A Dialogical Interpretation Of Humboldt’s Gift

As a representative of American contemporary writers after Hemingway andFaulkner, Saul Bellow is engaged in literary creation and has made prominentachievements in his life. Awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in1976, his works areconsidered as the combination of the human understanding and subtle analysis ofcontemporary culture. Humboldt s Gift is Bellow s sixth novel, which depicts thesimilar tragic fates of two generations of American writers, Von Humboldt Fleisher andCharlie Citrine, and exposes the mental anguish and crisis of middle-class intellectualsin affluent America. Bellow retains his consistent writing style in the novel and thetheme of the complexity of modern society and the living dilemma of modern men isexplored totally and deeply.On the basis of Bakhtin s theory of dialogue, the thesis interprets the structuralgreat dialogue and micro-dialogue of language in Humboldt s Gift, reaching theconclusion that dialogue is humans way of existence. This thesis consists of fivechapters. Chapter One is an introduction to Saul Bellow, his major literaryachievements, Humboldt s Gift and the feasibility and significance of this study.Chapter Two is an analysis of the theoretical perspective. The author introducesbasic concepts in Bakhtin s theory of dialogue in detail, including dialogue,dialogicality, great dialogue, micro-dialogue and the connotation of humans dialogicand dynamic existence implied in the theory.Chapter Three, which consists of two parts, is an analysis of the structural greatdialogue in Humboldt s Gift. The first part is to analyze the dialogue between the outerspace and the inner space, from which we can see the damage the materialistic worlddoes to poets poetics and poets pursuit of tranquil life. And the second part is aninterpretation of the dialogue between main characters, from which we can perceive theabnormal interpersonal relationship in the materialistic world and women s change frombeing controlled by men to seeking for discourse power and freedom as well as thecontribution dialogues have made to Citrine s later rebirth.Chapter Four is an analysis of micro-dialogue of language in Humboldt s Gift.This chapter revolves around Citrine s self-dialogue and gradual maturity of thoughts.The author interprets Citrine s dialogue of death, from being bound by death to confronting it bravely; Citrine s dialogue of material and poetics, from being perplexedfor their current relationship to being clear about the future combination; Citrine sdialogue of his religious faith, from which we can see the deep influence of Jewishtradition on Citrine.Chapter Five is the conclusion of the thesis. After the detailed interpretation ofHumboldt s Gift, we see a new Citrine. The author comes to the conclusion: only in thespiritual dialogue with others can one live a full life and get his true existence.