《莳萝泡菜》的女性主义文体学.docx
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《莳萝泡菜》的女性主义文体学
《莳萝泡菜》的女性主义文体学
《莳萝泡菜》的女性主义文体学
[Abstract]KatherineMansfieldwasanoutstandingmodernBritishshortstorywriter.MostofMansfield’sworksareconcernedwithfemalesubjects,depictingthelivingconditionsofwomeninvarioussocialclasses.OneofherfamousshortstoriesADillPickletellsthestorythatayoungwomanandayoungmanwhohadbeenloversoncemetagainaftersixyearsofseparation.ThisthesistriestorevealthefeministthemeofADillPickleinthefollowinganalyticalperspectives:
transitivityanalysisandfocalizationanalysis,whichanalyzesthethemerespectivelyatthesyntaxlevelandthediscourselevel.Fromtheseanalyseswehaveadeepinsightintotheworks’femalepointofviewandthefeministtheme.
[Keywords]feministstylistics,transitivityanalysis,focalizationanalysis
I.Introduction
ADillPickleisaverysimplestory.Theplotisthatayoungwomanandayoungmanwhohadbeenloversoncemetagainaftersixyearsofseparation.Theysatandreminisced.
Thethemeofthestoryisabouttherelationshipbetweenlovers:
theheroine’ssensitivityandtheman’sinsensitivitytoothers—theirfeelings,attitudesandinnermotivations.
TherehavebeenmanycritiquesonADillPickleconcerningheroutstandingwritingtechniquesandmodernistartisticdevices.Andinsomerecentreviews,ADillPickleisalsoapproachedintheperspectiveoffeministliterarycriticismorpsychoanalysis.
However,thepresentstudybelievesthatthetraditionalfeministliterarycriticismmainlyconcernsthecontentanalysisoftexts,whichhascertaindegreeofsubjectivityandone-sidedness,whereasfeministstylistics,whichespeciallyemphasizesanalyzinglanguageoftextsinthecontextofproductiveandreceptiveprocess,seemstohavegreatervaluesinmakingobjectiveandpreciseanalysisofthelanguageoftexts.
Ⅱ.FeministStylistics
Feministstylisticanalysisisananalysiswhichidentifies
itselfasfeministandwhichuseslinguisticorlanguageanalysistoexaminetexts.AccordingtoSaraMills,feministstylisticsfocusesonthesolutiontotwoquestions;thatis,whyauthorshavechosencertainwaystoexpresstheirideasongenderissues,andhowcertaineffectsrelatedtothetwosexesareachievedthroughlanguage.
TheprocedureofMills’analysisisdividedintothreelayers;thatis,analysisattheleveloftheword;analysisatthelevelofthephrase/sentence;analysisatthelevelofdiscourse.
Amongthoseapproaches,transitivityanalysisatthelevelofsentenceismostinfluential.
Ⅲ.FeministStylisticAnalysisofADillPickle
3.1Analysisatthesyntaxlevel
TorevealthefeministthemeofADillPickle,thesyntacticanalysisofADillPickleiscarriedoutbyemployingthetheoryoftransitivitychoices.Transitivityanalysis“distinguishesthetypesofprocessrepresentedbytheEnglishclause,andthevariousparticipantfunctionsthatareassociatedwitheach”.Generallytherearethreeprocesses:
material,mental,andrelational.Withinmaterialactionprocess,therearetwofurtherchoicesbetweenmaterialactionintentionandmaterialactionsupervention.
ThetransitivitychoicescanhelpusunderstandthereasonbetterwhyVeraleftagainnowaftersixyears,themanisfarbetterlookingandfinanciallysecure,attractive,quiteexperienced,mature,verysophisticatedandconfident.
Examinationoftransitivityprocesseswiththemenorthewomanasactorsshowsthattherearemorecasesinwhichmenaretheactorsthanthoserelatedtothewoman(with49over30).ThesimplecountingoftheactorsandtheiractionsshowsusthatthemandoesdomorethingsthanVera,andwecandrawtheconclusionthatthemanplaysamuchmoreactiveroleinhisrelationtoVera.
Sowehavetopursuetheanalysisfurthertocapturetherealitytheauthorwantstoshowusfromhertransitivitychoices.InthetenprocesseswithVeraastheactor,fourofthemarematerialactionintention.Asfortheothersixprocesses,twoarematerialactionsuperventionandthreearementalprocess.Andthereisonerelationalprocess,whichshowsthatVeraiscontrolledbytheman.Whileintheseventeenprocesseswiththemanastheactor,elevenarematerialactionintention.Onlythreeprocessesarematerialactionsuperventionandtheotherthreearementalprocesses.Thisfacttellsusthatalthoughinthe10processesVeraistheactorandhascertainlyplayedthemajorpart,shedoesnotalwayscarryoutthoseactionsactivelyonpurpose.Fortheman,however,heisincontroloftheseprocessesdeliberatelyexceptafewactionsaredoneunintentionally.StillthisanalysisdoesnotdemonstratethekeyrolestheVeraandthemanplayedintheirlife.
Nowletuscontinuetoinvestigatethesedata.InthefourcasesofmaterialactionintentionwithVeraastheactor,therearetwoprocesseswiththemanorhisbodypartaffected.AtoneprocessVeraaffectsherownbodypart;Atanotherprocesssheaffectssomething.Theman,ontheotherhand,affectsVeraorherbodypartsinelevenprocesses.Sincethefactthatintheirencounter,thereareprocessesinwhichVera(orherbodypart)affectstheman(orhisbodypart),wecangetthatthetimesthatVeratakesactiveactiontothemanaremuchfewerthanthosethemandoestoVera(with49over30).Thenwecandrawtheconclusionthatintheirmutualrelationsthemanisatthepositionofcontrollinghisex-girlfriendwhileVeraisjustapassiverecipient.
What’smore,theplotanddevelopmentofthestoryisreflectedthroughagreatnumberofconversations.Intheshortstory,theauthoruses52verbalprocessestoshowthedifferentcharacteristicsoftheheroandheroinesoastorevealthethemeofthenovel.Inthe52verbalprocesses,“he”has32processes,whichisapparentlyamuchlargerpart.Itshowsthatintheirconversation,“he”isincontroloftheprogressoftheconversation.Fromhiswords,wecaneasilyseethatheisanegoistandself-centered.Forexample,“Vera!
”heexclaimed.“Howstrange.Really,foramomentIdidn’tknowyou.Won’tyousitdown
You’vehadlunch
Won’tyouhavesomecoffee”
Attheendofthestory…“Itsimplywasthatweweresuchegoists,soself-engrossed,sowrappedupinourselvesthatwehadn’tacornerinourheartsforanybodyelse.”ThelittlehopeinVera’sheartcompletelydisappearedforheisstillsoself-engrossedashewassixyearsago.Therefore,Veralefthimdecisivelyagain,whichpushesforwardthedevelopmentofthestoryandrevealsthethemeofthestory:
Onewhocaresonlyabouthimselfdoesnotdeservethehappinessoftruelove.
3.2Analysisatthediscourselevel
Focalizationbelongstotheanalysisatthelevelofdiscourseandfreeindirectspeechisexaminedasamarkerofgenderedfocalization.KatherineMansfieldadoptsfemalefocalizationtonarratethestory,reflectingherfeministideologyinherworks.Thispartintendstoanalyzethelimitedpointofviewandfemalefocalizationadoptedbythenarratorinthenovelandtoexplorethefunctionofthisfemalenarrativestrategyintherevelationofthethemeofthenovel.
ADillPickleisnarratedfromthethirdpointofview.However,thefocalizationisnotalwaysexternaltothestory.ActuallyMansfieldusesthewayofinternalfocalizationtotellthestoryfromthefemaleperspectiveandmakesthereaderdirectlyperceivethestorythroughherideology.Soalthoughthenarratortellsthestoryfromthethirdpointofview,thereadercanstillrealizethisisthecharacter’sfeelingbecauseoftheirsimilarity.
Inthisstory,Veraisthefocalizer.Herfocaltargetsareherpastlover,theman,whomshemeetsunexpectedlyaftersixyearsandallkindsofeventsconcerningtheirconversation.Thetextseemstobenarratedbyanexternalnarrator,whiletherearepointswherethenarrativevoiceandVera’sconsciousnessseemtomerge.Throughtheuseoffreeindirectspeech,Vera’sthoughtsandthenarrator’sseemtobecomethesameasin“Incredible!
”wherethesensationsofVeraaredescribedbythenarratorinwordscouldbeVera’sownthoughts.HereMansfieldusesfreeindirectspeechtoexpressVera’sthoughts.Throughthefreeindirectspeech,theauthorshowshersympathyfortheheroineandtheironyforthemannaturallycomesintobeing,whichlaysafoundationforthereaders’emotionforthecharacters.Inthisway,thenarratoradoptsVera’svisiontofocalize,withfewcommentsandintervenesothatitleavesmuchspaceforthereadertoimagineandspeculate.
What’smore,internalfocalizationnotonlyhelpsthereaderhaveagoodunderstandingofVera’sinnerworldbutalsopushesthestoryforwardandreflectsthepersonalitiesofthecharacters.Forexample,“shewasthinkinghowwellsherememberedthattrickofhis—thetrickofinterruptingherandofhowitusedtoexasperatehersixyearsago.”Fromthiswecanseethatsixyearsagothemanwasself-centeredandinconsiderateandnowheisstilljustlikesixyearsago.FollowingVera’smemorythereadersgobacktothepastandhaveagoodunderstandingofherhesitate,melancholyanddisappointment,theyunconsciouslyshowsympathyfortheheroineandunderstandwhysheleftthemanagainaswellaswhyshedepartedsixyearsagosothattheysupportherdecision.
Ⅳ.Conclusion
Inthisthesis,thefeministthemeinADillPickleisinvestigatedwithfeministstylisticsasthetheoreticalbasistoletthereaderhaveabetterappreciationofthebasicstructureofthisstory.Specifically,feministstylisticanalysisiscarriedoutinthisstudyatthesyntaxlevelandthediscourselevel.
Throughtransitivityanalysis,wecanseeVera’sactiveactionstothemanaremuchfewerthanthoseofthemantoVera.Thisimpliesthecarefultrans