An Analysis Of The Characters' Manners Of The Portrait Of A Lady From The Perspective Of Pragmatism Philosophy

Henry James is a great novelist,dramatist and literary critic of the 19 th century.He has an important position in the history of American literature.The Portrait of a Lady is one of his masterpieces.Pragmatism is one of the most influential philosophical schools in the world today.It originates in the United States.Pragmatism,as a philosophical movement,is closely related to the growing spirit of American society,the real life and practice of human beings,and embodies a unique spiritual resource and cultural style of American localization.It has played a great role in promoting the development of the United States.The source of the early thought of pragmatism can be traced back to Emerson,the 19th-century American Transcendental thinker.Owing to the work done by Pierce,James and Dewey,it has developed into a sense of significance and the theory of truth based on a reasonable human life vision.Based on the complex tradition of pragmatism,Richard Shusterman,an outstanding scholar of humanities at Atlanta University in the United States,enumerates ten basic principles that embody the essence of pragmatism.Based on the analysis of the theme of The Portrait of a Lady,this thesis mainly studies the behavior of characters.Therefore,it chooses three principles of Schusterman's pragmatism as the theoretical basis: emphasizing action,emphasizing utility,advocating enterprising,and emphasizing personal value.This thesis is divided into three parts that includes introduction,main body and conclusion.The first part introduces literature review.It also explains the significance of the topic.The second part is divided into four chapters.The first chapter introduces the theoretical foundation.At first,it introduces the emergence and development of pragmatism.Due to the unique social history of the United States and the inheritance and development of European philosophy and science,pragmatism emerged.Then it introduces the connation of pragmatism that emphasizes the action and reality.Finally it analyzes the main principles ofShusterman.The second chapter is based on the emphasis on the action,which shows Isabel emphasizes the reality and pursues independence.Pragmatism emphasizes that philosophy should be centered on people's problems,with special emphasis on people's actions.Isabel insists on understanding Europe through her own actions,which reflects her pragmatic spirit.And Isabel refuses to propose marriage on behalf of the traditional constraints of the two suitors,through this action shows her pursuit of independence.The third chapter is based on the emphasis on the enterprising philosophy to pursue the personal value.The world is changing.People should continue to make progress,study new situations,and solve new problems.Isabel is not depressed when she faces the setback of marriage,but pursues happiness through her own efforts.The fourth chapter is based on the emphasis on the utility,which shows interest supremacy.American spirit emphasizes people should seek truth and strive hard.Isabel feels overwhelmed by the money.Because of the property,she becomes the goal of Madame Merle.The positive significance of utility principle lies in that encourages Americans to be free from the exiting principles and to innovate according to the current situation.However,it also plays a negative role,which causes Madame Merle and Mr.Osmond to run after profits too much and misunderstanding the real meaning of happiness.The last part is conclusion.The study finds that by depicting the manner of the characters,Henry James portrays a picture of the American native spirit for the readers,suggesting that Americans society is a pragmatic society,showing the American people's spirit of action-oriented,practical-oriented and enterprising.As former U.S.Secretary of State Henry Kissinger put it,pragmatism represents the American spirit,and American realism and ambition are fostered by pragmatism.The pragmatism caters to history,grasps the times,and coincides with the development of American society,and is finally accepted by the American people.