An Interpretation Of Female Gothic Characteristics In Hurting Distance

Sophie Hannah(1971-)is a prominent female crime novel writer in England and also an outstanding contemporary female poet.Her three psychological crime novels Little Face(2006),Hurting Distance(2007),and The Point of Rescue(2008)have won full reputation,among which the second novel Hurting Distance(2007)has also been shortlisted for Crime Novel Award in 2008.Hurting Distance(2007)is conducted around two modern women;they eventually achieve self-consciousness awakening despite men’s destruction both physically and mentally.The novel,composed of two parts,choose the moment of female’s self-consciousness awakening as the turning point.Sophie’s conductive talent is ultimately shown applying first-person and third-person narrative,and to develop the plots according to time.As a novelist,she focuses on setting complex relationships for the characters in the novel,and delivering a tense and horrible atmosphere,fully pursue the art of violence and speech competition of her book.Domestic and foreign critics mainly study this novel from the perspective of the psychological story and crime novel.At the same time,this thesis will provide a refreshingly new attempt to the interpretation of Hurting Distance from the standpoint of Female Gothic novels.As a poet,she has published several excellent poetry collections,with the theme of love and horror,her poetry works are deep melancholy or striking.In 2004,she was described as “The New Generation in the World of Poetry.” Among her poetry works,“The Pessimism of the Novice”(2007)was selected as the final list of the T.S.Eliot Poetry Award in 2007.Hurting Distance is revolved around two female characters’ ways of love and freedom.Despite male’s cruel oppression both physically and mentally,they have achieved their awakening of self-consciousness.To indicate particularity of the elements of Female Gothic in Hurting Distance(2007),this thesis analyzes the features of Female Gothic novels,including environment settings,character descriptions,and plot design.Based on the detailed exploration of the text,this thesis analyzes the specific embodiment of Female Gothic elements in Hurting Distance(2008).In addition to the Introduction and Conclusion,this thesis consists of five chapters.The introduction briefly presents her life experience,artistic achievements,and works,and summarizes the research status of Sophie Hannah and her works at home and abroad.The central part of the thesis makes a unique interpretation of the novel and excavates the Female Gothic elements in Sophie Hannah’s story.The following three chapters explore the aspects in detail.Chapter One sets out to introduces the theoretical basis,including the origin and development of Female Gothic novel,as well as its three unique elements.Chapter Two analyzes Female Gothic settings,which include enclosed buildings,wired rainy days,and unique Gothic images in Hurting Distance(2007).Chapter Three is concerned with the Female Gothic characters designed by Sophie Hannah.There are relentless executioners and persecuted female characters,including Stephen,the product of patriarchy,Naomi the rebellious lover,and insane wife Juliet.The author of this thesis highlights the humiliation and mental imprisonment of women in real life and criticizes the cruelty of men.Chapter Four is intended to analyze the Female Gothic plot elements in Hurting Distance.The wired and frightening events make the whole story full of twists and turns.In the conclusion part,the rich writing features and artistic effects of Sophie Hannah’s works are explored to show the aesthetic achievement of Female Gothic novels.This thesis seeks to contribute to the fields of Female Gothic novels in the reading and analysis of Hurting Distance.The thesis also discusses the living state of women in modern society in Sophie Hannah’s works,which leads to contemplation about the relationship between men and women,the status of women,ethics and morality in modern society.