Abstract Henry James is one of the most prolific and greatest America writers. The Portrait of a Lady is regarded as his masterpiece in his early literary career. He creates “New Woman” in The Portrait of a Lady. This thesis studies the feminism in The Portrait of a Lady based on the theory of close reading. The feminism is reflected by the changes of the protagonist’s self-consciousness. The thesis probes into the development of the female self-consciousness through the changes of Isabel’s ideology in different times. It is pided into three phases: the first phase is the sleeping of Isabel in marriage; the second one is the budding of Isabel’s female self-consciousness; the third one is the development of Isabel’s self-consciousness. By the analysis of the feminism in The Portrait of a Lady, the thesis aims at giving readers a new perspective to know more about The Portrait of a Lady and feminism.54646
Keywords: Henry James; The Portrait of a Lady; close reading; feminism; female self-consciousness
摘要亨利•詹姆斯被誉为美国最多产和最伟大的作家之一。《贵妇画像》被誉为他早期写作生涯的巨作,在《贵妇画像》中詹姆斯创造了新女性形象。本论文基于文本细读理论来对《贵妇画像》中的女性主义进行探究。小说中的女性主义通过女主角伊莎贝尔因不同时期思想意识的变化而引起的女性自我意识的发展过程得以呈现。这一发展过程分为三个阶段:伊莎贝尔婚姻意识的沉睡、伊莎贝尔女性自我意识的萌芽以及伊莎贝尔女性意识的发展。通过对对《贵妇画像》中女性主义的研究,本论文旨在为读者理解《贵妇画像》和女性主义提供新的视角。
毕业论文关键词:亨利•詹姆斯;《贵妇画像》;文本细读;女性主义;女性自我意识
Contents
1. Introduction 1
1.1 The Author and His Works 1
1.2. Theoretical Basis and Study Significance 1
2. Literature Review 2
3. Feminism Reflected by the Changes of Isabel’s Female Self-consciousness 3
3.1 Sleeping of Isabel in the Marriage 3
3.2 The Budding of Isabel’s Female Self-consciousness 7
3.3 Development of Isabel’s Self-consciousness 9
4. Conclusion 12
Works Cited 13
1. Introduction
1.1 The Author and His Works
Henry James is regarded as the largest literary figure that came out in America during the nineteenth and early twentieth century. He, as the master of psychological writer, pays attention to the innovation of the technique of novel. He is one of the distinctive writers in the American literary history. His writing style of fiction mainly reflects the international cultural theme, psychological realism and structuralism. His representative works include An American, Daisy Miler, and Turn of the Screw, The Golden Bowl and so on. The Portrait of a Lady mainly tells a young and beautiful American girl’s life pursuit and love experience.源`自,优尔`.论"文'网[www.youerw.com
Isabel Archer is a beautiful, spirited American girl who is brought to her daydream place the old Europe by her wealthy aunt Mrs. Touchett after her parents die. She lives in the Gardencourt which is in the suburb of London. It is expected that she will soon marry. But Isabel resolves to determine her own fate. She has rejected to marry the English Lord Warburton and the American inventor Caspar Goodwood. Isabel’s seriously ill cousin Ralph, who is secretly and hopeless in love with her, gives up his rather paternal inheritance to her advantage. Isabel gets acquainted with Madame Merle and adores her very much. She goes to Italy when her uncle is dead. When she is intoxicated at the historical sites of Florence and Rome, she gradually walks into Madame Merle's trap.