《瓦尔登湖》生态意识解析_英语论文

On Ecological Consciousness in Walden

摘要

亨利·戴维·梭罗的《瓦尔登湖》是美国自然文学史上的一部惊世之作。1985年，《瓦尔登湖》在“美国遗产”杂志上所列的“十本塑造美国人格的书”中位居榜首。梭罗在《瓦尔登湖》中提出了崇敬生命，保护荒野的主张。这是一本教导人愉快而简单生活的实用手册。

本论文从生态批评主义的角度对小说中作者的生态意识进行分析。它包括五个部分：第一章介绍作家、小说的主要内容和其他学者对这篇小说的研究；第二章简要介绍生态批评主义；第三章从批判人类的欲望和工业文明的破坏这两个方面来体现作者对人类中心主义的质疑；第四章从作者提倡简单的生活方式以及与自然和谐相处这两个方面来体现作者对生态中心主义的推崇；第五章总结出梭罗的生态意识对构建和谐社会的重要指导意义。

关键词：梭罗；《瓦尔登湖》；生态批评主义；人类中心主义；生态中心主义

Abstract

Henry David Thoreau’s Walden is a famous work in the history of American nature writing. In 1985, Walden was at the top of the list of the “ten books shaped American personality” in American Heritage. In this book, Thoreau puts forward the idea of revering life and protecting wilderness. It is a practical manual to teach people how to live a happy and simple life. 

This paper analyzes the author’s ecological consciousness in the novel from the perspective of ecological criticism. It includes five parts: the first chapter is the introduction to the writer, the novel and literature review; the second chapter is a brief introduction of Eco-criticism; the third chapter focuses on the author’s attitude towards the human desires and the destructive force of industrial civilization, and reflects the author’s query of Anthropocentrism; the fourth chapter focuses on the author’s idea of living a simple and harmonious life with nature, and reflects the author’s admiration for Eco-centrism; the fifth chapter exports the importance of Thoreau’s ecological consciousness in building a harmonious society.

Key words: Thoreau; Walden; Eco-criticism; Anthropocentrism; Eco-centrism

Contents

1 Introduction 1

2 A brief introduction of Eco-criticism 2

3 Querying the Anthropocentrism 4

3.1 Criticizing the greed of human 4

3.1.1Greed leads to human plundering nature 4

3.1.2 Greed leads to human losing purity 5

3.2 Criticizing the destructive force of industrialization 6

4 Advocating the Eco-centrism 8

4.1 Living a simple life 8

4.2 Living in harmony with nature 9

5 Conclusion 11

References