One mirror, Two lives——Analysis of the “Dual Hero” in The Great Gatsby一面镜子,两个人物—《了不起盖茨比》中的“二元主角”探析文献综述
2020-04-18 20:40:15
1. Introduction 1.1#160;Research background F.Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940), as the spokesman and laureate of the ”Lost Generation”, is one of the most representative American novelists in the 1920s. Born in a middle- and upper-class family in St. Paul, Minnesota, his family moved to New York in 1899 and did not return to their hometown until 1907, but Fitzgerald always considered himself a Midwestern man. The family's economic and social status has largely influenced his basic attitude towards life and literature. He was not only an active, leading participant in the typical frivolous, carefree, moneymaking life the decade, but also a detached, profound observer of it at the same time. His own lift was a mirror of the times. He led a rich life and achieved much during the ”Roaring Twenties”, driving fast cars, drinking hard whisky, and taking much delight in it. It is widely acclaimed that his works The Great Gatsby, published in 1925, is one of the finest pieces of American literature. T.S. Eliot called it ”the first step the American novel has taken since Henry James.” When F. Scott Fitzgerald was writing the novel in the summer of 1924, he wrote to his editor, Maxwell Perkins, ”I think my novel is about the best American Novel ever written.#8217; It is such because F. Scoot Fitzgerald has displayed not only insight into the American psyche but also a magnificent grasp of ”The American Dream” which Jay Gatsby represents. However the immediate response to the novel was overwhelmingly negative. He remained obscure for ten years during which his writing was unpopular. He died in 1940, just before America joined World War II, at the age if 44. It was not until ten years after death that the genius of his writing came into full recognition. A rereading of The Great Gatsby strikes the readers with not only its large assimilation of the twenties era but also its sharpness with which he seized upon the archetypal theme of the Twenties. In different novels, authors employ different kinds of narrative perspectives. Fitzgerald first adopted a new first-person narrative method in The Great Gatsby, in order to achieve his desired artistic height and reflect his era without any prejudice. There are two kinds of narrative methods commonly used in traditional novels, one is the author's omniscient third-person narrative, the other is the autobiographical first-person narrative. Fitzgerald abandoned these two methods and adopted the narrative method which was originated by Henry James, an outstanding novelist in the 19th century, and then developed by Joseph Conrad and Edith Wharton. The Great Gatsby is both a story about Gatsby and a story about Nick. The two characters are parallel, which constitutes a phenomenon of dual hero. 1.2 Need for the study The Great Gatsby, the masterpiece of Scott F.Fitzgerald, is unique in the history of world literature, the publication of which brought immediate success and fame to the author. It is often regarded as one of the most elaborately-constructed novel after those of Henry James, and for years, articles have been pouring out on it. In terms of character analysis, in addition to the role of Gatsby and Daisy, it is rare to analyze the narrator Nick with a dual perspective at length. The novel, through the fate of the two protagonists, presents their own life experiences from different narrative perspectives. Its narrative mode breaks through the limited visual angle and produces double visual effect. As a irreplaceable character, analyzing Nick is beneficial to the deep understanding of the themes.#160;Theoretically speaking, this first-person narrative method can give scholars more hints at studying The Great Gatsby from new research perspectives. However, there is little relevant research on analysis of the conflict and integration of the dual hero-- Gatsby and Nick, to revel the American Dream. To sum up, the paper on analysis of the ”Dual Hero” in this novel can provide some enlightening thoughts on the theme as well as enhance the readers#8217; reinterpretation of connotations of the novel and American Dream. 2. Literature review 2.1 Previous studies on#160;The Great Gatsby Since its publication, The Great Gatsby has attracted various literary criticisms and has been interpreted from different angles by scholars, such as, the analysis of the symbolism, the structuralism, the contrast method, the theme and so on. The critics generally regard it as a novel about the reality of American society in the 1920s. Quite a few scholars show great interest in the analysis of the American Dream. Wang Fei (2010) analyzes how consumerism and the American Dream are reflected in The Great Gatsby. From the prospective of consumerism, she explores the main characters#8217; American Dream, and how the consumerism exerts negative influence on their American Dream. Sun Zhangpin (2005) re-explores the significance of the American dream by combining the traditional biographical and historical approaches, and the approach of cultural criticism. Gatsby becomes a victim of the new commercial culture where material success is dominating. The thesis argues that The Great Gatsby is about the predicament of human beings in general. Besides, there are also some other researches on this novel. Xu Ke (2013) claims that it is necessary to re-interpret Daisy#8217;s role in lens of feminism with the development of feminism. Therefore, the author analyzes five of the novel#8217;s components including setting, narration, plot imagery and characterization in the feminist perspective in which objectification theory, Otherness theory are applied in argumentation. Both textual and statistical methods are used to prove that Daisy is the victim rather than perpetrator. Ren Jing (2010) analyzes the novel through the perspective of symbolism in terms of four levels, symbolism in literature, symbolism in colors, symbolism in settings and symbolic meaning in the American Dream and Gatsby#8217;s Dream. Liu Jia (2010) interprets this novel in terms of its characters, symbols, and themes by resorting to the theory of Northrop Frye#8217;s Archetypal Criticism, which helps readers get into the inner world of each character but also help us gain a deep understanding of the themes and plots of this novel. 2.2 Previous studies on Dual Hero In The Great Gatsby, Gatsby and Nick are both important characters in this novel. Some scholars show great interest in the analysis of characters. Lv Jingjing(2007) declares that The Great Gatsby is not only a story of Gatsby but also a story of Nick. Through the strict structure layout and the new narrative perspective, the novel expresses the theme of the disillusionment of the American dream in perfect artistic form. This essay makes an analytical study of the dual hero of the novel in four aspects as follows: the structure of the novel, the point of view, the desire for money, and the American dream. Zhou Yan(2004) discusses the author how to apply the Dual Hero technique to convey his literary viewpoints. On the one hand, he explains the special double versions, which has a close relationship with the life experiences of the author. On the other hand, he mainly analyzes that the application of dual hero has a influence on expressing the double versions. Tang Lu (2004) argues that Gatsby and Nick represent Fitzgerald#8217; s emotional and rational selves respectively. Double vision is further enhanced with the choice of a semi-detached narrator--Nick Carraway. He Shijie (2003) thinks that both Gatsby and Nick emerge as moral symbols: Gatsby as the embodiment of spiritual desolation or waste, and Nick as hope for moral and spiritual growth. #160; Works Cited Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby: Penguin Classics, 1994. Fitzgerald, F. Scott. A Life in Letters, ed. Mattew J. Bruccoli. New York, 1994. T.S. Eliot. Letter to Scoot Fitzgerald in Fitzgerald, The Crack-Up. New York, 1945. Wang Fei . A Dream of One Decade: Analysis of the Disillusioned American Dream in The Great Gatsby from the Perspective of Consumerism. Zhengzhou University, 2010. Sun Zhangpin. The Withering of the American Dream--A New Reading of F.S. Fitzgerald#8217; s The Great Gatsby. Nanjing Normal University, 2005. Xu Ke. A Feminist Interpretation of The Great Gatsby--Daisy, The Victim of Gatsby#8217;s American Dream. Hainan University, 2013. Ren Jing. An Analysis of Symbolism in The Great Gatsby. Northwest University, 2010. Liu Jia. The Archetypal Interpretation of The Great Gatsby. Central South University, 2010. Tang Lu. Double Vision in The Great Gatsby. Anhui University, 2004. Wu Ningkun. [巫宁坤等译],菲茨杰拉德小说选. 上海:上海译文出版社, 1983. Lv Jingjing. [吕晶晶],《了不起的盖茨比》中的”二元主角”. 平顶山学院学报,2006,(1):68-70. Zhou Yan. [周炎],论《了不起的盖茨比》中”二元主角”对”双重视觉”的表现. 四川理工学院学报:社会科学,2004,(4):76-78. He Shijie. [何世杰],《了不起的盖茨比》中的”二元主角”剖析. 武汉理工大学学报:社会科学版,2003,(2):194-198.
您可能感兴趣的文章
- 从“了不起的盖茨比曲线”看盖茨比“屌丝梦”的幻灭A Loser’s Disillusionment Interpreted through “The Great Gatsby Curve”毕业论文
- 对《愤怒的葡萄》的生态女性主义解读An Ecofeminist Reading of The Grapes of Wrath毕业论文
- Ecological Holism in The Secret Garden 《秘密花园》中的生态整体主义观毕业论文
- Ecological Holism in The Grapes of Wrath 《愤怒的葡萄》中的生态整体主义观毕业论文
- Dissimilation in As I Lay Dying 《我弥留之际》的异化形象毕业论文
- 任务类型和二语水平对二语学习者词义习得的影响毕业论文
- 任务类型和词类对二语学习者词汇习得的影响毕业论文
- 二语词汇学习任务对目标词熟悉度的影响毕业论文
- On English Translation of Chinese Dish Names From the Perspective of Newmark’s Translation Theory 从纽马克翻译理论角度看中国菜名的英译毕业论文
- On Translation of Sports News Reports from the Perspective of Skopos Theory 目的论关照下的体育新闻翻译毕业论文