English literature has a long history and has gone through a long and complicated process of development and evolution. American literature has matured in the slow development and become a truly independent and powerful national literature.
Theme: Returning to Nature —— On the Conflict between Nature and Civilization in Wuthering Heights
First, the background and significance of the topic:
Research sources
I was very interested in a type-related topic during the postgraduate entrance examination, so I decided to choose this topic.
The purpose of the study
This paper describes the conflict between civilization and nature in Wuthering Heights by symbolic means. (C) the significance of the study
Emily bronte was a famous novelist and writer in Victorian England. She is one of the famous Bronte sisters and the most talented of the three sisters. She wrote only one novel Wuthering Heights in her life, but this masterpiece made her famous all over the world. With Wuthering Heights as the background, emily bronte described the love and hate between three generations of two completely different families, which fully demonstrated the conflict between Victorian civilization and nature and how emily bronte's preference for nature was reflected. In the novel, there is a constant conflict between nature and civilization. Emily bronte used contrasts and symbols to express this conflict many times, for example, the conflict between Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange, and the conflict between Catherine's two different views on love. This conflict was based on emily bronte's love for nature and the prevailing background of modern civilization. The three famous sisters in the history of English literature lived in the wasteland since childhood, and nature is sacred in their hearts, which is very similar to the view of New England Transcendentalism. Moreover, influenced by The Romantic Period's famous poets such as Wordsworth and Coleridge, nature, emotion and Gothic elements all occupy an important position in emily bronte's works. Moreover, emily bronte lived in the materialistic Victorian era, and people's life based on nature was severely impacted by modern civilization. As a representative of critical realism in Victorian era, emily bronte saw all kinds of evils brought by modern civilization and became more obsessed with the love of nature.
Therefore, if we really want to understand this great book, we must understand emily bronte's views on nature and civilization in his novels. Only by understanding emily bronte's attitude towards nature and civilization can we really understand that there is a deeper meaning under this love-hate relationship, that is, human life should conform to nature and nature. Through the contradiction between nature and civilization in Wuthering Heights, this paper describes the view of returning to nature in Wuthering Heights.
Second, the research status at home and abroad:
(A) the status of domestic research
1. On the basis of analyzing emily bronte's natural influence, Chen Maolin thinks Wuthering Heights is a natural ode in his ecological criticism of returning to nature. Nature plays a unique role in the novel, which makes people relaxed and tolerant. It seems to be a flesh-and-blood soul, sharing people's pain and changes. The work expresses the author's love for nature, and also reflects the conflict and contradiction between nature and civilization.
Ye Lirong, on the other hand, put forward in the article Exploring Wuthering Heights that emily bronte created two passionate and rebellious characters, Heathcliff and Catherine, in the novel, showing their hard journey of seeking self-return after being lost and the inner world of people in self-conflict. Their life full of resistance is a true portrayal of individual pursuit of self.
2. Wang Hongjie believes that the conflict between nature and civilization is one of the important themes in Wuthering Heights. Nature requires people to obey their inner feelings and natural nature in life, and get the comfort and self-satisfaction given by nature. Civilization, on the other hand, is a new way of life different from nature, which requires people to live according to morality and reason. Civilization has thus brought a materialistic society and human beings who pursue their own interests, so pure and natural people have been polluted by civilization. Nature will not disappear with the emergence and progress of civilization, but will always exist. So since the birth of civilization, the conflict between civilization and nature has been constant.
(B) the status quo of foreign research
1. Virginia Woolf, a famous British woman writer, wrote Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights in 19 16. She wrote: When Charlotte wrote, she said eloquently, brilliantly and enthusiastically, I love, I hate and I suffer. Although her experience is rich, it is on the same level as ours. But in Wuthering Heights, there is no me, no tutor and no boss. There is love, but not love between men and women. Emily was inspired by some common ideas, and the impulse to create was neither her own pain nor her own injury. She looked at a divided world and felt that she had the strength to piece it together into a book. That ambition can be felt in all novels. Although some of them are depressed, they are struggling with great beliefs. What her characters say is not just that I love or I hate, but that we, all mankind and you are the eternal power.
2. When ArnoldKettle, a British progressive critic, discussed19th century novels in the third part of Introduction to English Novels, he came to the conclusion that Wuthering Heights expressed people's spiritual oppression, tension and conflict in the capitalist society of19th century in the form of artistic imagination. This is a film with no idealism, no false comfort, and no suggestion that the power to manipulate their fate is beyond the scope of human struggle and action. The strong call for nature, wilderness and storms, stars and seasons is an important part of revealing the true movement of life itself. The men and women in Wuthering Heights are not prisoners of nature. They live in this world and try to change it. Sometimes it goes well, but it's always painful. They almost met with difficulties and made mistakes.
Third, the research content and innovation of this topic.
(A) Research content
Emily bronte used symbolism many times in Wuthering Heights. For example, Wuthering Heights and Sike Laarif and Catherine in Childhood represent nature. They advocate freedom and follow the principles of nature and stormy life. . The Thrushcross Grange and Linton family, which exist in opposition to Wuthering Heights, represent civilization. They are polite and abide by all social norms. The surface of nature and civilization was calm until Heathcliff and Catherine accidentally broke into Thrushcross Grange, so conflicts continued. Catherine's natural feelings began to be really challenged by civilization. She began to betray her heart and became more and more like a lady. Finally, she gave up her true love for Heathcliff and married Edgar Linton. On the surface, civilization has an absolute advantage. But after marriage, Catherine was tortured to death by her natural feelings. Heathcliff, on the other hand, is twisted to the extreme because of Catherine's betrayal, and he becomes a vengeful demon. The invasion of civilization distorts human nature, limits people's true and natural feelings, and causes tragedy. Although civilization has brought progress, it has killed humanity. Finally, before he died, emily bronte let Heathcliff open the window of civilization and let their wandering souls wander in the wilderness. All kinds of thoughts show emily bronte's sympathy for their love and ask people to conform to human nature and return to nature.
This topic will be elaborated from three parts:
1. Definition of nature and civilization
2. The contest between nature and civilization:
A symbols of nature and civilization: Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange: Heathcliff, Linton and Haydn.
The struggle between nature and civilization: Catherine's love choice and Heathcliff's crazy revenge lead to the distortion of human nature.
3. Conclusion
People should obey nature, obey nature. The invasion of civilization distorts human nature and brings devastating disasters to people.
Research and innovation
This paper mainly analyzes the conflict between nature and civilization through the use of symbolism in Wuthering Heights. Emily bronte not only created two completely different manors, representing nature and civilization respectively, but also endowed them with villa-like characters. Contradictions and differences arising from their contrast and interweaving illustrate the confrontation between self-recognition and civilization.
Fourth, the research methods of this topic:
This topic intends to use a variety of research methods, and then combined with qualitative analysis, comprehensive retrieval, induction, translation, literature review, literature retrieval and other research methods to be detailed. Mainly includes:
1, qualitative analysis: infer the nature and development trend of things according to subjective judgment and analytical ability.
2, induction: through many individual examples or arguments, and then summarize their characteristics, draw a general conclusion.
3. Literature method: that is, historical literature method, which is a method to collect, analyze and study all kinds of existing relevant literature materials and select information from them in order to achieve certain investigation and research purposes.
4. Literature review: that is, for a certain research topic, collect and sort out all kinds of relevant literature materials, summarize, identify, clean up and analyze the loaded knowledge information, and systematically and comprehensively describe, comment, construct and elaborate the research status, achievements, existing problems and development trends of this research topic in a certain period. Among them, determine a research topic, collect and sort out special literature, and read and excavate literature content.
Verb (abbreviation for verb) research plan and expected results
(1) research plan
April1May April 18: Designate the thesis instructor and let the students choose the topic;
/kloc-April 25th, 0/9: Complete the task book and the opening report;
April 26th May 12: Complete the first draft of the paper;
13 May 22nd: Complete and hand in the second draft of the paper;
On May 23rd, 3 1, the third draft of the paper was completed (it should be handed in before May 23rd morning 1 1 for the defense teacher to read). Teachers and students are requested to prepare for the defense.
/kloc-June 9th, 0/year: thesis defense (after the defense, students' opinions on teachers will be revised in time, and the final draft of the thesis will be bound).
June10 June 12: Second defense, paper binding and grade evaluation.
(ii) Expected results
Submit an academic paper with a certain theoretical or applied value, about 5000 words, in the direction of British and American literature according to the specified time and schedule.
References for intransitive verbs:
[1] Meili, Bronte. WutheringHeights[M]。 Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press, Oxford University Press, 1999.
[2] David Cecil. Early Wikipedia author: Essaysinrevaluation ..1934
[3] Emile Bronte, translated by Fang Ping. Wuthering heights [M] Shanghai Translation Publishing House, 200 1
[4] Charlotte Brontexq, translated by Song. The complete works of Bronte's two sisters [M]. Hebei Education Press, 1996
[5] Chen Maolin. Return to nature, the ecological criticism of Wuthering Heights [J]. Foreign Language Teaching.2007 (01): 69-73
[6] Li Hua Love and hate of wild children —— Interpretation of the image and theme of Wuthering Heights [J]. In the north. 200 1 (6): 80-83
[7] Pei Shuang. On the choice between wildness and civilization in Wuthering Heights [J]. Journal of Shaoxing University of Arts and Sciences (Philosophy and Social Sciences Edition) .2007 (04): 80-85
[8] Shao Xudong. How to write Wuthering Heights on the creative source of emily bronte [J]. foreign literature studies
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