A Study on The Remains of The Day From the Prospective of Existenialism开题报告

1. 研究目的与意义

Kazuo Ishiguro, an eminent Japanese-born English writer, is the newly Nobel Prize winner. He has altogether written six novels, all of which enjoying great popularity. His works have been translated into various languages and have a great impact on people all around the world. However, at present, not many researches on Kazuo Ishiguro and his works have been done. The Remains of the Day, considered as his masterpiece, is distinguished from his other works for its English background. Since its publication, studies have been made on it from various prospectives, including the narrative method, post colonialism, feminism and cultural background. However, there are few studies on this novel from the prospective of existentialism. Existentialism, originally a philosophical theory, has gradually been applied to literature. It mainly focuses on men#8217;s existence in this world, containing such concepts as the world is absurd, mankind make their free choices and others are hell. In the novel The Remains of the Day, the protagonist Stevens lives in an absurd society and has alienated himself from others for his own pursuit of dignity, but in the end, he finds the real meaning of life. By applying the theory of existentialism, this paper seeks to obtain a deeper insight on the protagonist#8217;s existential predicament which causes his life tragedy as well as how his new outlook towards life is formed, thus making some contribution in the studies of this work.

2. 研究内容和预期目标

The protagonist Stevens in Kazuo Ishiguro#8217;s novel The Remains of The Day has been caught in existential crises but finally finds the true value of life. Abstract1. Introduction1.1 Kazuo Ishiguro and The Remains of the Day1.2 Literature Review1.3 Theories of Existentialism2. Interpretation of The Remains of the Day by Application of Existentialism2.1 Absurdity of the World2.2 Man#8217;s Free Choice2.3 Alienation from Others2.4 Existential Predicament and Rediscovery of Personal Dignity3. Conclusion

3. 国内外研究现状

It was not until the end of last century that Kazuo Ishiguro#8217;s works began to be introduced in China. As a result, there are limited studies on the novel The Remains of the Day at home, and the existing researches are mostly graduation theses, journal articles which fail to study the writer and his literary achievement as a whole. Though few, domestic scholars have employed various methods to study this work, which are of great significance in understanding it. The novel#8217;s narrative method or its unreliable narrator has attracted much attention. For example, the thesis #8220;An Analysis of the Unreliable Narration in The Remains of the Day#8221; (Li Yujuan, 2013) has made a detailed analysis of the unreliable narration with regard to different people. It also focuses on the change from an unreliable narrator to a relatively reliable narrator. Similarly, the thesis #8220;On The Application of Unreliable Narration in The Remains of the Day#8221; (Li Peng, 2015) has explained the signification of creating the unreliable Stevens by referring to the text. Another frequently studied theme is self-identification. In #8220;Identity: Lost and Regained-A Bakhtinian Reading of The Remains of the Day#8221; (Liang Zhongjie, 2010), the Bakhtinian theory is applied to explore the loss and regain of Stevens#8217; identity. Studies also have been made on the theme of cultural reflection. #8220;On the Japanese Element in Kazuo Ishiguro#8217;s The Remains of the Day#8221; (Peng Wei, 2015, 11) has taken the author#8217;s Japanese origin into account and explored how Western style and Japanese elements are combined in this novel. Besides these, studies have been made in other aspects, such as #8220;An Analysis on Feminism in The Remains of the Day#8221;(Chen Wenjuan, 2015), in which the female character Miss Kenton is analyzed to show women#8217;s status in Britain in the middle of the twentieth century. Other studies also focus on post colonialism, Englishness, imperialism and the image of English butler. There is also one paper by Zhang Fengmin from the perspective of existentialism.In short, not much study has been done on the novel The Remains of the Day, especially from the perspective of Existentialism. Therefore, there is still a large space to do further study in this field.

4. 计划与进度安排

I will work on this paper by combining close reading of the novel and application of the theory of existentialism. I will first read extensively and selectively works and commentaries about the author and this novel, thus obtaining necessary information and materials of writing the paper. Then I will form my own point of view and writing outline. Next I will begin to write the first draft. Finally, after several times of revising under the teacher#8217;s guidance, my final paper will be finished.

5. 参考文献

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