从生态女性主义角度解读《德伯家的苔丝》英语专业论文论文

1、摘要托马斯哈代以“性格与环境小说”闻名。他认为女性在男权社会下所受到的控制和大自然在人类社会所受到的压迫是相似的，因此二者有着极其密切的联系。托马斯哈代的小说中充满了人与自然、男性和女性以及工业化和自然环境之间的矛盾。生态女性主义是二十世纪女性运动和生态运动的结合物，该理论的支持者呼吁废除男权社会，建立一个更加平等、人与自然和谐相处的社会。本文以托马斯哈代的代表作德伯家的苔丝为例进行分析，小说在描述苔丝的悲剧命运的同时，夹杂了大量的对自然的描写，展现了受压迫的女性与被破坏的自然之间的共同点和联系。本文将分析苔丝悲剧的社会原因，剖析女性与自然的内在联系，以及生态女性主义在当今社会的现实意义。关键

2、词：生态女性主义，托马斯哈代，德伯家的苔丝Abstract Thomas Hardy was famous for his Wessex novel. He believes that the oppression that women suffered from patriarchy society is similar to the damage that nature suffered form human world, thus women and nature are closely interconnected with each other. The conflicts and

3、contradictions between human and nature, between men and women and between industrialization and natural environment can be easily seen in his novels. Ecofeminisim is the combination of feminism campaigns in 20th Century and ecological activities. Supporters for this ideology appeal to abolish the m

4、ale-dominance society, and build a more justice and harmonious one. In Tess of the dUbervilles, Thomas Hardy not only describes the miserable fate of Tess, but also mingled with a great number of descriptions for nature, which demonstrated the common points and connections between women and nature.

5、This article will analyze the social reasons for Tesss tradgy, dissect the connection between women and nature, and the practical significance of ecofeminisim in todays society.Key words: ecofeminism, Thomas Hardy, Tess of the dUrbervillesAcknowledgementsI would like to express my sincere appreciati

6、on to all people of my degree courses. First of all, I gratefully appreciate the advice and the help of my supervisor, Li Mingcui for her patience guidance, constructive suggestions, insightful criticism and heartfelt encouragement. I couldnt finish this paper without her efforts. I also want to app

7、reciate all the teachers and professors in School of Foreign Languages. I have learnt a lot from them during the past four years, both academically and mentally. I highly appreciate their serious teaching an enlightening lectures. Whats more, my thanks also go to my parents, friends and roommates, f

8、or their valuable suggestions and contribution. OutlineI IntroductionII Basic Concept of Ecofeminisim A. Definition and Main Ideas of Ecofeminism B. The Development of Ecofeminisim C. The Practical Significance of EcofeminismIII Thomes Hardy and EcofeminisimIV. Tess of dUrbervilles and Ecofeminisim

9、A. The Background of Tess of the dUrbervilles B. Main Plots of Tess of the d Urbervilles C. Analysis of Tess of the dUrbervilles From the Perspective of Ecofeminisim 1. Tess: A Daughter of Nature 2. Tess: A Victim to Patriarchal Society and Industrilzation D. The Male Charaters in Tess of the dUrber

10、villes 1. John Durbeyfield 2. Alex 3. Angel ClareVI. ConclusionIntroductionWith the development of feminism and the growth of industrilization in 18th Century, ecofeminism came into being, which was one of the most significant branches in feminism study. Ecofeminisim is the combination of feminism c

11、ampaigns in 20th Century and ecological activities. It can be regarded as the natural feminism since it inherits the old theories of feminism in transitional sense and starts a new research field related to ecology and nature. Except the social reform, ecofeminism has also expanded its influence to

12、theoretical research, analyzes the differences between male and female, discusses the female identity and value, futher leads to the criticism for the discrimination and oppression against women. It also studies the ecological issues and critisized the governance of patriarchy from the perspective o

13、f gender differences. Ecofeminisim has a strong influence in western world, especially during the feminism and ecological campaign. It has embarked on a new path of research for gender and ecological problems. Supporters for this ideology believe that women are the daughters of nature so that womens

14、 feelings and fate are closely connected to natural changes, appeal to abolish the male-dominance society then build a more justice and harmonious one. They believe that all the disrespectful, harmful and devastating behaviors to nature are the direct or indirect insults to women. Ecofeminisim puts

15、great emphasis on womens freedom and their autonomous rights in nature, upholds and enhances the purity in womens nature. It upholds the belief that no one should hurt women on the ground of ones preference especially patriarchy. The ecological crisis and gender oppression are the major and fundemen

16、tal causes for the disharmony in human society. In terms of literature, ecofeminisim aims to change marginalized status of women and nature by literary criticism from the perspective of nature and gender.As a famous critical realist novelist in 19th Century, Thomas Hardy was widely known for his Wes

17、sex novel, which indicates the deeper conflicts between people and environment may widely exist in his novels. He believes that the oppression that women suffered from patriarchy society is similar to the damage that nature suffered from human world, thus women and nature are closely interconnected

18、with each other. Given the background of social and industrial development, the conflicts and contradictions between human and nature, between men and women and between industrialization and natural environment can be easily seen in his novels. Hardy realized sensitively that women and nature are sh

19、aring a common future and fate, which made his novels became a paragon of new women. Tess of the dUrbervilles is one of the greatest master works of Thomas Hardy. In Tess of the dUbervilles, Thomas Hardy shaped a female character who deeply suffered from old morality and religious persecution. The s

20、ubtitle of the novel is A Pure Woman, which had challenged hypocritical male chauvinism in Victorian age publicly and demonstrated the theme of ecofeminism. Tess was a rural girl who was pure and kind. She looked forward to a world which is true and beautiful at first, but she was injured by the dar

21、kness and hypocrisy in her world. She worked at a distant relatives home for her familys living. As a young and innocent lady, she was seduced and raped by Alex and lost her chastity. Later she fell in love with a gentleman named Clare, but was abandoned by him at the wedding night because of her co

22、nfession about her past. Out of the sense of family responsibility and self-sacrifice, she became Alexs mistress against her own will. At the end of the novel, Tess killed Alex as a revenge which paid with her life. Although the ending of the novel was tragic, Hardy had highly praised the new women

23、from the perspective of ecofeminism. Since Thomas Hardy regarded Tess as a daughter of nature, Thomas Hardy not only described the miserable fate of Tess, but also mingled with a great number of descriptions for nature, which demonstrated the common points and connections between women and nature. H

24、ardy tends to creat a female image who can perfectly suit with all the natural things. After the publicity of Tess of the dUbervilles, the researches for the novel are mainly focuses on the analysis of the concept of healthy women, the analysis for the causes of the tragedy, Hardys interpretation fo

25、r female, interpretation of naturalism and female images in western patriarchal discourse. This article will futher analyze the social reasons for Tesss tradgy, dissect the connection between women and nature, and the practical significance of ecofeminisim in todays society, all the points and discu

26、ssions will be based on the idea of ecofeminism. II. Basic Concept of Ecofeminisim A. Definition and Main Ideas of EcofeminismAs a political and social campaign, ecofeminism is the major branch during the third feminism movement. It believes that the oppression for women and the degeneration of natu

27、re are connected with each other. Ecofeminism mainly concerns about the relevance among gender discrimination, the oppression for nature, racial discrimination, speciesism and other social injustice. It could be referred to natural feminism since it inherits the old theories and opens up a new area.

28、 Ecofeminisim supporters tend to seek a culture that connect with nature while holding the belief that a ecologist will definitely be an ecofeminist. Ecofeminisim supporters oppose the anthropocentrism and androcentrism, upholds the idea of nature is controlled by human being. It criticizes the patr

29、iarchal values and praises the intrinsic quality of women. The aim of ecofeminism is to establish a utopia which follows the principles of ecofeminism and feminism.1. The core theoryEcofeminisim is a combination of feminism and ecological ideology. It believes that the social mentality of manipulati

30、ng female is directly related to the abusement of global environment. From the perspective of criticizing the sense of hierarchy and logics of rules in the western modern worldviews, ecofeminism points out how the worldviews of androcentric, analytic and mechanistic oppress the nature and women as w

31、ell as the connection with the idea of male-dominant. Thus, they inisted that the movement to free women or nature from discrimination and oppression must be launched at the same time. Since this idea has tied women liberation and nature salvation together, ecofeminist sees the ancient wisdom of pre

32、-mordern worldviews as the precious source of theory. The pre-modern worldviews regarded nature as a holistic organism and highly admitted its immanence value and the equity between human being and other spices. 2. Main Ideas Women are more connected to nature, while the basic concept of patriarchy

33、is the animosity towards nature. The division between nature and culture, between animal and human being, between men and women has sorted women with nature and fertility, and sorted men with culture and egoism. This is a part of western patriarchy which has provided rationality to the behavior of r

34、aping women and destroying nature. Although the ecological campaign may not be total feminist, any successful ecological campaign has a surprisingly high level of sexualization. It surprises people because the ecological awareness belongs to ecofeminisim as well as the traditional feminist awareness

35、. The ecofeminists pay close attention to ecological damage such as deforestation, air pollution, water pollution and species extinction. Just according to an ecofeminist Susan Griffin: “We no longer feel that we are part of this planet. We regard other creations as enemies. Forests disappear, air p

36、ollution, water pollution and so on. A long time ago, we have given up on ourselves. Our way of life is ruining our environment, our flesh, and even our genetics.”Creatures on earth are in a interconnected net without the differences of higher or lower level. However, human are living in a society w

37、here the racial and gender discrimination exists. People are getting used to this kind of view, without questioning if it is right. In this system, the pure spirit existence like God is the highest, while the living things on earth are the lowest. Among all the living creatures, human beings are at

38、the top, followed by animals, plants, mountains, oceans and dirt; among all the human beings, white male are at the highest level, followed by men of other racial and women. One of the major ideas of ecofeminism is fight against the hierarchical among living things. The supporters of ecofeminism app

39、eal to a anti-cetralization movement globally to keep an eye on peoples common interests as well as the opposition against coerciveness of some consumption pattern. The survival of some species demonstrates the new understanding of the relationship between human and nature is essential. This is a ch

40、allenge to binary opposition of culture and nature. Ecofeminisim emphasis the interdependence of all living creatures. It is the feminist response to global environmental crisis while actively improve the living conditions and situation of women. Ecofeminists raise doubts about the concept of develo

41、pment. They believe that the concept of development is based on western patriarchy and capitalism with following the path of linear development. From the perspective of culture, this idea has its limitations, however it is popular globally. One of the most important value of feminism movement is the

42、 respect to the voices from people who dont have power or authority and the differences in our society; while the concept of development ignore individuals and communities. It eveulates the progress of human being and society only from the perspective of economic without taking factors like culture,

43、 society, spirit and other human contributions into account. In this aspect, the main point of ecofeminist is that, if we could take the gender differences into consideration, development will be further boosted. Economic development should comply with womens daily life, rather than merely pursuing

44、competitions and invasions. Men and the governance system should change themselves towards a more responsible and open-minded way. 3. Representative Figures In 1974, French ecofeminist Francoise dEaubonne put forward the concept “ecofeminism” for the very first time in her book Le Feminisme ou la mo

45、rt in which she appealed to womens participation of saving earth. This symbolized the beginning of the research for ecofeminism. She aimed to stimulate womens potential in solving global ecological crisis and call upon women to lead a ecological revolution and build a new relationship between human

46、and nature and between men and women. She also pointed out the direct connection between the oppression to women and to nature. Eaubonne advocated to build an ecological culture marked by diversified and complicated. She reiterated the relationship of human, other living creatures and nature which r

47、egarded human as an ecological existence. She attached great importance to the protection of ecological system and a harmonious nature to achieve sustained development. She believed that the major content of ecofeminism is the sense of identity of women and nature. Eaubonne combined ecological movem

48、ent and feminist campaign to establish a fresh moral value and social construction. She opposed any kinds of discrimination and hopes that the interdependence model can be used to replace the previous hierarchical social system by upholding the values of love, care and justice, especially the promot

49、ion of social justice. She emphasised not only the mutural learning between feminism and eco-criticism, but also the interdependence in a practical way between women liberation and ecological protection. Eaubonne emphasized the natural intimate connection between women and nature. By criticizing thi

50、s patriarchal ideology, ecofeminists aim to break this deep-rooted hierarchical model and build a diverse and complex world in which human and nature live in harmony. Carolyn Merchan described the changing historical progress in her book The Death of Nature:Women, Ecology, and Scientific Revolution.

51、 She connected the “nature discrimination” and “gender discrimination”, and put their connection under the historic background of social politics and economic power. Facing the current crisis of natural resources are exhausting, modern ecology roots in organic theory and so does ecofeminism proposed

52、 by Merchant. However, she had no intend to rebuild the image of “Mother Nature” to impose the role of nurturer on women anymore. Instead, she tended to study the interlinked value of women and nature, observed the impact of modern womens liberation movements and ecological movements on traditional

53、views of nature. She called upon a new world by destroying the old one. At the same time, Merchant started to criticize the dualism. In traditional sense, people believed that the body is always less noble than the soul, thus people are more than nature, and women are always lower than men. Accordin

54、g to this theory, it is reasonable and normal if people are controlling nature. From this perspective, Merchant believed that the domination and oppression of nature and of women are similar in the framework of thinking, thus she started the critique of dualism. B. Development of EcofeminismAfter 19

55、60s, authors of three epoch-making books of the development of human ecological culture are all feminists: Rachel Carson from America, the author of Silent Spring(1962); Barbara Ward from Britain, the author of We Only Have One Earth(1972); former Norwegian Prime Minister Brundtland, the author of T

56、he Common Future of Our Lady. These documents have not only changed the way that people think, but also rewrite the history of people protecting ecological ecvironment. In response to these great ideas, the combination of Western womens movements and ecological movements has formed the Ecofeminisim

57、movement, which including womens right, environmental protection, treatment to experimental animals, the opposition of nuclear weapons and wars. It has expanded its opposition from social and gender discrimination to the discrimination of ecological nature. It has also linked fighting for gender equ

58、ity and environmental protection which has enriched the connotation of ecological culture. Since 1970s, many feminists, especially ecofeminists all believed that the the environmental issue is the main problem for feminists to solve. Women around world have became an active part of ecological movements. In Sweden, women sent jams made from contaminated berries to members of parliment, in order to protest against the use of herbicides in the forest; in India, they participated in the “tree-hugging campaign” to protect the trees that would be used as fuel; in Kenya, they