本科生毕业论文材料

（ 2020 届）

论文题目	Art and Guilt in Beatrice and Virgil

杭州师范大学外国语学院

Acknowledgements

I would like to express my appreciation to a number of people for their invaluable assistance in preparation and development of this thesis.

My most sincere thanks to Professor Guan, who encouraged me to explore on this topic and helped me to sort out my arguments.

Thanks to Professor Guo who did the English-Chinese translation and brought this great novel of Yann Martel to China.

Art and Guilt in

Beatrice and Virgil

Abstract

Beatrice and Virgil (2010), a novel by the Canadian novelist Yann Martel, the author of Life of Pi, digs into the profound impact of Holocaust on humanity with the use of metafiction technique. It tells a story of a former Nazi who changes his identity and devotes himself to art after WWII, working on taxidermy (the art of animal specimen making) and writing a play about animals. However, he resorts to murder without hesitation when his true identity is discovered by Henry the writer, who has been helping him with his play. Thus, in spite of the usual assumption about art, the novel reveals its darker potential. The taxidermist may wish to forget his past and relieve his guilt by way of art, yet ironically, it is the art of play writing and specimen making that allows him to unconsciously return to the pleasure of violence, materializing the meaning of life and ignoring its sacredness. That explains why he is capable of resuming his original Nazi cruelty quickly once his past is discovered. Exploring the taxidermistrsquo;s psychology, this thesis argues that in the novel art dilutes the sense of guilt but does not remove the contempt for life, that art makes one more sensitive to his own guilt, but fails to strengthen him to face the guilt head on, in which process evil grows together with despair until ultimately overwhelm him.

Key words: Yann Martel; Beatrice and Virgil; Holocaust; art; guilt

《标本师的魔幻剧本》中的艺术和罪恶

摘要

扬·马特尔在《碧翠丝和维吉尔》这部小说中，运用现代元小说元素，深刻揭露了第二次世界大战纳粹大屠杀对人类的巨大影响。小说中的标本师在褪去二战纳粹分子身份之后，投入艺术事业，制作动物标本，创作以动物为题材的剧本。但在自己先前的纳粹身份被揭穿之后，他选择诉诸武力谋杀自己的剧本帮助者。艺术的真实在于给人的感受，标本艺术和剧本创作使亨利物化生命的意义，淡化生命的价值，把动物的生命玩转于掌心。但是罪恶感的真实来源于历史，是事实的真实。纳粹身份是真实的，一旦受到揭穿，他一下子就模糊了动物与人类的生命的界限，返回了杀戮的原始状态。而在意识到自己无力赎罪之后，标本师陷入更深的罪恶感，等待他的只有自我毁灭了。

关键词：扬·马特尔；《碧翠丝和维吉尔》；大屠杀；艺术；罪恶

Contents

1. Introduction 1

1.1. Researches both at Home and Abroad 1

1.1.1. At Home 1

1.1.2. Abroad 2

2. Beauty and Art 3

2.1. The definition of beauty and art 3

2.2. Beauty and art for the taxidermist 3

3. The Dilution of the Evil 5

3.1. Visual art: taxidermy 5

3.1.1. The cruel process of taxidermy 5

3.1.2. The cold products as specimens 5

3.2. Language art: literature 6

3.2.1. Humanism in Inferno 6

3.2.2. Parody of Inferno 6

3.3. Artwork achievement: rebirth 7

4. The Surfacing of Guilt 8

4.1. Trigger for crime 8

4.1.1. The delayed discovery of the criminal 8

4.1.2. The triggering of the taxidermistrsquo;s passion to murder 9

4.2. Guilt Awakened 9

4.3. Evil beyond the characters: everywhere 10

4.3.1. Game for Gustav 10

4.3.2. Game for the readers 10

4.3.3. End of the killing: knowing yourself 11

5. Conclusion: Art and Guilt 12

5.1. Art saves guilt: being true 12

5.2. Guilt fails art: being real 12

5.3. A vicious circle 13

Introduction

In the novel Beatrice and Virgil, a writer named Henry wants to compile a flip book, namely a book read as a fiction from one side and a non-fiction from the other, in remembrance of the Holocaust. His proposal is rejected by many publishers, who think that the grave subject of the Holocaust is inconsistent with this form of literature, which is merely a gimmick for art. Henry has no choice but to go on holiday with his wife after. He joins an amateur theatrical performance group, serving as a shareholder, waiter, and handyman in a chocolate shop called 'The Chocolate Way,' and adopts a puppy and a kitten with his wife, Sara. During his vacation, he still reads letters from readers all over the world. Then one of them catches his interest. The reader, who is also called Henry, sends a copy of Gustav Flauberts short story “Legend of St. Julians” and a script he is working on, played by a donkey called Beatrice and a howler monkey called Virgil. At the end of the letter, the sender sincer

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本科生毕业论文材料

（ 2020 届）