Interpretation Of The Shipping News From The Perspective Of Cognitive Poetics

Annie Proulx is one of the most influential contemporary writers in America. The short story—The Shipping News was published in1993, which received widespread concern. In the same year, it won the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in the following year. In recent years, the study of the novel has mainly concentrated on ecological criticism. The author of this paper attempts to interpret The Shipping News from the perspective of cognitive poetics, employing figure-ground theory in it, represented by Peter Stockwell. The author tries to make a detailed analysis of how reader’s attention focuses on the protagonist Quoyle and resonate with him from a new perspective. It is because of Quoyle’s prominence in all respects that he completes the process of self-construction. Besides, the thesis also proves that figure-ground theory is of great power to interpret literary text.Figure-ground theory was first proposed by the Danish psychologist Rubin. It is based on highlight principle. Figure is the prominent part of the cognitive concepts that gets the most attention. Ground is the part that sets off the figure. Figure and ground can not be perceived simultaneously. With complete shape, structure and coherence, figure is the prominent part of perception. Thus it is inclined to draw attention. Ground is the undifferentiated part with vague details, inclined to be neglected. In cognitive features, the counterpart of prominence is reader’s attention it attracts. In the dynamic process of reading literary works, readers transform their attention constantly to define figure and ground.The Shipping News tells the rebirth story of a failed middle-aged man named Quoyle. A third-rate reporter in Mockingburg, New York, ugly, dull, he has not got approval for over thirty years. After the collapse of life and marriage, the strong-minded aunt comes to his side. He takes his two young daughters along with the aunt to the ancestral home in Newfoundland. There, Quoyle begins to become courageous, self-confident, gaining success in career as well as beautiful love. It is a typical story of ordinary people. However, in the process of self-construction, the tiny feelings and experiences in the mind make countless ordinary readers resonate with him.The thesis is divided into five chapters. The first chapter is a brief introduction of Annie Proulx’s life, her writing career and The Shipping News, literature review and the research method are also included. The second chapter is the basic framework of figure-ground theory, which is the theoretical support. The third chapter makes analysis of Quoyle in Mockingburg by employing figure-ground theory and its relationship with reader’s attention. The fourth chapter is the analysis of Quoyle’s prominence in psychological change, love and career in Newfoundland, which makes readers focus on him. The fifth chapter is the conclusion of the paper. Precisely because Quoyle’s prominence in psychological change, love and career and reader’s attention focuses on the main image, readers are impressed by the rebirth course and resonate with him. Meanwhile, it also proves that figure-ground theory is of great power to the interpretation of literary text, providing a new perspective for the interpretation of literary works.