《嘉莉妹妹》中的消费文化解读_英语论文

On the Consumer Culture in Sister Carrie

摘要

西奥多·德莱塞被认为是20世纪初美国文学史上最杰出的作家之一。他的代表作《嘉莉妹妹》不仅为他带来了享誉全球的声誉，也奠定了他在美国文坛上的地位。小说讲述的是农村少女嘉莉如何从社会底层登上百老汇明星宝座的自我实现过程，当她一步步地爬上社会阶梯顶端时，却没有收获到快乐，郁郁寡欢至终。

自19世纪后期以来，消费文化主导着美国社会，成为美国身份的核心部分。小说中嘉莉妹妹就是那个时候消费文化盛行的产物。生活在消费社会下，小说中人物形象不可避免地受到消费文化的影响，渴望获得财富和地位。

全文共分四章。第一章介绍作者西奥多·德莱赛和他的杰作《嘉莉妹妹》。第二章主要介绍消费文化。第三章分析消费文化在《嘉莉妹妹》中的体现，集中表现在以金钱为基础的人际关系和嘉莉对物质的强烈追求上。最后一章是结论。

关键词: 消费文化； 嘉莉妹妹；  人际关系； 物质

Abstract

Theodore Dreiser is considered as one of the most influential American novelists in the early 20th century. His novel, Sister Carrie, not only made him well-known all over the world, but also firmly established his status in American literature. Sister Carrie is a story of the heroine Carrie’s ascendance from a poor country girl to a successful actress in Broadway. When climbing up the ladder of the social strata, she does not gain her dreaming happiness, but remains lonely and unhappy in the end. 

Since the late 19th century, consumer culture has dominated the American society and become the central part of American identity. The novel Sister Carrie is a product of the prevalent consumer culture at that time. Living in a consumer society, characters in the novel are unavoidably influenced by the consumer culture and driven by their desire for wealth and status.    

This paper consists of four chapters. Chapter One introduces Theodore Dreiser and his masterpiece Sister Carrie. Chapter Two presents a brief introduction to the theory of consumer culture. Chapter Three analyzes the embodiment of consumer culture in Sister Carrie, which focuses on the money-based interpersonal relationships and Carrie’s intense craving for material belongings. The last chapter is the conclusion. 

Key words:  consumer culture  Sister Carrie  interpersonal relationships  material belongings