The Call Of Freedom:Carnivalization In The Blooad Oranges

As an avant-garde writer of American postmodern literature,John Hawkes has earned a great reputation for his creative and non-traditional writing skills.He not only puts a large number of erotic elements into his works,but also reveals the repression of the society and people's urgent desire for freedom of human nature through the protagonists' inner monologue in his fictional world.The Blood Oranges,published in 1970,is one of his representative works and earns him an award in France.Since the publication of the novel,many scholars whether domestic or abroad have paid much attention to it and analyzed it from aspects including literature form,w:riting techniques,aesthetic strategies etc.However,few of them have ever proposed a connection with Bakhtin's carnival theory.Therefore,this thesis aims to interpret it from this perspective and tries to reveal the carnivalistic features of the novel and explore Hawkes's pursuit for freedom.This thesis is mainly divided into three parts:the introduction,the body part and the conclusion.The introduction includes a brief review of Hawkes's life,the main plot of The Blood Oranges,a summary of recent researches on it,and some key terms of Bakhtin's carnival theory which provides a theoretical basis for the following analysis.The body part consists of three chapters.The first chapter explores the carnival characteristics of Illyria in the novel,which is an island where there are no seasons but sunrise and sunset.In this isolated world,the morality and rules observed in the civilized world can all be suspended.On this island of extraterritoriality,the main characters Hugh and Catherine gradually got rid of the traditional morality and realized their decrowning of their former selves.The second chapter analyzes the carnival language and grotesque images in the novel.In The Blood Oranges,Hawkes challenges the traditional language style of novel by using obscene words,parody as well as a large number of erotic scenes,which makes the novel full of carnival color.What's more,the grotesque bodies of characters and carnival laughter presented in the novel also enhance the carnival atmosphere of the novel.The third chapter reveals the carnival features of the novel from the angles of micro-dialogue and macro-dialogue.The dialogic relationships in the novel exist between different characters,between contradictory selves of Cyril and between the author and characters.In The Blood Oranges,the specious languages of Cyril expose his inner struggles and contradictions;conflicting dialogues between characters reflect the conflict between different values;Hawkes's intrusion into the novel to dialogue with the characters shows his respect for the Other(s).The micro-dialogue and macro-dialogue demonstrate that Hawkes thinks highly of equal dialogue and respects others' will,which also highlights the carnival feature of the novel.The concluding part is a total summary of the carnival features of setting,characters,languages,and dialogic relationships in the novel.And it also emphasizes that Hugh's and Catherine's departure from their former selves in the carnival world reveals their everlasting pursuit of freedom in life.