A Study Of A Room With A View From The Perspective Of Foucault's Aesthetics Of Existence

Edward Morgan Forster(1879-1970),as a prestigious British novelist and critic in the 20 th century,has dedicated to pursuing physical and spiritual freedom and liberation of individuals.During his whole lifetime,E.M.Forster has written six novels,among which A Room with a View is the lightest and most positive one,attempting to paint a panoramic picture of George Emerson and Lucy Honeychurch's free and independent life.This novel has been analyzed by many scholars from many aspects,however,no one has ever attempted to study it in the light of Foucault's aesthetics of existence.From the perspective of Foucault's aesthetics of existence,this thesis aims to analyze how the personalities and life paths of the protagonists in A Room with a View have been changed by the disciplinary power and how they take care of themselves and mould themselves as the subjects in true reality.In A Room with a View,as a typical woman character of the British middle class,Lucy is deeply imprisoned by the micro power of patriarchal thoughts and the macro power of British middle-class ideology.Therefore,it's hard for Lucy to get rid of the shackles to gain her own consciousness and freedom in the disciplinary society.Since the oppression and restriction are the radical barriers to create a kind of artistic life,the Victorian rules and norms have definitely been the stumbling blocks in the protagonists' quest for freedom and liberation.Under such circumstances,the best way to resist the micro power and macro power generated by the disciplinary society is to apply self-technologies,including transitional experience,somaesthetics construction and spiritual exploration,which is properly reflected in Lucy's process of psychological growth and maturity.To some extent,self-technology is the key approach of aesthetics of existence.In addition,the construction of self-care is the essence of aesthetics of existence,which originates from the inner desire,co-existence with others and reconciliation with the society.Therefore,the protagonists concentrate on their inner feelings,harmony with others and reconciliation with the world forestablishing self-care by casting off secular prejudices and traditional bondage.In this way,they would consequently realize the subjectivity of morality and power,which is the ultimate goal of aesthetics of existence.By interpreting Lucy and George's psychological growth and maturity in A Room with a View based on the theory of Foucault's aesthetics of existence,this thesis intends to provide people with a kind of harmonious and integrated lifestyle in the modern society.