Mary Shelley.docx
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Mary Shelley.docx
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MaryShelley
MaryShelley(néeMaryWollstonecraftGodwin;30August1797–1February1851)wasanEnglishnovelist,shortstorywriter,dramatist,essayist,biographer,andtravelwriter,bestknownforherGothicnovelFrankenstein:
or,TheModernPrometheus(1818).Shealsoeditedandpromotedtheworksofherhusband,theRomanticpoetandphilosopherPercyByssheShelley.HerfatherwasthepoliticalphilosopherWilliamGodwin,andhermotherwasthephilosopherandfeministMaryWollstonecraft.
MaryGodwin'smotherdiedwhenshewaselevendaysold;afterwards,sheandherolderhalf-sister,FannyImlay,wereraisedbyherfather.WhenMarywasfour,Godwinmarriedhisneighbour,MaryJaneClairmont.Godwinprovidedhisdaughterwitharich,ifinformal,education,encouraginghertoadheretohisliberalpoliticaltheories.In1814,MaryGodwinbeganaromanticrelationshipwithoneofherfather’spoliticalfollowers,themarriedPercyByssheShelley.TogetherwithMary'sstepsister,ClaireClairmont,theyleftforFranceandtravelledthroughEurope;upontheirreturntoEngland,MarywaspregnantwithPercy'schild.Overthenexttwoyears,sheandPercyfacedostracism,constantdebt,andthedeathoftheirprematurelyborndaughter.Theymarriedinlate1816afterthesuicideofPercyShelley'sfirstwife,Harriet.
In1816,thecouplefamouslyspentasummerwithLordByron,JohnWilliamPolidori,andClaireClairmontnearGeneva,Switzerland,whereMaryconceivedtheideaforhernovelFrankenstein.TheShelleysleftBritainin1818forItaly,wheretheirsecondandthirdchildrendiedbeforeMaryShelleygavebirthtoherlastandonlysurvivingchild,PercyFlorence.In1822,herhusbanddrownedwhenhissailingboatsankduringastormintheBayofLaSpezia.Ayearlater,MaryShelleyreturnedtoEnglandandfromthenondevotedherselftotheupbringingofhersonandacareerasaprofessionalauthor.Thelastdecadeofherlifewasdoggedbyillness,probablycausedbythebraintumourthatwastokillherattheageof53.
Untilthe1970s,MaryShelleywasknownmainlyforhereffortstopublishPercyShelley'sworksandforhernovelFrankenstein,whichremainswidelyreadandhasinspiredmanytheatricalandfilmadaptations.RecentscholarshiphasyieldedamorecomprehensiveviewofMaryShelley’sachievements.Scholarshaveshownincreasinginterestinherliteraryoutput,particularlyinhernovels,whichincludethehistoricalnovelsValperga(1823)andPerkinWarbeck(1830),theapocalypticnovelTheLastMan(1826),andherfinaltwonovels,Lodore(1835)andFalkner(1837).Studiesofherlesser-knownworkssuchasthetravelbookRamblesinGermanyandItaly(1844)andthebiographicalarticlesforDionysiusLardner'sCabinetCyclopaedia(1829–46)supportthegrowingviewthatMaryShelleyremainedapoliticalradicalthroughoutherlife.Mary
Literarythemesandstyles
MaryShelleylivedaliterarylife.Herfatherencouragedhertolearntowritebycomposingletters,[131]andherfavouriteoccupationasachildwaswritingstories.[132]Unfortunately,allofMary'sjuveniliawerelostwhensheranoffwithPercyin1814,andnoneofhersurvivingmanuscriptscanbedefinitivelydatedbeforethatyear.[133]HerfirstpublishedworkisoftenthoughttohavebeenMounseerNongtongpaw,[134]comicverseswrittenforGodwin'sJuvenileLibrarywhenshewastenandahalf;however,thepoemisattributedtoanotherwriterinthemostrecentauthoritativecollectionofherworks.[135]PercyShelleyenthusiasticallyencouragedMaryShelley'swriting:
"Myhusbandwas,fromthefirst,veryanxiousthatIshouldprovemyselfworthyofmyparentage,andenrolmyselfonthepageoffame.Hewasforeverincitingmetoobtainliteraryreputation."[136]
Novels
Autobiographicalelements自传元素
CertainsectionsofMaryShelley'snovelsareofteninterpretedasmaskedrewritingsofherlife.Criticshavepointedtotherecurrenceofthefather–daughtermotifinparticularasevidenceofthisautobiographicalstyle.[137]Forexample,commentatorsfrequentlyreadMathilda(1820)autobiographically,identifyingthethreecentralcharactersasversionsofMaryShelley,WilliamGodwin,andPercyShelley.[138]MaryShelleyherselfconfidedthatshemodelledthecentralcharactersofTheLastManonherItaliancircle.LordRaymond,wholeavesEnglandtofightfortheGreeksanddiesinConstantinople,isbasedonLordByron;andtheutopianAdrian,EarlofWindsor,wholeadshisfollowersinsearchofanaturalparadiseanddieswhenhisboatsinksinastorm,isafictionalportraitofPercyByssheShelley.[139]However,asshewroteinherreviewofGodwin'snovelCloudesley(1830),shedidnotbelievethatauthors"weremerelycopyingfromourownhearts".[140]WilliamGodwinregardedhisdaughter'scharactersastypesratherthanportraitsfromreallife.[141]Somemoderncritics,suchasPatriciaClemitandJaneBlumberg,havetakenthesameview,resistingautobiographicalreadingsofMaryShelley'sworks.[142]
Novelisticgenres
MaryShelleyemployedthetechniquesofmanydifferentnovelisticgenres,mostvividlytheGodwiniannovel,WalterScott'snewhistoricalnovel,andtheGothicnovel.TheGodwiniannovel,madepopularduringthe1790swithworkssuchasGodwin'sCalebWilliams(1794),"employedaRousseauvianconfessionalformtoexplorethecontradictoryrelationsbetweentheselfandsociety",[144]andFrankensteinexhibitsmanyofthesamethemesandliterarydevicesasGodwin'snovel.[145]However,ShelleycritiquesthoseEnlightenmentidealsthatGodwinpromotesinhisworks.[146]InTheLastMan,sheusesthephilosophicalformoftheGodwiniannoveltodemonstratetheultimatemeaninglessnessoftheworld.[147]WhileearlierGodwiniannovelshadshownhowrationalindividualscouldslowlyimprovesociety,TheLastManandFrankensteindemonstratetheindividual'slackofcontroloverhistory.[148]
Shelleyusesthehistoricalnoveltocommentongenderrelations;forexample,ValpergaisafeministversionofScott'smasculinistgenre.[149]Introducingwomenintothestorywhoarenotpartofthehistoricalrecord,Shelleyusestheirnarrativestoquestionestablishedtheologicalandpoliticalinstitutions.[150]Shelleysetsthemaleprotagonist'scompulsivegreedforconquestinoppositiontoafemalealternative:
reasonandsensibility.[151]InPerkinWarbeck,Shelley'sotherhistoricalnovel,LadyGordonstandsforthevaluesoffriendship,domesticity,andequality.Throughher,Shelleyoffersafemininealternativetothemasculinepowerpoliticsthatdestroythemalecharacters.Thenovelprovidesamoreinclusivehistoricalnarrativetochallengetheonewhichusuallyrelatesonlymasculineevents.[152]
Gender
Withtheriseoffeministliterarycriticisminthe1970s,MaryShelley'sworks,particularlyFrankenstein,begantoattractmuchmoreattentionfromscholars.FeministandpsychoanalyticcriticswerelargelyresponsiblefortherecoveryfromneglectofShelleyasawriter.[153]EllenMoerswasoneofthefirsttoclaimthatShelley'slossofababywasacrucialinfluenceonthewritingofFrankenstein.[154]Shearguesthatthenovelisa"birthmyth"inwhichShelleycomestotermswithherguiltforcausinghermother'sdeathaswellasforfailingasaparent.[155]ShelleyscholarAnneK.Mellorsuggeststhat,fromafeministviewpoint,itisastory"aboutwhathappenswhenamantriestohaveababywithoutawoman...[Frankenstein]isprofoundlyconcernedwithnaturalasopposedtounnaturalmodesofproductionandreproduction".[156]VictorFrankenstein'sfailureasa"parent"inthenovelhasbeenreadasanexpressionoftheanxietieswhichaccompanypregnancy,givingbirth,andparticularlymaternity.[157]
SandraGilbertandSusanGubarargueintheirseminalbookTheMadwomanintheAttic(1979)thatinFrankensteininparticular,ShelleyrespondedtothemasculineliterarytraditionrepresentedbyJohnMilton'sParadiseLost.Intheirinterpretation,Shelleyreaffirmsthismasculinetradition,includingthemisogynyinherentinit,butatthesametime"conceal[s]fantasiesofequalitythatoccasionallyeruptinmonstrousimagesofrage".[158]MaryPooveyreadsthefirsteditionofFrankensteinaspartofalargerpatterninShelley'swriting,whichbeginswithliteraryself-assertionandendswithconventionalfemininity.[159]PooveysuggeststhatFrankenstein'smultiplenarrativesenableShelleytosplitherartisticpersona:
shecan"expressandeffaceherselfatthesametime".[160]Shelley'sfearofself-assertionisreflectedinthefateofFrankenstein,whoispunishedforhisegotismbylosingallhisdomesticties.[161]
Feministcriticsoftenfocusonhowauthorshipitself,particularlyfemaleauthorship,isrepresentedinandthroughShelley'snovels.[162]AsMellorexplains,ShelleyusestheGothicstylenotonlytoexplorerepressedfemalesexualdesire[163]butalsoaswayto"censorherownspeechinFrankenstein".[164]AccordingtoPooveyandMellor,Shelleydidnotwanttopromoteherownauthorialpersonaandfeltdeeplyinadequateasawriter,and"thisshamecontributedtothegenerationofherfictionalimagesofabnormality,perversion,anddestruction".[165]
Shelley'swritingsfocusontheroleofthefamilyinsocietyandwomen'srolewithinthatfamily.Shecelebratesthe"feminineaffectionsandcompassion"associatedwiththefamilyandsuggeststhatcivilsocietywillfailwithoutthem.[166]Shelleywas"profoundlycommittedtoanethicofcooperation,mutualdependence,andself-sacrifice".[167]InLodore,forexample,thecentralstoryfollowsthefortunesofthewifeanddaughterofthetitlecharacter,LordLodore,whoiskilledinaduelattheendofthefirstvolume,leavingatrailoflegal,financial
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