| As a forerunner of American modern literature, Ellen Glasgow(1873-1945) has played an important role in the transition from Victorian literature style to modern style. Barren Ground is regarded as the representative masterpiece by the literary celebrities, and is also thought as one of the most successful novels.Functional Stylistics has gained continuous development and application since 1970 s. Its core is three metafunctions, which are ideational function, interpersonal function, and textural function, among which the ideational function is realized by the transitivity system. In the past hundred years, however, few scholars have explored Glasgow‘s works from the perspective of Systemic-Functional Stylistics. Ellen Glasgow has not been given enough attention by Chinese scholars, while most researchers abroad focus on biographical studies, thematic studies, southern writing features, and feminism studies of Glasgow‘s works, and related research methods are centered upon narrative study.Therefore, this thesis tries to combine this linguistic framework with literature criticism and verify its unique functions in interpreting novels, so as to enrich the study methods in literature studies and verify the uniqueness of Systemic-Functional Stylistics in literature discourse analysis. In addition, this provides a new perspective to study Ellen Glasgow, so as to demonstrate her significant status in the transition period of American history and to enrich related studies in China.In this essay, seven typical experts from the three chapters of the novel are selected to explore the new woman image of the heroin Dorinda Oakley by the transitivity analysis of processes in clauses under the help of the UAM Corpus Tool from www.corpus4 u.org. The current study starts from reviews of the current research situation for Ellen Glasgow and Barren Ground as well as transitivity and literary texts abroad and in China, and the theoretical framework of Systemic-Functional Stylistics and transitivity theory. Through the analysis of material processes, mental processes, relational processes and other three processes, as well the analysis of specific vocabulary, Dorinda‘s new woman image is gradually formed from the germination of feminist self-awareness in the first part, to the growth of feminist self-consciousness in the second part, to the final realization of the new woman image in the third part. ?New Woman? refers to those who try to break through tradition rules and secular restrains with feminine self-consciousness awakening during the social transition in America from the late 19 th century to the early 20 th century under the influence of progressivism. Dorinda is a representative New Woman during the shift from agricultural to industrial society in America, and also a pioneer against tradition rules. Dorinda has both traditional and modern characters, and with unyielding fortitude, hardworking devotion, and courage to accept new agricultural technology, she has made prosperous farms out of the barren ground, and became independent of her cause and of her mind. However, the specific historical and social environment leads to the limitations of Dorinda‘s new woman image. Facing the oppression and influences from the traditional and masculine society, Dorinda could not become the absolutely new woman in its true sense.Not only does this thesis shows the effectiveness of transitivity analysis in literary text, but also the objective data help with the objective and comprehensive interpretation of the novel. In addition, Halliday‘s Systemic-Functional linguistic theory also provides linguistic foundations for the study of Ellen Glasgow‘s works. |
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