對托尼莫里森小說寵兒中畸形母愛的探討

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1、浙江大學外國語言文化與國際交流學院 碩士學位論文 對托尼?莫里森小說《寵兒》中畸形母愛的探討 姓名：賀淑娟 申請學位級別：碩士 專業(yè)：英語語言文學 指導教師：高奮 20070401 摘要 作為第一個獲得諾貝爾文學獎的黑人女作家，托尼?莫里森對當代文學，尤 其是黑人文學作出了巨大貢獻?！秾檭骸肥峭心?莫里森的第五部小說，她也是 憑此獲得了諾貝爾文學獎。人們從各個不同角度研究這部小說，比如女性主義、 心理分析、文化研究等，其中“畸形母愛”是人們研究較多的主題之一。本論文 旨在全面研究導致畸形母愛的主要影響因素，但不同于以往學者，本論文在分析 其他常見的三個因素之外，著重研究黑

2、人社區(qū)對母愛的影響。 論文首先研究黑人女性主義及托尼?莫里森對“母性”的理解，重點分析愛. 麗絲?沃克提出的“母愛”與白人女性主義的“母愛”的異同。接著，在全面揭 示母女關(guān)系的基礎(chǔ)上，提出并剖析造成畸形母愛的四種原因。前三個原因分別是： 黑人女性養(yǎng)育天性的剝奪、賽思的母愛缺乏、以及奴隸制。論文特別通過對比分 析兩種不同的母愛一-賽思婆婆的壓抑的母愛和賽思本人的充滿矛盾且過于濃 烈的母愛，剖析導致畸形母愛的深層原因。第四個原因是社區(qū)對母愛的影響，論 文特別給予重點討論。在論述社區(qū)作用的雙面性的基礎(chǔ)上，論文深入探討社區(qū)隔 離賽思的原因，“姐妹情誼”的重要作用，社區(qū)男性和女性之間的關(guān)系，以及男 性

3、對母性發(fā)展的影響。通過探討黑人社區(qū)和女性之間既相互沖突又相互依存的關(guān) 系，論文闡釋了社區(qū)影響對走出畸形母愛的重要作用。 關(guān)鍵詞：《寵兒》，黑人女性主義，母性，社區(qū) A Study of Deformed Motherhood in Toni Morrisons Beloved Abstract As the first black woman writer who won the Nobel Prize for Literature, Toni Morrison makes immensurable contributions to the contemporary literat

4、ure, especially black women literature. Beloved is Toni Morrison^ fifth novel, by which Morrison got Nobel Prize in 1993. This novel is studied from different perspectives, such as feminism, psychoanalysis，cultural study and so on. Among all the topics the twisted motherhood is one of the most hotly

5、 discussed. This dissertation is intented to analyze the causes of the deformed motherhood in Beloved, Different from other previous studied, this thesis places special emphasis on the influence of black community on motherhood. This thesis will first study black feminism and Toni Morrison view on

6、 motherhood. Emphasis will be put on black feminism, or womanism, using Alice WalkerJs words. And the differences between white feminism and black feminism will be discussed. Then, after a detailed introduction to mother-daughter relationship in the novel, this thesis analyzes four causes for deform

7、ed motherhood in The first three are deprivation of nurturing nature, Sethe?s lack of mother love, and the slavery system. The thesis pays special attention to two different types of mother-love?ne is Sethe mother-in-law depressed mother-love，the other is Sethe^ paradoxical, strong and oo thick?

8、love that causes the tragedy of this story. The fourth cause?he influence of community on motherhood~~is highlighted in this paper. On talking about the two-sidedness of black community, the paper probes into the reasons of the community exclusion of Sethe，the importance of sisterhood，the relations

9、hip between men and women, and the men^ influence on the development of motherhood. Through discussing the contradictions and interdependence between black community and females, this thesis analyzes the community influence on women getting rid of the deformed motherhood. Key words: Beloved^ woma

10、nism, motherhood, community Acknowledgements At the completion of any thesis, authors have many people to thank, and I am no exception. Without the assistance, support, and encouragement of many people, I never could have completed this work. I am indebted to my supervisor, Professor Gao Fen, who

11、 has rendered me great help during the process of thinking and writing the thesis. Her assistance, encouragement, sincere criticism and frank advice have supported me at every stage, from the inceptive idea of the thesis to its present form. I have also learned a great deal from all faculties in th

12、e School of International Studies of Zhejiang University, especially Prof. Yin Qiping, Prof. Wu Zongjie, Prof. Guo Guoliang and other teachers, whose inspiring lectures and profound knowledge have greatly enlightened me in the past two years. Pm grateful to my friends and my classmates, without who

13、se generous help, it would have been impossible for me to get all sorts of useful information. I want to thank all the authors of the reference books and materials, whose works have provided the inspiration for my thesis and helped me a lot. Finally, I5d say I am also very grateful to my family. D

14、uring the course of thesis writing, they shared with me all the stress and enjoyment. A Study of Deformed Motherhood in Toni Morrison Beloved Part 1: Introduction 1.1 Research Purpose As the first African American Nobel Prize laureate in literature, Toni Morrison has exerted great influent upo

15、n the literary world. Her achievement in fiction and literary criticism has created much space for black and feminist texts. The extent to which Morrison is being studied and the critical attention that her novels have aroused immediately after their publication are extraordinary by any standard. He

16、r novels have inspired a large quantity of reviews, essays and book-length studies on various subjects with different critical methodologies. Beloved is Toni Morrisons fifth novel, which was published in 1987 in New York. It is by this novel that Morrison got Nobel Prize in 1993. This novel is stud

17、ied from different perspectives. Among all the topics the twisted motherhood is hotly discussed from perspectives such as feminism, psychoanalysis, cultural study and so on. Researchers try to find the origin of this mother-love and justify it. This thesis is intented to probe into the distorted mot

18、herhood and the influence of community on it. Different from other previous studied, the author of this thesis will employ black feminism, or womanism (in Alice Walkers word), to study the contradictions and interdependence between black community and females, and the positive and negative influence

19、 of the absence of community on motherhood. 1.2. Research Background A brief introduction to these studies on Morrison and her works seems inevitable before starting my own study. But before making a literary review on the book Beloved, a brief account of the different theoretical frameworks withi

20、n which her novels may be read seems to be necessary. Generally speaking, Morrisons earlier novels in the 1970s often invite feminist approaches, and later deconstruction is a tool frequently used by critics in tandem l A Study of Deformed Motherhood in Toni Morrison^ Beloved with feminist or

21、anthropological perspectives. Critics often concerned themselves with Morrison use of mythic structure and the subject of female self-discovery in her novels. Most notably are Jacqeline de Weever, Cynthia Davis and Jane S. Bakerman. Jacqeline de Weever. **The Inverted World of Toni Morrisons The Bl

22、uest Eye and Sulay\ CLA Journal^ Vol. 22 1979, pp. 402-414; Cynthia Davis. ^Self, Society and Myth in Toni Morrisons Fiction,,) in Toni Morrison, Linden Peach, ed., 1998, pp. 27-42; Jane S. Bakerman. ^Failure of Love, Female Initiation in the novels of Toni Morrison**, American Literature, Vol. 52,

23、1981, pp. 541-563. Psychoanalytic perspective on Toni Morrison^ fiction developed in the mid-1980s, but it is only more recently that critics have pursued their psychoanalytic criticism within a poststructuralist framework Houston A. Baker, Jr. "Knowing Our Place; Psychoanalysis and Sula,y; Jennif

24、er Fitzgerald. 4tSelfhood and Community: Psychoanalysis and Discourse in Belove

25、l. 32, No.2, 1991, pp. 194-210. . In the 1980s, a new development in cultural criticism of Morrison^s work came with an increasing focus on her characters standing at the interface of two or more cultures, just as criticism of Tar Baby has shown. Doreatha Mbalia provides a sustained Marxist discuss

26、ion of Morrison work in Toni Morrisons Development of Class-Consciousness (1991). Doreatha Mbalia. Toni Morrison^ Development of Class-Consciousness, London and Toronto: Associated University Press, 1991. Identifying the principal enemies of the African American as capitalism and imperialism，Mbal

27、ia discovers in Morrison traditional African society positive Marxist principles: hxunanism, collectivism and egalitarianism. Later preoccupations of anthropological and cultural critical approaches to Morrison^ work have been her use of community, myth and jazz and/or blues aesthetics. During the

28、1990s, narratology, feminism and anthropological/cultural criticism have been brought together in discussions of Morrison^ fiction in relation to narrative strategies and female discourses. Just as Linden Peach summaries in his revised edition of Toni Morrison (2000), the latest development in Morri

29、son criticism is the tendency to stress the interconnection of history, memory and trauma in Morrison work. Linden Peach. Toni Morrison, London: MaCmillan Press Ltd., 2000, pp. 172* 3.1 Study on Beloved in the West As to Beloved, the critical essays have been written mostly with the above menti

30、oned approaches. Formalist critics are examining the theme of memory and the role of myth in the novel, and celebrating its innovative techniques. The theme of memory is discussed in Clarence Majors In the Name of Memory, Clarence Major. MIn the Name of Memory**, The American Book Review, VoL9, No.

31、6, January-February, 1988, pp_17. Some scholars notice that many critics overlook Morrison placement of the theme side-by-side with the emergence of a romantic heterosexual couple Sethe and Paul D. As a result, the same topic is discussed in Mary Paniccia Carden^ Modles of Memory and Romance: The

32、 Dual Endings of Toni Morrisons Beloved Mary Paniccia Carden. ^Modles of Memory and Romance: The Dual Endings of Toni Morrison^ Beloved*% Twentieth Century Literature, Vol. 45, No. 4, Winter, 1999, pp. 401-427. and Deborah Ayer Sitter^ The Making of a Man: Dialogic Meaning in Beloved Deborah Ayer

33、Sitter. ltThe Making of a Man: Dialogic Meaning in Belove

34、rican Review, Vol. 29, No. 3, Autumn, 1995, pp. 421-438. in which the authors notice that the discussions of manhood and heterosexual love are notably absent from the critical commentary on Beloved. Morrison thematic concerns are often related to her narrative strategy which is often examined fro

35、m some other perspectives, such as postcolonial theory，which can be seen in Lynda Koolish essay iftra/egies and Cinematic Representations in Toni Morrisons Beloved: Postcolonial Theory / Postcolonial Text.8 Another essay is Mary Jane Suero Elliotfs Postcolonial Experience in a Domestic Context: Co

36、mmodified Subjectivity in Toni Morrison fs which analyzes the decolonization - resisting the colonial perception of self as commodified inferior and developing an empowered subjectivity ?that occurs in a communal context. Mary Jane Suero Elliott. ?Postcolonial Experience in a Domestic Context: Comm

37、odified Subjectivity in Toni Morrisons Beloved% MELUS, Vol. 25, No. 3/4, Revising Traditions Double Issue, Autumn-Winter, 2000, pp. 181-202. As to the role of myth, Elizabeth Houses essay Toni Morrisons Ghost: The Beloved Who Is Not Beloved discusses the work as 4

38、f family ties brought by slavery,> through the use of myth. Elizabeth House. wToni Morrison^ Ghost: The Beloved Who Is Not Beloved^, Studies in American Fiction, Vol. 18, 1990, pp. 17-26 Similarly, in Nameless Ghost: Possession and Dispossession in 沉?，Deborah Horvitz provides a thematic analysis

39、of noting Morrison focus on bonding，bondage， alienation，loss，memory，and mother-daughter relationships. Deborah Horvitz. ^Nameless Ghost: Possession and Dispossession in Beloved% Studies in American Fiction, Vol. 17, No. 2, Autumn, 1989, pp. 157-167. 3 A Study of Deformed Motherhood in Toni

40、Morrisons Beloved The narrative techniques that are discussed most are the use of oral tradition and jazz. In Beyond the ^Literary HabitOral Tradition and Jazz in Beloved^ Cheryl Hall views the work on forms arising from the oral tradition, in which song and story intertwine and are often insepar

41、able. Maggie Sale also talks about oral tradition in his essay Call and Response as Critical Method: African-American Oral Traditions .and BelovedP Philip Page analyzes circles and circle metaphor that dominate the novel in Circularity in Toni Morrison fs Beloved Feminism is an approach often used

42、or tangled with other ones in the critical essays. Feminists are exploring the paradoxical mother-daughter relationship at the centre of the novel, especially from a psychoanalytic perspective. In Beloved A^rra"ve:啊"MofAerJ? M"A：，Lorraine Liscio analyzes a ferninist ideological exploration of femal

43、e experience and Morrison focus on the pre-oedipal mother/infant daughter bond. Cheryl Hall. tlBeyond the Literary Habit: Oral Tradition and Jazz in Beloved**, MELUS, Vol. 19, No. 1, Varieties of Ethnic Critism. (Spring, 1994), pp. 89-95. Maggie Sale. ^Call and Response as Critical Method: Afric

44、an-American Oral Traditions and Beloved^, African American Review, Vol. 26, No.l, Women Writers Isssue, Spring, 1992, pp. 41-50. Philip Page. ^Circularity in Toni Morrisons Beloved, African American Review, Vol. 26, No. 1, Women Writers Issue, Spring, 1992, pp. 31-39. Lorraine Liscio. "Beloved

45、s Narrative: Writing Mothers Milk*\ Tulsa Studies in Womens Literature, Vol. 11, No. 1, Spring, 1992, pp. 31-46 Stephanie A. Demetrakopoulos says in his essay Maternal Bonds as Devourers of Women s Individuation in Toni Morrison s Beloved that the book both thematizes and problematizes the conflic

46、t between history / culture and maternal instincts. Stephanie A. Demetrakopoulos. aternal Bonds as Devourers of Women Individuation in Toni Morrison Beloved*% African American Review, Vol. 26, No. 1, Women Writers Issue, Spring, 1992, pp. 51-59. The theme of women self-identity is also discuss

47、ed, such as Barbara Schapiro The Bonds of Love and the Boundaries of Self in Toni Morrisons Beloved} Barbara Schapiro. 4tThe Bonds of Love and the Boundaries of Self in Toni Morrison^s Beloved1% Contemporary Literature, Vol. 32, No. 2, Summer, 1991, pp. 194-210. Jennifer L. Holden-Kirwan^ essay L

48、ooking into the Self That Is no Self: An Examination of Subjectivity in Beloved explores the question of identity of Beloved and the effects of her identity on her subjectivity, as well as on that of Denver and Sethe. Jennifer L. Hoiden-Kirwan. "Looking into the Self that is no Self: An Examination

49、of Subjectivity in Beloved*% African American Review, Vol. 32, No. 3, Autumn, 1998, pp. 415-426. Feminism and constructivism are often used together. For example, Ashraf H. A. Rushdy holds that in articulating a reconstructive?ritical and hopeful?eminine voice within the fields of revisionist hi

50、storiography and contemporary fiction, Morrison creates daughters5 signifying history. Ashraf H. A. Rushdy. Daughters Signifyin(g) History: The Example of Toni Morrisons Belove

51、n of the novel, one finds that little attention has been paid to the use of myth in this novel, which allows the work to treat the concept of motherhood in a universal sense. Instead, most of the critical works have focused narrowly on the issue of race, and if motherhood enters the discussion at al

52、l, it is most often in the context of slavery. Structuralist and post-structuralist, including deconstructuralist critics of African-American historical fiction would have us read Beloved as less a mimetic or mythic recreation of the real than an entrance into ongoing historiographic discourse. Tho

53、ugh touched by the prevailing postmodern irony toward questions of truth and representation, fiction and history, Beloved and most contemporary novels of slavery are not historiographic metafictions denying the possibility of historical ruth? For these novels, much as for abolitionist slave narrati

54、ves, the burden of communicating an authentic truth remains, and the inherited conviction of slavery5 s evil renders the word of fictional slaves true in a sense not solely epistemological or even political but moral. Postmodern fictions with battles still to fight, though they may center upon quest

55、ions of memory, knowledge, and identity, share with many ethnic, feminist, and postcolonial texts the impulse to create an authoritative voice, not to undermine an already existing one. Thus Morrison calls on writers to deemphasize the institution of slavery and put the authority back into the hands

56、 of the slave. Jeanna Fuston White in her essay points out that Beloved illustrates the construction of subjectivity and presence by deconstructing the foundations that have marginalized and essentialized African Americans. Jeanna Fuston White. ?rom the Seen to the Told’： The Construction of Subjec

57、tivity in Toni Morrison Beloved\ African American Review, Vol. 36, No.3, Autumn, 2002, pp. 461-473. Martha J. Cutter^ essay, through structuralist, poststructuralist, and reader-response perspectives, argues that the narration in Beloved creates a close identification between the main characters

58、points of view and that of the reader which makes the meaning of the text closed, totalized and finalized. Martha J. Cutter. *(The Story Must Go on and on: The Fantastic, Narration, and Intertextuality in Toni Morrison^ Beloved and Jazzf\ African American Review, Vol. 34, No. 1, Spring, 2000, pp. 6

59、1-75. Lynda Koolish. lt To Be Loved and Cry Shame1; A Psychological Reading of Toni Morrisons Beloved"% MELUS, Vol.26, No. 4, African American Literature, Winter, 2001, pp. 169-195. Psychoanalysis is also a perspective often employed not only in relation to the theme and the strategies, but al

60、so tangled with other critical approaches like feminism and constructivism in the book. Lynda Koolish analyzes the main characters?struggle for psychic wholeness in the novel. In A New History: History and Hysteria in Toni Morrison fs Beloved^ by drawing on insights from psychoanalysis and French fe

61、minist ideas about hysteria, Emma Parker argues that Beloved explores the means by which the disempowered and dispossessed express their personal dissatisfaction and political dissent. Emma Parker. *4A New History: History and Hysteria in Toni Morrisons Beloved"% Twentieth Century Literature, Vol. 4

62、7, No. 1, Spring, 2001, pp. 1-19. And Iyunolu Osagie puts psychoanalysis in a cultural context to (de)construct historical records. Iyunolu Osagie. MIs Morrison Also Among the Prophets?: lPsychoanalytic, Strategies in Beloved*% African American Review^ Vol. 28, No. 3, Autumn, 1994, pp. 423-440.

63、 There are other approaches, too. Anthropological and cultural critical approaches to Morrison work have been her use of community，myth and a jazz and/or blues aesthetic. D. Scot Hinson points out that the book identifies slavery and white oppression as the roots of violence in African American com

64、munities. D. Scot Hinson. "Narrative and Community Crisis in BelovecT% MELUS, Vol. 26, No. 4, African American Literature, Winter, 2001, pp. 147-167. In Violence, Homey and Community in Toni Morrison s Beloved^ Nancy Jesser holds that Beloved shows both the dystopian and utopian properties of the

65、space named ome?and the people named ommunity?，which serve as places to gather strength，formulate strategy and rest. Nancy Jesser. ^Violence, Home, and Community in Toni Morrison^ Beloved*9, African American Review, Vol. 33, No.2, Summer, 1999, pp. 325-345. Peggy Ochoa argues that Morrison alle

66、gorical revision of some Biblical passages constitutes ther-speech?，a type of minority discourse related to, but not symptomatic of，the dynamics of religious and / or cultural thering.? Peggy Ochoa. "Morrisons Beloved: Allegorically Othering "White Christianity,\ MELUS, Vol. 24, No. 2, Religion, Myth and Ritual, Summer, 1999, pp. 107-123. Wendy Harding and Jacky Martin talk about symbolism in cultural context Wendy Harding and Jacky Martin. ^Reading at the Cultura