Analysis on the Binary Oppositions in The Lover from the Perspective of Structuralism_英语论文

摘要

《情人》是法国女作家玛格丽特·杜拉斯以法国殖民者在越南的生活为背景创作的一篇带有自传色彩的中篇小说，该作品获得了法国龚古尔文学奖。初读《情人》，我们会认为作者只是描写了男女主人公之间的爱情纠葛，而小说也曾被人从多个角度进行研究，比如女性主义视角，象征意象视角等等。但是，通过运用结构主义的方法来分析，我们可以发现《情人》中存在一系列的二元对立要素：贫穷与富有的对立；白色人种与黄色人种的对立；欲望与道德等的对立，这一系列的二元对立关系共同构成了《情人》这部小说的悲剧性。因此，本论文拟在结构主义理论指导下对《情人》中体现的二元对立进行一个全面系统的文本分析，以分析杜拉斯如何通过运用二元对立的表现手法构建这一组组的对立关系来架构起整个故事的情节脉络和发展走向，并将其主题和人物刻画生动地传达给读者。二元对立是指对系统里的一组差异项进行价值分析。这一对立的差异不是绝对的相互排斥，相反，它们之间往往存在某种联系。本论文将从结构主义的二元对立角度具体分析和探究小说的主题和人物形象描绘，旨在更全面系统地了解作者的写作观点。

关键词：《情人》   差异   二元对立    

Abstract

The Lover (French: L'Amant) is an autobiographical novel by Marguerite Duras. It was awarded the 1984 Prix Goncourt. Set against the backdrop of French colonial Vietnam, the novel reveals a clandestine romance between a pubescent girl from a financially strapped French family and an older,  wealthy Chinese-Vietnamese man. The story is a systematized combination of signs governed by rules that produce meaning within the context. Saussure holds a view that meaning is generated through a system of structured differences in language. Differences in The lover arise in the form of binary oppositions. Disparity and conflict are the underlying themes and the main binary opposition that run through the whole context. Binary oppositions, for instance, poor vs. rich; white vs. yellow; male vs. female and young vs. old are of great importance to make up all the plots. The connection of stories brings about a system in which meaning is created. This thesis aims to analyze the binary oppositions in the novel from the perspective of Structuralism, exploring the underlying structure and analyzing the underlying implications of the love tragedy.

Key words: The Lover  difference  binary opposition  

Contents

Chapter One  Introduction 1

1.1  A Brief Introduction to Marguerite Duras and The Lover 1

1.2  Research Method of This Thesis 2

1.3  Structure of this thesis 3

Chapter Two  Literature Review 4

2.1  Previous Studies on The Lover at Home 4

2.2  Previous Studies on The Lover Abroad 4

2.3  Summary 5

Chapter Three  Theoretical Framework 6

3.1  Structuralism 6

3.2  Binary Oppositions 6

Chapter Four  The Analysis of The Lover on Binary Oppositions 8

4.1  Introduction 8

4.2  Different Characters and their Reasons 8

4.2.1 Poor verse Rich 8

4.2.2 Different Family Background 9

4.3  Different Gender: Male and Female 11

4.4  Different Complexion: the White and the Yellow 13

4.4.1 Social Prejudice 14

4.4.2 Cultural Difference 15

4.5  Summary 16

Chapter Five  Conclusion 18

Bibliography

Acknowledgments