Reconstruction Of Classical And Self-Expression

Jeanette Winterson(1959-)is a distinctive and prolific female writer in the contemporary British literary world.At the end of the 20 th century,she is recognized as one of the most outstanding young British writers.Winterson’s novels reveal the rewriting and reconstruction of various classical texts and historical events.Rewriting is not only the purpose of her self-speaking,but also a means she uses.The reason why Winterson chooses restatement as her writing method is not only because she wants to subvert the classics to dispel the authority,but also because she finds the parts in the classics that fit her own ideas and finds a carrier for self-expression.Her rewriting is characterized by the experience of life experience and the metaphor of reality.Through rewriting,she tries to reconcile the past and the present,fiction and reality,in the creation of self-expression to inspire people to think about the times,which makes rewriting more realistic significance and humanistic color.This thesis consists of introduction,three chapters and conclusion.The introduction part introduces Winterson’s life and creation,combs the domestic and international research situation for Winterson herself and her works,points out the deficiency of the overall research and the details of the rewriting,and briefly explains the research ideas and significance of this paper.The body part is composed of three chapters on why,how and the significance of rewriting.The first chapter analyzes the starting point of Winterson’s recounting is personal life experience and emotional release.From the author’s need of selfexpression,her feminist standpoint and philosophical ideas provide guidance in thinking level for her creation.The possibility of the rewritten text and historical events satisfies her unremitting pursuit of truth.The characteristic of the source text provides room for rewriting.The second chapter mainly discusses how Winterson transforms source text into new text.Restatement is a kind of literary practice to strengthen the author’s creative subject.First of all,the inheritance of the source text is essential.Through parody,Winterson explores the relationship between rewriting and the source text with his own narrative thinking.Secondly,Winterson dispels the shackles of traditional ideas and reconstructs herself by using metaphor and constructing dialogue,and rewrites the text with the characteristic of metaphor referring to reality.Finally,Winterson expanded the theme of rewriting the text,added contemporary thinking about artificial intelligence and human destiny,making the rewritten text rich in the connotation of the times.The third chapter discusses the literary and cultural value of Winterson’s restatement.The rewriting text connects the old culture with the new one and has the dual attributes of cultural inheritance and cultural criticism.In retelling history,Winterson explores the question of historical truth,and magic realism is her means of facing reality.In addition,Winterson demonstrates her gender consciousness through the domination of the body,and the experiential nature of the body narrative indicates her firm pursuit of identity,it was a kind of rebellion against the patriarchy which controlled the social culture.The conclusion summarizes the characteristics of Winterson’s rewriting.She infuses her works with profound personal feelings and life experience,rewriting the text to achieve the ingenious combination of embodiment of life experience and metaphor of reality.It has become her trademark that Winterson has shaped her text into an intricate,ever-expanding system of rewriting.Winterson is committed to deconstructing male authority,speaking up for women and gay community,constructing female subject status,calling for equal love,and affirming the core values of the life meaning and life idea she seeks.