《普罗旺斯的一年》的生态批评解读_英语论文

Return to Simplicity-An Ecocritical Reading of A Year in Provence

摘要

彼得·梅尔曾任国际大广告公司的高级主管。但他却辞职带着他的妻子定居于普罗旺斯，从此开始了他的写作生涯。

《普罗旺斯的一年》是梅尔在普罗旺斯生活的记录，雅致而幽默，传递出了一种豁然安宁的生活态度。作品一出版就在全球掀起一股追求质感生活的风尚，成为了经典。

本文从生态批评的角度剖析《普罗旺斯的一年》，解读返璞归真的生活方式及生活态度，旨在呼吁人们放慢脚步，回归自然，追寻最原始的美好。第一章主要对作品进行简略介绍并对生态主义进行剖析，从其产生和意义进行综述，从而为揭示梅尔在《普罗旺斯的一年》这部作品中所蕴含的生态主义思想奠定理论基础。第二章主要从普罗旺斯的一年中出现的旅游热和当地居民与环境的关系探索大众与自然的关系，反映出人与自然和谐相处的重要性；第三章主要介绍了梅尔在普罗旺斯的欣赏到的美景及品尝到的美食，揭示作者对大自然的热爱：最后第四章主要从人与人，作者与自我的角度剖析该部作品所蕴含的精神生态及生态主义思想，希望人们能够在精神生态系统下有正确的世界观，人生观。

关键词：生态主义；精神生态； 乡村生活； 生活品质

Abstract

Peter Mayle was a senior executive of an advertising company, but he quitted his job and went to Provence with his wife, from which he began his writing career.

A Year in Provence is a record of Mayle's life in Provence which is elegant and humorous. What’s more, it passes out a peaceful attitude towards life so that when the works was published in the world, it set off a trend of pursuing texture of life and the works itself became a classic.

This paper analyzes A Year in Provence from the perspective of ecological criticism and interprets the simple lifestyle and attitude towards life, which aims to appeal to people to slow down, and return to nature to pursue the primitive beauty of life. In the first chapter, this essay briefly introduces the works and summarizes for revealing the ecological ideas contained in Mayle's A Year in Provence. The second chapter mainly analyzes from the travel boom in Provence and the relationship between the local residents and the environment, from which the relationship between the public and nature and the importance of harmony between human beings and nature can be reflected. The third chapter describes what Mayle enjoyed in Provence and reveals the author's love towards nature. The last chapter mostly explains spiritual ecology and ecological ideas from the relationship between people. It calls on people to contain a correct world view and outlook on life under the large pressure from society.

Key words: Ecology; Spiritual ecology; Rural life; Quality of life

Contents

Acknowledgements i

Abstract & Key words in English ii

Abstract & Key words in Chinese iii

Introduction 1

1. Literature review 1

1.1 Former overall remarks on A Year in Provence 1

1.2 Ecocriticism 2

2. Mass and Nature 4

2.1.The ‘Wanderlust’ in A Year in Provence 5

2.2 The Relationship between Local Residence and Environment 6

3.  Author and Nature 7

3.1 Description of Four Seasons in Provence 7

3.2 Exploration of Seasonal Delicacy of Provence 7

4. The Relationship between People 9

4.1  Man to Man 10

4.1.1 The Relationship between Provence Neighborhoods 10

4.1.2 The Relationship between Author and British Friends 10

4.2  Author and Ego 11

4.2.1 The Spiritual Ecology of the Author 11

4.2.2 The Pursuit of Ideal Life 12

Conclusion 13

Notes 14