On The Aesthetic Connotation In Susan Sontag's Literary Works

Susan Sontag is a distinguished and prestigious intellectual as well as famous as a literary critic, a novel and column writer, a composer of film script, a film director, and a social activist. With her academic interests in literature, philosophy, culture, politics, arts, play, photography, etc., she has unique views and opinion on whatever she is concerning about and she also is full of enthusiasm toward mass culture. Because of her special contributions to the modern literary theory, we could not shun her works when we discuss and research into the post-modernism, image theory, disease theory in literature.Today the tendency of wedding literary research into mass culture vista is increasingly palpable, so it is necessary to examine and consult a writer's literary theory when we analyze his/her novel. As for Susan Sontag, her literary theory will unquestionably assist us to profoundly understand her composing process and her works. The threshold of this dissertation is based on Sontag's aesthetic perspectives. With the assistance of her literary theories, this dissertation will elaborately unscramble the discourse of her individual work, and thoroughly probe into the reflection of her aesthetic theory across her works, and completely and objectively investigate her composition thoughts and values in the light of aesthetics, unveil the inner relationship between her aesthetic theory and her composition process and works. This is also the thread impenetrate into the dissertation first midst and last. From this way, this dissertation will obtain the mastery of the theoretical essence and ideological core presentation in Sontag's works.This dissertation has five parts:The first part is an introduction to Susan Sontag as a writer. This part comments and cards the status quo on Sontag research in China and the world, generally present the perspectives and characteristics of this dissertation, and illuminate the academic value and significance of this dissertation. At the same time this part concisely introduces different stages which Sontag'The second part mainly oversees the basic background information about Sontag and especially analyzes her personality and it's influence on her works under the vista of multi-cultures. It is obvious that a writer's composition can not untied to the environment who lives in and the times stamps on his or her works. Sontag's works make no exception.The third part emphatically treatises the exhibition of her prophase aesthetic perspectives, i.e. the presentation of"anti-explanation","silent aesthesis","fascistic aesthesis","new feel", etc in her works. According to her theory, she demand focusing more on the form and style of works than only on the explanation to the content of works.The fourth part discuss the aesthetic characteristics in her anaphase works. In her anaphase works, Sontag is gradually aware of the imperfect in her prophase aesthetic perspectives. During this period her composition gains wider expansion and in her works she mainly advocate neo-historicism and post-modernism in her literary theory and works.The fifth is the conclusion. This part concludes the presentation of her literary theories in her works. This dissertation principally provides Sontag's readers and researchers with a general framework which will facilitate them to comprehend both developments in her literary composition and theories. Amidst the conclusion what is available is my immature outlook and understanding on Sontag, her works as well as her literary theories. There are a thousand Hamlets in a thousand people's eyes. The same is in Sontag research in the eyes of readers. I await new arrival of it.