From Compliance To Independence-the Awakening Of Feminine Consciousness In Miranda Stories

Katherine Anne Porter(1890-1980)is a distinguished novelist,born in a catholic family in southern America.Her fame mainly rests on short stories,whose writing skills are proficient and exquisite.It is acknowledged that Porter is a stylist,for she often successfully depicts and expresses the figures' complicate emotions and mental activities in short length.In 1966,Katherine Anne Porter was awarded Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and National Book Award for her most important works The Collection of Short Stories.The collection includes 27 short stories,nine of which are Miranda stories consisting of Old Mortality,The Old Order and Pale Horse,Pale Rider.Miranda stories are set in the background of southern America,describing the life and figures in Miranda family.From Miranda's point of view,Miranda stories give an account of the life experience of three generations of females in Miranda family,including Miranda's grandma,aunt Amy and Eva and Miranda herself.Much attention is attracted since the collection was published.Critics all over the world study it in different ways from kinds of perspectives.In terms of the study of the themes of her novels,there are death,naturalism and feminism themes.As the female consciousness in Miranda stories pervades,the studies on the feminism mainly concentrate on analyzing the confusion and obstruction the female figures confront when they seek new order,their struggling between ideals and reality and the great pressure they are faced with as they attempt to pursue independence and freedom.Though fruitful achievement on the studies of feminism have been achieved,most studies are concentrated on one of the stories and explore the living conditions of the female figures in patriarchal society in southern America.Combined with the background of Potter's life and feminist movement in the United States,the paper will analyze the existence status and the images of female characters in Miranda family,and explores the process of the awakening of female consciousness,which will help comprehensively uderstand Poter's works and her female consciousness.The thesis has five parts.Chapter One is an introduction ofAmerican feminist movement and Katherine Anne Porter a,including her works,the research status at home and abroad and a brief overview of her Miranda stories.It will show the significance of studying lying in exposing the process of awakening of feminist consciousness in Miranda stories.Chapter Two expounds the developement of feminist movement,such as women's political rights and aspirations for escaping old family and acquaring sexual liberation,and briefly introduces feminism criticism and its related terms.Besides,this part also explores the Porter's feminist consciousness through some letters and marriage experiences of her,through which we can better conclude the feminist consciousness permeating in her stories.Chapter Three respectively analyzes the female images of grandama Sophia,aunt Eva and Amy in Miranda stories,aiming to explore the females existance status and the influence of feminist movement in America on the women in southern society.Chapter Four expounds Miranda's process of growth,from an innocent little girl to an independent new women after some hard experience in her life.Chapter Five sums up how three generation of femal in Miranda family went through a long road to the awakening of feminist consciousness,from compliance to independence.Connecting Porter's life experience and feminist movement in America with her Miranda series,Miranda Stories present various female figures' images and their process of awakening of feminine consciouness,which well reflects the long and hard course of the females seeking freedom and independence in American history.It also helps us to deeper learn Katherine Anne Porter's works and her own consciousness of feminist.