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researchproposal范文
Researchproposal
1.Title:
CormacMcCarthy’sTheRoadandAmericanModernEschatology
OrModernEschatologyofthe21stcenturyAmericainCormacMcCarthy’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-MerrillAwardforCreativeWriting”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
OrModernEschatologyofthe21stcenturyAmericainCormacMcCarthy’sTheRoad
4.Literaturereview:
AsCormacMcCarthyisanewly-risingwriter,wecannotseesomanytremendousacademicstudiesofhimasofotherclassicalwriters.
1)InUSA,CormacMcCarthydidn’treceivecriticalattentionuntilthe1990s.SofartheAmericancriticsandpostgraduateshaveconductedstudiesofhiminthefollowingaspectswithafewachievements.Inspiteofhisnumerousawardsandprizes,McCarthyisfrequentlyconsideredasthesuccessorofWilliamFaulkner;however,withthepopularityofNoCountryforOldMenandthegreatsuccessofTheRoad,moremainstreamcriticsandmediakeepaneyeonthisunknownfamouswriter.
a.Monologues,dialogues,sentencestructuresinspirescholarstoexploreautotextualityinMcCarthy’sworks.ChristineChollierbringsforwardtheideathatthewriterisamasterinbindingandinterweavingdifferentvoicestogethertogenerateandenhanceanimpressionofreality.Itisthewriter’stalentinpickingandarrangingwordsthatrendershisworksanorganicunityrarelyfoundinotherweste