她会永存于世——《飘》-文学学士毕业论文

1、AbstractGone with the wind is a famous work that created with the history background of Civil War by Margaret Mitchell. It is not only a romantic novel, but also a great work of discussing the changesin 1860sAmerica. It reflects preferably great historical projects such as the southern situation, so

2、cial problem, disintegration of the southern plantation, feminism, etc. It has a deep literary value.The topic focuses on the times that women were in a very low position and in the story, the womens wisdom and courage were no less than men, and even beyond the men. Based on the theoretical foundati

3、on and through the exploration of Gone with the Wind in detail, the author attempts to study the close relationship between feminism and society.This thesis consists of two chapters with one introduction and a conclusion. The introduction scans the historical background and the womens characteristic

4、s and position in that society. Chapter One mainly analyzes the pre-war social system and slavery in the south America, and Scarlett, Melanie and other womens changing characteristics and struggle in the war. And then it leads out Chapter Two which explores the process of Feminine consciousness wake

5、ning and womens movements.The conclusion summarizes the views of this thesis and suggests that Gone with the Wind should be taken as a potential target of feminist studies.Key words: Scarlett; Melanie; feminism; self-wakening1.1 The Critical Reviews onGone with the Wincht Home and Abroad中文摘要飘是玛格丽特米切

6、尔以美国内战时期的南方为历史背景创作的一部名著，它既是 一部浪漫的爱情小说，也是一部探讨 19世纪 60年代美国南方所经历的种种变化的著作，它 着实反映了较多当时的南方局势、社会问题、 南方种植园经济的瓦解、女权主义等 , 具有重大 历史意义的课题，具有深远的文学价值。本选题着重在飘中所描写的在妇女地位十分低下的时代，故事中的女人所表现出的 智慧和勇气丝毫不亚于男人，甚至超越男人。由此，本论文试图从具体文本出发，试图展现 和探讨女性主义与社会的关系。本论文由两个章节和一个引言和结语组成。引言部分主要是对飘的历史背景以及里 面主要女性人物性格以及她们所处的社会地位概述。第一章主要分析战前的美国南

7、方以男性 为主体的社会以及其奴隶制度，还有斯嘉丽、梅兰妮等角色在战争中挣扎求存以及她们性格 的转变。由此引出第二章具体探讨有关女性的觉醒及女性主义运动的发展过程。论文的结语部分总结了本论文的主要观点并提出了飘中关于妇女觉醒的重要意义以 及美国妇女的女性意识不断觉醒，她们不断地积累经验，努力争取自由和平等对社会起到的 积极作用。关键词 ： 斯嘉丽； 梅兰妮； 女性意识； 觉醒1. IntroductionEven though Gone with the Wind broke the sales record and was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1937,

8、 it had bee n n eglected by critics due to some con troversial questi ons. And despite the lack of critical atte nti on for the very beg inning period of its publicati on. Gone with the Wind has never lacked the attention of the readeit has sold 28 million copies since its publication in 1936 and ha

9、s been translated into at least 30 Ianguages worldwide. Moreover, since the 1960s, Gone with the Win dhas become a focus of studies worldwide.The latest studies of Margaret abroad are enormous and fruitful. These studies mainly focus on the followi ng aspects: firstly, the books on the relati on shi

10、p betwee n Margaret Mitchell and her works have become more fruitful, especially in the Un ited States, Julia n Gran berry compiled all the letters of Margaret and published them un der the title ofLetters from Margaret (2006). All these letters will present readers with the real Ianguage and the re

11、al thoughts of Margaret, which will help us to dec on struct the false lege nds about Margaret Mitchell. Patrick Allen Margaret Mitchell, Reporter (2000), through compiling diverse columns, exposes to us the lively, kno wledgeable, kee nly-observed Margaret beforeG one with the Windwon her fame. The

12、 books on Margaret Mitchell s life also incundeEdward Road to Tara: The Life of Margaret Mitchell (1983) and Finis Farr Margaret Mitchell of Atlanta: The Author of Gone with the Wind (1965).Gone with the Wind is one of the most popular American novels in China. From 1940 when its first edition of th

13、e Chinese version was published, Gone with the Wind has gained an en thusiastic recepti on and has bee n the focus of study of many scholars. In China, in the past decade, the studies of the no vel have become eve n more prosperous and covered eve n wider scopes. These studies are concerned with var

14、ious topics, such as the glamour of the novel, its themes, characterizatio n, i mages and archetypes. These studies are con ducted from differe nt perspectives such as femini stic perspective and archetypal views are going to be discussed in the coming secti on.The aspect which attracts the most foc

15、us is the study on the female protagonist of the novelScarlett OHara. Due to the complexities of the character of Scarlett, scholars study her from different aspects with various focuses. Some scholars (徐振忠,2004) deal with the characterization and the aesthetic values of this female protagonist, whi

16、le others (孙宇,2003) try to focus on the realistic aspect of this character. Some articles (邹晶明,2003) focus on the traditional consciousness of Scarlett while others (陈晓红,2004;李艳波,2006) try to explore the rebellious aspect of her. Through reading these studies with the diversified focuses, the reader

17、s will ben efit a great deal since they will be able to master a comprehe nsive view of thisprotag oni st. I n tur n, this will greatly decrease the reader cha nces of forming biased opinions aga inst this protag oni st.1.2 The meaning and the development of feminismWhen I fini shed readi ng Gone wi

18、th the Wind, a feeli ng came to me that the female roles in the novel were so great and impressive. Through the ages,masculinity is the main part of the society developme nt from the beg inning to the end, but feminin ity is just the sec ond sex of the society and always in the edge of the history.

19、The Bible told the world: the God creates Eve by using Adam s rib. From that time it seems the women were fated to be a part of men. Under the imprisonment of the paternity culture, women only have to be in a subsidiary position. Along with the progress of the society, women became awaken, they were

20、 eager to fight a place of their own in the practice of history.The development of feminism was not a continuous process. In the West, the position of women experieneed a series changes. In the early time of ancient Greek, wives were just limited to the family as managers. After that, the time of“ m

21、Oamglers”occupied a very longthtime of history. Un til the French Revoluti on in the 18cen tury, the bourgeois wome n held therevolutionary slogan “ freedomequality, fraternity to” declare war to the masculinity society. And all these bega n to ope n the curta in of feminist moveme nt. Along with th

22、e developme nt of the feminist movement, more and more women images with feminist color appeared in the literature. And the theory of feminism was initially appeared in the gradually thorough and develops process of the feminist movement. It is obviously a result of the political movement went deep

23、in the literature area. Since 1830West begae a femi nist moveme nt which foughtfor the rights of education, politics, laws and economy for the women.The historical implication of feminism” usually means movements for recognition of the claims of wome n for rights (legal, political, familial, act.) a

24、re equal to those possessed by men” (邹晶明,2003: 117)Women have never ceased to fight for their rights, though the feminist moveme nt in the West did not take any visible shape till the 19 cen tury in the n ame of womens liberation movement. Darwomos shook the self-importanee of man/male, Marxism furt

25、her questioned the legitimacy of capitalist man, and Nietzsche denounced the validity of (the male) God. In this con text wome ns liberati on moveme nt took a defi nite shape and made major progress in wome ns suffrage and property rights. Wome n became medical doctors; lawyers, or jour nalists, and

26、 wome n stude nts went into Harvard, Oxford and Cambridge.2. The background ofGone with the Wind2.1 The Social BackgroundAs we have seen in the first chapter of Gone with the Wind, before the war, Tara was affluent and with venerable air. Vast field was full of vigour.The people and their servants w

27、ere gett ing along. There were afflue nt and lively sce nes everywhere and the rurality was uncon stra int and leisurely, one clue comes from the rich life in the Twelve Oaks.In those times, slaves can be bought and sold freely .In the plead of a black cattle n amed Polk, Scarlett s father Gerald bD

28、ughy and Prissy with 3000 dollar. Gerald s won his firstblack cattle eve n through gambli ng. Black cattle did nny politica IhOgietsi The white racecan punish their slaves at will.poker and horse raci ng, rechot politics and the code duello, States Rights and damn atiall Yan kees, slavery and King C

29、ott on, con tempt for white trash and exaggerated courtesy to women, all these are what Southerners concern about. In the south, the concept of Man is superior to woman ” in people mindseradicable. They thought women were passive, negative and flabby; they have to operate accord ing to mens wishes,

30、only in this way they would not be aba ndoned by men and be reviled by the society. The Souther n society of the no vel expects men and wome n to conform to specific gen der roles. The n arrator no tes that the man owns the property but the woma n man ages it; the man take credit for man agi ng the

31、property and the women then “ praisdnis cleverness. Owning property gives men rights and power, but they share little of the reward that results from the women s hard work. Women have all the vresp on sibility of running the property, but enjoy only those rights that men deig n to grant them. The na

32、rrator stresses the absurdity of these gender roles, sarcastically saying, fhe man roared like a bull whe n a spli nter was in his fin ger, and the woma n muffled the moans of childbirth, lest she disturb him. ”ln this society, men expect women to suppresstheir needs and desires and focus attention

33、on the men. Women are not even allowed to take credit for their own intelligenee, bravery, and stre ngth. Society puni shes those wome n who put a toe over the gen der lin es.The war totally destroyed the peaceful, calm life and material wealthin the south. Tara was ran sacked of all its valuables a

34、nd it became ruinsln July, 1864, Atla nta was trapped, and gunfire has bee n ringing through the streets. The slavery dis in tegrated, and the in stituti on of freely purchasing slaves had gone with the wind. Except several personal black cattles, more than 100 slaves in Scarlett s home were all awa

35、y with the Northern army. Slaves of the past now became unu sually lucky people, with help of the Yan kee; those black people who were most lowly and ignorant have climbed to labour.Therefore, the vanish of the slaves institution promote the developme nt of the domestic econom y, it was an in evitab

36、le result of the developme nt of the capitalist class. The war made the southern economy collapsed, there with its civilization andcustoms fell apart.Gone With The Wind is both a romanee and a meditation of the changes that swept the America South in the 1860s.The no vel beg ins in 1861,i n the days

37、 before the Civil War, and ends in 1871,after the Democrats rega in power in Georgia. The South cha nges completely duri ng the intervening years, and Mitchell ovel illustrates the struggles of the South people who live through the Civil War era.2.2 Margaret Mitchell and Gone with the WindMargaret M

38、itchell, the author of the enormously popular novel Gone with the Wind (1936), was born in Atla nta. The social customs of South America and the relati on ship of her family made a direct impact on her novels. When Mitchell was born, her hometown in Atlanta was still immersed in the painful; and str

39、uggle of the Civil War. Mitchell grew up listening to stories about old Atla nta and the battles the Con federate Army had fought there duri ng the America n Civil War. At the age of fif teen she wrote in her journal: If I were “boy, I would try for West Point, if I could make it, or well I be a pri

40、ze fighteranything for the thrills. (H”rwell, 1976:36) Mitchell graduated from the local Washi ngton Semi nary and started in 1918 to study medic ine at Smith College. Un der the in flue nce of her gran dmother, she bega n to accept the racial con cept of the South and class prejudice, and she had a

41、 feeli ng of hatred and rese ntme nt. From 1926 to 1929 she wrote Gone with the Wind. The outcome, a thousand page novel, which was later compared with Tolstoy War and Peace was published by the Macmilla n Publish ing Compa ny in 1936. Today, the social effect caused by Gone with the Wind is still e

42、xtraord in ary. After its publication, Gone with the Wind was praised as well as criticized. The New Yorker praised it, and John Crowe Ranson, the poet and critic, admired “theirchitectural persistence behind the big work (Robbins, 2000:79) but criticized the book as overly Southern, particularly in

43、 its treatme nt of Rec on structio n. In his review, Malcolm Cowley disdai n orig in ated partly from the book s popularity. John Peale Bishop dismissed the novel as merely 1000 page no vels, compete nt but n eiter very good nor very sound.(谭隧,2003:55) Despite the different comments, Gone with the W

44、ind was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1937.And there is somethi ng can not be igno red, that is the impact of the no vel is in creas in gly deep and irresistible. In the world of literature, Margaret Mitchell is one of the few writers whose fames are built on only one book. Since the publicati on of

45、Go ne with the Win d,it has become the focus of studies of many scholars.3. The Study of Feminism inGone with the Wind3.1 Main Female Images in Gone with the WindThere is a profound and rich connotation of Gone with the wind. Not only does it carry forward the spirit of the Southern noble s indomita

46、ble struggle for survival, but also in praisethe earth, which is more permeated with rich female con scious ness. Wome n are in subord in ate position and subjected to many restrictions, their role is not being taken seriously, but the female described by Mitchell did not lose their luster and dazzl

47、ing in the male group. This is a strong-women-leading novel, Scarlett, Melanie, Ellen, Mrs. Mead, black mummy. Mitchell tried to show the matriarchy un der the souther n patriarchy system.3.1.1 Mela nieMelanie is a pure and simple nice person. She is a very traditional woman; she loves her husba nd

48、and son, and takes care of every one at her side. From the orig inal work we can see that Men are just like babies who need womens attention and care. Scarlett and Melanie are also mens spiritual supporters; they have done their best to support their men and look after their family well when their m

49、en are fighting at the battle. Without their dear wive s or girl friends perpetual inv igorati on, these men can not be so brave at the battle. All the honor which the men gai n in the war will be con secrated to the wome n who fight with their com mon en emies but only in different place. And after

50、 war, they are still menssupporters.Mela nie loves her husba nd very much. This kind of love comes from her heart and it is so sin cere and great. From the time whe n she and Ashley are en gaged, Mela nie gives her whole heart to him. She takes Ashley as her child and mome ntly keeps an eye on him.

51、And she also knows how importa nt herself is to Ashley. So she eve n could not peace her mind at her dying moment. See the following extract from the part in which Melanie was dying:Ashley”Youll look after him? ”He catches cold so easily! Look after his bus in ess, you un dersta nd?Ashley isntpracti

52、cal. ” Look after him, Scarlett, but don lever let him know”(Margaret, 1998:90)And at her last words, she still remembers to let Scarlett who she trusts so much promise to take care of her husband after she dies. From her last words, it is easy to understand that Melanie is very clear of Ashley sliv

53、ing ability as well as how much that his life will have no sense if Mela nie dies:If Ive ever been strong, it was because she was behind me,he said, his voice breaking, and he looked dow n at the glove and smoothed the figures. Andand all the stre ngth I everhad is going with her”What will I do? I c

54、an can live without her! ”(Margaret, 1998:132)Appare ntly, wome n use their particular ways to support men and cha nge them. Seque ntially, they cha nge the world in directly. Although wome n can not be men ti oned in the same breath with men on physical aspect: Men bodies are so big, strong and pow

55、erful and their stre ngths awe wome n and make wome n seem in gly submit to them, Mens inner worlds are vacuous. They are mens spiritual supporters. Once men lose their spiritual supporters, they will not find happ in ess in their lives any more. Wome n s power is incon testable in the developme nt

56、of the world. But their power does not show in the way of fighting on the battle. Though their support to men is in the rear, they in directly cha nge the men and the world. They not on ly make their lives better, but also bring men courage and hope.Besides, Mela nie is kind hearted and con siderate

57、, thought she is thi n and weak, she is defi nitely not flabby. She loves life and is willi ng to don ate to the southern society. Although Mela nie is a sweet and quiet woma n who may be the weakest woma n physically among these four female characters, whe n she meets difficulties, she behaves like

58、 a stro ng woma n. When she faced her impoverished family, frustrated husband, little son, and the down and out Atlanta, she used her weak body, strong will and firm eyes to cheer up the people around. Eve n Scarlett, the woman who regarded Melanie as a rival, had to admit Melanie had a kind of endl

59、ess appetency and can attract others. Sometimes Scarlett even felt that is the weak Melanie protecting her. Rhett, who regarded as a “rogue, villa in, speculator” by the high class, also said Mela nie was onegreatest women. She even got trust and respect from a prostitute. After the Civil War, she returned to Atlanta and became leader and organizer of several Women s Institute, to the exttha