分析《纯真年代》所反映的“老纽约”社会毕业

1、NYANGNYANG INSTITUTEINSTITUTE OFOF TECHNOLOGYTECHNOLOGY本 科 毕 业 论 文分析纯真年代所反映的“老纽约”社会AnalysisAnalysis ofof “hehe OldOld NewNew York”York” SocietySociety ReflectedReflected inTheinThe AgeAge ofof InnocenceInnocence学院名称：外国语学院专业班级：英语09-2学生姓名：张丽 _学 号：200909020018指导教师姓名：李卫荣指导教师职称:副教授2013年5 月作者签名：_指导教师签名：_日

2、 期： _日 期： _毕业设计（论文）原创性声明和使用授权说明原创性声明本人郑重承诺：所呈交的毕业设计（论文），是我个人在指导教 师的指导下进行的研究工作及取得的成果。 尽我所知，除文中特别加 以标注和致谢的地方外，不包含其他人或组织已经发表或公布过的研 究成果，也不包含我为获得安阳工学院及其它教育机构的学位或学历 而使用过的材料。对本研究提供过帮助和做出过贡献的个人或集体， 均已在文中作了明确的说明并表示了谢意。使用授权说明本人完全了解安阳工学院关于收集、保存、使用毕业设计（论文） 的规定，即：按照学校要求提交毕业设计（论文）的印刷本和电子版 本；学校有权保存毕业设计（论文）的印刷本和电子版

3、，并提供目录 检索与阅览服务；学校可以采用影印、缩印、数字化或其它复制手段 保存论文；在不以赢利为目的前提下，学校可以公布论文的部分或全 部内容。TableTable ofof ContentsContents摘要 . IIIAbstract. IVIntroduction . 1Chapter 1 Literature Background and Plot Summary . 31. 1 The historical background ofThe Age of Innocence . 31.2The plot summary of The Age of Innocence. 3Chap

4、ter 2 New York Upper Class Attitudes Towards the Relati on shipAmong the Three Major Characters .52. 1 Upper class attitudes towards the relationship between Newland andMay . 52.1.1Newla ndattitude towards his relati on ship with May. 52.1.2Mayattitude towards her relati on ship with Newland. 62.1.3

5、Elle ns attitude towards the relati on ship betwee n Newla nd andMay . 72.1.4Relatives and frie nds attitudes towards the relati on ship betwee nNewla nd and May . 72.2 Upper class attitudes towards the relati on ship betwee n Newla nd andElle n . 82.2.1Newla ndattitude towards his relatio nship wit

6、h Elle n . 8182.2.2Elle nattitude towards her relati on ship with Newla nd . 92.2.3Mays attitude towards the relatio nship betwee n Newla nd and Ellen-102.2.4Relatives and friends attitudes towards the retionship between Newlandand Ellen . 12Chapter 3 The Social Features of the Old New York” . 123.

7、1 The con servatism of old New York ” . 123. 2 The hypocrisy of old New York” . 133. 3 The snobbism of old New York” . 14Conclusion . 16Acknowledgements . 17Bibliography分析纯真年代所反映的“老纽约”社会摘要：伊迪丝华顿是美国著名小说家之一。她一生创作出大量杰出作品，其 中纯真年代诠释了华顿一生的历程，浓缩了她思想的精髓。这部小说对当代 起着不可小视的作用。小说以贵族青年纽兰和埃伦的爱情悲剧为主线， 以新兴资 产阶级的代表博福特

8、的命运沉浮为辅， 相互映衬，反映出内战之后美国上流社会 最典型的时代特征。本文首先简要介绍伊迪丝华顿本人及其作品。其次介绍了纯真年代的 时代背景以及主要内容梗概。小说通过贵族青年纽兰与埃伦之间的爱情悲剧故 事，展现出19世纪70年代末纽约上流社会的风貌。接着主要阐述纽约上流社会 对三位主人公间关系的看法。年轻儒雅的纽兰深陷在遵守社会规范和追求真爱的 两难境地，热情奔放的埃伦摇摆于摆脱婚姻的枷锁与聆听真情的呐喊之间，而天真纯洁的梅则致力于维护自己的婚姻和保全虚妄的社会地位。而亲戚朋友们为了家族名誉与梅合谋赶走埃伦，所有这些看似简单的情节却蕴含着人性的冷漠与世 俗的捆绑。再接下来具体分析“老纽约”

9、的社会特点。通过分析小说主要人物间 的关系，以及亲戚朋友和他们自身对其关系的看法及他们的最终选择，不难看出纽约上流社会保守、虚伪和势利的特点。最后为结语，系统阐述文章的主旨内涵。关键词：伊迪丝华顿 老纽约 社会特点AnalysisAnalysis ofof “hehe OldOld NewNew YorkYork ” SocietySociety ReflectedReflected ininTheThe AgeAge ofof InnocenceInnocenceAbstract:Abstract: Edith Wharton is one of the most distinguished

10、 American women writers in the twen tieth cen tury. As a productive writer, she published a great many famous works during her life, among which, The Age of Innocence is definitely the most representativeone which can be regarded as the miniature of Wharton whole life and contains the esse nee of he

11、r thoughts. It is no exaggerati on to say that this no vel has made a great con tributi on to the developme nt of realistic no vels. The no vel gives first place to the love tragedy betwee n no blema n Newla nd and Elle n, suppleme nti ng by the ups and downs of Beaufort which is the representative

12、of the emerging bourgeois. By compleme nti ng each other, they reflect the most typical characteristics of the America n upper class after the Civil War.The first part of the paper gives a general introduction of the author EdithWhart on, and her mai n works. Chapter 1 is about the historical backgr

13、o und and the plot summary of The Age of Innocence. By illustrating the love tragedy between Newla nd and Elle n, we can see the social customs of the upper class in New York in the late 1870s. In Chapter 2, New York upper class attitudes towards the relati on ship among the three major characters w

14、ill be elaborated. Young gentleman Newland Archers contradiction in social responsibility and self freedom and the love with Ellen Olenska; PassionateEllen Olenskas dilemma in the marriage crisis with her husband and her affair with Newland, while innocent May s struggle in maintaining her marriage

15、and fallacious social positi on. However, their relatives and frie nds try everything they can to expel Ellen back to Europe together with May in order to protect family reputation. All these seeming surface plots actually are the defense aga inst the conven ti ons and huma n apathy. Chapter 3 is th

16、e backb one of the thesis, aiming to analyze the social characters of the Old New York”. By analyzing the upper class attitudes towards the relati on ship among the three major characters and their choices, it is easy to see that the con servatism, hypocrisy and sn obbism of the upper class. The las

17、t part restates the aim of the thesis, and the con clusi on of the thesis.KeyKey WordsWords: Edith Whart on; old New York; social characteristicsIntroductionIntroductionEdith Whart on was an exotic flower in America n history of literature, and she is one of the most outstanding novel of manners aft

18、er Henry James. Wharton was born in a prominent aristocratic family, livi ng an afflue nt and leisurely life. At Whart onearly age, she lear ned the in tricacies of social customs and rituals un der the guida nee of her grandmother and mother, so she was quite familiar with the customs of the world

19、of upper class. Whart on showed a kee n in terest in literature in her childhood. Later, she got married with Edward Whart on shari ng the equal prestige. As they were not congenial in hobbies and in terests, Whart on was tired of the vain and flashy social activities of upper class. She got divorce

20、d resolutely and determi nedly with Edward regardlessof the upper class object ion. Whart on left for Europe after divorce. She was in flue need by Europea nedificati on of thought, and raised her kee n in sight on the curre nt situati on in society at that time. Whart on hob no bbed with Hery James

21、, and her early works had traced the creation of James.She was put on a lot of glorious titles since she had long been desolated, such as America most distinguished secular style writer, godmother of the psychological novel” feminist prophet” and so on.Because of Whart onprominent family backgro und

22、, she knew very well about the customs of New Yorks upper class, and New York cultural environment had given her unique social sensitivity and literary tastes. As one member of the upper class, Whart on lived a wealthy life since she was a little girl. Si nee she had wit nessed the old conventions f

23、or a long time, it was quite easy for her to write according to these experie nces. She was quite familiar with New York upper class, not only just familiar with its gold-plated surface, but also well aware of nature of decaden” (Wang Yiting, 2011). Edith Wharton once wrote in her autobiography Back

24、ward Glance that life is the saddest thi ng there is n ext to deatwhich seems to imply that stories tend to reflect sad ness. She seldom wrote roma ntic sce nes in her stories and she n ever paid atte nti on to fairy tales, the fabulous or the lege ndary. And con seque ntly, most of her tales depict

25、ed heroes and heroines leading unhappy lives. Many of her works were based on the background of New York. The masterpieces based on Old New York” of Wharton included full length novel The Age of Innocence” , The House of Mirth” and the novella collection Old New York(in clud ing false daw ns”， New Y

26、ears Day, spark”， spin ster”). These works fully and truly reflected the social characters of old New York upper class in the late 19th century and early 20th century. The Age of Innocence is the most important masterpiece of Whart on which caused a huge repercussi on as soon as it was published. It

27、 had brought substa ntial econo mic in come and extraord inary reputati on and played a great role for her to win the 1921 Pulitzer Prize, and bee n the first lady to receive this honor in America n history .In this no vel, New York is defi nitely more tha n just a geographical n ame, and also has b

28、ecome a land of culture that is casted in the unique huma n color.ChapterChapter 1 1 TheThe HistoricalHistorical BackgroundBackground andand PlotPlot SummarySummary ofofTheThe AgeAge ofof InnocenceInnocence1.1 The historical backgr ound ofTheAge of InnocenceThe historical background of The Age of In

29、nocence is New York of the late 1870s. People of that era paid more atte ntio n to the elega nt and exquisite manners tha n anything else in the history of New York. The upper class make every effort to window dressing” all the time .They refused any external threat to the entire upper class and dec

30、orated their every actio n un der the protectio n of holi ness and in tegrity” (Wang Min, 2008). They were most concerned about their social status, living a leisurely life un der the impris oned and bori ng social no rms. They tur ned a deaf ear to the misfortunes of others. The author depicts them

31、 vividly like this fn reality they all lived in a ki nd of hieroglyphic world, where the real thi ng was n ever said or done or eve n thought ,but only represe nted by a set of arbitrary signsWhart on, 2004). At that time New York society was domin ated by men, wome n did not have the right to speak

32、 and accept educatio n in school like men. The most shameful thi ng of one family was divorce. In order to obey the social no rms, the female had to give up their rights to pursue happ in ess and freedom, which would defi nitely result in the in evitable tragic ending of women who are in the other”

33、status in a patriarchal society.1.2 The plot summary of The Age of InnocenceThe Age of Innocence tells a tragic love story betwee n Newla nd and Elle n. The male character in the no vel Newla nd Archer is born in a prestigious family in New York, young and refi ned, and he always feels apart from th

34、e whole society. Whe n Newla nd pla ns to announce his en gageme nt with May Wella nd, a lady from the upper class with the same reputati on, Mays cous in Elle n sudde nly comes back from Europe. She wants to seek help from her family for her divorce. Newla nd is attracted by Elle n who has outsta n

35、ding pers on ality but miserable marriage, and his emoti onal bala nee is gradually in eli ned to Elle n. With spiritual awake ning, Newla nd finds the beautiful wisdom and full of artistic temperame nt Elle n is his true lover, but his fian cee May seems to have nothing except her purity and elegan

36、ee. May and the upper class representedby her are really boring and lifeless. At that time, New York are old fashi on ed, the old conven ti ons and traditi ons they comply and maintain seem n ever be cha nged and broke n. Therefore though Newla nd and Elle n are in love, they doom to be a tragedy. F

37、i nally, Newla nd gives up his lover, follows the trend and accepts the responsibility of family and marriage for May mpediment together with the upper class. Many years later, after May death, Newland has the chanee to meet Ellen aga in, but he just sits on the bench un der Ellersapartme nt and rec

38、alls the memory of Ellen. Meeting with Ellen, knowing and loving each other becomes the most vivid and real memory of Newla ndlifetime.ChapterChapter 2 2 NewNew YorkYork UpperUpper ClassAttitudesClassAttitudes TowardsTowards thethe RelationshipRelationship AmongAmong thethe ThreeThree MajorMajor Cha

39、ractersCharactersThe plai ntive love story betwee n Newla nd Archer and Elie n Olen ska Coun tess is the main line of The Age of InnocencW. It seems that Newland and Mays comb in ati on is quite welcomed. Devia nt Elle n would not have bee n accepted by the New York upper class at first, so their lo

40、ve is fiercely despised by the New York society and cant avoid the misfortune under the suppression of New York.2.1 Upper class a a ttitudes towards the relati on ship betwee n Newla nd and MayThe upper class here in cludes Newla nd. May, Elle n and their relatives and frie nds.2.1.1 Newla ndattitud

41、e towards his relati on ship with MayNewland Archer is born in a wealthy family of New York upper class, well educated, talented and ideal, and well versed in the customs and fashion of the old New York society. He is a standard gentleman that society has trained. After the announcementof his engage

42、ment with May on the ball, he imagines happily that what a life it was going to be, with this whiteness, radianee, goodness at ones side”Wharton, 2004). The young man was sincerely but placidly in love. He was delighted in the radia nt good looks of his betrothed, in her health, her horsema nship, h

43、er grace and quick ness at games, and the shy in terest in books and ideas that she was beg inning to develop un der his guida nce.(Whart on, 2004). We can judge from these sentences that Newlandis quite satisfied with his fiancee. However, after he comes across Elle n, he is attracted by the passi

44、on ate and liberal lady and falls in love with her. Compari ng with Elie n, innocent May seems dull and vapid. Newla nd gradually beg in to thi nk that his marriage is a dull associati on of material and social in terests held together by ignorance on the one side and hypocrisy on the other”Whart on

45、, 2004). After he gets married, Archer had reverted to all his old inherited ideas about marriage. It was less trouble to conform with the traditi on and treat May exactly as all his friends treated their wives”Wharton, 2004). Nevertheless, Newland is deeply despaired by Mays inan ity and he still k

46、eeps Elle n in mind. He seeks to elope with Elle n whe n the old Min gott is sick, but unfortun ately May is preg nant and Newla nd has to give up his true lover and takes the resp on sibility of family. Newla nd Archer was a quiet and self-c on trolled young man. Con formity to the discipli ne of a

47、 small society had become almost his sec ond n atur(Whart on, 2004). It shows that Newla nd and Elle n love tragedy, in some degree, is caused by Newla ncoward pers on ality besides the bon dage of the old conven ti ons. But whe n Newla nd gives up the pla n to elope with Elle n and makes himself to

48、 be a model husba nd and father, it also shows that it is his resp on sibility to take care of his wife and child.2.1.2 Mays attitude towards her relati on ship with Newla ndMay is a typical beautiful an gel” i n the no vel. After recei ving the traditi onal educatio n and the in flue nee of upper c

49、lass, May has become a perfectthe other” and has lived in an atmosphere of passive observation and judgment forever. In the patriarchal society with stro ng protect ion, Mayfate is just like the lilies in her hand, and it will be fin ally buried in a quiet and cold grave.As a lady of n obility, n ai

50、ve May con siders social norms as behavior prin ciples and treats marriage as the only choice for judg ing stability of life. May is beautiful and innocent, but she is the incarn ati on of the old New Yorks thoughts. Judgi ng from the enjoyme nt whe n she gets en gaged and later the words she praise

51、s Newla nHow dear of you” Newla nd! You are so orig in al ” I do love you, Newla nd, for being so artistic”(Whart on, 2004). May deep love in Newla nd is quite easy to see from these simple senten ces. On their trip to spe nding hon eym oon, May says it full of happ in ess it just our luck beginning

52、-the wonderful luck were always going to have together (Whart on, 2004). At that mome nt, she shows great expectatio n for the bright future. In Newland eye, Whatever happened, he knew, she would always be loyal, galla nt and un rese ntfu”Whart on, 2004). Whe n May finds the emoti onal struggle of N

53、ewla nd, she agrees to make her wedd ing day ahead of time. Besides, she tells her pregnancy to her relatives and friends to crush the last hope in Newland heart. Obviously, May cares about her marriage and family very much. She does every effort to save her marriage .She loves Newland, so she bears

54、 the burdens of the pain willi ngly for the harm ony and in tegrity of her family.2.1.3 Elle nattitude towards the relati on ship betwee n Newla nd and MayElle n makes few judgme nts on the relati on ship betwee n Newla nd and May in the no vel. On heari ng the n ews of the en gageme nt she joyfully

55、 expresses tha6f course I know; yes, and Im so glad”(Wharton, 2004). Ellen is quite approved and feels happy for their comb in ati on, after all she thinks that May is a darli ng; I e see n no young girl in New York so han dsome and so in tellige nt ” (Whart on, 2004). When she falls in love with Ne

56、wla nd, she n ever ever thinks to own him, she tries her best to persuade Newland giving up his crazy idea. She promises to live with granny Mrs. Mingott because she thinks that can be safer from doing irreparable harm ” to others. When Newla nd keeps ask ing the soluti on to solve their problem, El

57、le n hazards to say that shall I come once to you, and the n go home” (Whart on, 2004). On heari ng the n ews that May is preg nant, she wants to end up the relati on ship with Newla nd with a firm hand by movi ng to Europe. In a word, in order not to hurt the ones they love, to mai nta in her cous

58、in marriage, and to make a complete family for the baby to be born, Elle n chooses to go to Europe and spe nd the rest of her life there alone. Elle n loves Newla nd too, but her love is filled with un selfish affecti on.2.1.4 Relatives and friends attitudes towards the relationship between Newland

59、and MayNewland and May marriage is made in heaven, and it is convinced by the attitudes of people around them. Almost every one delivers great con gratulati on to their comb in atio n. Whe n the betrothed couple pay a visit to the relatives after their engagement, old Mrs. Mingott was delighted with

60、 the engagement, which, being long foreseen by watchful relatives, had been carefully passed upon in family coun cil”Whart on, 2004); There is a no ticeable exciteme nt whe n Mrs. Archer talks about her son marriage. Eve n Mrs. Archer, who was seldom un duly pleased with human events, had been altog