梅·萨藤《82岁日记》中的第四年龄孤独_英语论文

Fourth-Age Solitude in May Sarton’s Journal At Eighty-Two

摘要

梅·萨藤原名埃莉诺·玛丽·萨藤 （1912.5.3-1995.7.16）。她是美国颇有声誉的日记体作家、小说家和诗人。萨藤一生写作勤奋，硕果累累，创作了二十多本小说、二十五本诗集和日记。她于1995年7月去世，享年83岁。《82岁日记》是萨藤死前完成的最后一部日记，其中记载了其82岁的独居生活：享受孤独，不惧死亡，仍然坚信自己处于人生最美好的时光。

这篇论文主要是为了揭示《82岁日记》中萨藤的第四年龄阶段孤独。第一章主要介绍萨藤的背景,同时也会对有关萨藤的研究做一个回顾。第二章会对《82岁日记》中萨藤的独居生活进行说明，以使我们能更好的理解萨藤的孤独以及其选择独居的原因。同时，萨藤的第四年龄阶段独居与孤独感的矛盾也将是本章将讨论的一个重点。基于年龄阶段理论，第三章则会对比萨藤第三年龄孤独和第四年龄孤独，找出不同以及对引起不同的原因进行分析。第四章主要是对萨藤克服第四年龄孤独感的方式进行分析。最后一章进行总结，揭示《82岁日记》对老年人和青年人的老年学意义。有许多与萨藤处在同一年龄阶段的读者与萨藤有着同样的情感。读这本书，许多老年人将会重新发现生活的新意义而年轻的读者则能对老年人的独居生活有一个全新的认识，而这也是研究萨藤作品的实际意义。

关键词：独居；第四年龄；孤独；老年学意义

Abstract

May Sarton is not a real name, which is the pen name of Eleanore Marie Sarton (May 3, 1912-July 16, 1995). She was a renowned American poet, novelist, and memoirist. As a productive writer, Sarton wrote over twenty novels, twenty-five books of poetry and journals. She died in July, 1995, at the age of 83, and the journal At Eighty-Two was her last entry in which she both anticipated death and celebrated solitary life with the keen and unflinching perception that Sarton is still at her best.

This thesis tries to reveal Sarton’s fourth age solitude in her last journal At Eighty-Two. Chapter 1 mainly focuses on the background and relevant researches of May Sarton. In Chapter 2, the reason why Sarton chooses solitude as her way of life will be discussed. Meanwhile, the contradiction between loneliness and solitude in Sarton’s fourth age will also be discussed in this chapter. And on the basis of the aging theory, Chapter 3 tries to analyze the difference between Sarton’s solitude in her third age and fourth age. In Chapter 4, the approaches Sarton uses to overcome loneliness will be listed out. Finally, a brief summary will be made in Chapter 5, revealing the literary gerontology meaning for both the old and young generation. There are many readers of the same age sharing the same feeling. Reading this journal, people in advanced age would be inspired to find a new way to a golden age and those young readers would have an overall impression on the old people’s solitary life. This is the most practical significance to introduce Sarton’s works to more readers.

Keywords: solitude; fourth-age; loneliness; literary gerontology meaning

Contents

1. Introduction 1

1.1 Relevant Introduction of May Sarton’s Background 1

1.2 Reviewing the Research on May Sarton 2

1.3 Research Purpose and Structure 4

2. Solitude as a Way of Life 6

2.1 May Sarton’s Solitude 6

2.2 Solitude and Loneliness in Sarton’s Fourth Age 7

3. Aging in Solitude 9

3.1 The Aging Theory 9

3.2 Sarton’s Third Age Solitude 10

3.3 Sarton’s Fourth Age Solitude 11

4. The Approaches to Overcome Loneliness 13

4.1 Spending Time with Friends and the Cat 13

4.2 Reading and Writing 14

5. Conclusion 16

References 17