【作者】 巫绍华；

【导师】 杜吉刚；

【作者基本信息】 南昌大学 ， 世界文学与比较文学， 2011， 硕士

【摘要】 霍桑的《红字》创作于1850年,正值作家思想日趋成熟的年龄。一经发表,便引起了世人的关注。直到今天,仍然有许多人在研读这一不朽的著作。评论者们从不同的角度挖掘出作品所蕴含的不同的主题。讨论的最多的是《红字》的宗教及道德主题,但奇怪的是同时存在着两种绝然相反的观点。一种观点认为作品体现了霍桑对清教的彻底颠覆,另一种观点却认为《红字》中虽然存在对清教的批判的成分,却恰恰体现了清教主义在作家灵魂深处留下的深深的烙印。更有的研究者认为,《红字》体现了霍桑因寻求不到自己苦苦追寻的人类精神出路而产生的矛盾与彷徨。本文正是沿着前人的这些研究成果,对《红字》这部作品进行的再研究,本研究致力于说明《红字》体现的既不是作家对清教主义的完全认同,亦非对清教主义的彻底颠覆,而是体现了作者在高度的社会责任感的驱使下,对人性、对道德的冷峻的思考结果。正如霍桑在作品首次刊印5000本并迅速售罄却拒绝再印时所说的那样,这种书的作用只有在世代相传的阅读中才可能显示出来。这说明霍桑在创作《红字》这部小说时,其思想是不矛盾的,更无彷徨可言。他深信《红字》具有跨越时空的价值,而事实也证明了这一点。《红字》激起了一代又一代人的共鸣与思考。这正是一部不朽的经典作品的特质。本文认为,《红字》是霍桑人文主义清教观的结晶,是作者对所有人类,而非某一个阶级的命运,对人性的深刻的思考,是对理想社会的理想道德的追求与探索的结果。为了不引起曲解,作者在讲述这个古老故事的时候,经常站出来加以说明、解释甚至断言。清教思想是作者乃至整个美利坚民族的精神核心所在,不了解清教主义,便不可能读懂霍桑的作品,甚至不可能读懂美国文学,理解美国文化的实质。而以人为本的人文主义思想体现了作者对人的个性、尊严的尊重,体现了作者对人类所处的精神困境的同情。本文认为,《红字》中的人文主义清教观,既批判了清教的虚伪、苛严的一面,同时也肯定了清教思想中促进社会进步,人类自我完善的一面。霍桑的人文主义清教观是起源于欧洲文艺复兴时期的人文主义思想与殖民地时期清教主义结合的矛盾共同体,同时也深受《圣经》中的博爱思想以及美国超验主义哲学的影响。人文主义清教观贯穿《红字》始末。作者在揭示人性中“恶”的同时,也为人的精神出路作了深刻的思考,因而使得整部作品处处显示出因宗教道德而生的“善”的人性的光辉。全文共六部分,第一部分是导论,包括霍桑及其作品简介、相关文献综述及本文的主要观点；第二部分即第一章讨论了《红字》中所蕴含的清教主义思想及其在作品中的具体体现；第三部分即第二章讨论了《红字》中的人文主义情怀,分析了作者对清教政权、清教教规残酷虚伪的一面及对当时宗教狂热的批判和作者的人文主义思想在人物描写上的具体体现；论文的第四部分即第三章重点讨论了霍桑的人文主义清教观——清教思想与人文主义的冲突与融合在作品中的体现,详细分析了《红字》中人们讨论最多也最感困惑的矛盾性的人物描写；第五部分即第四章则是霍桑的人文主义清教观探源,从历史的角度分析了霍桑人文主义清教观的形成原因。论文的最后一部分是结论部分,总结了《红字》中的人文主义清教观,指出人文主义清教观是作家对人世间真、善、美的不懈追求的结果,以及本研究的现实意义。更多还原

【Abstract】 The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne was composed around 1850, when the writer had come to have established a mature outlook on and obtained an insight into the world and life as well. Once published, the novel aroused enormous interest and received a striking concern. Ever since then, many people have been and are studying the novel, having discovered different themes embodied in The Scarlet Letter, with the major concern focusing on religion and morality. There are, however, two completely contradicting points of view, one of which believes that the work reveals Hawthorne’s rebellion against Puritanism while the other insists that The Scarlet Letter, in spite of the criticism found in it against Puritanism, reflects the fact that Puritanism was deeply rooted in the soul of the author. Besides, some critics hold the view that the novel is the interpretation of Hawthorne’s contrasting attitudes towards Puritanism and morality, resulting in his confusion because of his failure to find for the mankind a spiritual way out.This dissertation is a study of The Scarlet Letter on the basis of the research of the predecessors, aiming to make it clear that the work does not reflect a total acceptance or a thorough overturn of Puritanism, but the result of profound meditation driven by a high social responsibility upon human nature and morality as well. Just as what Hawthorn commented on his work, when he refused to print more copies as the 5000 were quickly sold out after the first edition, that a book like this would not show its value without reading generation after generation., which proves absolutely that there had been no conflicts, no confusion whatsoever when Hawthorne was composing this great work. He believed with no doubt that The Scarlet Letter has its far reaching significance beyond time and space, which has been proved by the fact that there have been continuous studies on this novel that has aroused so great an interest and sympathy of the readers in almost every corner of the world.This dissertation aims to convince people of the point of view that The Scarlet Letter is an interpretation of the humanized Puritanism of Hawthorne. The work shows the author’s great concern about the fate of the whole mankind, not of a class, nor of the people in a specific area. And it is the result of the pursuit of a perfect society with perfect moral standard and the result of his meditation upon and insight into the human nature. Puritanism embodied in The Scarlet Letter represents the author’s moral standard, his awareness of the evil side of the human nature and his opinion of human salvation, while humanism we find in the work illustrates the respect the author shows to personality and human esteem. Hawthorne’s humanized Puritanism criticizes the too stern religious principles and hypocrisy of the puritans and approves of the positive effect upon improving the social development and human self-perfection. This dissertation also studies how Hawthorne’s humanized Puritanism came into being with the conclusion that it is the combination of Puritanism and the humanism originated from the European Renaissance, influenced in the meanwhile by the spirit of universal love of Bible and the native Transcendentalism in America.This dissertation consists of six parts. The first part is an introduction of the main arguments of the paper with a brief account of the author-----Hawthorne and his compositions as well as the concerned literature cited. The second part, chapter one deals with Puritanism embodied in The Scarlet Letter. The third part, chapter two analyzes the humanism ideas found in the novel with a detailed analysis of the author’s criticism against the negative sides of Puritanism and of the specific reflection from the account of the main characters in the novel. Part four, chapter three deals with Hawthorne’s humanized Puritanism on the basis of a detailed study of the fate of the main characters, which is often discussed and is so bewildering that it receives so much misunderstanding. The fifth part, chapter four analyzes the resources of Hawthorne’s humanized Puritanism with a historical perspective as to how this special religious belief came into being. In the last part, also the conclusion of this dissertation, a summary of humanized Puritanism is put forward pointing out this religious belief is result of the author’s pursuit of the true, the good and the beautiful. The realistic significance of this study is also made clear in the conclusion part.更多还原