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Space Narrative, Subjectivity And Value Reconstruction

Posted on:2009-01-28Degree:MasterType:Thesis
Country:ChinaCandidate:J LiuFull Text:PDF
GTID:2155360245459407Subject:English Language and Literature
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William Faulkner is a famous American writer and winner of Nobel Prize. Chinese Faulkner studies, focusing on his few novels and short stories of early periods, are limited on the issues of the function of"time,"the Southern dreams, modernist narrative techniques and character analysis. New critical theories make Faulkner studies one of the most important literary studies in the world. In his short stories, Faulkner reveals the relationship between space and subjectivity and reconstructs his value world. This brings insights to human beings in the production of space.This thesis consists of five chapters.Chapter 1 reviews Faulkner's career as short story writer and discusses the status quo of Chinese research on his short stories and that of the research on space in literature.Chapter 2 introduces Henry Lefebvre's and Michael Crang's space theories and Chinese scholars'theories of value subjectivity. Lefebvre claims that space is a product, combining actions of the subject. All subjects are in space which they enjoy or modify. Only in space does each idea of value acquires or loses its distinctiveness through confrontation with other values and ideas. Crang thinks that landscape reflects the beliefs, practices and technologies of one culture. The loss of controlled territory threatens people's senses of identity, which increases the feeling of loneliness, making the world more alienating. Chinese scholars maintain that pursuing equal value is announcing autonomy and independence. Self-realization and full development is the common humanity and meta-value of the entire human race. Understanding subjectivity means interpreting the relationship between human and space from the perspective of value and human existence.Chapter 3 analyzes the relationship between space and subjectivity. The subjectivity that pursues equal value and promotes self-realization is positive; otherwise, negative. Space can either promote or depress subjectivity; it can promote the positive subjectivity or the negative subjectivity. Space exerts great influence on subjectivity.Chapter 4 discusses Faulkner's endeavors in reconstructing the value world through the exploration of the relationship between space and subjectivity. American literature always concerns about the human value in the social transition periods. By depicting the social space and its influence on subjectivity, Faulkner stimulates the arousal of humanity and calls for the true, the good and the beautiful. His pursuit for freedom, friendship, equality and full development makes him an outstanding short story writer of the world.Chapter 5 concludes that it deserves further research on how different subjects, having different benefits and values, interact with each other in space to achieve harmonious and happy life. Thus we need to pay more attention to the issue of space and inter-subjectivity.
Keywords/Search Tags:Faulkner, short story, space narrative, subjectivity, value reconstruction
PDF Full Text Request
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