The Horse Dealer’s Daughter

1、The Horse Dealers Daughter 小组成员：马艳 苗茜茜 王慧婷 邹林妮娜ModernismModernism spans the period from the end of the 19th century to the middle of 20th century. Modernism is a very vague and confusing term. It includes imagism, cubism and existentialism and so on. Difference from Victorian Age, it emphasizes the

2、need to move away form the public to the private, from the objective to the subjective, preferring the subconscious to the selfconscious, and stress passion and will over reason and intellection.About the authorDavid Herbert Lawrence is a Famous British writer and poet in the 20th century. He is Bri

3、tains most unique and one of the most controversial writer who is regarded as one of the greatest writers in English literary historyLawrence thoughts that mans spirit was thwarted by industrialized Western culture, emphasized his intellectual attributes rather than his natural or physical instincts

4、. His great novels, Sons and Lovers(1913), The Rainbow(1915), and Women in love(1921),concern the consequence of trying to denying mans union with nature.Summary of the story The story begins with a conversation between three Pervin brothers and their sister Mabel whom they call “bull-dog”. The thre

5、e Pervin brothers were asking their sister what she intends to do with her life after she left the ranch house. But the consultation was intrigued by the disaster of their life-their fathers death. They had to find a place to settle themselves down. Joe, the eldest brother, was lucky to find he marr

6、ied a rich woman and her father could provide him with a well-paid job. Fred Henry, the second oldest brother strongly required Mabel to live with her sister Lucy. Malcolm, the youngest among the three, asked Mabel to be trained as a nurse while he would go with Fred to the south. They left no sympa

7、thy to their innocent sister, which made their sister depressed about life and herself. Later, Mabel went to the ceremony, tending to her mothers grave while Dr. Jack Fergusson, a physician and friend of the brothers, saw she was in the ceremony. He followed her to a pond and, with continuing fascin

8、ation, watched her walk into and finally disappear under the murky water. He ran after her, dragged her out of the pond, and took her home. There, he undressed her, rubbed her skin dry, and warmed her next to the hearth fire. Mabel awakened in a daze, recognized the doctor, and asked him what he had

9、 done. Realizing her nakedness beneath the swaddling blankets, she asked him, “Do you love me, then?” and became certain of the answer herself: “You love me. . . . I know you love me, I know.” The doctor, who “had, really, no intention of loving her,” is horrified at her words and her kisses, yet he

10、 felt overwhelmed and must embrace her and admit that her words are really true. Mabels joyful assurance of his love soon passed, however, and she sobbed, “I feel Im horrible to you.” “ No, I want you, I want you, was all he answered, blindly, with that terrible intonation which frightened her almos

11、t more than her horror lest he should not want her.” Both Mabel and Fergusson fell in love with each other. They decided to get married on the second day. The end of the story left uncertainty to the readers because it was Mabels gratitude ignited the doctors love for her. Fergusson, a physician doc

12、tor, was accustomed to the naked body. But his love broke out under the particular circumstance. The love was exuberant but transient. No one knew whether it was the true love or not. The “reality” would make them calm down and face the “real” life. Mabel is still lonely and helpless until the end o

13、f the novel.Character analysisJoe 冷漠unwilling to take care of families自私He dont care about anything, since he felt himself safeAfter his father died, as the leader of the family, he should take the responsibility of taking care of little brothers and sister. Mabel:内心温柔善良：carefully clipped the grass

14、from the grave and arranged the pinky-white small chrysanthemums in the tin cross and sponged the marble headstone and the coping-stone.When Mabel decided to end her live, she didnt forget her dear mother. And the last thing she could do for her mom is to clean her tomb carefully.After experiencing

15、the heart-break of losing her mother and having a step-mother, the little girl got no love from her families. And she felt alone without any sense of security. She isolated herself from other and refused to feel this world. However, this kind of situation made her being moved by kindhearted person.

16、That was why when the doctor saved her from lake the little girl being touched and passionately in love with the doctor.勇敢地追求爱情：After being saved by doctor, she thought that there still someone loves her in the world. Then she expressed her feeling bravelyJack：勇敢善良：He saved the poor girl who prepare

17、d to suicide, however, the doctor himself is not able to swim.He could not bear to refuse the admiration of the girl for worrying the poor girl would do the foolish.Themes and Writing Techniques1. Themes After our discussion, we think there are two basic themes in this story a. love and remediation

18、Mabel loves the doctor and he loves her too. b. the so-called developed economy civilization impose huge depression on human.2. Writing Techniques (1) The authors use a wide range of psychological descriptive methods to develop plots. There are three highlights in the story:l The first time they mee

19、t. When jack politely asked Mabel what she intend to do, Mabel just glanced him with a dangerous look, which marked him very unsettled. Here a dangerous look doesnt mean Mabel hold hostility to jack, the author use a very special word to tell readers jack is afraid of being lured by the girl, which

20、is his unconscious wish depressed by the society.l After girl came over, Mabel thought the doctor loved her. But the doctor did not intend to love her. But he was afraid of pushing her to death again if he refused. And in his deepest heart, he knew he love her. These two conflict ideas fight in his

21、mind. The author use a great many of pages described this psychological conflicts which added vivid relish.l At the last part of the novel. The doctor kissed Mabel after he felt very painful to Mabels tears and hesitancy of his own. Mabels eyes are full of tears again .But this time, they are joyful

22、 tears. it implies that love finally fall down on two young people. (2) The author also implied a lot of Symbolism. So considerable symbolism is also a salient feature of this novel.l The horse symbolizes Mabels three brothers. They are like animal controlled by groom. They were tied head to tail, f

23、our of them, and they heaved along to where a lane branched off from the high-road, planting their great roofs flouting in the fine black mud, swinging their great rounded haunches sumptuously, and trotting a few sudden steps as they were led into the lane, round the corner.” Every movement showed a

24、 massive, slumberous strength, and a stupidity which held them in subjection. The horses destiny is just like the familys future.l The pond symbolized new birth of the two lovers. In a dead place such as the pond in a cold winter, one can find something that is alive such as love. This pond symbolizes the start of their love for each other, since they fall madly in love afterwards. The water symbolizes baptism and rebirth, and when she steps into it, h