research proposal范文.docx

research proposal范文.docx

《research proposal范文.docx》由会员分享，可在线阅读，更多相关《research proposal范文.docx（8页珍藏版）》请在冰点文库上搜索。

researchproposal范文

Researchproposal

1.Title：

CormacMcCarthy’sTheRoadandAmericanModernEschatology

Or ModernEschatologyofthe21stcenturyAmericainCormacMcCarthy’sTheRoad

2.Introduction：

1）.abouttheauthor:

a.MostImportantachievementsaboutCormacMcCarthy:

CormacMcCarthyisanAmericannovelistandplaywright,whowasoncedescribedas“thebestunknownnovelistinAmerica”.SofarMcCarthyhaswrittentennovels,onepublishedfive-actplay,andonefilmedscreenplay,amongwhich,novelsareconsideredhismostconspicuousliteraryachievements.

OnMay5th,2009,CormacMcCarthyhaswonthebiennialPEN/SaulBellowawardforlifetimeachievementinAmericanliterature,for"adistinguishedlivingAmericanauthoroffictionwhosebodyofworkinEnglishpossessesqualitiesofexcellence,ambition,andscaleofachievementoverasustainedcareerwhichplaceshimorherinthehighestrankofAmericanliterature".

HereceivedthePulitzerPrizein2007forTheRoad,andhis2005novelNoCountryforOldMenwasadaptedasa2007filmofthesamename,whichwonfourAcademyAwards,includingBestPicture.HereceivedaNationalBookAwardin1992forAllthePrettyHorses.

HisearlierBloodMeridian（1985）wasamongTimeMagazine'spollof100bestEnglish-languagebookspublishedbetween1925and2005andheplacedjointrunner-upforasimilartitleinapolltakenin2006byTheNewYorkTimesofthebestAmericanfictionpublishedinthelast25years.LiterarycriticHaroldBloomnamedhimasoneofthefourmajorAmericannovelistsofhistime,alongwithThomasPynchon,DonDeLilloandPhilipRoth.HeisfrequentlycomparedbymodernreviewerstoWilliamFaulkner.

b.HisLife:

CormacMcCarthywasborninRhodeIslandonJuly20,1933.CormacwasraisedRomanCatholic.HeattendedCatholicHighSchoolinKnoxville,andthenwenttotheUniversityofTennesseein1951-52.HemajoredinLiberalarts.Hiscollegeexperiencecouldbeconsideredarewardingonewithhisdebutpublications:

ADrowningIncidentandWakeforSusaninthestudentliterarymagazine,ThePhoenix,whichwonhimthe“Ingram-MerrillAwardforCreative Writing”respectivelyin1959and1960.McCarthyjoinedtheU.S.AirForcein1953;heservedfouryears,spendingtwoofthemstationedinAlaska,wherehehostedaradioshow.

Graduallyhisliterarypotentialcameintoemergenceandin1960hebegantopursuehiswritingcareerinasmallAmericantowninTexasalongtheAmerica-Mexicoborder.

c.HisNovels:

ManyofMcCarthy’sworksaresaidtobebasedonhisownexperiencesoractualevents.

TheOrchardKeeper（1965）andOuterDark（1968）werecompletedafterhistripstoEurope.HisfirstbookTheOrchardKeep（1965）wasrecognizedwiththeWilliamFaulknerAward.InthenextyearhewasawardedaRockefellerFoundationgrant.In1969,hissecondnovelOuterDarkwonhimGuggenheimFellowshipforCreativeWriting.ChildofGodwasinspiredbythingsthatreallyhappenedinSevierCounty,whichgarneredmixedreviews;somepraiseditasgreat,whileothersfounditdespicable.In1979,McCarthypublishedSuttree,abookconsideredbysomecriticstobeMcCarthy’sbestworktodate.HisfourthnovelSuttreewonhimMacArthurFoundationGrantin1979.TheabovefournovelsarecalledAppalachiannovels.

ThenMcCarthymovedfromKnoxville,TennesseetoElPaso,Texas,hencetheshiftofthegeographicalsettingsofhislaternovels.HisfifthnovelBloodMeridian（1986）caughttheattentionofthemainstream.ButMcCarthydidn’tfinallyreceivewidespreadrecognitionuntilin1992withthepublicationofAllthePrettyHorses,whichwontheNationalBookAwardandwasfollowedbyTheCrossingandCitiesofthePlain,formingtheso-calledTheBorderTrilogy,astheeventsinthenovelsinvariablyhappenroundtheAmerican-MexicoBorder.McCarthy'snextbook,2005'sNoCountryforOldMen,stayedwiththewesternsettingandthemesyetmovedtoamorecontemporaryperiod.McCarthy'slatestbook,TheRoad,waspublishedin2006andwoninternationalacclaimandthePulitzerPrizeforliterature.

d.HisviewsonWriting:

Inoneofhisfewinterviews（withTheNewYorkTimes）,McCarthyisdescribedasa"gregariousloner"andrevealsthatheisnotafanofauthorswhodonot"dealwithissuesoflifeanddeath,"citingHenryJamesandMarcelProustasexamples."Idon'tunderstandthem,"hesaid."Tome,that'snotliterature.AlotofwriterswhoareconsideredgoodIconsiderstrange.”McCarthyremainsactiveintheacademiccommunityofSantaFeandspendsmuchofhistimeattheSantaFeInstitute,whichwasfoundedbyhisfriend,physicistMurrayGell-Mann.OnJune5,2007,inMcCarthy’sonlyTVinterviewinvitedbyTalkshowhostOprahWinfrey;McCarthytoldWinfreythathedoesnotknowanywritersandmuchprefersthecompanyofscientists.

e.Writingfeatures:

McCarthy’sworksfocusonthelifeexperiencesandhumanfeelingsofthecommonpeopleinthesouthandthewestofAmerica.Thesetouchingepicsarefullofcruelviolence,nightmarishmurdersaswellasthebeautifuleclogueandthegentlerequiem.Theyareadmittedlycalled“symphonyofhellandheavy”.

Thewildernessisarepeatingimageinhisworks.Asafanofoutdoorlife,McCarthyputmostofhisstoriesinTennesseeandMexico.Thetalltimber,darklyfierceplots,simplebutpowerfullanguagearethemainfeaturesofhisworks.

McCarthy’sworksarealsoenrichedwithanimaginativepower.Nature,asthegreatestbeinginhisworks,watcheseveryhumandeeds,whetherstupid,evil,cruel,orgood,honest,virtuous.TheclimaxoftheplotsisoftenaccompaniedwithsignsfromGod,whichcategorizeshissomeworksintopost-apocalypticgenres.

2）TheRoad

AccordingtothePEN,McCarthyis“adistinguishedAmericanwriterwhosecriticallyacclaimedworkhelpedreadersunderstandthehumanconditioninoriginalandpowerfulways”.AstheclimaxofMcCarthy’swritingcareer,TheRoadreceivedsomanyencomiumandawards.

TheRoadisapost-apocalyptictaleofajourneytakenbyafatherandhisyoungsonacrossalandscapeblastedbyanunnamedcataclysmthatdestroyedallcivilizationand,apparently,mostlifeonearth.

McCarthy'sinspirationforTheRoadcameduringa2003visittoElPaso,Texas,withhisyoungson.Imaginingwhatthecitymightlooklikeinthefuture,hepictured"firesonthehill"andthoughtabouthisson.Hetooksomeinitialnotesbutdidnotreturntotheideauntilafewyearslater,whileinIreland.Then,thenovelcametohimquickly,andhededicatedittohisson,JohnFrancisMcCarthy.

TheRoadfollowsamanandaboy,fatherandson,journeyingtogethertowardstheseaformanymonthsacrossapost-apocalypticlandscape,someyearsafteragreat,unexplainedcataclysm.Theboy'smotherhascommittedsuicideasanescapefromtheharshlandscape.Theman,himself,hasapistolwithtwobulletsmeantforsuicide.Civilizationhasbeendestroyed,andmostspecieshavebecomeextinct.Thesunisobscuredbydarkclouds,andtheclimatehasbeenalteredradicallywithcold"hardenoughtocrackstones."Plantsdonotgrow.Asthetwotravelacrossthelandscape,theyencounterhorrificscenesthatshowthestateofhumanity.Thescenesincludeanarmyofrovingcannibalsandtheircatamitesandslaves;aninfantroastingonaspit;andabasementwhereslaves,whoselimbsarebeingharvestedslowlyforfood,arekept,groaningandinterriblepain.Asthejourneyprogresses,thefatherbeginstocoughupbloodandheknowsthatheisgoingtodie,butheholdsononlyduetohislovefortheboy.Finally,afterthetworeachthesea,themandies,andtheboygoesonwithouthim.Theboysoonencountersafamilyofpeoplewhotakehiminandtakecareofhim.

ThesightoftheendofthehumanworldisfinelydepictedbyMcCarthy,whichrevealsthewriter’sconcernonthehumanfutureandbecomesthepost-911fable.

Thebook,McCarthy's10th,hasbeenhailedbycriticsasamasterpiecebutithasalsoachievedcommercialsuccess,havingbeenfeaturedbyOprahWinfrey'stelevisionbookclub.TalkshowhostOprahWinfreychoseTheRoadastheApril2007selectionforherBookClub.Thesalesreachedupto10millioncopiesinamonth.

AfilmbasedonthenovelwasannouncedtobeindevelopmentonApril2,2007.JohnHillcoatissettodirectandtheadaptationwillbehandledbyJoePenhall.TheleadroleofthefatherwillbeplayedbyViggoMortensen.AlsojoiningthecastisCharlizeTheronasthewifeandRobertDuvallastheoldman.ThefilmissettoopenonOctober16,2009.

3.Proposedresearchedtopic

CormacMcCarthy’sTheRoadandAmericanModernEschatology

Or ModernEschatologyofthe21stcenturyAmericainCormacMcCarthy’sTheRoad

4.Literaturereview:

AsCormacMcCarthyisanewly-risingwriter,wecannotseesomanytremendousacademicstudiesofhimasofotherclassicalwriters.

1）InUSA,CormacMcCarthydidn’treceivecriticalattentionuntilthe1990s.SofartheAmericancriticsandpostgraduateshaveconductedstudiesofhiminthefollowingaspectswithafewachievements.Inspiteofhisnumerousawardsandprizes,McCarthyisfrequentlyconsideredasthesuccessorofWilliamFaulkner;however,withthepopularityofNoCountryforOldMenandthegreatsuccessofTheRoad,moremainstreamcriticsandmediakeepaneyeonthisunknownfamouswriter.

a.Monologues,dialogues,sentencestructuresinspirescholarstoexploreautotextualityinMcCarthy’sworks.ChristineChollierbringsforwardtheideathatthewriterisamasterinbindingandinterweavingdifferentvoicestogethertogenerateandenhanceanimpressionofreality.Itisthewriter’stalentinpickingandarrangingwordsthatrendershisworksanorganicunityrarelyfoundinoth