09Theodore Dreiser 文档.doc

American Naturalism自然主义I. Introduction1. Origin(1)Industrialism: create a large group of very poor people; live in slums and cannot control their lives; self-reliance disappeared in the fast development of economy(2)The Origin of Species (Charles Darwin, 1859, godless world, human beast, the survival of the fittest, cruel natural law correspond with cruel social realities(3)Herbert Spencer: Social Darwinism (human controlled by heredity and outside social power)(4)Howells “smiling aspect” realism seems too genteel and even false. Thus the influence of French naturalism, Tolstoy and Turgenev came to American literature.2 What is naturalism?As a genre, naturalism emphasiz heredity and environment as important deterministic forces shaping individualized characters in everyday life who are presented with objective presentation. The characters are biological creatures in a deterministic universe. At bottom, life is shown to be ironic, even tragic.Key words: scientific determinism, objective presentation, everyday life, a deterministic universe, a biological creature, environment and heredity, etc.3. Significance(1) Breaking through some forbidden area in literature (violence, death, sex etc.)(2) Greatly influencing the 20th century writers such as Hemingway and Faulkner3. Significance(1) Breaking through some forbidden area in literature (violence, death, sex etc.)(2) Greatly influencing the 20th century writers such as Hemingway and FaulknerTheodore Dreiser (1871 1945)1.Life(1)Indiana, German-speaking family(2)Extremely poor childhood(3)Worked as a reporter and his first book Sister Carrie was rejected many times(4)In his later life, he turned to Communism.2.Works(1)Sister Carrie (Carrie Meeber, Drouet, Hurstwood) (no control of her own life; driving blindly to catch all opportunities to make life better)(2)An American Tragedy(3)Cowperwood trilogy (also called “Trilogy of Desire”): The Financier, The Titan, The Stoic3.Analysis(1)Social Darwinism (man only drive by desire; only fittest can live in the society)(2)Style: formless, dull, crude(3)Powerful depiction of American social life and moving charactersOn Sister CarrieThe theme of the book:1. The theme in Sister Carrieis materialism. The theme is primarily personified through Carrie with her desire for a fine home, clothes and everything else money can buy.Materialism, including the desire for money, is an important theme in Sister Carrie. The materialism is shown mostly through Carries character but also through Hurstwood, a man with a respectable life and money, who still wants more and for that reason commits a crime. The city in itself is also a place of materialism, it is a place that offers all kinds of amusements, pleasures and things to buy, but to participate in what the city has to offer, one has to have money.2. It best embodies Dreisers naturalistic belief that men are controlled & conditioned by heredity, environment and chance, only a few extraordinary & unsophisticated human beings refuse to accept their fate wordlessly for their existence.“The Magnet Attracting: a Waif amid Forces”-controlled by two forces:1. internal forces:desires to fulfill American Dream, for social status & material comfort.(e. And yet she was interested in her charmsat a womans slipper)2. external forces- poverty: attraction of American Dream. (e. “the magnet attracting city life”; Carries being attracted by Drouets material prospect, entrapped, became his mistress).Carrie is leaving home. This passage is typical Dreisers. He gives his thoughts about Carrie & the salesman she meets, and describes them.The first impression is not her opinions but her belongs. At the end of the novel, there is description of her, ends with the exact amount of money she holds. This emphasis on money will be a primary theme throughout the rest the novel.Discussion1. Please make comment on the three main characters.2. Please make comment on the end of the novel and the famous rocking chair sceneThree Main CharactersCarrie: She represents spirit, the longing for a finer & higher form of life, artistic aspiration, imagination, ideals, never be fully attained, without which life is meaningless.She refuses to accept her fate & instead strives unsuccessfully to find meaning & purpose for her existence. Drouet & Hurstwood not as “saving hands”; Drouet: an image of a woman pursuer with keen desire for the feminine.(by an intense desires & admiration for the sex”) He stands for the material lusts which lies at the bottom of worldly ambition.Hurstwood: A person with no higher goal than the satisfaction of his sensual inclination.3. chance: chance makes her an actress & her successConclusion: To Carrie, the world is cold & harsh, she is alone & helpless. She moves along, driven by desires , catches at any opportunities as first offered by Drouet, then by Hurstwood. A feather in the wind, she was totally at the mercy of forces she cant comprehend, still less to say control. She just seeks to grasp the mystery of life, and thereby satisfies her desires for social status & material comfort. After a series of incidents & coincidences, Carrrie rises and obtains fame & comfort.The famous rocking chair scene: In spite of her success, she is not happy. She is lonely & dissatisfied. This is a picture of Carr