One Tragic Theme From Two Separate Stories:a Comparative Study Of The Abandoned Capital And Tess Of The D’Ubervilles From Tragic Consciousness

Theoretically based on tragic consciousness, this essay will launch a comparative study of Tess of the D’Urbervilles and The Abandoned Capital from the perspective of universality and unlikeness that are shared by human culture and literature.The Abandoned Capital is authored by Jia Pingwa, a contemporary modern writer in China, while Tess of the D’Urbervilles was novelized in1890s by Thomas Hardy from England. These two novels were produced in different times and countries, but they still share similar historical and cultural background—transiting from an agricultural society to an industrial society. The theme of Tess of the D’Urbervilles mirrors the destruction of the farmer class in the smallholder agriculture during the process of capital development, and it also reflects the tragic fate of the farmer during the course of capitalism expansion. The Abandoned Capital portrays people and city life, but its core concern is originated from the rural area. Through depicting rural changes and tradition declines in the transitional period, these two novels demonstrate the authors’similar emotional choice when they encounter the cultural crash and conflicts that were caused by the traditional conventions and emerging modem culture.This paper proceeds from the origin of tragic consciousness both in China and in the western countries, and then it stresses on the impact that tragic consciousness has on literature. Based on that, this paper elaborates tragic consciousness embodied in Tess of the D’Urbervilles and The Abandoned Capital respectively from three angles, namely, tragic plot, tragic background including historical background and the era each novelist lives in, and tragic fate of two male and two female characters. Based on the parallel comparison and in-depth analysis, this paper spots the chronological and synchronous features of tragic fate that the four characters share in a turbulent transitional period. Tess and Tang Wan’er are unceasingly seeking true love but ultimately fail, while Alec and Zhuang Zhidie are constantly craving for redeeming their souls but still trapped in predicament. In the end, this paper analyzes symbolism and metaphors applied in two novels, such as old Prince, machine, sun, flowers and color. From these substantial items, this paper draws out tragic consciousness implied and revealed in them. Thus, through the interpretation of these two novels, the paper points out no matter how distinct geographical, temporal or spatial difference are in human civilization and culture development, human society will always develop according to similar social laws, face similar spirit crises, and chant the same tragedy melody.