哥特小说和艾米丽的《呼啸山庄》英语专业毕业论文.doc

哥特小说和艾米丽的呼啸山庄【关键词】 呼啸山庄；艾米莉?勃朗特；哥特手法. IntroductionGothic is a popular topic in literature in terms of a literary genre, and so are the works, which received and are receiving critics all the time. The word Gothic is originally the name of a Germanic tribe living in northern Europe in the third century which sacked Rome and also ravaged the rest of Europe in the third, fourth, and fifth centuries. For this reason the tribe was described to be cruel, rude, and vicious by the Romans. Then one thousand years later, the term applied to a style of medieval architecture (Gothic architecture) and art (Gothic art). The Gothic architectures are mainly churches and castles with high pointed roof, thick walls, narrow windows, and colored glass. With the influence of renaissance, the word got the meaning of savagery, remoteness, and darkness. In the eighteenth century, the term “Gothic”came to be applied to the literary genre precisely because the genre dealt with such emotional extremes and very dark themes, and because it found its most natural settings in the buildings of this style  castles, mansions, and monasteries, often remote, crumbling, and ruined. It was a fascination with this architecture and its related art, poetry, and even landscape gardening that inspired the first wave of Gothic novelists.Gothic literature grew popular in the Victorian era. Though in some novels, Gothic played itself out and declined into cheap horror, in many ways, it is at that time that Gothic entered its most creative phase. In many novels, Gothic is used, such as The Tale of Two Cities, written by Dickens, Jane Eyre, written by Charlotte Bronte, etc. Gothic provides readers an appreciation of the joys of extreme emotion, the thrill of fearfulness and awe inherent in the sublimity, and a quest for atmosphere. Wuthering Heights is Emily Brontes only novel. It was first published in 1847 under the pseudonym Ellis Bell, and a posthumous second edition was edited by her sister Charlotte. The name of the novel comes from the Yorkshire manor on the moors on which the story centers. The narrator tells the tale of the all encompassing and passionate, yet thwarted love between Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw, and how this unresolved passion eventually destroys both themselves and many around them. At the debut of the novel, its reception to the public was overwhelmingly negative. Wuthering Heights is a strange, inartistic story. And Wuthering Heights is a strange sort of book and his work Wuthering Heights is strangely original. These brief quotes show that early critics of Emily Brontes first edition of Wuthering Heights, found the novel baffling in its meaning , they each agreed separately, that no moral existed within the story therefore it was deemed to have no real literary value. However, gradually with its strong charm of art, Wuthering Heights gains its fame. It is reputed by Maugham as the Top Ten novels in the world. And also in 2002 it deserved the high prize given by the Norway literary circles as one of the 100 Greatest Books ever written. And in Woolfs eye, Emily stands as a poet as well as a novelist, as Emily created a moor where the wind blow and the thunder roar. A Survey of Gothic NovelA. Definition of Gothic NovelThe Gothic novel, or in an alternative term, Gothic romance, is a type of prose fiction which was inaugurated by Horace Walpoles The Castle of Otranto: a Gothic story and flourished through the early nineteenth century. Some writers followed Walpoles example by setting their stories in the medieval period; others set them in a catholic country, especially Italy or Spain. The locale was often a gloomy castle furnished with dungeons, subterranean passages, and sliding panels; the typical story focused on the suffering imposed on an innocent heroine by a cruel and lustful villain, and made bountiful use of ghosts, mysterious disappearances, and other sensational and supernatural occurrences. The principle aim of such novels was to evoke chilling terror by exploiting mystery and a variety of horrors. Many of them are now read mainly as period pieces, but the best opened up to fiction the realm of the irrational and of the preserve impulses and nightmarish terrors that lie beneath the orderly surface of the civilized mind. The term “Gothic” has also been extended to a type of fiction which lacks the exotic setting of the earlier romances, but develops a brooding atmosphere of gloom and terror, represents events that are uncanny or melodramatically violence, and often deals with aberrant psychological states.B. The Origin of Gothic Novels1. Historical ReasonsThe word “Gothic” came from the name of a Germanic tribe. Goth was famous for their barbaric and brave character. They invaded into Roma during the 3rd and 5th century and founded many kingdoms. About one thousand years after the ruination of Roman Empire,an Italian named Vasari used the word“goth” 1 to name a kind of architecture style in Medieval Age, which was featured by pointed arches, heavy walls, dark rooms, terrible paths, etc.2. Development of the Novel ItselfUnder the influence of some philosophers in renaissance, the word “Gothic” was used to mean wild, barbarous, crude, mystery, dark times, medieval, etc. In the middle of 18th century, the word began to be used to describe a new kind of novel. The name of “Gothic novel” 2came first from Horace Walpoles novel The Castle Otranto, whose subtitle was a Gothic storya story about the decline of a family in a medieval old castle. This novel influenced the early Gothic novels in many aspects, such as background, theme, plots, characters, artistic methods, etc. After Horace Walpole, there appeared many imitators. By the 1790s, the Gothic novels had been established formally as a literature genre and developed into a literary trend in England as well as other countries in Europe and America. Thus the 1790s was called the “Gothic Decade” in history. Emilys Gothic Heritage in Wuthering HeightsThe story of Wuthering Heights is concerned with two symmetrical families and an intruding stranger. The Earnshaws rough in manner; include Mr. Earnshaw, his son Hindley, and his daughter Catherine. They live in their old house, Wuthering Heights, up in the folds of the moor. The Linton family, richer and more genteel, includes Mr. Linton, his wife, his son Edgar, and his daughter Isabella, and they live down in a neighboring valley at Thrushcross Grange. One day Mr. Earnshaw brings home a gypsy looking little boy who was found in the streets of Liverpool. Catherine loves Heathcliff, While Hindley hates him, being jealous of his fathers fondness for the stranger. After the death of Mr. Earnshaw, Hindley degrades Heathcliff in every way he can. Heathcliff grows brutal and sullen, and Catherine turns from him to the mild Edgar Linton. Heathcliff runs away and returns when Catherine has become Edgars wife. Heathcliff is now rich and is determined to take revenge on Hindley and the Lintons. Between Heathcliff and Edgar, Catherine becomes distracted. She gives birth to Edgars daughter and died. Heathcliff turns Hindley into a drunkard and gambler and wins all his professions so that Hindleys son Hareton becomes a pauper in his house. Moreover, he continues to marry Edgar Lintons vain and silly sister Isabella, and marries Lintons daughter, the younger Catherine, to his own perish ailing son, Linton Heathcliff. But Catherine and Hareton, who love each other, fail all his revenge. Heathcliff dies a defeated man. After his death people see the ghosts of Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw roam on the moor.A. ThemeThe theme of the novel. First of all, its theme deals with hostility, and fights for heirdom. Heithcliff was a child adopted by Catherines father. Most of the family members disliked him and isolated him except Catherine. She made friends with him and played with him on the moors happily. They resisted Hindleys oppression together after Hindley became the ruler of the family. Consequently, they became close lovers. Just at that time, a rich and handsome man named Linton appeared, and because of his social position and wealth, he successfully married Catherine. Losing Catherines love made Heathcliff sad and he left Wuthering Heights secretly. After obtaining a high social status and enough wealth, he returned back home to carry out his plan of revenge. He dominated Wuthering Heights, and made Hindleys son Hareton become ignorant and barbaric just as how Hindley had treated him before. In order to obtain Lintons Thrushcross Grange and wealth, he forced his son to marry Cathy so as to grab the heirdom of Thrushcross Grange. From the content of this novel, we can see clearly that the theme of Wuthering Heightsrevenge and fighting for heirdomtypically belongs to the traditional Gothic theme.B. Characters Description1. Villain-HeroThe characters described in Wuthering Heights belong to Gothic mode. Heathcliff who is loved as well as hated by readers is derived from the “villain-heroes” in Gothic novels. We can trace the villain-hero back to Byrons poems, such as Child Harolds Pilgrimage, Don Juan, etc. “He is a fertilizing energy and profoundly attractive, and at the same time horribly destructive to civilized institutionalism.”3 It is Byron who firstly described the appearance of villain-hero: he has dark skin, strong body, a pair of horrible eyes; his behavior is changeable and unpredicted; sometimes he is sad, but sometimes is irritable. Heathcliff, created by Emily Bronte, obviously contains all of these characteristics. He is very mild and tender towards his lover Catherine. But he treats other people, including his own son, cruelly and barbarously. The term “villain-heroes” is a conflictive address. Although they are evil, cruel and horrible, yet they often arouse peoples sympathy even their admiration. The reason is that their evils are not initiative, but because the social pressure. They stand for the challenging and destructive power and embody the strongly resisting and vanguard spirits. Therefore, Heathcliff is not just like villain-heroes in appearance, but he can be called the representative of villain-heroes in his behavior and spirits. In many readers eyes, Heathcliff is the biggest evil in the novel, which brings many sufferings to the two families and causes great tragedy to the people around. However, if we consider it more deeply, we can see that Heathcliff is undoubtedly a victim: he is treated inhumanly by Hindley in his childhood and deprived of the right to receive education. Although he and Catherine become lovers, yet their love is interfered by Hindley, Linton and the social morality power. Finally, Heathcliff loses his lover and dies because of his 18-yearsmental torture and violent revenge. From all of these, we can see that Heathcliffs hostility and revenge are the derivative of his frustrated love.2. Catherine Earnshaws Split PersonalityKey character in Wuthering Heights is the heroine, Catherine Earnshaw. The free spirit of Emily Bront; is epitomized in Catherine, who, as a child, could ride any horse in the stable, and in later years rides roughshod over everyone who tries to stand in her way. Beautiful, wild, arrogant, and willful, Catherine is a fitting companion for the arrogant and vindictive Heathcliff. Her love for him and the moors is the ruling passion of her life. While she may appear heartless when she chooses to marry Edgar Linton, she thinks that by so doing she will be able to lift him from the degradation into which he has been thrust by Hindley.There is one occasion showing Catherines wildness. When Nelly refuses to leave her and Edgar in the room alone, Catherine tries to push her out of the room and pinches her arm, leaving an ugly mark. When the baby Hareton complains about “wicked Aunt Cathy”, 4 she shakes him until his teeth rattle, and Edgar tries to intervene. She denies she pinched Nelly, but Nelly shows Edgar the mark. Livid with fury, Catherine boxes Edgar ears. Edgar is horrified to see this other side of Catherine, capable of telling lies and becoming violent. Emily uses the description of female Gothic to show that the nature of human beings has two sides. No one is perfect and one is bound to have his or her ugly side. Although she is married to Edgar, she is clear that her love for Heathcliff is remembered with deep gratitude:If the wicked man in there had not brought Heathcliff so low, I shouldnt have thought of it. It would degrade me to marry Heathcliff now; so he shall never know how I love him; and that not because hes handsome, Nelly, but because hes more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same; and Lintons is as different as a moonbeam from lightning, or frost from fire.5Here Emily employs the image of the nature to symbolize the differences between Heathcliff, Catherine, and Edgars nature. In the world of Emily, there is no distinction between the good and the evil. Catherines love for Heathcliff is unparalleled:My love for Linton is like the foliage in the woods: time will change it, Im well aware, as winter changes the trees. My love for Heathcliff resembles the eternal  rocks beneath: a source of little visible delight, but necessary. Nelly, I am Heathcliff! Hes always, always in my mind: not as a pleasure, any more than I am always a pleasure to myself, but as my own being.6The extraordinary love hardly appears in any Gothic novels, in which the love is always condensed or mentioned casually. Compared with the ordinary Gothic characters, the hero and heroine in Emilys Wuthering Heights own more true feelings and fresh vigor. Catherines mixed and conflicted attitude towards her marriage splits and tears her. The anguish verging on collapse and the ravings in morbid state differ from the old Gothic tradition and pave the way for Gothic novels. Emily Bront, observes people from the angle of the feminist portrays her characters from the aspects of female Gothic, and therefore brings us the shock of supernatural strength as well as the vivid portrayal of the hero and the heroines. The further research for the psychology of the Gothic characters develops the shallow horror-making technique in the old Gothic novels and so softens the primitive, pure terror to some extent. It leaves the readers more room to develop their own thought and enhances the depth of thought and the aesthetic awareness in Gothic novels.C. Environment and Plot1.TerrorEmily Bronte adopts Gothic method to describe Wuthering Heights and its surroundings at the very beginning. “The narrow windows are deeply set in the wall, and the corners defended with large jutting stones.” 7 Also, Wuthering Heights is built alongside the moors; its station is exposed in stormy weather. Through the narration of Mr. Lockwood, winds whip across the barren fields and make the growth of the tr