【开题报告】从生态文学角度看《还乡记》中的生态文学

开题报告

英语

An Analysis of Eco-literature in The Return of the

Native from an Eco-literary Angle

一、选题的背景和意义

Background

Due to the conquest of nature, the profit-based technical conversion destructive to the

balance of nature, the over-exploitation of natural resources, and the serious industrial

pollution of the environment，the relationship between human beings and nature has become

worse and worse, even very sharp conflicts. Recent years have witnessed terrible natural

catastrophist like massive landslides and floods which left thousands of deaths. In such a

situation, human beings have been aware of the punishment of nature and call for possible

measures taken to build up a harmonious relationship between man and nature. Meanwhile,

some writers who are aware of environmental friendliness have written articles relevant to

environment protection. Thus, there has appeared ecological literature, which can be a good

medium to arouse human’s sense of responsibility to protect environment. Ecological

literature is a literature for inspecting and expressing the relation between human and nature.

It regards human and nature as an ecological system. The only standard for judging human’s

thoughts, attitudes and duties is: ecosystem is of a harmonious, stable and sustainable

existence. Ecological literature has a peculiar way of expression called Ecocriticism.

Ecocriticism is the study of literature and environment from an interdisciplinary point of view

where all sciences come together to analyze the environment and brainstorm possible

solutions for the correction of the contemporary environmental situation. Ecocriticism is a

literary theory that not only is a method of analysis of nature in works, but also means

essential value of nature as a kind of world value. It calls for a change in human ideology

which mind turns from a narrow understanding of nature to consciousness of sustainable

development. This is why humanism is criticized in many articles. This theory shows the hope

of human future.

In foreign countries, Ecological criticism came into being in the mid of 1990s. As a theory

of literary criticism, it is now one of the hot issues in the literature field. It aims at criticizing

social and cultural drawbacks. It combines the sciences of systems and ecology in drawing

together elements required to foster learning processes toward a deep appreciation of nature

and our role in it. This means that all forms of discourse, in principle, to be a "symbol of the

ecological environment". The central task of Ecocriticism is not only to encourage readers to

be close physically natural environment, but also encourage them to be a part of the

ecosystem as a species of human lives.

In recent years, ecological literature and Ecocriticism tend to develop dynamically in

western countries. People, mostly environmental protectionists and green peace activists, call

the public to acquire an ecological consciousness and re-define ecological identity of nature.

The society is undergoing an age abundant in ecological thoughts with Ecocriticism

advancing from immaturity to maturity. It further exceeds the text of the historical context, its

users with the view of history and contact to handle the relationship between human and

nature, as well as with an ethical attitude towards nature. Besides studying how to express

nature in the literature field, writers should make more efforts to analyze all the social

elements in natural environment and human attitudes. At the same time, they should combine

these analyses with literature studies.

1. A comprehensive review of the origin and developing process of eco-literature and

Ecocriticism.

2. A comprehensive thinking of its constitutional principles and tendencies.

3. An attempt to break through deep-rooted humanism.

Nevertheless, the theory of ecological literature and Ecocriticism still need improving,

especially in the following two aspects:

1. The vacancy of theory needs replenishment.

2. The theory of Ecocriticism claims for “ecological centrality” as its fundamental basis, as if

its aim of it were to build a “big entity” where it had no demarcation between human and

other creatures.

In China, ecological literature and Ecocriticism are a new theory. It was not 21st until they

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were brought to China, providing Chinese ecological literature study with lots of important

reference. But the theory is not mature. For early ecological writers, most of them focused on

the remembrance of an idyllic life, but ignored the damage caused by detribalization and

urbanization, even the modern civilization. They did not care for nature’s pain which resulted

from human destruction to pollutions and exhausting explorations. Their standpoint is still

human. Therefore, they had little real though and ecological idea about ecological literature.

With the gradual perfection of the theory and constant practice, the process of Chinese

ecological literature and Ecocriticism has made a big progress.

Since the 1980s, Chinese ecological literature and Ecocriticism achievements are mainly

reflected in the following three aspects:

1. Positioning of European Ecocriticism and detailing of the developing process of European

and American Ecocriticism.

2. Definition of the basic content of ecological literature and art, and popularization of the

scientific spirit of this theory.

3. Discovery of Chinese classical ecological legacy and application of its practical

significance.

However, China's ecological literature is far from mature. Improvement should be made to

its development, for China needs joint effort made by both Chinese people and people from

other countries. Ecological literature in China has some shortcomings in three aspects:

1. Lack of feeling nature and using organic Ecocriticism theory.

2. A deficiency of depth about presenting crisis and cultural criticism.

3. Combine domestic development with west research.

Surely, in China, the new theory has its own advantage and disadvantage. The advantage is

that there is a shortcut in theoretical construction. The former experience can be used. But it

comes together with the disadvantage. Because of the former experience, Chinese writers

have done litter in creativity. They also separate western theory from Chinese reality. In order

to solve these problems, Chinese ecological literature and Ecocriticism have been changing to

two tendencies:

1. To reveal the cultural and ideological of the ecological crisis, make a cultural and social

criticism with an ecologically philosophical perspective, is the most important task of the

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future development.

2. To strengthen local characters and the exchange ideas with the west.

二、研究目标与主要内容（含论文提纲）

The aims of the study

In perspective of Ecocriticism, the environmental description in Hardy’s novel is not the

scene of characters’ activity as the general meaning, but an independent meaning of its own

existence. The novel takes place in Egton Heath. The Heath as a physical object is described

as inviolate, untouchable and unalterable by human, as a symbol it is highly flexible. It

becomes what the various characters want to make of it. Whoever they are, their fates are

built close links with the Heaths. Different characters have different attitudes towards it. Then

different attitudes lead to their final destinies. It is the same situation that occurs in real world.

If human want to rebel against the Heaths, more or less, they will get punishment, on the

contrary, they will be happy on the Heaths. In brief, those who rebel the nature will be lost.

Through the review of the return of the native, it is clear to see his true love for nature and the

meaningful practice for rebuilding the relationship between human and nature. The purpose of

this paper is to call for the public’s consciousness through the introspection from the

disadvantages of the humanism, to improve the relationship between human and nature and

reach a harmonious level.

The Outline

Ⅰ. There is original conflict in the novel.

1. The characteristics of Egdon Heaths are pure and original.

1.1 Timely, Egdon Heaths are eternal.

1.2 In space, Egdon Heaths are vast and pure.

2. The tragedies of actress and actor are destiny.

2.1 actress frights against Heaths, but ends up with nature’s punishment.

2.2 The actor’s return fails, which shows that restoring harmonious relationship with

nature is different.

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Ⅱ. The conflict still exists at present.

1. Human doesn’t understand nature and try in vain to conquer or escape from nature. But

it all ends with failure.

2. After broken the natural rules, human want to remedy this mistake, but it runs counter to

the desire.

Ⅲ. The essential problem of this conflict from novel to reality is humanism.

Ⅳ. Ecological literature and Ecocriticism make sense to relieve the conflict, and rebuild it.

1. What is Ecological literature and Ecocriticism?

2. How this theory affect.

2.1 It calls up the consciousness of protecting environment.

2.2 It changes traditional ideas, and sets up the thoughts that human and nature are

supplement and complement each other.

三、拟采取的研究方法、研究手段及技术路线、实验方案等

1. Documentary 　

I know the theory of ecological literature through collecting the cultural and historical

materials about the ecological literature. Then consulting information on the Internet and

reading some reference books on the topic of this paper, I find the exact concept of the

Ecocriticism theory. After specified classifying, generalizing, and analyzing to the above

references, then I get the conclusions of this thesis.

2. Analysis

Based on the present research materials in ecological literature, this paper sets up from

Hardy’s novel, relative reference books and comments with the method of analysis. In the

perspective of scenes and characters, it gives a detail research and expression of the

environmental descriptions in Hardy’s novel. By analyzing the image of the Egdon Heaths

and the miserable ends of Eustacia’s and Clym’s, this paper states the solemnity of the nature.

3. Summarization

Based on the Ecocriticism theory, this paper is used to draw forth this topic by summarization.

It summarizes the reasons that what makes Eustacia’s and Clym’s bad ends. At the forth part

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of this paper, I conclude the reasons and solutions about the ecological problems. Though the

embodiment of Ecocriticism in the Return of the Native, it calls for the human awareness of

environmental protecting, and make significant contribution to the harmonious relationship.

四、中外文参考文献

Chery Glotfelty. What is Ecocriticism [J/OL]. Western Literature Association. 1994

Coupe Lawrence, ed. The Green Studies Reader: From Romanticism to Ecocriticism. [M]

London: Routledge, 2000.

Garrard, Greg, Ecocriticism. [M]New York: Routledge, 2004.

Merryn Williams. A Preface to Hardy [M]. Beijing: Peking University Press. 2005

Mitchell Thomashow. Ecological Identity: Becoming a Reflective Environmentalist [M]. The

MIT Press, 1995

Wudi. New Studies in Thomas Hardy [M]. Hangzhou: Zhejiang University Press. 2009

邓绍秋.道禅生态美学智慈[M].延吉:延边人民出版社.2003.

丁世忠.《哈代小说伦理思想研究》[M]. 四川：巴蜀书社. 2008

胡志红.《生态文学———比较文学研究新天地》[J]《贵州师范大学学报》2004（1）

马　凌.《征服与回归：近代生态思想的文学渊源 》[J]《外国文学研究》.2003(1)

王晓华.《建构超越人类中心主义的大伦理学》[J]《深圳大学学报》1999 （2）

刘　蓓.《生态批评：寻求人类“内部自然”的“回归”》 [J]《成都大学学报》2003（2）

刘占勋.《西方生态批评——文学批评理论的新贵》[J]哈尔滨工业大学学报2009（8）

劳伦斯•布依尔.《打开中美生态批评的对话窗口》[J]．《文艺研究》2004 (1)．

孙亚明. 偏激性格与古老荒原的悖离——解析哈代《还乡》的悲剧成因[J] 零陵学院学报2003（8）

王　诺.《欧美生态文学》[M]. 北京：北京大学出版社. 2003

王　诺.《生态批评：发展与渊源》[J]《文艺研究》2002（3）

香枢元.生态文艺学[M].西安:陕西人民教育出版社，2000

曾繁仁.《生态存在论美学论稿》[M]. 吉林：吉林人民出版社. 2003

曾永成. 文艺的绿色之思—文艺生态学引论[M]. 北京: 人民文学出版社. 2000

五、研究的整体方案与工作进度安排（内容、步骤、时间）

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2010. 7-8 finish the reading of the novel and collect relative materials and reference books

2010. 9-10 chooses the topic

2010. 11. 30 finish the arrangement about the paper

2010. 12. 20 finish the Literature Review

2010. 1. 10 finish the opening report

2011. 2. 28 finish the first draft

2011. 3. 15 finish the second draft

2011. 4. 19 finish the paper

2011. 4. 25 finish the thesis defense

六、研究的主要特点及创新点

The main character of this paper is to analyze the context by using an ecological theory.

The paper concerns about ecological problems. Ecocriticism, as a burgeoning literary

criticism, is used in English and American literature. This paper studies Hardy’s the Return of

the Native with a new perspective. With analysis of environmental description and the image

of the Egton Heaths, the paper combines literary works with ecological protection problem.

This combination not only deepens the analysis and study of the text about the novel, but also

linked with reality, arouses reader’ s sense of protecting environment and initiative.

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