King Lear-Studies In New Historicism

New Historicism is one of important literary criticisms that started in 1980s, when Euro-American literature critics were interested in Renaissance. This critic mode is contrast with Euro-American positivism and text study of twenty century. It is a new critic method, challenging all kinds of formalism and traditional historicism. This paper begins with M.H.Abrams's theory of four essential factors that includes "word, art, writer and reader", and explains and analyses the viewpoints and the features of New Historicism. By this way, I review in details New Historicism critic's different views on literature and investigate the advantages and disadvantages of this kind of critic method in the western literary criticism of whole century. At the same time, connecting with the actual condition of King Lear study, this thesis puts forth effort to discuss the way of reading in terms of New Historicism and attempt to reveal its hint role for literature study.The thesis consists of three parts. The first part focuses on New Historicism critic on literature and its characteristics. The mode of New Historicism concentrates on recovering the history factor and lays claim to text in big social language environments. It realizes the transferring of twenty century study: writer center-work center-reader center-society center. It carries out a new rule in the practice namely "poetry of science", and places themselves in the big culture system and takes on elegant appearance.The second part chooses time as clue and makes New Historicism critic carded. When talking about the relevant studies for King Lear accomplished by critic schools, the paper puts great emphasis on pointing out the new characteristics on the study of King Lear since 20th century, and makes good preparation for the study of King Lear in terms of New Historicism.New Historicism critic has cleaved a new path to develop western literature critic on a certain meaning. It actively melts into the ocean of culture study and wins a seat's ground. It paces back and forth between culture study and literature study, entering economically, politically, social problem level. New Historicism critic advocate a kind ofsynthesizing thought mode, and also can be seen the stir for fine course thought. New Historicism critic is many-faced poetry science mode, which transfers from writer center to text center. The third part of the paper is the tragedy King Lear—Studies in New Historicism, It shows that King Lear is a kind of character tragedy, and still more a social one. It is a dirge for feudal society, which is filled with naked historical metaphors. In my opinion, New Historicism critics pay more attention to politics ideology of literature. They study both subvert and restrain and dig into ten essence. According to the characteristic of the ideology of New Historicism, I go deep into the analysis of power discourse in King Lear.Finally, even if there exists many flaws in New Historicism, the cultural strategy and the criticism practice of King Lear urge us to rethink our culture.