A Critical Study Of Historicity And Textuality In Schindler's Ark

Thomas Keneally is one of the most renowned Australian writers in the 1960 s.He has published more than thirties novels up to now,among which Schindler's Ark is the most influential one.Schindler's Ark is a historical novel based on true historical event.It is awarded the 1982 Booker Prize,and is adapted into a Hollywood film under the title “Schindler's List” in 1993.The novel tells the story of a German businessman Oskar Schindler who has rescued more than 1,200 Jewish prisoners from the Nazi persecution during WWII.Under the shadow of the extreme social contexts,Oskar Schindler is caught in the middle of power and political competition between nations and races.The course of his rescuing is full of confrontation and life-or-death uncertainties.This thesis tries to explore the historicity and textuality of Schindler's Ark within the theoretical framework of New Historicism.In Schindler's Ark,Thomas Keneallly not only constructs a vivid hero character of Oskar Schindler,but also presents the power mechanism of an individual when he/she is against a system,by reflecting on and reviving Oskar Schindler's legend in history.Oskar Schindler is not a hero in traditional sense.The portraying of Schindler's hero image is an externalization of Keneallly's artistic techniques and his cognition of history.The thesis starts with a general introduction of Thomas Keneally and his work as well as the related academic criticism.Then it comes to a discussion of history and the historical figure Oskar Schindler,followed by an exploration of the connection between historicity and textuality in the novel.Further,the thesis has a detailed study of the characterization of Oskar Schindler in the novel.And finally comes to the conclusion that Schindler's Ark is a projection of the author's artistic philosophy and ideology.It implies Thomas Keneally's humanitarian attitudes towards history and humanity.