The Embodiments Of "Literature Of Replenishment" In John Barth's Sabbatical

John Barth's eminence as a postmodernist is undeniable. Much of the scholarship, however, tends to deal with his early works in terms of the theories in mode, such as the absurdist, black humorist, and existentialist and so on. This thesis, in the hope of contributing some new insights to the ongoing Barth criticism, based on his own theoretical construction in "Literature of Replenishment"—an article about postmodernist fiction, changes that by focusing on one of his later works, "Sabbatical"—published in 1982, on which critics have scarcely commented, to explore further the dimentions of his novel and his literary creation philosophy.This thesis is divided into five parts, including three chapters between the introduction and conclusion with each part being unfolded revolving around the the task of "embodiments" as the title shows. According to what is elucidated in "the Literature of Replenishment", three dimensions of the concept are extracted:returning to literary traditions, sticking to the pursuit of artistry, and a synthesis of everything. These three layers, corresponding to the three chapters in this thesis, constitute an accumulative system, in which, the first two, as the cornerstone, lay the ground work for the last one, and underpinned by them, the last one can have a solid foothold to synthesize and to transcendend.Under Barth's framework, "literature of replenishment" can be seen as an eclectic return rather than a rebellion. In a time when no single trend can overpower others and one hundred percent originality and subversion is impossible, a synthetic path is inevitable. To seek compatiblity in order to forge and sharpen the distinctness does not indicate blind and tasteless duplication or even regression, rather, it points to higher aesthetic standards and advanced integration and harmonization of antithesis. Hence the requirements for postmodernist writers should include:erudition in the long line of traditions and current trends, scintillating capabilities in artistic expression and an open mind to accommodate disparate elements. Only with these characters can they take the lead and create great literature.The introduction part first points out John Barth's multiple role in academic circle—an academic writer, a theorist and a teacher, which makes this thesis possible, following a brief review of how "literature of replenishment" is born. Next is a rundown of this article, and three arguments are layed out. First, in addition to modernist tradition, premodernist traditions should also be taken into account when writing postmodernist fiction; Second:delving into the relationship between art and reality remains an integral endeavor, and it will take self-consciousness along with it in a moderate way instead of going to extremes. Meanwhile, postmodern fiction, in Barth's blueprint, continues to hold fast to aesthetic pursuits, he who can fabricate a novel both delicious and high in protein; Actual artists, actual texts, should rise above the superficial conflicts between modernist, postmodernist, formalist, symbolist, realist, surrealist, politically committed, aesthetically "pure," "experimental," "regionalist", "internationalist", and so on. It aims at transcendence and integration.Chapter one, corresponding to the first argument, centers its examination upon Barth's recycle of literary heritages in "Sabbatical". Starting from the discussion of the importance of "time latitude" in the text, this section mainly dissects the genealogical and complicated relationship between "Sabbatical" and its ancestors. The finding is that in terms of narrative structure, Barth makes use of narrative patterns from "Odyssey" and "1001 Nights" and complicates them in the text; in the respect of thematic issues, this thesis is committed to analyzing the two characters' encounters between "past" and "present". As for the enlightenments can be derived from Barth's output, the imperative to return to traditions is under scrutiny, followed by a further discussion on the values of "eternal return".Chapter two is mainly an analysis devoted to how does Barth represent the interplay between art and reality. First, the thesis analyzes the means that are wielded to reflect the uncertainty of reality, which encompass the fictionality and imaginativeness of reality. Then the question of how to make sense of the realtiy is raised. It stresses that, to reflect the uncertainty of reality is for the sake of understanding the world more comprehensively. Proposing three aspects, including being skeptical, applying a mutiple view and respecting subjectivity, this section seeks to illustrate that Barth has embarked on getting rid of previous postmodernist fiction's destructiveness and radicalness to establish an order and human subjectivity through his artistic practice.Chapter three explores how Barth manages to mix disparate elements and march towards synthesis. It begins with an investigation on how "synthesis" gain momentum in metaphorical terms. Then it is unfolded in three aspects:first comes the blend of seemingly conflicting powers:the realistic and romantic, in which the former is achieved by the moulding of typical environment and events that mirror the hallmarks and dynamics of that time in America, and the latter is pursued through rendering not only romantic appeal, but also a unity between form and content; Second is mainly the discussion of the mix of different genres in "Sabbatical", which foucuses on the popularization tendency and the awareness of the readers'taste through the analysis of detective novel genre; Third, the images that Barth extols "algebra" and "fire" are scrutinized. In "Sabbatical", their embodiments, when it comes to "algebra", refer to the form or techniques, and as for "fire", signify the author's artistic inspirations as well as his humanistic and social concerns.The final chapter is the conclusion part. Given the above analysis, the thesis may at least reach the following conclusions:Barth's version of postmodernism under the framework of "literature of replenishment" is synthetic in its approach. "Sabbatical" showcases his tendency to take advantage of a range of resources from the past and present and then realign them alongside each other, and he succeeds in practicing what he preaches in his essay. One of the legacies or the reason why Barth's effort is laudable is the spirit and vision represented by his theorizing and literary practice. Such vision and initiative enables him to look back far enough, to be alive to the dynamics of the present and to look forward in a prudent way. In final analysis, Barth's "the Literature of Replenishment" can be defined as the literature of modification, complement, and refinement.