Morality in The Scarlet Letter开题报告

 2022-08-10 15:07:05

1. 研究目的与意义

Nathaniel Hawthorne is a great romantic novelist in America in the 19th century. His most outstanding work is The Scarlet Letter. The Scarlet Letter is a romance set in the years from 1642 to 1649, when puritans were fighting the English civil war over the ultimate meaning of English. It#8217;s published in 1850, the year in which the Clay Compromise postponed the American Civil War. In Hawthorne#8217;s days, American capital was developing rapidly, and the social structure was changeable. He couldn#8217;t understand this change, and tried to explain it. This paper aims to discuss the morality in The Scarlet Letter. Because of the friction and collision of the Humanism and Puritanism, people#8217;s morality was changeable.Hester was introduced as young, tall and beautiful, with an elegant figure. Hester#8217;s sin was adultery, prohibited by the Seven Commandment, was so seriously regarded by the Puritans. But she learned from her sin, and grew strong as a result of accepting her punishment. Dimmesdale was also an ordinary individual, so he pursued natural humanity. He fell in love with beautiful Hester Prynne. Meanwhile he was a servant of God, passionate in his religion. He tortured himself physically and mentally. Chillingworth seemed not to be wrong, but because his persistent of revenge he became the most immoral one of all in the end. From the fate of main characters, we could see the obscure and contradictory morality of Hawthorne which leaves space for readers to think.

2. 研究内容和预期目标

Hawthorne introduces the culture of Puritanism into the novel The Scarlet Letter and puts the story in the seventeenth century. His profound understanding of the doctrines#8217; of Puritanism is revealed in his description of different aspects of puritan#8217;s life. This kind of doctrines ruins the humanity. Hawthorne#8217;s obscure and contradictory morality prompts us to analyze the morality in the Scarlet Letter.The essay is divided into five parts. Chapter one is mainly about the brief introduction of Hawthorne and The Scarlet Letter and the significance of the study. Chapter two discusses the morality in Humanism through the main characters#8217; activities: Hester#8217;s desire for love, Dimmesdale#8217;s pursuit of natural humanity, Chillingworth#8217;s fatherly love for Pearl and Pearl#8217;s innocence and beauty. Chapter three analyzes the morality in Puritanism. On the influence of the doctrines of Puritanism, Hester endures humiliation and loneliness; Dimmesdale tortures himself physically and mentally and Chillingworth persists in revenge. Chapter four analyzes Hawthorne#8217;s obscure and contradictory morality in The Scarlet Letter by the analysis of the symbolic meanings of the scarlet letter and scenery description. The conclusion discusses the friction and collision of naturality and sociality, in other words, discusses the friction and collision of Humanity and Puritanism which arouses people#8217;s reflection on ethical and moral issues.

3. 国内外研究现状

Nathaniel Hawthorne is a great romantic novelist in America in the 19th century. His most outstanding work is The Scarlet Letter that is notable for its symbolism, and it is regarded as the first symbolic novel in American literature. Many scholars have discussed the symbolism of #8220;A#8221;, the main characters, the places and other objects. Zhang Julian makes a profound discussion about the symbolism in The Scarlet Letter, and reveals the significance of symbolism in the novel. When inquiring into the level of moral significance of the theme, the western literary critics generally hold that what the author advocates in The Scarlet Letter is the Puritan doctrine that all men are born sinful, and that the novel is discussing sins. So many scholars also do a lot of researches on Puritanism and sins in Hawthorne#8217;s The Scarlet Letter. Most of Nathaniel Hawthorne#8217;s masterpieces are created with the theme of morality, and are used to analyze #8220;good and evil human nature#8221; through the methods of profound symbolism and psychological description. So some people analyze the morality in The Scarlet Letter.

4. 计划与进度安排

OutlineChapter Ⅰ.Introduction1.1The brief introduction of Hawthorne and The Scarlet Letter1.2Significance of the studyChapter Ⅱ. Morality in Humanism2.1 Hester-the desire for love2.2 Dimmesdale-the pursuit of natural humanity2.3 Chillingworth-fatherly love for Pearl2.4 Pearl-innocence and beauty in humanity Chapter Ⅲ. Morality in Puritanism3.1 Hester-endure humiliation and loneliness3.2 Dimmesdale-torture himself physically and mentally3.3Chillingworth-the persistent of revengeChapter Ⅳ. Obscure and contradictory morality of Hawthorne4.1 The symbolic meanings of the scarlet letter4.2 The symbolic meanings of scenery descriptionChapter Ⅴ. Conclusion

5. 参考文献

[1]Claudia Durst Johnson. Understanding The Scarlet Letter [M]. Beijing: China Renmin University Press, 2007.[2]Hunter J. Scarlet Letter Symbolism [J]. London: Coles Publishing Company, 1980.[3]Leslie F. Love and Death in American Novel [M]. New York: Longman Inc, 1993.[4]Nathaniel Hawthorne. The Scarlet Letter [M]. New York: Tom Doherty Associates Press, 1989.[5]Peter C. Literature in American-An Illustrated History [M]. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1989.[6]方文开. 人性.自然.精神家园: 霍桑的现代性研究 [M]. 上海: 上海外语教育出版社, 2008.[7]龚翰熊. 现代西方文学思潮 [M]. 成都: 四川大学出版社, 1987.[8]毛信德. 美国小说史纲 [M]. 北京: 北京出版社, 1988.[9]聂珍釗. 文学伦理学批评与道德批评 [J]. 外国文学研究, 2006(2): 8-17.[10]夏晓珍. 红字象征手法的运用 [J]. 盖阳师专学报, 1996(3): 23-26.[11]张海蓉. 齐灵渥斯悲剧的后精神分析解读[J]. 四川外语学院学报, 2006(2): 19-23.

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