生態(tài)批評(píng)視域中的《呼嘯山莊》畢業(yè)論文

1、 中圖分類號(hào)：i106.4學(xué)號(hào)： 南陽(yáng)師范學(xué)院 本科畢業(yè)論文 論文題目： 生態(tài)批評(píng)視域中的呼嘯山莊 作 者： 指導(dǎo)教師： 學(xué) 院： 外 國(guó) 語(yǔ) 學(xué) 院 專 業(yè)： 英 語(yǔ) 班 級(jí)： 二一三 年 三 月 生態(tài)批評(píng)視域中的呼嘯山莊 南陽(yáng)師范學(xué)院外國(guó)語(yǔ)學(xué)院英語(yǔ)專業(yè)申請(qǐng)文學(xué)學(xué)士學(xué)位畢業(yè)論文作 者： 指導(dǎo)教師： wuthering heights from eco-critical perspectivea thesis submitted toenglish department,school of foreign languages,nanyang normal universityin partia

2、l fulfillment of the requirementsfor the degree of bachelor of artsbysupervisor： acknowledgementsi would like to thank all those who have given me their generous help, commitment and enthusiasm, which have been the major driving force to complete the current paper. especially i would like to take th

3、is chance to express my sincere gratitude to my supervisor, , who is my supervisor as well as an excellent teacher in our foreign language school for her kindly assistance and valuable suggestions during the process of my thesis writing. her willingness to give her time so generously has been very m

4、uch appreciated. my gratitude also extends to my classmates and peer friends, for their encouragement and support for the completion of this thesis.摘 要艾米莉勃朗特是英國(guó)維多利亞時(shí)期一位杰出的作家，她的杰作呼嘯山莊被公認(rèn)為英國(guó)最杰出的小說(shuō)之一。一百多年來(lái)，學(xué)術(shù)界對(duì)呼嘯山莊從不同角度進(jìn)行過(guò)研究。然而，從生態(tài)批評(píng)角度對(duì)其進(jìn)行研究卻寥寥無(wú)幾。本文從生態(tài)批評(píng)的角度來(lái)解讀呼嘯山莊中自然與文明的關(guān)系，二者之間的相互斗爭(zhēng)，相互交融，最終達(dá)到和諧統(tǒng)一的天人合一狀

5、態(tài)。生態(tài)批評(píng)自誕生以來(lái)因其強(qiáng)烈的現(xiàn)實(shí)性而大受追捧。本文運(yùn)用生態(tài)批評(píng)的方法闡釋兩家人在斗爭(zhēng)中最終走向和諧的過(guò)程，反映了回歸自然融入自然，人與自然和諧相處，人與人和諧相處的生態(tài)哲思。除此之外，精神生態(tài)理論認(rèn)為人的心靈健康是生態(tài)平衡的重要因素。沒(méi)有良好的精神家園，必然會(huì)造成大自然的生態(tài)平衡。這對(duì)當(dāng)今建設(shè)生態(tài)文明，建設(shè)和諧社會(huì)具有一定的啟蒙作用。關(guān)鍵詞：呼嘯山莊；生態(tài)批評(píng)；自然與文明；回歸自然和回歸自我；社會(huì)生態(tài)和精神生態(tài)abstractemily bronte was a brilliant writer in victorian period. her work, wuthering height

6、s, is generally considered a masterpiece that stands outside the mainstream of victorian literature. as time passed by, her novel wuthering heights, has gained more and more attention. scholars study it from different views. however, few critics have done from the perspective of eco-criticism. my th

7、esis tries to apply eco-criticism to analyze the relationship between nature and culture, with elaboration on how their conflicts lead to the loss of selves and how their balance helps bring back the harmony and the modern revelation embodied in this novel.since its debut, eco-criticism is popular w

8、ith critics because it concerns much about reality. according to eco-critical integrity, this thesis holds that in spite of conflict and struggle, nature and civilization can arrive at the harmony through conflicting development, which forcefully attacks the idea maintained by ecological pessimists

9、that nature and civilization could never co-exist harmoniously. that is to say, the novel reflects the idea of returning to nature and integrating with nature, and keeping a harmonious relationship between man and nature. otherwise, ecologists hold that man should have a sound mind in order to lead

10、a well-balanced life. meanwhile, the upsetting of spiritual balance will lead to the unbalancing of the whole ecology, which has the enlightening and profound significance for constructing a harmonious society.key words: wuthering heights; eco-criticism; nature and civilization; returning to nature;

11、 social and spiritual ecology contentsacknowledgements i摘要 iiabstract iiicontents v1. introduction 11.1 literature review and the current studies 11.2 eco-criticism 22. confliction between nature and culture 32.1 the symbol of the wilderness 32.2 description of the wilderness that reflects the confl

12、iction between nature and culture 52.3 nature as wuthering heights 52.4 culture as thrshcross grange 73. the distorted relationships in wuthering heights: the crisis of social ecology 8 3.1 alienation 83.2 the loss of self: the crisis of spiritual ecology 93.2.1 catherines identification with nature

13、 103.2.2 catherines betrayal of her identification 114. rehabilitation through returning to nature 134.1 heathcliffs and catherines eventual return to nature 134.2 the second generations identification with nature 144.3 return to nature: the way out for civilization 15conclusion18bibliography201. in

14、troduction1.1 literature review and the current studiesemily bronte is remembered and extolled chiefly as the author of one novel, wuthering heights, which is regarded as one of the greatest masterpieces in the world literature. it is well-known that since “emily heat” and “wuthering heights doctrin

15、es” formed in the twentieth century, new interpretations of emily and wuthering heights have come into a continuous stream. the belgian essayist and poet, maeterinck, says emily is a woman who is expert in meditation and she is highly skilled in experiencing and observing what she has seen and heard

16、. she has never fallen in love with anyone but she has already understood love and talked about it and got into its most incredible myth. (cecil, 2002:139) at that time many people judged this novel from the theme, the characters, the plot and the motif, such as these common factors. it involves a l

17、ot of themes to talk: passion, love, clash of elemental forces, the clash of economic interest and social classes, the striving for transcendence, the abusive patriarch and patriarchal family, study of childhood and the family, the effects of intense suffering, self-imposed of self-generated confine

18、ment and escape, displacement, dispossession, and exile, communication and understanding, the fall.the universe is made up of two opposite forces, storm and calm. wuthering heights and the earnshaws represent the storm; while thrushross grange and the lintons, the calm. catherine and herthcliff are

19、elemental creatures of the storm. that is david cecils theory-a principle of calm and storm. the single principle that ultimately directs them sooner or later imposes equilibrium.his interpretations trying to prove the novel had a unified structure. surveying these myriad efforts, j. hills miller ch

20、allenged the assumption that the novel presents a unified, coherent, single meaning: the secret truth about wuthering heights, rather, is that there is no secret truth which criticism might formulate in this way it leaves something important still unaccounted for the text is over-rich.”(miller, 1998

21、:204) perhaps f.r. leavis penned the most quoted modern interpretation of wuthering heights when he excluded it from the great tradition of the english novel because it was a “sport,” i.e., had no meaningful connection to fiction which preceded it of influence on fiction which followed it. (leavis,

22、1988:132)1.2 eco-criticism as a literary approacheco-criticism is one of the most recent interdisciplinary fields that have emerged in literary and cultural studies. it began in the 1970s, burgeoned in the late 1990s and is still experiencing its booming development at present. stressing the linkage

23、 between the literary texts and the natural world, or environment, it is developed against the background of the increasingly severe environmental crisis and the development of global movement of environmentalism.due to its broad scope of inquiry and vision, eco-criticism cannot be limited to one si

24、ngle methodology, but rather is required to be integrated with other literary theories and disciplines. for instance, while interpreting the texts, eco-criticism often applies to the close reading approach of new criticism. with the appearance and formation of eco-criticism, it is possible to see th

25、e book in the light of the new theory. it not only offers new and elaborates frameworks in which the book might be discussed, but also raises questions about the very motivations that have driven critics of earlier decades to write so persistently about the novel.eco-criticism emerges as a response

26、to a growing worldwide environmental pressure and the need for humanistic understanding of our relationships with the natural world. because of this unprecedented ecological crisis, many disciplines of humanities, such as history, philosophy, law, sociology, and even religion, have been felt by scho

27、lars of literature, who have realized the necessity and importance of environmental concern and revising the critical focus of their studies. the word “eco-criticism” traces back to william rueckerts 1978 essay “l(fā)iterature and ecology: an experiment in eco-criticism” and apparently lay dormant in cr

28、itical vocabulary until the 1989 western literature association meeting, when cheryll glotfelty not only revived the term but urged its adoption to refer to the diffuse critical field that heretofore had been known as “the study of nature writing.” cherylls call for an “eco-criticism” was immediatel

29、y seconded at that same wla meeting by glen love in his past presidents speech, entitled “revaluing nature: toward an ecological literary criticism”. since that meeting in 1989, the term “eco-criticism” has bloomed in usage.2. confliction between nature and culture2.1 the symbol of the wildernessthe

30、 word “wilderness” derives from the anglo-saxon “wilddeoren”: where “deoren” exists beyond the boundaries of cultivation. so the useful part is “wild” which has been endowed with different meanings. in the course of humans conquering nature, wilderness gradually loses self-discipline and its value.

31、particularly, with the roaring of anthropocentrism, wilderness is enduring disaggregation and reference being read. generally speaking, the symbolic idea of wilderness presents two complex archetypes: the result of humans moral desolation and spiritual degenerateness, and the place of moral returnin

32、g and spiritual purifying. in literary history, it is regarded as the shadow of civilization connecting with evil as well as the synonymy of civilization relating to spiritual purifying, which is tinted with different cultural colors. the wilderness is also associated with satan. in judaco-christian

33、 conception, wilderness combines trial and danger with freedom redemption and purity; and furthermore, is the place nearer to god. american environmentalist nash roderick argues that wilderness is not only the title for desert and droughty places, but also the symbol of moral evil; as a result that

34、god usually chastises disobeyed and evil people in wilderness.about the idea of wilderness, greg garrard, an eco-critic, in his book eco-criticism, wrote: the idea of wilderness, signifying nature in a state uncontaminated by civilization, is the most potent construction of nature available to new w

35、orld environmentalism. it is a construction mobilized to protect particular habitats and species, and is seen as a place for the reinvigoration of those tired of the moral and material pollution of the city. the wilderness question is also central to eco-criticisms challenge to the status quo of lit

36、erary and cultural studies. in that it does not share the predominantly social concerns of the traditional humanities. (garrard: 59)the green studies reader, laurence coupe pointed out:wilderness doesnt mean chaos; it “alludes to a process of self-organization that generate systems and organisms, al

37、l of which are within the constraints of and constitute components of larger systems that again are wild, such as a major ecosystem”(laurence coupe 127). eco-critics stand by the concern that wilderness is the essence of nature, and is very essential to man, especially to his spirit.2.2 description

38、of the wilderness that reflects the confliction between nature and culturea symbolic image means concrete representation, as in art, literature, that is expressive or evocative of something else, a personification of something specified. in this novel wuthering heights, nature becomes one of the ind

39、ispensable elements in symbolism-symbolic image. with regard to the power of nature, it “plays a much larger part in emily brontes book than it does in most novelists.” “emily often uses symbolism to express the enormous serene passion instead of the simple words and actions since they fail to power

40、fully convey it. one of emilys writing craft is that nature images function as symbols to show the characters psychological activities. emily describes the natural images as if they can communicate with people and as if they have feelings and sagacity like human beings. nature has become the symbol

41、of characters. especially in the confliction between nature and culture, it implies in this symbol: wilderness.2.3 nature as wuthering heightsin emily bronte novel wuthering heights, there are two places where virtually the characters all the actions take place. from the symbolic description of the

42、settings, the readers can learn clearly the characteristics of the owners of the two houses and foresee the hideous conflicts between the two families. these two places, wuthering heights and thrushcross grange differ greatly in appearance and mood. these differences reflect the universal conflict b

43、etween storms and calm that emily bronte develops it as the theme in her novel wuthering heights. emily associates the symbolic settings with the novels characters. and the meaning and the suggestiveness of these symbolic settings increase the readers understanding of the theme. wuthering heights is

44、 always in a state of storminess while thrushcross grange always seems calm. david cecil maintains that, “on the one hand what may be called the principle of stormof the harsh, the ruthless, the wild, and the dynamic; and on the other the principle of calmof the gentle, the merciful, the passive and

45、 the tame.”wuthering heights has the same mood as heathcliff and catherine. the symbolic setting accords with their intrinsic natures. the title of the book wuthering heights involves the meaning, “wuthering may be viewed as a premonitory indication of the mysterious happenings to be experiences by

46、those inhabiting the edifice.” (p.2). its main characteristic is to expose to the power of the wind, which makes it appear fortress-like. the name of the place itself is symbolic of his nature. heathcliff is described as a storm, living as he does in the tumult of a tempest. the heights and its surr

47、oundings depict the coldness, darkness, and evil associated with hell. this parallels heathcliff: in addition, the author depicts specific parts of the house as analogues to heathcliffs face. emily bronte describes the windows of the heights as “deeply set in the wall.” similarly, heathcliff has dee

48、p-set dark eyes. this symbolizes that heathcliff has the very spirit of wuthering heights-the cold, dark, wild dismal dwelling.2.4 culture as thrshcross grange“wuthering heights suggest a tumult of winds and warping of nature of heathcliff-his vengeful, hellish policy of torturing and degrading othe

49、rs of his own end. thrshcross grange, the name of which suggests something cultivated and christian is less bleak and elemental than wuthering heights.”(pinion, 1975)the geographical feature of thrushcross grange is quite different from wuthering heights. grange is a more cultivated and calm house a

50、nd no harsh elements threaten the very existence of it. “the two houses show us two possible ways of living: the one rock-like, built on the heights, a bastion against the weather yet perilously close to the wild elements, the other crouched in the cultivated valley and standing a sheltered park.”(g

51、oodridge, 1968)” the alley and the sheltered park have formed natural barrier for thrushcross grange, which is thus protected against the harsh winds on the moors. as a result, the effects of weather are always gentler, filtered, and weaker. in a word, the setting of grange shows that its dwellers h

52、ave the upper class of victorian lifestyle, which represents civilization in the society.therefore, the linton children are the strangers of fierce wind and any other kind of wild life outside of warm house. they are beautiful in appearance and gentle in behavior, but compared with the vigorous chil

53、dren of heights, they are weak in constitution and lack the freshness and spirits of the healthy youths. both edgar and isabella die young, as nelly says, “her (isabella) family were of a delicate constitution: she and edgar both lacked the ruddy health”(bronte, 2002:237). linton is a typical exampl

54、e, facing heathcliffs threatening, and he is defenseless and impotent and only shows his coward weakness. for example, in chapter eleven, there is the face-to-face confrontation between edgar and heathcliff. edgar shows apparent fears, which is laughed at by heathcliff.3. the distorted relationships

55、 in wuthering heights: the crisis of social ecology3.1 alienation in the two houses, people are estranged and alienated from each other though they are related to each other. first, there is the estrangement between parents and children. old mr. earnshaw cannot understand his children. so he and his

56、 daughter catherine always irk each other whenever they have any conversations. he reprimands catherine, saying why she cannot be a good girl, and only getting the reply that why he cannot be a good father. his son hindley even resents him. later hindley also is unable to establish intimate relation

57、ship with his son hareton. instead, it is to his antagonist heathcliff that hareton has a deep emotional attachment. then there is estrangement between husband and wife. the most typical examples are the estrangements between edgar and catherine as well as between heathcliff and isabella. edgar does not understand catherine all his life. they seem like a happy couple, yet they are strangers to each other in truth. to save their relationship, edgar chooses to walk away to appease their fury whenever they quarrels. however,