The Analysis of Eco-feminism in The Edible Woman开题报告

1. 研究目的与意义

Margaret Atwood, the famous Canadian female writer with the honor of #8220; the Queen of Canadian literature #8221;， is one of the key spokespersons in the modern Canadian literary field. She is a novelist ,poet and cultural critic with strong feminist and ecological consciousness. Since the beginning, Atwood has shown her flair and insight into literature. In her childhood, thanks to her mother#8217;s nursery rhyme training. Atwood created her first poem when she was five years old, showing her literary talent. In the male-dominated society, it takes huge courage for a Canadian woman to be a writer. With the training in middle school and university, Atwood had her first peak in her writing career. The Circle Game(1966) won the Governor General#8217;s Award, during her two years study in harvard, Atwood had a comprehensible and profound consideration of the situation of her country, and published her masterpiece survival: A Thematic Guide to Canadian Literature(1972). As a prolific writer she has written many well-known novels, including The Edible Woman(1969), Surfacing(1972), The Handmaid#8217;s Tale(1985), The Robber Bride(1993), Alias Grace(1966), The Blind Assassin(2000) and Oryx and crake(2003).The Edible Woman was her first novel written in 1965 and published in 1969. The Edible Woman obviously involved the major topics of Atwood#8217;s novels-- feminism and ecologism.

2. 研究内容和预期目标

This thesis is intended to give an analysis of The Edible Woman from the perspective of ecofeminism. The essay is divided into five parts. Chapter one is mainly about the literature review and theory of ecofeminism. Chapter two explores the intimate external relationship between wowam and nature. Chapter three presents the ecofeminism subversion of patriarchy, including anti-androcentrism , Marian#8217;s pursuit of independence and Ainsley#8217;s pursuit of freedom. Chapter four further explores the new world after overthrowing the patriarchy in the novel, in which men and women live in harmony , and humans and nature co-exist harmoniously. Chapter five makes a summary of the essay, the ecofeminism thoughts will inspires us to meet the challenges confronting huamn society and the natural environment.

3. 国内外研究现状

Over the years, great achievements have been made by scholars both at home and abroad in the studies of Atwood as well as her works. Atwood#8217;s works involves three major topics: feminism, nationalism and ecologism. In western countries as well as in China, scholars have written lots of critical essays on The Edible Woman. Researches have mainly focused on the following aspects: the feminist point of view；the analysis of the image of the heroine--Marian; the underground theme in the novel; interpretation from environmental and feminist perspective; the awakening of female consciousness; theme of female growth. Most researches have focused on the feminist theme in the novel. Xue Binglian explores Marian#8217;s growth in difficult situation in her essay #8220;Self-growing in Dilemma--A Brief Analysis of Atwood#8217;s The Edible Woman#8221;. Zhang Lin makes a detailed and thorough analysis in her thesis #8220; On the Female Images in Atwood#8217;s works#8221;. She points out that most of her novels are written from the perspective of women in the western world. Foreign scholars have done some thorough researches on The Edible Woman as well.The famous American modern feminist critic Elaine Showalter says that the novels of Atwood are suitable for feminist courses. In 1975, Annette Kolodny discussed the nature of feminism based on Atwood#8217;s two first earliest novels--The Edible Woman and Surfacing. To put it in a nut, the interpretation of Atwood#8217;s novels from the domestic and foreign scholars are comprehensible. However, few of them study these works from the ecofeminism perspective. The ecofeminist thoughts involved in The Edible Woman and awakening of the characters#8217; ecology consciousness provide a feasible base for this thesis.

4. 计划与进度安排

Chapter I. Introduction 1.1 Margaret Atwood and The Edible Woman1.2 Literature Review1.3 Theory of EcofeminismChapter II. Women and Nature in Patriarchal Society2.1 The Inter-connection between Women and Nature2.1.1 The Special Connection between Women and Nature2.1.2 The Symbolic Connection between Women and Nature2.2 The Patriarchal Domination over Women and Nature2.2.1 Woman#8217;s Plight in a Male-dominated World2.2.2 Nature as the Exploited and Conquered ObjectChapter III. The Ecofeminism Subversion of Patriarchy3.1 Anti-androcentrism 3.1.1 Marian#8217;s Pursuit of Independence3.1.2 Ainsley#8217;s Pursuit of Freedom3.2 Anti-anthropocentrism 3.2.1 Marian#8217;s Anorexia3.2.2 Duncan#8217;s Respect for NatureChapter IV. The Ecofeminism Reconstruction of Harmony4.1 Personal Inner Harmony4.2 The Harmony between Male and Female4.3 The Harmony between Humans and NatureChapter V. Conclusion

5. 参考文献

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