"collector" In The "self" Theme

The truth of intellectual life, human destiny, and human nature has always been the quest of literature. Probing into the "self" has become the enduring subject of western literature. In the 20th century, traditional belief and value of the western world were challenged by the outbreak of two world wars and the impact of industrialization. Under such social context, the relationship between man and the world, man and man, man and the "self" has changed greatly. Fowles is deeply concerned with the predicament of humanity in modern civilization. In The Collector, Fowles not only observes the dilemma of human existence, but he also connects it to the social reality. In terms of existentialism, Fowles portrays characters in isolation with inferiority and split personality to show the predicament of human existence with the ubiquity of self-alienation. On the other hand, in the social historical context, Fowles explores thoroughly the root causes of the alienation of the "self"—the conflicting relationship between man and society, man and man resulted from the inflated desire for material wealth and the lack of faith. Besides, in accordance with the existential tradition of endowing individuals in dilemma with the freedom of action, Fowles also tries to discover the specific measures to achieve freedom of the "self", such as resistance, introspection and the education of the "self" on the others. Fowles's representation of the subject of "self" in The Collector inherits and transcends the western tradition. Fowles inherits the traditional western concept of pursuing an independent and a free "self". While on the other hand, Fowles gives priority to the study of social and historical context, with such understanding he brings about the concepts such as "situation" and "the other" on which the freedom of the "self" is built up. Fowles's criticism towards heroism and egocentricism also shows his improvement of the concept of the "self". Thus, the interpretation of The Collector also aims at exploring, spreading and learning western culture. At present, our country stands in a transitional period from a traditional agricultural society to a modern industrialized informational society.During such period, the clashes between the new culture and the old one and the flourishing of the material wealth might result in the absence of belief and the distortion of human nature. Therefore, thematic analysis of the "self" in the The Collector, aiming at drawing on the spirit of the western culture, features theoretical value and social significance in the process of constructing Chinese modern cultural values while mediating the relationship between man and the world, man and the "self" at the historical moment of the transition.