Existentialism of Man in Light in August《八月之光》中人物的存在主义.docx
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Existentialism of Man in Light in August《八月之光》中人物的存在主义.docx
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ExistentialismofManinLightinAugust《八月之光》中人物的存在主义
Existentialismof“Man”inLightinAugust
内容摘要
威廉福克纳(1897-1962)被西方评论家誉为20世纪最为杰出的美国小说家之一。
《八月之光》于1932年10月6日出版,被称作里程碑式的杰作。
它远远不是或不仅仅是一部反映南方社会问题的作品,福克纳对人的存在,人的精神问题的深入关注以及他在作品中所展现的人物的存在主义倾向,使作品具有了深刻地存在主义意义。
《八月之光》被美国著名的福克纳研究学者迈克尔.米尔格特评论为“一部远未被读懂的小说”。
本文将从存在主义的角度分析人类生存面对的荒谬与异化,追求真实自我存在的痛苦过程,解读作品中人物在荒谬世界中的不同生存状态。
福克纳不仅仅是美国南方文学的代言人,他也是一位具有独特哲学视角的作家,对作品中人物的存在主义倾向分析有助于对《八月之光》有一个全面的了解和评价。
关键词:
存在主义;荒谬;异化;自我发现
Abstract
WilliamFaulknerisacclaimedasoneofthemostoutstandingAmericanwritersofthetwentiethcentury.PublishedinOctober6,1932,lLightinAugustisconsideredasamasterpieceofFaulkner’sworks.ItisfarfromornotonlyapieceofworksreflectingsocialorracialproblemsoftheSouth.Faulkner’sdeepconcerntoman'sexistenceandspiritualproblemandtheexistentialismofmanFaulknerexploresinhisfictionmakeithaveprofoundexistentialsignificance.LightinAugustiscriticizedasa”farfromgrasp”novel.Thisthesiswillanalyzetheabsurdityandalienationconfrontedbyhumanandtheanguishedprocessinthepursuitofselffromtheangleofexistentialism;interpretthedifferentexistentialsituationofthecharactersinanabsurdworld.WilliamFaulknerisnotonlyaspokesmanoftheAmericansouthliterature,heisalsoawriterwithuniquephilosophicalcolors.TheexistentialanalysisofthecharactersinLightinAugusthelpsustohaveageneralunderstandingofthenovel.
Keywords:
Existentialism;Absurdity;Alienation;Self-discovery
Introduction:
WilliamFaulkner,NobelLaureate,istodaygenerallyregardedasthegreatest20thcenturyAmericanwriter.LightinAugust,theseventhnovelofFaulkneristhelongestoneamonghisworks.Itwaspublishedin1932andthenreceivedpositivereviewsfromcritics.
GeorgeO’DonnellclaimedthatLightinAugustwasmoreoutstandingthananyotherworksofFaulkner.AnothercriticHenryCanbyannouncedthatthisbookwasamasterpiecewhatevertheevaluativecriteriawere.TheseveraldecadesofinterpretationofLightinAugustarestillconfusedwiththefollowingquestions:
WhatisJoeChristmas’srealidentity?
IsJoannaBurdenasawhiteracistorablackanti-racist?
IsGailHightowerdeadintheend?
AsMillgateMichaelannouncethatLightinAugustisanovel“farfromgrasp”.[1]
ThisthesisanalyzesthecharactersofLightinAugustintheangleofexistentialism.Thepaperismainlydividedintothreechapters.Chapter1introducesthebackgroundinformationofexistentialism.Thischapterincludestwoparts.Thefirstpartintroducesthepoliticalandeconomicbackgroundofexistentialism.Thesecondpartprovidesabriefintroductiontoexistentialism,focusingonthenotionsandtermstobeusedinthethesis.Chapter2analyzestheexistentialismcolorofmanembodiedinthenovel:
sectiononeisabouttheabsurdworldinwhichmantryeverywaytoescapebutnevermadeit.Thusthecharactersinthenovelmostlyliveanagonylife.Sectiontwoconcernsthealienationthatisinducedbytheindifferentandabsurdworld.Thealienatedbehaviorsofdifferentcharactersinthenovelshowsmancannotescapethealienatingforcesfromtheworld.Sectionthreeanalyzesthecharacters’self-discoveryandstatestheachievementsofman’sauthenticselves.Chapter3focusesonthesignificanceofexistentialismtoWilliamFaulkner’swriting,especiallyLightinAugust.
1.Backgroundinformationofexistentialism
Existentialismisatermappliedtotheworkof19thand20thcenturyphilosopherswhodespiteofprofounddoctrinaldifferences,generallyheldthatthefocusofphilosophicalthoughtshouldbedealtwiththeconditionsofexistenceoftheindividualpersonandtheiremotions,actions,responsibilitiesandthoughts.Existentialismaroseinthewesternworldintheearlytwentiethcentury.Itsflourishmentcloselyrelatedtothesocialbackground.Twoworldwarsandthegreatdepressiondestroyedthepeaceoftheworldaswellashuman’slife.Peoplebecamehomelessbothphysicallyandmentally.Theyneededatheorytoreleasetheirdissatisfactiontotheabsurdrealitytoexplaintheirprofoundfeelingofalienation.Thus,existentialismcameintobeing.Asaphilosophicaltrend,existentialismhasitsownoriginandhistoryaswellassomebasicthoughtwhichsharedbyalmostalltheexistentialists.
Existentialismarosewhenthewesterncountriesexperiencedageneralcrisisineveryfield.Thetwoworldwarsandthegreatdepressionbrokethepeaceoftheworld.Manypeoplebecamehomeless.Peoplebegantolosetheirsenseofsecurity.Theysawthemselveslivingalonelyhelplessandunstablelife.Thenolongerbelievedinthepolitical,religiousandethicaltheoriesandrulesthathadbeendominatingpeople’sthinkingforcenturies.Thecomingofmoderntimesmadepeopleownmoremoney,morescienceandtechnology,morecultivationandmorehumanrights.Thegreatdamagesofthetwoworldwarsandthegreatdepressionhurtpeoplebadlytoeverysense.Thisgreatchangeinhumanhistorygiverisetoexistentialismwhichexpressesinastrikingwaytheresultofthatcrisis.
Existentialismisatermappliedtotheworkofanumberof19th-and20th-centuryphilosopherswho,“despiteprofounddoctrinaldifferences”,[2]generallyheldthatthefocusofphilosophicalthoughtshouldbe“todealwiththeconditionsofexistenceoftheindividualpersonandtheiremotions,actions,responsibilities,andthoughts”.[3]Thisisareactiontotheunrestworldwherepeoplecannotfindthemeaningoflife,cannotrealizehisauthenticself,eventheydon’tknowwhohimselfis.Thoughdifferingalotintheirspecificviews,thesethinkersareunanimousintheiroppositiontothetraditionalmainculture—Essentialism.Atthesametimeitchallengesessentialismandemphasizethequestion“WhoamI?
”insteadofthequestions“whatamI?
”and“whatitistobehuman?
”
FollowingtheSecondWorldWar,existentialismbecameawell-knownandsignificantphilosophicalandculturalmovement,mainlythroughthepublicprominenceoftwoFrenchwriters,Jean-PaulSartreandAlbertCamus,whowrotebest-sellingnovels,playsandwidely-readjournalismaswellastheoreticaltexts.TheseyearsalsosawthegrowingreputationoutsideGermanyofHeidegger'sbookBeingandTime.WhenSartre’smassivephilosophicalworkBeingandNothingnessappearedin1943,itwasinstantlyheraldedasanewphilosophicalclassic.Bywar’send,hebecamethefamousproponentofhisatheisticbrandofexistentialism.Allthroughhislife,Sartrewasconcernedwithsuchthingsasfreedom,choice,personalauthenticity,relationshipwiththeworldandtheotherpeople,andaboutwhichmeaningsandvaluesaregeneratedbyindividuals.Sartredescribesexistentialismasbeingabouthumanexistence,asopposedtotheexistenceofotherbeings.Tobesure,itmusttakeotherbeingsintoaccount,butmanexistenceisitsfocus.Sartre’smoralityandhisviewofhumanism,hisideaoftheabsurdityofuniverse,alienationorthelossofman’sidentityashumanbeing,andthesearchforselfasaresultareseveralpersistentanddominantonesamongalltheexistentialconceptsandthemes.
Existentialismismadeupofdiversifiedtheoriesofmanythinkers.Therearesomegeneralthoughtwhichwassharedbythoseexistentialists.
Asaleadingexponentofexistentialism,Sartre’smainconceptsofexistentialismaremostpopularandmostacceptableamongthephilosophicaltrend.
Thefirstandmostpopularlysharedbyexistentialistsistheabsurdityoftheworld.Thenotionofthe“absurd”containstheideathatthereisnomeaningtobefoundintheworldbeyondwhatmeaningwegivetoit.Thismeaninglessnessalsoencompassesthe“amorality”or"unfairness"oftheworld.Totheworld,metaphoricallyspeaking,thereisnosuchthingasagoodpersonorabadthing;whathappens,anditmayjustaswellhappentoa"good"personastoa"bad"person.Becauseoftheworld'sabsurdity,atanypointintime,anythingcanhappentoanyone,andatragiceventcouldplummetsomeoneintodirectconfrontationwiththeAbsurdworld.Thenotionofthe“absurd”hasbeenprominentinliteraturethroughouthistory.SørenKierkegaard,FranzKafka,FyodorDostoevskyandmanyoftheliteraryworksofJean-PaulSartreandAlbertCamuscontaindescriptionsofpeoplewhoencountertheabsurdityoftheworld.AlbertCamusstudiedtheissueof"theabsurd"inhisessayTheMythofSisyphus.
Man’sdilemmaistheconfrontationofintentionandreality.Moreover,existenceisaparadox,whichcannotbepreciselyunderstoodbyrationalthought.Sothereisnorationalorhumansolutiontothedilemmaofhumanexistence.Sartremaintainsthat“theuniverseiswithoutpurpose;itisneithergoodnorbad,neithermoralnorimmoral”[5].Humanlifeisabsurdandthereisnothingtojustifyhumanexisting.Nothinginorbeyondbeingcanexplainaconsciousbeing’spresence.Usually,thecosmicabsurdityispresentedthroughvariousthingslikechance,coincidence,andaccidentandsoon.
Anotherbasicpointofexistentialismisthatofman’salienationandestrangementfromtheexistence.Existentialistsconsidermanasalonelyfigure,alienatedfromhimself,fromothersandfromtheuniverse.Anguishandthesenseofabsurdityareexperiencedwhenmanconsidersthecontingencyofoursituationintheworld.Gradually,isolation,alienationandsenseofanxietydevelopattimestowardssuicidaltendencies.Manisalwaysoverwhelmedbythedreadofbeing,andishauntedbythefeelingofbeinglost.Theuniversedominatesushumanbeings.Therefore,the“self”fallsintoastateofdividedselfhoodinwhichoneisdistancedfromone’struebeingandhastofacethealienatedbeing.Weareboundtosuffer
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- 关 键 词:
- 八月之光 Existentialism of Man in Light August 八月之光中人物的存在主义 八月 人物 存在主义
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