The Exploration of Writing Techniques Utilized in The Stranger and the Theme of It.docx

The Exploration of Writing Techniques Utilized in The Stranger and the Theme of It.docx

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TheExplorationofWritingTechniquesUtilizedinTheStrangerandtheThemeofIt

Contents

Abstract……………………………………………………………………………...Ⅰ

中文摘要………………………………………………………………………….….Ⅱ

Introduction…………………………………………………………………………..1

ChapterOneSymbolism…………………………………………………………......3

1.1TheFire……………………………………………………………………...3

1.2TheTitle:

“TheStranger”…………………………………………………..4

ChapterTwoTheStreamofConsciousness………………………………...………5

2.1Interiormonologue…………………………………………………………..5

2.2DetailDescription……………………………………………………………7

ChapterThreeTheThemeReflectedin“TheStranger”……………………….....8

3.1TheTragicTheme…………………………………………………………...8

3.2TheDisillusionmentTheme………………………………………………...9

Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………...11

Notes…………………………………………………………………………………12

Bibliography………………………………………………………………………...13

Abstract

KatherineMansfield（1888-1923）isoneofthemostremarkable,distinguishedwritersinEnglandatthebeginningofthe20thcentury,whoisregardedasoneoftheforerunnersinmodernliterature.Sheisoneofthefewmajorwriterswhoseworksareentirelywithintheshortstoryform.Sherevolutionizestheconventionalshortstoryandmakessomeexplorationsandinnovationsofnewwritingtechniquesinthisgenre.Thesewillbedemonstratedbytheanalyzingof“Thestranger”inthefollowing.

Although“Thestranger”isnothermostfamouspiece,herwritingskillsareshowedinit.Itsindirectcharacterization,overwhelmingtragicanddisillusionmentthemeandtheemploymentofmodernistictechniquessuchassymbolismandthestreamofconsciousnessreflecttheperfectunityofformandcontent,andendowhershortstorycreationwithuniqueartisticstyleandpermanentappreciativevalue．

Thisthesis,fallingintothreeparts,istodiscussbothwritingtechniquesutilizedandthethemereflectedin“Thestranger”.ChapterOnebeginswiththeutilizationofsymbolismin“Thestranger”.ChapterTwo,onthebasisoftheanalysisof“Thestranger”,discussesthestreamofconsciousnessusedinit.Thisthesisiscomposedoftwoparts,includingtheexplorationofinteriormonologueanddetaildescription.ChapterThreestudiesthetragicanddisillusionmentthemeof“Thestranger”.

Inconclusion,“Thestranger”fullyreflectsherdistinctivewritingstyle.Thewritingtechniquesutilizedin“Thestranger”,suchassymbolism,streamofconsciousnessandinteriormonologue,makeitanextraordinarystory.

Keywords：

KatherineMansfield,“Thestranger”,symbolism,thestreamofconsciousness,tragicanddisillusionmenttheme

中文摘要

凯瑟琳·曼斯菲尔德（1888-1923）是20世纪初英国杰出的短篇小说家,是现代派文学的先驱.她把自己短暂的人生都献给了很少受英国作家重视的短篇小说创作.她对传统的短篇小说进行了改革和革新,并创造出一种新型的短篇小说体裁.本文将会通过对《陌生人》的分析对此进行一一阐述。

尽管《陌生人》不是曼斯菲尔德的力作，其间接式的人物性格描述、带有悲剧色彩的深刻主题寓意、以及意识流，象征等诸多现代主义表现手法的综合运用，体现了形式和内容的完美统一，并赋予了曼斯菲尔德的短篇小说独有的艺术风格和永久的鉴赏价值。

本文共分为三个部分来对《陌生人》中的写作技巧和方法以及小说所反映的主题进行研究。

第一章首先分析了《陌生人》中的象征手法的运用。

第二章，由两部分组成，分别从内心独白和细节描写两个方面分析了小说中意识流手法的运用。

最后一章，主要是对《陌生人》中所反映的悲剧以及幻灭主题进行探究。

总的来说，《陌生人》充分地体现了曼斯菲尔德独特的写作技巧，尤其是象征主义，意识流等技巧的运用更加丰富了作品的内涵。

关键字：

凯瑟琳·曼斯菲尔德，《陌生人》，象征，意识流，悲剧和幻灭主题

Ⅱ

Introduction

“ShehasthesamekindofdirectiveinfluenceontheartoftheshortstoryasJoycehadonthenovel.AfterJoyceandKatherineMansfieldneitherthenovelnortheshortstorycaneverbequitethesameagain.Theybeatatracktoahigherpointfromwhichotherscanscanawiderhorizon.”

------IanA.Gordon

KatherineMansfield（1888-1923）,aprominentNewZealand-bornEnglishwriterofthetwentiethcentury,isoneoftheseveralwritersinthehistoryofBritishliteraturewhohavecommittedthemselvestothewritingofshortstoriesandwhohaveestablishedtheirfamethroughthisgenre.Inherworks,shedevelopsthenewplotlessstoryandemploysmodernisttechniquessuchassymbolism,interiormonologueandstreamofconsciousnessintheshortstorywriting,andfocusesonthecharacter’sinnerworldratherthanexternalevents,thushelpingshapetheformofthemodernshortstoryandcontributingtoitspopularityinEngland.

Inspiteofhershortlifespanof34years,sheisaprolificwriter.Mansfieldpublishedthreevolumesofshortstoriesinherlifetime,InaGermanPension（1911）,whichgotlittlenotice,Bliss（1920）andTheGardenParty（1922）gainedherfame.AfterherdeathMurryculledandpublishedhercollectingstories,TheDove’sNest（1923）andSomethingChildish（1924）.

StudiesbothabroadandathomehavebeendoneconcerningMansfield’sshortstories.Moststudiesusuallyfocusonafewofherfamousmasterpieces,whichasaconsequence,inevitablycausetheone-sidednessofthestudiesandtheneglectofsomecomparativelyunknownstories.Thus,thisthesisistodiscussboththemodernistwritingtechniquesusedin“Thestranger”andthethemeofit.Although“Thestranger”wasnothermostfamouspiece,herwritingskillsareshowedinit.Theplotofthestoryisthefollowing:

Mr.Hammondwasagentlemanwholoveshiswifeverymuch.HewaswaitingforhiswifewhowasbackfromEuropeintheport.Afteralongperiodofwaiting,shelandedon,wearingablackcostume,andshewaslateforseveralhours,leadinghimtowonderifshewassickduringthevoyage.Hammondwasveryhappytohavehiswifeinhisarmsagain.Heheldherhandtightlybutshedrewhishandawaywhentheycametothebrighterstreets.HammondplannedtospendthenextdaylookingaroundinAuckland,beforegoingbacktoSalisburywheretheylived.Andwhenhesaid“ifyou’dliketostayhereabitlonger”（Mansfield,P223）,Janeyansweredquickly:

“Notfortheworld.”（Mansfield,P223）Inthehotel,Hammondaskedhertokisshimbuthefeltthatwasnotwhathewanted.Hethenfeltsuddenly,horribletired.Heknewshemusthavehiddensomethingfromhim.PressedbyHammond,shefinallyadmittedthatshewasdelayedbecauseamanhaddiedonboard,andshewasalonewithhimwhenthathappened.Thehusbandwascheated.Butinfactheknewwhatactuallyhadhappenedduringthevoyageandhewasverydepressed.Andhefinallyrealizedthattheywouldneverbealonetogetheragain.

Although“Thestranger”isnotoneofthefamousstorieswrittenbyMansfield,thedistinctivewritingstyleisfullyreflectedinit,whichmakesitanextraordinarypiece.Itisbelievedthattheexplorationofthemodernistwritingtechniquesutilizedin“Thestranger”andthethemeofitwillbehelpfulforabetterunderstandingofthisstory.

ChapterOneSymbolism

Ingeneral,symbolismreferstothepracticeofrepresentingthingsbymeansofsymbolsorattributingsymbolicmeaningsorsignificancetoobjects,eventsorrelationships.Symbolismcanbeconsideredastheprocesstoexpressabstractideasandemotionsthroughtheuseofconcreteimages.Whileintermsofstylistics,symbolismisregardedasanimportantrhetoricalwritingtechnique.Manymodernistwritershavebeeninfluencedbysymbolism,soisMansfield.Mansfieldalwaysusesimagesandtheirsymbolicmeaningsverycleverlyinherworksandbythatthethemesareunfolded.Herwritingskillsofusingsymbolsaredemonstratedinthisstoryfullyandgenuinely.Thispartmainlydiscussesthesymbolismutilizedin“Thestranger”.

1.1TheFire

Mansfieldmentionedthefirethreetimes.ThefirewasdescribedthefirsttimewhenHammondshepherdedJaneyintheirroom.Mansfieldwrote"thefireblazed"（Mansfield,P224）,whichmeansthatthefireburntbrightlyandstrongly.Hammond'sfeelingwouldbethesamewiththefireatthattime.HewasveryexcitedaboutbeingalonetogetherwithJaney.HammondaskedJaneytokisshim,butshepausedforasecond.Althoughherkisswasasalways,Hammondfelt“thatisn'twhathewanted;thatisn'tatallwhathethirstedfor.”（Mansfield,P227）HeaskedJaneywhathavekepthersolong.Janeymadenoanswer.Shewaslookingawayfromhimatthefire.Herethefirewasdescribedagain."Theflameshurried-hurriedoverthecoals,flickered,fell."（Mansfield,P227）Also,itisatrueportrayalofHammond'sfeeling.HeknewtherewassomethingdifferentinJaney'skissandstartedwonderingwhyshewaslate.Justlikethefire,hisenthusiasmfadedawaybyJaney'sunconcern.ThefireappearedinthethirdtimewhenJaneyfinallytoldhimthetruth."Thefirehadgonered.Nowitfeltinwithasharpsoundandtheroomwascolder.（Mansfield,P229）”Thefirewasdyingdown.HammondaskedwhatthepassengersaidbutJaneymadenoanswer.ItwassoquietintheroomthatthesoundofthedyingfirewasharshtoHammond.Infact,althoughheappearedcalm,noisyvoicesmusthavefilledinhisheartaskingaquestion:

Whywasshealonewiththatpassenger?

Hammond'shopeforahappymarriagewasdyingjustasthedyingfire.Frommyperspective,theportrayalsofthefireareamirrorofHammond'spsychicchange—fromexcitedtoheart-broken.

1.2TheTitle—“Thestranger”

Mansfield’sdeftutilizationofsymbolliesnotonlyinthedescriptionofimagesbutalsointhetitle.Thetitle—“Thestranger”itselfcontainssomesymbolicmeanings.

Mansfieldraisesaquestioninthereaders’mindbygivingthistitle.Itisundoubtedlyastorybetweenamarriedcouple.Thenwhythetitleis“Thestranger”?

Withthisquestionreaderswillpondereverydetailofthenovel,thusunderstandthenovelbetter.

Thetitlehasthreemeanings.Ononehand,itreferstothepassengerwithwhomJaneyhadanaffair.AsJaneysaid,thatpassengerwasjustastrangertoherthoughitisnottrue.

Ontheotherhand,itimplicatesthatJaneyisastrangertoHammondafterhelearningthetruth.HewantedtotrustJaneybuthecouldnotstopthinkingthat－Janeyhadcheatedonhim.Hetriedtohidehisfeelingsoheputhisfaceintoherbosomandhisarmsenfoldedher.Itshouldberegardedasanintimatebehaviorbutnowitisjustforcoveringuphisdisappointmentandgrie