《狂人日记》与《黄色墙纸》中疯癫形象的比较研究_英语论文

Cultural Comparison of Madness in The Yellow Wallpaper and A Madman’s Diary

摘要

《黄色墙纸》由美国最杰出的小说家和女权主义先驱之一的夏洛特·吉尔曼所著，这篇短篇小说讲述了女性如何在男权社会中为自我而奋斗，表达了压迫中的女性对独立和自由的渴望，对女权运动产生了巨大的影响。《狂人日记》是中国作家鲁迅在1918年发表的短篇小说，它提倡新兴文化，被视为讽刺抨击中国传统礼教的开山之作，为新文化运动奠定了夯实的基础。

虽然《黄色墙纸》和《狂人日记》是在不同时期、不同的国家的历史背景下创作而成，但夏洛特和鲁迅不约而同地用相似的叙事手法来塑造一个具有反抗精神和独立精神的疯癫形象。他们都是本篇论文通过对两个疯癫形象的比较研究，来揭示两位作者都以第一人称创作的原因，以及塑造这两个疯癫形象的真正目的。

关键词：疯癫形象；悲剧；象征意义；女性主义；反封建主义

Abstract

The Yellow Wallpaper is written by Charlotte P. Gillman, a celebrated   American authoress and feminist pioneer. Part of the feminist movement, this short story voices a woman’s aspiration for freedom and independence in the male-dominated society. A Madman's Diary is a short story published in 1918 by the Chinese author Lu Xun that can be read as an irony of traditional Chinese feudalism declining in a period known as the New Culture Movement .

Although The Yellow Wallpaper and A Madman's Diary were written in different countries with contrasted cultural tradition, Gillman and Lu Xun coincidentally adopted the similar narrative technique for the depiction of a mad and revolting protagonist. Both authors use their novels as a critique of social darkness and highlight an awakening sense of freedom. This thesis analyses and studies the images of the two mad figures, exploring the literary mechanism for the mad images portrayed through a first–person narration in contrasted social and cultural context.

Keywords: madness; tragedy; symbolism; feminism；anti-feudalism

Contents

1.Introduction 1

2. Literature Review 2

3.Cultural and Philosophical Background 3

3.1 China in the era of englightenment 3

3.2 Awakening of feminist awareness 4

4.Analysis of the Depiction of Madness in Both Works 5

4.1Prototypes of mad images 5

4.2 Diary as the narrative form 6

4.3 Use of symbolism 7

4.4 Existential approach to the mad images 8

5.Rationality Behind Madness 10

5.1 Interpretations of Insanity 10

5.2 Restoration of Sanity 11

6. Conclusion 12

Works Cited 13