A Study On Disease Writing In The Woman In White

Disease writing can be seen in many literary works.This thesis chooses disease writing as the keyword to analyze Wilkie Collins’ s(1824-1889)representative work The Woman in White(1860)through the theory of narrative and metaphor so as to discuss how disease can be seen as the narrative dynamics in relation to narrative progression and how to convey the metaphorical meanings beyond the disease itself.It explores Collins’ s motive for disease writing in The Woman in White and the social significance of this novel.This thesis consists of four chapters in addition to Introduction and Conclusion.Introduction first presents the life of Wilkie Collins and the plots of The Woman in White in addition to the reasons for choosing the topic.It then reviews the research on disease writing in Victorian literature as well as the studies on The Woman in White,so as to explain the value of this thesis.It finally explains the relevant conceptions involved in this thesis to lay a theoretical foundation for this thesis.Chapter One elaborates on the types of diseases in The Woman in White.Based on the close reading and medical theory,it first sorts out various diseases in the novel and classifies them into two major categories,namely,physical diseases and mental diseases.It further analyzes the specific symptoms of different characters and presents a disease map in this novel.Chapter Two analyzes the narrative function of disease writing in The Woman in White from the perspective of narrative dynamics.It first explores the conflicts caused by the intellectual defect,typhus,and other diseases by analyzing the influence of diseases on the characters’ minds and actions.Conflicts refer to those between characters,within characters,and those between characters and the environment.It further analyzes how instabilities and tensions,caused by conflicts,become the driving forces of the narrative progression.By seeing diseases as narrative dynamics,it finally reveals complex problems such as the imbalance of gender roles,the imperfection of the medical system,and the absence of social justice.Chapter Three focuses on the physical diseases by taking the acute contagious and chronic diseases as metaphors for classes in The Woman in White.On the one hand,it analyzes the metaphorical meanings of Percival’s cough and Mr.Fairlie’s paralysis to discuss the stagnant upper class.On the other hand,it analyzes the metaphorical meanings of contagious diseases of Marian and Hartright in order to point out the unstoppable rising strength of the Victorian middle class.By comparing different metaphorical meanings of different physical diseases,it elaborates on the different attitudes and behaviors of the upper class and middle class in the face of the revolution in the Victorian era.Chapter Four uses the research paradigm of seeing mental diseases as metaphors to interpret the undertones of diseases on gender and moral issues in The Woman in White.On the one hand,it explores the mental diseases of different characters that challenge the traditional sexual roles and unveils the relation of mental diseases to the power of controlling and disciplining.On the other hand,it analyzes the moral metaphors of mental diseases and discusses Collins’ s concerns on Victorian moral issues.At the end of the thesis,it is concluded that disease writing in The Woman in White is Collins’ s reflection on reality,which enriches the form and symbolic meaning of the novel.As an outlet to present Collins’ s experience of diseases,disease writing is used to present a turbulent,criminal and dangerous society and to reveal issues of the social medical system,gender,class,and morality.Therefore,while expressing the author’s personal experience,disease writing also shows Collins’ s concerns about social problems and reflects his humanistic feelings.