英美文学论文.docx
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英美文学论文.docx
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英美文学论文
2013届毕业生毕业论文
AnAnalysisofEmilyDickinson’sViewsonDeath
浅析艾米莉·狄金森的死亡观
学生姓名常平
学号4031209234
所属学院人文学院
专业英语
班级13-2
指导教师杜良霞
日期2013年1月—2013年5月
塔里木大学人文学院外语系
Abstract
EmilyDickinson(1830-1886)wasnotonlyoneofthemostremarkableandproductivepoetsinAmericanliterature,butalsoastrikinglyindependentintellectandanoriginaltalent,writingpoetryfaraheadofhertime.Becauseofheruniquenessandenormousproductivity,theresearchonherpoems,hermosteye-catchingandstrikingworks,isverymeaningful.
ThisthesisintendstodiscoverEmilyDickinson’sdeathviewsandhercontradictionovereternity.Ontheonehand,shecalmlyacceptsdeathbecausesheknowsthatdeathisinevitableandshebelievesthatdeathistowardeternity;ontheotherhand,shedoubtswhetherdeathisheadingtowardimmortality.Anotherpurposeofthisthesisistofindoutwhatfactorshaveformedandinfluencedherdeathviews,deepeningreaders’understandingofDickinsonaswellasherworks.
Inordertoachievethesepurposes,thisthesisdoesnotputherbackgroundinformationandliterarystatusasacompletechapter.Itusestwooverarchingparts,whicharemorepreciseanddirect.FirstandforemostisananalysisofEmilyDickinson’sdeathviews,whichareshowninthepoemconsecutively,includinghercalmacceptanceofdeathwiththeinevitabilityofdeathanddeathheadingtowardeternity,thenfollowedbythequestionofdeathoreternity.Thesecondsectionanalyzesthereasonsbehindherdeathviews,exploringingreatdetailintermsofseveralkeyfactors,includingherreligiousbelief,andtheinfluenceofherhomestead.Themoreresearchdone,thegreaterEmilyDickinsonis.ThebetterunderstandingofEmilyDickinson,themorecontradictorysheis.Herdeathviewisherpreciouslegacytotheoffspring.
KeyWords:
EmilyDickinson;deathview;inevitability;immortality;religion;homestead
摘要
艾米莉·狄金森不仅是美国文学史上最优秀、最多产的诗人之一,也是极具独立思想、创新的天才。
她的作品远远超出了所处的时代。
由于狄金森的独特性和惊人的创作力,对其诗作的研究就显得更加有意义。
本文旨在探讨艾米莉·狄金森的死亡观以及她对死亡和永恒的矛盾心理。
一方面她静静地等待着死亡的来临,因为她知道死亡是无法避免的,也相信死亡是通向永恒的桥梁;而另一方面,她却在怀疑死亡是否能真正地通向永恒。
此外,本文亦全面探索了影响并塑造其死亡观的各种因素,以加深读者对狄金森及其作品的理解。
为了更直接、更精确地实现这些目的,本文没有将艾米莉的生平和文学地位作为单独的一章,而是选择了最主要的两部分进行分析。
第一章重点分析了她的死亡观,其中包括两个小节,第一节揭示其平静地等待死亡的来临,第二节分析艾米莉对于死亡和永恒的怀疑态度。
第二章主要讨论了影响艾米莉死亡观的因素,包括宗教因素,家园因素等。
研究越深入,狄金森的伟大越鲜明。
理解越深入,狄金森的矛盾心理便越明显。
这便是艾米莉·狄金森留给后代的宝贵财富。
关键词:
艾米莉·狄金森;死亡观;必然性;永恒;宗教;家园
Contents
Abstracti
摘要ii
1.Introduction1
2.Dickinson’sViewsonDeath2
2.1CalmAcceptanceofDeath2
2.1.1TheInevitabilityofDeath2
2.1.2DeathHeadingtowardEternity4
2.2DeathorEternity?
Thatisaquestion4
3.TheReasonsbehindHerDeathViews6
3.1Religion’sInfluence6
3.2TheHomesteadInfluence7
3.2.1Home---Destiny7
3.2.2Homestead---SenseofSafety8
4.Conclusion10
References11
Acknowledgments12
1.Introduction
EmilyDickinson,theshortnameforEmilyElizabethDickinson,wasan“Americanbest-knownfemalepoetandoneoftheforemostauthorsinAmericanliterature”(Cao,1999:
187).Sheisconsideredas“themostimportantfemalepoetinAmerica”and“oneofthebestAmericanpoetsofUnitedStates”(Porter,1981:
16).BiographerRichardChaseoncesaid,“EmilyDickinsonisthegreatestfemalepoet,andsoishercounterpartWaltWhitmanwhohasthegreatestachievements.Perhapssomecriticshaveagreedso”(1951:
3).AllthecommentsdemonstrateherirreplaceableliterarystatusinAmericanliterature.
Amongallherpoems,deathpoemsoccupyalargepart.Researchonherdeathpoemshasbeendevelopingoveralongperiodoftime.“EmilyDickinsonwasobsessedwithdeath,soaboutonethirdofherpoemswererelevanttoit”(Yang,2012:
22).PeterNesterukalsoacclaimedthat“deathisimportanttoEmilyDickinson.Outofsomeonethousandandsevenhundredpoems,perhapssomefivetosixhundredareconcernedwiththethemeofdeath”(1997:
25).Otherestimatessuggestthatthefiguremaybenearertoonehalfofallherworks. Amongthesearemanyofherbestlovedandcriticallyacclaimedpoems,including“BecauseICouldNotStopForDeath”,“IHeardaFlyBuzzWhenIDied”,and“'TwasJustThisTime,LastYear,IDied”.
Yangpointedthat“EmilyDickinson’sattitudestowarddeathwerecomplex,fromfearingdeath,facingdeathandembracingdeath”(2012:
22).Thisisthecontradictorythemeofherdeathpoems,“Deathascircumferencedominatedherthoughts”(Eberwein,1987:
199).Eschatology,doctrineofthe“lastthings,”ortheendoftheworldappearedinherpoemsmanytimes.Thismaybetheimmortalityandeternityview,whichrelativelyseemstobetruebutisabsolutelyunprovedbyEmilyDickinsonbecauseofhercontradictoryviewonthequestionofdeathoreternity.
ThoughthepreviousscholarshavedonemanyresearchesonEmilyDickinson’sdeathviews,itisstillnecessary,significantandeye-catchingtoprobeherdeathviews.Theformerresearchprovidesacleardirectionandpavesthewayfortheresearchinthisthesis.FollowingthetraditionalanalysisofEmilyDickinson’sdeathviews,thisthesisaimstospecificallydiscussDickinson’scontradictoryviewsondeathaswellasexplorethereasonswhyherdeathviewscomeintobeing.
2.Dickinson’sViewsonDeath
ThedeathviewsofEmilyDickinsondeservetobeanalyzedintensively,includingherattitudetowarddeath,andherreactiontodeath.Basedonsometypicalandrepresentativepoems,suchas“BecauseICouldNotStopforDeath”,“IHeardaFlyBuzzWhenIDied”and“TwasJustThisTime,LastYear,IDied”,thepoet’sviewsofdeathcanbefiguredoutnaturallyanddeeply.WhentalkingaboutEmilyDickinson,herdeathviewsmaybemoreremarkableandeye-catching.Itcanbedividedintotwomajorparts.Thefirstpartishercalmacceptanceofdeath.Thesecondpartishercontradictoryviewoneternityandherrevoltagainstreligion.
2.1CalmAcceptanceofDeath
TheveryfirstdeathviewofEmilyDickinsonishercalmacceptanceofdeath.Sheheldthisviewinherwholelife.Deathisapartofnature,deathisanaturalphenomenonanddeathisinevitable.
2.1.1TheInevitabilityofDeath
Alllivesaredoomedtodieandsoarethehumanswhoaregreedilypursuingeternallifestubbornly.Therefore,contemplatingonlifeanddeathformedthegreatnessofEmilyDickinsonwhobelievedthatdeathwasinevitableandunconquerable.Thefollowinganalysiswillapprovethat.
In“BecauseICouldNotStopforDeath”,thesecondlineinthefirststanza,“Hekindlystoppedforme”(Dickinson,2005:
479)vividlyshowsthatdeathisinevitable.Deathislikeapersonwaitingforthespeakerandthespeakerhasnointentiontorefusehimbecauseheissokind.Thespeakerfindsithardtorefuseaninvitationofakindperson,withwarm-heartedhospitality.Onanotheraspect,thefirstlineofthefirststanza“BecauseIcouldnotstopfordeath”isalsoanevidenceoftheinevitabilityofdeath.Deathisjusttherebutthespeakercannotwait,sincesheknowsthatshewilldieanddeathisinevitableforher.
Inthefirstandthirdlinesofthethirdstanzaof“BecauseICouldNotStopfordeath”,“WepassedtheSchool,whereChildrenstrove/WepassedtheFieldsofGazingGrain”(2005:
480),childrengivereadersanimpressionofyouthandvitality.Seeingthosechildren,thespeakerimmediatelyrethinksofherself---shehasgrownupandbecomematureandsheisnowlikearipegrainorariotousflowerinafullbloom.However,springcomesandgoesaway,justlikeabloomingflowerimpliesitsfading.Thespeakerknowsthatitisanaturalphenomenonthatpeoplehavenocapabilityofresisting,andsoisdeath.Fromtheaboveanalysis,onedeathviewEmilyDickinsonheldisquiteclear,thatdeathwasinevitable.
In“BecauseICouldNotStopforDeath”,theauthoremployspersonificationtobreakthetraditionalstereotypeofdeath,whichishorrible,cold-bloodedandbroken-hearted.Deathhaschangedhishorribleandferociousfaceinthepast.Theauthorpersonifiesdeathasanewanddifferentgentlemanwhoisextremelypolite,hospitablyinvitingthespeakerintodeath.Thepoetendowsdeathwithhumanizedbehavior,forinstance,“Hekindlystoppedforme”,andtheactionofdeathrevealshisgoodness,kindnessandconsideration;while“slowlydrove”and“knewnohaste”illustratesdeath’scalmnesswithpersonalimage;“HisCivility”furtherdisplaysdeath’sgentlenesslikeapoliteman.InDickinson’sdescription,deathtotallyreversedthenormalimpression,alteringtoasuavegentleman.Thespeakerisdeeplyattractedbythisgentlemanthatshehappilysetsthedailytrivialthingsasideandwillinglyembarksonajourneytogetherwithhim.
Besides,“IHeardaFlyBuzzWhenIDied”(Dickinson,2000:
118)isalsoanevidenceofhercalmacceptanceofdeath.
“IheardaflybuzzwhenIdied
Thestillnessroundmyform
Waslikethestillnessintheair
Betweentheheavesofstorm.
Theeyesbesidehadwrungthemdry,
Andbreathsweregatheringsure
Forthatlastonset,whentheking
Bewitnessedinhispower.
Iwilledmykeepsakes,signedaway
WhatportionofmeI
Couldmakeassignable---andthen
Thereinterposedafly,
Withblue,uncertain,stumblingbuzz,
Betweenthelightandme;
Andthenthewindowsfailed,andthen
Icouldnotseetosee.”
Inthispoem,thespeakerisanotonlyapatientbutanobserver,notonlyasubjectbutanobject.Shealwayskeepsacalm,objectiveattitudetodescribethewholeprocessofdeathoccurrencewhichshowsthepoet’sattitude---Sinceitisinevitable,staythereandenjoyit,treatingdeathaseasyasdailytrifles.Theauthorchoseaveryimportantandtheonlyliveimage---thefly,whichmakesaclearcontrastbetweenthevitalityofflyandthesilen
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