Metamorphoses by the ancient Roman poet Ovid to the love proverbs poem >Ars amatoria< then specifically analyzes the medication judgment, treatment means and cure goal of love syndrome in >Ars amatoria<. In the end, my conclusion is that love is the unity of freedom, hope and creativity. Only in the process of mutual promotion and formation of love can freedom, hope and creativity transform primitive love into social love, and realize the perfection and cure of love and purification of noble sentiment. [Translation: www.cnki.net, 4/2023]