Knowledge in literature with special reference to 'Flowers in the Mirror' and 'Gulliver's Travels' (Li Ruzhen, China, Jonathan Swift)

This thesis makes a study of the phenomenon of knowledge in literature. Important aspects of knowledge are addressed in Chapter One. Two novels, one by a Chinese writer Li Ruzhen and one by an English writer Jonathan Swift, are selected to be the samples of this study. In Chapter Two, introduction is given to the Chinese writer Li Ruzhen and his novel Flowers in the Mirror. Six sections are given to discussing different categories of knowledge and analyzing their functions. Chapter Three is devoted to Swift and his Gulliver's Travels. Six sections are also given to a discussion of varieties of knowledge employed by the author. The functions of each is discussed. In Chapter Four, two common aspects of the two authors are pointed out and four functions of knowledge in literature are further clarified. The whole thesis gives its reader a general perspective of this important literary phenomenon.