Feminist study of Wuthering Height开题报告

 2022-08-10 15:06:48

1. 研究目的与意义

Emily Bronte is generally considered as one of the greatest women writers in the history of English literature. In her short life of thirty years, apart from some poems, she wrote only one novel that is Wuthering Heights. Emily is a woman born into a poor middle-class family in the Victorian Era. Victorian women writers had constituted within the framework of the masculine society, in which they struggled to escape from the harsh patriarchal culture. She suffers a lot from social constraints and she longs for a life of freedom and equality as men have. Virginia Woolf had praised Emily Bronte for having a mind. Wuthering Heights may be seen as constituting something of a feminist protest, not in the direct way that Emily''''s sisters'''' novels were to raise issues of opportunity, expectation and education, but in its subversion of the conventions of romantic fiction. Since its publication in 1847, Wuthering Heights has attracted much academic attention, but the research results are a little monotonous. Most studies have centered upon the powerful love between Heathcliff and Catherine, the analysis of the characters and its Gothic features. For a long time, most critics tend to think that Heathcliff is the focus and the key of the novel, while women of this book are, to some extent, considered insignificant. With the rise of the feminist movement and feminist literary criticism, feminist critics begin to challenge the traditional view by focusing on the role of women in the novel.

2. 研究内容和预期目标

From the perspective of feminism, through analyzing the female social status under the control of the patriarchal tradition based on the author''''s life experience andthe social background, this paper attempts to discuss women''''s status and growth of Catherine#8217;s female consciousness in British Victorian Age as seen in Wuthering Heights. Due to the development of society, Catherine began to fight against the oppression of patriarchy to get their equality with men in finance, the social status in the society and family by rejecting their domestic roles assigned by male-dominated society. Only when womenare not submissive to men and become financially independent, can they change their inferior status, thus completely liberating themselves.The thesis is divided into five chapters. Chapter One briefly introduces the writer and the novel,literature review, thesis statement as well as the feminism in literature.The following three chapters, from the second to the fourth, explore the three distinct attributes of Catherine, that is, recalcitrance, docility and triumph in the end.Recalcitrance in Catherine''''s character, which is demonstrated in chapter two finds its best expression in her resistance to patriarchy from three perspectives, that is, her self-awareness, her self-assertive love against the will of her father and her brother, and her denial of her husband. She defies phallocentric system through a chain of events; for one, Catherine in disfavor of the old master of Wuthering Heights.Chapter three is about docility in Catherine''''s Character. It mainly refers to her ostensible compliance with the patriarchy. A series of events are adopted to certify her disposition, namely, her marriage to Mr. Linton under the compulsion of her brother, her reliance on Linton, Catherine as a docile wife, and her repression of her desire to the point of nightmares and spiritual confusion.Chapter four is about Catherine#8217;s triumph. It#8217;s the Upsurging of Female Consciousness.Such an episode as Heathcliff opening Catherine''''s coffin and Heathcliff''''s illusion of ghost for 18 years testifies Catherine''''s haunting of him through life and death. Likewise, Linton''''s affection for Catherine can be found no less than Heathcliff: Therefore, she grips in her firm hand both Heathcliff and Linton, the former giving her natural and transcendental love, while the latter giving her earthly but distinguished love. What she intends to possess does not lie in exclusive love, but in complete and independent self-identity. The above analysis of Catherine''''s character naturally leads to the conclusion that Catherine , free from the restrictions imposed by patriarchy, adheres to her unique intractable character, thus gripping the whole patriarchal world in her hand. When enjoying natural love given by Heathcliff as well as civilized love given by Linton, she achieves preeminent success in asserting herself and establishing her self-identity.

3. 国内外研究现状

Since the first edition of the novel was published, Wuthering Heights has become the object of literary studies worldwide. People''''s attitudes towards this novel are totally different because of their different angels and methods used on the interpretation of Wuthering Heights. Some critics argued that this novel was a strange and funny book which advocated the cruelty and the morality collapse. Some people thought it as the most powerful book which was compared to the Shakespeare''''s King Lear. In foreign countries, the scholars who made research on Wuthering Heights emerged in a great number since the late 19''''t'''' century. Many researchers have a deep study of this novel from the perspectives of the structural studies, narrative studies, feminism and class struggle. For example, C .P .Sanger in 'The Structure of Wuthering Heights' thought that the structure of this novel was arranged well by the author: 'the extreme care in realizing the ages of the characters at the time of each incident which is described seems to me a more unusual characteristic of a novel.' (1921:20) Woolf believed in 'Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights' that Wuthering Heights was more powerful than Jane Eyre in the aspect of awakening female consciousness, because Charlotte only declared 'I love' or 'I hate', but Emily declared 'we, the whole human race' and 'the eternal powers'. (1925:200) Arnold Kettle made comments from the perspective of class struggle that: 'Catherine and Heathcliff#8217; s love is based on feelings of the oppressed class; her marriage with Linton is a betrayal of Heathcliff; while Heathcliff revenges on the oppressors by means of the oppressor.' (1951:150) Q.D.Leavis praised it as a 'humanist work.' (Leavis, 1983:138) Margaret Lane regarded it as 'a story of the author''''s childhood dream continuing.' (Yang,1983:6). Besides, David Cecil thought: 'it was a philosophical explosion of mysticism.'(Yang,1983:6) William Somerset Mangham viewed it as 'anexplanation of author''''s seeking for and crying out for freedom.' (Yang, 1983: 403) Michaelstated that it was a novel of 'a place apart in English letters.'(Macovski,1987:363).At the beginning of the 20}'''' century, Wuthering Heights has become a hot topic of Chinese literary criticism. The researches mainly focus on the characters, artistic techniques, themes and images of this novel. In terms of characters, there are numerous research articles that focus on the analysis of the hero, Heathcliff. The related works are Fu Qiang and Shen Liwen in 'An Analysis of the Character of Heathcliff!一A Reading of Emily Bronte''''s Wuthering Heights'analyzes the characters of Heathcliff in detail. As for its artistic achievements, Zhang Huihui in 'AModel of Perfect Combination between Modernism and Romanticism on Artistic Charm of Wuthering Heights' concludes that: 'Wuthering Heights was the author''''s experience of the spirit and was the mode of perfect combination between modernism and romanticism.'(133) Pu Ruoqian proposes in 'Wuthering Heights and Gothic Tradition' that Emily Bronte''''s applicationof the Gothic tradition in 'theme interpretation, characterization, plot, structure and environmental description reflect her super imagination in combining realistic elements with surrealistic elements.'(47) Shi Ye-li in 'Wuthering Heights and Frued''''s Human Instinct' states that: 'the complicated relationships between the main characters in Wuthering Heights were caused by sexual instinct and thanatos according to the Frued''''s psychosexual theory.'(33) Gao Jihai believes in 'A Study of Wuthering Heights from the Perspective of Theme and Narratology' that: 'the theme is best represented by the other male and outside the story. This special narrative method used by the novelist is helpful for the interpretation of the theme.'(108) Chen Maolin writes in 'Return to Nature, Back to Childhood- Ecological Criticism of Wuthering Heights' that: 'Man should return to nature and keep childlike innocence, and reflects conflicting relationship between culture and nature.'(73) As for feminism, the related articles are: Wang Liuyuan in 'Emily Bronte''''s Female Consciousness in Wuthering Heights--An Analysis of the Character of Catherine' states that: 'Emily Bronte expressed her own female consciousness and rebellion against the patriarchal society by describing the life of Catherine.' (2007:80) Li Jianping in 'Description of Characters in Wuthering Heights- From the Perspective of Feminism' proposes that: 'The author is eager to get freedom and equality with men, so that women can be liberated.'(2009:107) Jiang Jilin and Zhao Liping in 'Resisting and Subverting the Patriarchal Culture: Narrative Politics Relating to Wuthering Heights' believes that: 'This novel reflects EmilyBronte''''s resistance to the patriarchal culture and discourses of the Victorian Age.' (2010:67)Among the researches brought about by scholars both at home and abroad, it seems that little has been touched on the disclosure of the women''''s oppression under the control of patriarchal society and growth of female consciousness in Wuthering Heights. This thesis attempts to focus on the discussion of these two issues.

4. 计划与进度安排

Outline Chapter 1Introduction1.1 Emily Bronte and Wuthering Heights1.1.1Personal Experience of Bronte1.1.2Wuthering Heights1.1.2.1The Plot overview of Wuthering Heights1.1.2.2The Theme of Wuthering Heights1.2 Literature Review1.3 Thesis statement1.4 Feminism In LiteratureChapter2Recalcitrance- Sprouting of Female Consciousness.2.1 Catherine''''s Strong Self-awareness2.2 Catherine''''s Strong Antagonism Against Her Father and Her Brother2.3 Catherine''''s Untrammelled Antagonism Against Her HusbandChapter3Docility - Growing of Female Consciousness3.1 Catherine''''s Compliance with Her Father and Her Brother3.2 Catherine''''s Reliance on Linton3.3 Catherine''''s Repression of Her DesiresChapter4Triumph -Upsurging of Female Consciousness 4.1 Catherine''''s Fair Command of the Linton 4.2 Catherine''''s Control of Heathcliff Through Life and Death 4.3 Catherine''''s Realization of Her Self-identityChapter5ConclusionBibliography

5. 参考文献

Annette, Robinstein. (1960). The Great Tradition in English Literature FromShakespeare to Shaw.New York: RusellRusell.Auerbach, Nina.(1982). Woman and the Demon. Cambridge: Harvard UniversityPress.Best, Geoffrey. (1972). Mid-l}ictorian Britain,185一]875. New York: SchockenBooksBronte，Charlotte. (1950). 'Emily Bronte:Wuthering Heights.#8221;The Editor''''sPreface to the Second Edition of Wuthering Heights.London: OxfordUniversity Press.Bronte.E. (1847). Wuthering Heights. Beijing:Central Compilation and TranslationPress.Gaskell, Elizabeth. (2004). The Life of Charlotte Bronte. London: Penguin ClassicsGilbert, SandraSusan Gubars, (1979). The Madwoman in the Attic. New Haven:Yale University Press.Kettle, Arnold.(1951). An Introduction to the English Novel. London: HutchinsonPress.Leavis-Q,D. (1983). A Fresh Approach to Wuthering heights. Cambridge: CambridgeUniversity Press.Lerner, Laurence. (1978). The Victorians.New York: Holmes and Meier PublishersIncMacovski, Michael.(1987). Wuthering Heights and the Rhetoric of Interpretation.London: ELH.Parker, Christopher.(1995).Gender Roles and Sexuality inVictorian Literature.Aldershot:Scolar Press.Stuart, John. (2004). The Subjection of Women. Pennsylvania: A Penn State ClassicsSeries Publication.Ruskin, John.(2002). 'Of Queen''''s Garden.'Sesame and Lilies.New Haven: YaleUniversity Press. (68)Sanger-C .P.(1921). 'From the Structure of Wuthering Heights'. Hogarth Essays London:Hogarth Press. (20)Wollstonecraft, Mary.(1999). A Vindication of the Rights of Women. New York:Bartkeby.comWoolf, Virginia. (1979). Profession for Woman, in Woman and Writing. MichaeleBarett (ed.) London: Women''''s Press.一(1989). A Room of One''''s Own. New York: Harcourt Brace.一(1925). 'Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights.' The Common Reader. London:Hogarth Press.Yu Mi. (2007). Female Consciousness in Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights, Tianjin:Tianjin University of Technology.陈茂林.(Chen Maolin)(2007)#8220;回归自然，反璞归真一《呼啸山庄》的生态批评#8221;.《外国文学研究》,(O1): 69高万隆.(Gao WanLong)(1997)#8220;女权主义和英国小说家#8221;.《外国文学评论》，(02):113.唐静.(Tang Jing) (2010),#8220;《呼啸山庄》女主角之女性视角解读#8221;.《青年文学家》，(O1): 31.王柳媛.(Wang Liuyuan)(2007),#8220;从凯瑟琳看艾米莉勃朗特在《呼啸山庄》中的女性认识#8221;.《湖南科技学院学报》，(02): 80..

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