（英语语言文学专业论文）后现代主义小说《时震》的写作特征.pdf

vi 摘要摘要 美国当代小说家库尔特冯内古特是美国重要的后现代主义小说家之一， 因为他对小 说的写作模式的改革以及对人类生活进行的积极意义的探讨和思索而对读者有很大的 影响并受到后世的尊重和敬仰。小说时震发表于 1997 年，是冯内古特的封笔之作。 这部小说的创作没有明确的中心，没有终极的意义，散漫诙谐，像个大杂烩 使其成为 后现代主义反传统小说的典型范例。 冯内古特创造性得运用了新的叙述技巧和写作模式， 比如侵入式叙述， 非线性叙述， 碎片化，拼贴，矛盾开放手法，狂欢化等。这些技巧的使用使时震成为一部与众不 同，别出心裁的作品，使读者深刻得意识到后现代社会是一个没有秩序可言，混乱迷茫 的社会。 这种现实只能通过这种新的叙述技巧和写作模式表现出来，而传统的文本形 式和意义的固定化根本无力表达混乱无序的后现代社会。 本论文从叙事技巧和写作模式的角度分析了小说时震 。论文共分为三章：第一 章是侵入式叙述和非线性叙述， 主要分析作者通过经常插入小说中进行叙述来解构作 者的权威和叙述的似真性， 强调了文本的主观性和读者积极参与文本以建构文本意义的 重要性；作者还利用碎片化和拼贴技法使作品打破了传统的线性叙述特征。第二章研究 了作品的矛盾开放手法，具体从主题含义和语言特征两个方面分析，矛盾开放手法的使 用正是反映了现实的矛盾相对立又相互融合共处的事实， 这种方法正是再现了作者理解 现实的过程。第三章从狂欢化角度看文本的叙述，作者从开始就为作品提供了一个狂欢 的时震大背景，整个宇宙要倒退十年，在这个狂欢的大背景下，人们的生活难以避免狂 欢，以及作品中典型的狂欢化的加冕和脱冕仪式，最后论述了文本狂欢化得语言和讽刺 的语调。 冯内古特对后现代主义小说的写作模式的改革做了巨大的贡献， 他的贡献又不仅仅 限于小说形式方面的革新，还在于其对人类对社会的人文主义关怀与忧虑，他积极提倡 人性，目的还是希望建立一个更美好有意义的社会。 关键词关键词 侵入式叙述 非线性叙述 矛盾开放手法 狂欢化叙事 iv abstract kurt vonnegut is one of the most important postmodernist novelists in america. he was respected and admired by later generations for his innovations of the novels writing modes and his actively discussion and musings on human life in the contemporary world. the novel timequake, published in 1997, is his last work. it has no obvious center or ultimate meaning of creation, random and ridiculous, just like a mixture; and this in turn enables it to be a typical example of anti-tradition novel. vonnegut originally employs new narrative skills and writing modes, such as intrusion narratives, non-linear narratives, fragmentary plot, collage, contradiction and carnivalization. the employment of these techniques enables timequake a very different and original work which enables the readers to realize that chaotic and absurd postmodernist society can be truly reflected only by new innovative narrative techniques and writing modes but not by traditional text with fixed meanings. the thesis analyzes the novel timequake from the respectives of narrative techniques and writing features. it includes three chapters in total. the first chapter is about intrusion narrative and non-linear narrative and mainly discusses that the author always steps into the text to comment or speak in order to deconstruct his own authority and the authenticity of the narrative; and it emphases the subjectivity of the text and the importance of the readers actively participation in the text to construct the textual meanings. the author also employs the fragmentary plot and the technique of collage to break the traditional linear narrative. the second chapter studies the employ of contradiction which just vividly reveals the fact that two opposite sides are contrary to each other but can also coexist in reality; and that the author resorts to contradiction is actually a process of his realization of the true nature of reality. the third chapter looks into the narrative of the text from the angle of carnivalization. from the very beginning, vonnegut intentionally creates a big carnivalized background, namely, timequake during which the whole universe would go back to ten years. under this general carnizalized background, it is difficult for people not to live a carnivalized life. the typical crowning and decrowning rituals can be found in the novel and humorous language and v satirical tone are also analyzed in the thesis. vonnegut makes great contributions to the innovation of the writing techniques, but his contributions are not limited within this aspect. moreover, his significance also lies on his human care to human beings and this society. he actively advocated humanity and his ultimate purpose is to build a better and happier world. key words: intrusion narrative, non-linear narrative, contradiction, carnivalized narrative iii 学位论文原创性声明 学位论文原创性声明 本人所提交的学位论文后现代主义小说时震的写作特征 ，是在导师的指导 下，独立进行研究工作所取得的原创性成果。除文中已经注明引用的内容外，本论文不 包含任何其他个人或集体已经发表或撰写过的研究成果。 对本文的研究做出重要贡献的 个人和集体，均已在文中标明。 本声明的法律后果由本人承担。 论文作者（签名） ： 指导教师确认（签名） ： 年 月 日 年 月 日 学位论文版权使用授权书 学位论文版权使用授权书 本学位论文作者完全了解河北师范大学有权保留并向国家有关部门或机构送交学 位论文的复印件和磁盘，允许论文被查阅和借阅。本人授权河北师范大学可以将学位论 文的全部或部分内容编入有关数据库进行检索，可以采用影印、缩印或其它复制手段保 存、汇编学位论文。 （保密的学位论文在 年解密后适用本授权书） 论文作者（签名） ： 指导教师（签名） ： 年 月 日 年 月 日 1 introduction kurt vonnegut is a prominent american writer and is regarded as “science fiction novelist”, “black humorist”, “political and cultural prophet”. he is also one of the representatives of postmodernist novelists or an experimental metafictionalist. he occupies an important status in the american history of literature and wins a great popularity with numerous world-wide readers. the vonnegut family originally came from germany. they moved from germany to america in the middle of the 19th century. kurt vonnegut was born on november 11, 1922, in indianapolis, indiana, a city he would use again and again in his novels as a symbol of american middle-class values. vonneguts father kurt sr. was one of the most prominent architects in the city, and his mother edith was the daughter of a wealthy indianapolis brewer. in his autobiographical book palm sunday, vonnegut said his parents wedding ceremony was unprecedentedly the most splendid and luxurious one in the history of indianapolis. vonnegut had a carefree and happy childhood but the happiness didnt last for long. then the notorious depression came. the cessation of building in the depression cut so sharply into their income that they had to sell their lavish house, move to an ordinary neighborhood and take kurt jr. out of private school. this tremendous change in economic conditions traumatized his parents. both of them suffered from mental pressure and bitterness. his mother died of an overdose of sleeping pills later in 1944. his parents depressed response to the depression deeply shaped kurt jr.s attitudes of pessimism for a life time. as he admitted frankly in an interview, “i learned a bone-deep sadness from them.”1 so its not a wonder why kurt vonnegut always cares about such topics as war, death and mans modern disease of schizophrenia and his getting away from the real nonsensical and ridiculous world into his fictitious literary world. in his new school, shortridge high, and in university, vonnegut constantly worked as a journalist and managing editor of the student paper. vonnegut was influenced lifelong as a writer by the simple rules of journalism: to get the fact right; to compose straightforward, to declarative sentences and to understand the audience. besides the notorious depression, another important event to haunt vonnegut the rest of 2 his life is dresden fire-bombing in world war two. when wwii broke out, vonnegut was sixteen years old. when he was twenty years old, vonnegut enlisted in the army and was sent to europe where he was captured as a pow by the germans in the battle of the bulge on december 22, 1944, and then he was sent to dresden, a non-militarized city in east germany, where two months later he witnessed a most cruel massacre in human history. as he said: “i was present in the greatest massacre in european history, which was the destruction of dresden by fire-boming.”2 on february 13, 1945, dresden was destroyed by incendiary bombs dropped by american and british bombers and this non-militarized city was turned into an inferno that killed at least 130000 people. vonnegut and his fellow prisoners survived only because they were quartered in a meat locker sixty feet below ground. the experience in dresden fire-bombing as a pow constantly shaped vonneguts novel writings and was repeatedly mentioned in his novels, including timequake. “dresden was the beginning of vonneguts life-long distrust of technology and his theme of mans inhumanity to man which is central to his novels and short stories. ww led him to question many morals and traditions of human society.”3 in the 1960s and 1970s, america experienced a period of great national turmoil: the youth movement and the vietnam war. the national turmoil caused spiritual crisis: the traditional moral standards and value concepts fell to pieces; the traditional ideals and beliefs disappeared; the rapid development of science and technology replacing the tradition and art brought a sense of crisis and anxiety for nostalgic people, especially the writers supporting traditional culture and art, like kurt vonnegut. just under these tempestuous circumstances, vonnegut wrote his works. he is a prolific writer who finishes fourteen novels, two plays, two short fiction collections, and some essays. his fourteen novels are player piano(1952), the sirens of titan(1959),mother night(1962),cats cradle(1963),god bless you, mr.rosewater(1965), slaughterhouse-five(1969), breakfast of champions(1973), slapstick(1976), jailbird(1979), deadeye dick(1982), galapagos(1985),bluebeard(1987), hocus pocus(1990),and timequake(1997). the novel timequake, finished at the age of seventy-five, was published in 1997, kurt vonnegut declared it to be his last novel and finished his diligent writing career spanning over almost half a century. as a postmodernist work, timequake truly reflects the 3 nature of social and cultural environment of the contemporary western world. after the second world war, the western society entered into an age dominated by science and technology. cultural media, advertising industry, the usage of computers, information exploration and material accumulation have wholly overturned peoples traditional thinking modes and their life. human beings become so dependent on the developmental results of science and technology that they lose themselves. and what they create become their masters whereas human beings become slaves of their own products. so they gradually feel their fate is controlled by science and technology, not grasped in their own hands, thus develop a sense of uncertainty and perplexity living in the postmodernist world which is just like a maze without exit. moreover, people living in the postmodernist world have a sense of disordered and uncertain sense. in order to reflect the chaotic reality, vonnegut must abandon the traditional ways of narrative such as the chronological narratives, omniscient narratives employed by previous writers and adopt new innovative writing techniques. because of the experience of being a journalist, kurt vonnegut is influenced by it and forms the style of simplicity-short sentences in short paragraphs in short chapters. some critics consider his works simplistic. but underneath the simple surface, vonneguts works are certainly complex enough in deep layers such as theme, writing techniques, etc. vonnegut remarks in palm sunday that “it has been my experience with literary critics and academics in this country that clarity looks a lot like laziness and ignorance and childishness and cheapness to them.”4 he doesnt want to make his novels too hard to read. otherwise they will exclude too many people from reading. “i have made my books easy to read, punctuated carefully, with lots of white space.”5 so kurt vonnegut wins a great popularity. jerome klinkowitz, a famous critic who mainly writes about kurt vonnegut and his works gives vonnegut a high remark: “the effect of his work has been unique in that he is the single american author to have won and sustained a great popular acceptance while embracing the more radical forms and themes of postmodern literature.” 6 kurt vonnegut is characterized as science fiction writer, black humorist, satirist, postmodernist writer or metafictionist. he is a prolific writer and exerts a great influence in the field of literature. there is an increasing critical interest of researching about vonnegut 4 and his works in the academic circles. the research conducted about his works includes many aspects, such as, vonneguts theme of writing-his deep concern for the cruel and hopeless conditions of human beings; his innovations in writing techniques and narrative structures against traditional writing modes; his sharp and ridiculous language and black humor, etc. kurt vonneguts career is very interesting and unique in american literary history. during his diligent writing process spanning over nearly half a century, “that vonnegut is at once simple and complex, that he has appeared to both a popular and an academic audience, in itself he is a writer worthy of attention.” 7 many literary celebrities and critics have commented on vonnegut and his works. charles b. harris regards vonnegut as one of four important novelists of absurdity in america. he comments like this: from the standpoint of both craft and theme, kurt vonnegut, jr., must be reckoned a serious artist. his novels have progressed from satire to absurdity, from the early protest of player piano to the almost total resignation of slaughterhouse-five. 8 in his essay apocalyptic grumbling: postmodern humanism in the work of kurt vonnegut. (2001), todd f. davis says that: because vonnegut joins postmodern metafictional techniques with what upon first glance appears to be a modernist humanism, he remains enigma and an anomaly in contemporary literature-a writer who bridges two disparate worlds, demonstrating the viability of a postmodern humanism. 9 major book reviews include: reed, peter j. s kurt vonnegut (1972), james lundquists kurt vonnegut(1977), klinkowitz, jeromes kurt vonnegut (1982), william rodney allens conversations with kurt vonnegut (1988), william rodney allens understanding kurt vonnegut(1991), reed, peter j. s the vonnegut chronicles: interviews and essays (1996) and kurt vonnegut: images and representations (2000), they all show vonneguts life experiences 5 and working careers as well as his feelings and thoughts during writings. morse, donald f. s the novels of kurt vonnegut: imaging being an american (2003), jerome klinkowitzs the vonnegut effect (2004) and leonard mustazzas myth study and lawrence broers psychological reading offer valuable insights to vonnegut. in china, vonnegut studies mainly have the book review “vonneguts new novel timequake and some traits of postmodernism fiction” by yu jianhua, published in contemporary foreign literature; some articles on vonneguts aesthetic opinions and creative imagination written by shang xiaojin; and “kurt vonneguts deconstruction and reconstruction of the fictional world” published in journal of henan normal university by chen shidan. timequake is not only a science fiction, but also a postmodern novel. it has some traits of postmodernist fiction. the details can be seen in yu jianhuas book review “vonneguts new novel timequake and some traits of postmodernism fiction”. in this novel, vonnegut expresses his sense of crisis and anxiety about the development of science and technology and his nostalgia of the traditional culture and art. this is explained explicitly by shang xiaojin in chapter four “a sense of crisis” in his book art and creative imagination: a critical interpretation of kurt vonneguts works. timequake has the quality of autobiography, just like jerome klinkowitze pointed out in his the vonnegut effect in chapter six. within the general context of postmodern society after the second world war, there is a period of changes for the american novel. the conventional narrative techniques of realism aimed to generate an illusion of reality and the connected suspension of disbelief were widely felt in the 1960s and 1970s to be not only inadequate but lying in presenting life. john barth was the first postmodernist writer who announced the death of the traditional novels and the exhaustion of the traditional novelistic resources. the completely new modes of writing should have to be found for the novel to continue as a genre and there was no doubt that change was irresistible. thus the postmodern novel is no longer conventional, self-contained, consistent in point of view and obviously interpretable in meanings. on the contrary, discontinuity, dislocation, disruption, decentring, autotalization are obvious features of postmodernist works. postmodernists tend to consider the traditional novel as “literature of 6 exhaustion”. to them the old ways of presentation are obsolete and incomplete. in order to reflect the meaningless, absurd and chaotic modern existence, those conventions must be deserted, while at the same time new devices or techniques are adopted for postmodernist novels which can be regarded as avant-garde novels with a clean breakaway from normal novelistic conventions. metafiction can be understood as a form of writing about fiction in the form of fiction. as a literary term, “metafiction” first appeared in fiction and figures of life by william h. gass, an american novelist and critic. later, many writers make comments and criticism on metafiction, but it is difficult to give it a definite and complete definition. because metafiction is a comprehensive and elastic term to cover a wide range of fiction, such as anti-novel, irrealism, surfiction, self-begetting novel and so on. although it is hard to conclude a definition, they all share some common characteristics. all forms of metafiction show the writers concern with the literary creation and reflect the writers self-consciousness during the process of the literary writing, so it is also called “self-conscious” novel. all forms of metafiction often resort to experimental and untraditional techniques to display reflexivity and to subvert conventions. the metafiction text first appeared is don quixote， a spanish novel in western renaissance. but metafiction sprang up just during 1960s. it is a type of writing within the background of postmodernism. john barth, one famous metafictional novelist, shows his feelings about postmodernis