On The Feminist Narrative Of Howl’s Moving Castle

Howl’s Moving Castle is a masterpiece of the British fantasy writer Diana Wayne Jones.The work tells the adventure of the heroine Sophie,who leaves her home to explore Howl’s moving castle.In recent years,some scholars have used narrative theories to analyze the rich connotation of Howl’s Moving Castle.However,they lack the attention on the feminist color of the narration in this work.Guided by the theory of Feminist Narratology,this thesis analyzes the feminist narrative in Howl’s Moving Castle.The author believes that Jones uses various narrative strategies to show the awakening of Sophie’s female consciousness,as well as the characters’ struggle for gaining the authority of female discourse and achieving gender harmony.This thesis first analyzes the awakening of Sophie’s female consciousness in her growth journey and the influence of different spaces on the formation of Sophie’s female autonomy from the perspective of narrative focalization and narrative space in the first chapter.The narrative focalization shows Sophie’s growth from ignorance to maturity.The transformation of narrative space promotes the gradual realization of Sophie’s female autonomy.The second chapter analyzes the struggle of female characters for the authority of female discourse.The female voices in the novel help to redefine femininity and establish the authority of female discourse.The third chapter discusses the cooperation and contradiction between the sexes shown in the work,as well as the role of androgyny in promoting harmony between the sexes.The feminist narrative in the novel reflects women’s struggle for their own happiness and rights,as well as the possibility and necessity of gender harmony.The novel embodies Jones’ concern for the fate of women and the authority of female discourse,and her expectation of achieving gender harmony.Today,gender conflicts are still constant.Through analyzing the feminist narrative connotation of Howl’s Moving Castle,this thesis hopes to discuss the reasonable ways to promote gender equality and gender harmony.