本科生毕业论文-《红字》中的模糊性

廊坊师范学院本科生毕业论文题目红字中的模糊性姓名李海肖指导教师安晓红系别英语系专业英语教育年级接本完成时间5月20日AMBIGUITYINTHESCARLETLETTERBYLIHAIXIAOPROFANXIAOHONGSUBMITTEDTOTHEBACOMMITTEEINPARTIALFULFILLMENTOFTHEREQUIREMENTSOFTHEDEGREEOFBACHELOROFARTSINTHEENGLISHDEPARTMENTOFLANGFANGTEACHERSCOLLEGE2004/5/20题目红字中的模糊性摘要纳撒尼尔霍桑是美国19世纪杰出的浪漫注意小说家。在他创作的几部长篇小说中，红字一直被列为“霍桑式”小说中最为出色的一部。与所有其他优秀文学作品一样，红字自问世以来，便激发起各种各样的评论，而且从未间断。事实上，众多的文学批评家们，一直在尝试着用各种方法研究这部小说。也正是这个缘由，才使得霍桑的魅力有增无减，经久不衰；从而也使他在美国文学史上的地位愈显突出。源与人们对这部小说持续不断的研究热情，我们才得意对这部小说的不同理解与解释有所了解，同时也激发起我们对霍桑运用模糊性这一表现手法的探究兴趣。这一手法的运用，尽管使得这部作品显得隐晦，意义含糊、摸棱两可，从而导致了多种不同的、乃至相互矛盾的解释，但是毫无疑问，在很大程度上，也正是这一艺术表现手法的成功运用，才使得这部小说成为霍桑的杰作，读后令人回味无穷。即便在150年后的今天，它仍值得人们拜读。模糊性是霍桑运用得最为娴熟、最为成功的艺术手法之一。红字中的模糊性可见与诸多方面，对自然环境的描写，道德观在四个主要人物中的体现以及红字本身对海丝特，珠儿以及狄姆斯台尔的不同意义等等。论文从以上所论及的几个方面对霍桑在红字中所运用的模糊性手法进行了探索、研究，并指出尽管这一手法的使用，给读者造成了一定的阅读困难，导致了多种不同的乃至相互矛盾的解释。因此，红字的成功，也当归功与模糊性这一创作手法的运用，大大增添了这部名著的神秘与魅力。关键词模糊性；不可理解性；令人困惑TITLEAMBIGUITYINTHESCARLETLETTERABSTRACTNATHANIELHAWTHORNEISANOUTSTANDINGNOVELISTOFAMERICANROMANTICISMINTHE19THCENTURYAMONGHISLARGERWORKS,THESCARLETLETTERHASBEENGENERALLYRATEDASHISCHARACTERISTICBESTTHEREFORE,LIKEALLOTHERGREATWORKS,ITCONTINUOUSLYSTIMULATESCRITICISMAGOODNUMBEROFCRITICALSTUDIESHAVEBEENADDEDCONSIDERABLYTOHAWTHORNESREPUTATIONANDSTATUREASTHERESULTOFTHESTEADYSTUDIES,CRITICS,WRITERSANDEVENORDINARYREADERSHAVECOMEUPWITHMANYDIFFERENTREADINGSANDINTERPRETATIONSOFTHENOVELTHISEVENTUALLYLEADSTOTHESTUDYOFHAWTHORNESPERPLEXEDAMBIGUITY,WHICH,THOUGHSOMETIMESCAUSESDIFFICULTYTOTHEREADER,HELPSALOTINMAKINGTHISNOVELHAWTHORNESMASTERPIECEANDAREWARDINGWORKTOREADEVENTODAYHAWTHORNESAMBIGUITYISONEOFTHEFEATURESOFHISLITERARYANDARTISTICCREATIONTHISTHESISATTEMPTSTOARGUEHISAMBIGUITYINTHESCARLETLETTERTHROUGHDESCRIPTIONOFNATURALSETTINGS,EMBODIMENTOFMORALITYINFOURMAINCHARACTERSANDTHEDIFFERENTMEANINGSOFSCARLETLETTER“A”INHESTER,PEARLANDDIMMESDALEHAWTHORNESAPPLICATIONOFTHEARTISTICTECHNIQUEOFAMBIGUITYDOESAROUSESOMECONFUSIONANDINVITESTHEREADERSINTROSPECTION,WHICHGIVESTHEBOOKACERTAINAIROFMYSTERYHOPEFULLY,THISTHESISWILLHELP,TOSOMEEXTENT,SOMECONFUSEDREADERSOFTHESCARLETLETTERTODEVELOPABETTERUNDERSTANDINGOFHAWTHORNESNOVELKEYWORDSAMBIGUITYINCREDULITYELUSIVENESSCONTENTSIINTRODUCTION6IIAMBIGUITYINNATURALSETTINGS8IIIAMBIGUITYINMORALITY10IVAMBIGUITYINSCARLETLETTER“A”13VCONCLUSION17NOTES20BIBLIOGRAPHY21IINTRODUCTIONHAWTHORNE,ADESCENDENTOFPURITANIMMIGRANTS,TAKESBOTHPRIDEANDHATREDINHISANCESTORSSOMEOFHISANCESTORSWEREMENOFPROMINENCEINTHEPURITANTHEOCRACYOFTHESEVENTEENTHCENTURYNEWENGLANDHOWEVER,ASMAGISTRATEANDJUDGE,HAWTHORNESGREATGREATGRANDFATHER,WILLIAMHAWTHORNE16071681,WASNOTORIOUSFORHISROLEINTHEPERSECUTIONOFTHEQUAKERSFROMHAWTHORNESWORKSANDWRITINGS,HEDOESFEELGUILTYANDASHAMEDOFTHETWOANCESTORSOFHIS,HOWEVER,HEALSOTAKESPRIDEINHISANCESTORSHAWTHORNEBOTHLOATHESANDLIVESHISPROMINENTANDNOTORIOUSANCESTORSHAWTHORNELIVESINANAGEWITHTHERAPIDINDUSTRIALANDECONOMICGROWTHAPPEARSANINCREASINGNUMBEROFPROLETARIANS,RESULTINGINABIGGERANDBIGGERGAPBETWEENTHEPOORANDTHERICH,ANDMOREANDMORECONFLICTSASWELLTOHIM,ALLKINDSOFSOCIALPROBLEMS,ALLKINDSOFCONFLICTSARISEFROMONESINGLEROOT,THATIS,THE“INHERENTEVILNESS”INTHISWORLDINHAWTHORNESTIME,MANYPEOPLE,INCLUDINGMANYCONVENTIONALAMERICANCHRISTIANSHAVEACTUALLY,IFUNCONSCIOUSLY,GIVENUPTHEPURITANBELIEFINORIGINALSINANDBEGANTOTHINKTHATMANISPERFECTIBLEHOWEVERHAWTHORNESTILLHOLDSTHAT“EVILASWELLASGOODIMPULSESWERENATIVETOEVERYHUMANHEARTANDMUSTBECOMBATEDAFRESHBYEVERYMANANDWOMANINEVERYGENERATION”1HAWTHORNEHASADEEPROOTEDINTERESTINRELIGION,TOWARDSWHICH,HOWEVER,HISATTITUDEISACONTRADICTORYONEONTHEONEHAND,HEATTACKSANDDENOUNCESTHEFANATICALRELIGIOUSACTIONSPERSECUTINGTHOSEWHOHOLDDIFFERENTVIEWSONTHEOTHERHAND,HETAKESTHEFUNDAMENTALRELIGIOUSDOGMAASCRITERIATODISTINGUISHGOODFROMEVILSINCEHAWTHORNESTHEMESAREOFTENSUCHPSYCHOLOGICALONESASSIN,CONCEALEDSIN,THECONSEQUENCESOFSIN,SECRETGUILT,THEIMPINGEMENTOFTHEPURITANPAST,THEFUTILITYOFTHECOMPREHENSIVESOCIALREFORMS,THEIMPOSSIBILITYOFGETTINGRIDOFSINFROMTHEHUMANHEART,ETC,INDEALINGWITHTHESEKINDSOFTHEMES,HEISALWAYSAMBIVALENT,FORHEKNOWSTHATHISSUCCESSASAWRITERSDEPENDSUPONHISKEEPINGPSYCHOLOGICALANALYSISOFPEOPLEHEMEETS,WHILEHECANNEVERFORGETTHATINVASIONOFTHESANCTITYOFANOTHERSPERSONALITYMAYHARDENTHEHEARTEVENASITENRICHESTHEMINDHEKNOWSTHATTHEREIS“SOMETHINGOFTHEHAWKEYE”ABOUTHIM,ANDTHATTHELINEISVAGUEBETWEENPRURIENTCURIOSITYANDLEGITIMATEARTISTICSTUDYOFCHARACTERTHEREFORE,HEISOFTENSEENTOEVADETHEISSUESWITHWHICHHECONFRONTSHAWTHORNETRIEDTO“MEDIATEBETWEENTHEPRIVATEVISIONANDTHECOMMONSENSEOBJECTIVEWORLD”2INSODOING,ITSEEMSTHATHEISALSOTRYINGTOCUTHIMSELFLOOSEFROMANYREALITYTHATISWHYHAWTHORNETURNSTOALLEGORICALMETHODANDSYMBOLS,WHICHCAUSEALOTOFAMBIGUITYINALLTHESECASESLEADTOHAWTHORNESUSEOFAMBIGUITY,WHICHLEAVESTHESOLUTIONTOTHEREADERTHEREADERMUSTDECIDEWHATISLITERALLYTRUEINTHEOXFORDCONCISEDICTIONARYOFLITERARYTERMS,THEDEFINITIONGIVENTOTHETERM“AMBIGUITY”GOESAS“OPENNESSTODIFFERENTINTERPRETATIONSORANINSTANCEINWHICHSOMEUSEOFLANGUAGEMAYBEUNDERSTOODINDIVERSEWAYSSOMETIMESKNOWNASPLURISIGNATIONORMULTIPLEMEANING,AMBIGUITYBECAMEACENTRALCONCEPTINTHEINTERPRETATIONOFPOETRYAFTERWILLIAMEMPSON,INSEVENTYPESOFAMBIGUITY193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