巴赫金狂欢化视域下《谁害怕弗吉尼亚伍尔夫》

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Abstract Edward Albee is a famous contemporary American playwright. His representative work Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf ? has aroused great concern ever since its publication. He achieved both critical and popular success with this masterpiece. This play, with its innovative construction, fickle language and grotesque plot, has reflected a strong carnival sense of the world. Moreover, carnivalization can be seen in the plot composition of this play. This thesis intends to interpret this play through Bakhtinian theory of carnivalization. This thesis focus on three aspects of carnivalization, that is carnivalized life, carnivalization of artistic thinking and dialogue between reality and illusion. Thus, the study provides a new version for understanding and constructing the deep meaning of the play. 56293

Keywords: Edward Albee; Who is Afraid of Virginia Woolf?; Bakhtin; carnivalization; carnivalized life

摘要爱德华·阿尔比是美国著名当代剧作家，他的代表作《谁害怕弗吉尼亚伍尔夫》一经出版便引起巨大反响，并赢得诸多奖项。这部戏剧创新的框架、错杂多变的语言、奇异的章节和其中蕴含的狂欢化意象都完整体现出了这部戏剧的狂欢化精神。此外，这部戏剧的章节设置也与狂欢化理论相吻合。本文以巴赫金的狂欢化理论解析《谁害怕弗吉尼亚伍尔夫》。这部戏剧的狂欢化体现在三个方面：狂欢化生活、狂欢化的艺术思维、幻想与现实的对话。此研究为理解和解构文本深层含义提供了全新视角。

毕业论文关键词：爱德华·阿尔比;《谁害怕弗吉尼亚伍尔夫》;巴赫金；狂欢化理论；狂欢化生活

Contents

1. Introduction 1

1.1 A Brief Introduction to Edward Albee and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? 1

1.2 Literature Review 1

1.3 A Brief Introduction to Mikhail Bakhtin and The Theory of Carnivalization 2

2. The Carnivalized Life in the Play 4

2.1 The Carnival Kings and The Carnival Collective 4

2.2 The Carnivalized Space and Time in Martha’s House 6

3. The Carnivalization of Artistic Thinking 7

3.1 The Ritual of Crowning and Decrowning 7

3.2 The Duality of the Carnivalized Images 8

4. The Permanent Dialogue between Reality and Illusion 9

4.1 Official and Civilian: the Influence of the Author's Experiences on the Play 9

4.2 The Exposure of the Disparity between Reality and Illusion 10

5. Conclusion 10

Works Cited 12

1. Introduction

1.1 A Brief Introduction to Edward Albee and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Edward Albee is a famous contemporary American playwright. In 1962, he achieved both critical and popular success with his masterpiece Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?. The play won the New York Play Critics Award and every other major award. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, widely regarded as Edward Albee’s best play, presents an all-night drinking party in which a middle-aged professor and his wife verbally hurt each other in brilliant language. Martha is a fickle woman who married to a quiet history professor of the college of her father, George. She has long used it against him that he has not been a success like her Dad, a principle of college. One night they invited the couple Honey and Nick drinking together after came back from the party held by Martha’s father. The small party explodes into a carnival of jokes, language attack, seduction under the effects of alcohol and under the guise of “fun and games”. Grade differential and decent behaviors are not exist anymore. By the time before dawn, George destroyed Martha’s most cherished illusion -- their imaginary son. After young guests left, they reached a settlement, although they were afraid of facing the reality, they have to summon up courage and to find the meaning of life.