《印度之行》中文化融合的失败_英语论文

On Failure Of Cultural Coalescence In A Passage To India 

摘要

《印度之行》是英国作家E.M. 福斯特的著名长篇小说，描述了摩尔夫人和阿黛拉的印度之行。期间，她们目睹并涉及英国殖民者和印度本土人之间的矛盾和冲突。虽然以她二人为代表的英国人尊重印度文化、对印度的一切都充满好奇，但是在经历了一系列无效的尝试之后，印英双方都体会到文化的融合只能是美好的愿景。本文基于文本分析讨论小说中英国文化与印度文化之间的冲突，并从后殖民主义理论视角分析英国人与印度人文化融合的尝试与失败。小说中两国人民都有文化融合的尝试与意愿，然而在其心愿背后是两个民族无法融合的心。本文讨论英印两个民族在进行文化融合的尝试中，失败的必然性。在《印度之行》中，两个民族的联结行为并不是在真正接受包容对方文化的前提下进行的。英国人希望通过文化融合彻底实现殖民地统治，而印度人则希望通过文化融合来改变弱者现状并获取平等。尽管双方尝试着文化融合，但双方追求文化融合真实意图从根本上是相互矛盾且无法共存的。基于此，本文认为在《印度之行》中，英印双方文化融合的失败是必然的，印度之行注定是一次失败的文化之旅。

关键词：文化融合；后殖民主义；《印度之行》；爱德华·赛义德；弗朗兹·法农

Abstract

A Passage to India is a famous novel of E.M. Foster, which describes Mrs. Moore and Adela’s passage to India. During their passage, they witness and are involved in the conflicts between British colonists and local Indians. Although the British represented by the two ladies respect Indian culture and are curious about everything in India, after a series of invalid attempts, both the British and the Indian aware that cultural coalescence would only be a daydream. This paper discusses the cultural conflicts between the British and the Indian on the basis of text-oriented analysis and analyzes the attempts and failure of the cultural coalescence between the British and the Indian from the perspective of post-colonialism. In this novel, both people from Britain and India have attempts on connecting with each other, however, what are upon their willingness of coalescence are their separate hearts. This paper discusses the inevitability of failure on the attempts of cultural coalescence by these two nations. In API, the cultural coalescence of the two nations is not really on the acceptance of each other’s culture. The British want to achieve colonist control India through cultural coalescence whereas Indians want to change the low status and be equally treated. Although both sides seek for cultural coalescence, their intentions are unable to co-exist. Accordingly, this paper argues that, the cultural coalescence in API is an inevitable failure and a passage to India is doomed to be an unsuccessful cultural tour.

Key Words: Cultural Coalescence; Post- colonialism; A Passage to India; Edward Said; Frantz Fanon

Contents

Acknowledgments

Abstract (Chinese) ii

Abstract (English) iii

Introduction 1

Chapter One The Seeming Eagerness of Coalescence 5

1.1 Efforts on Coalescence from the British 5

1.2 Efforts on Coalescence from the Indian 7

Chapter Two Mutual Loathing upon the Coalescence 10

2.1 Real Intentions of Indian Coalescence 10

2.2 Real Intentions of British Coalescence 12

Chapter Three The Failure of the Coalescence 16

3.1 Insurmountable Cultural Barriers 16

3.2 British People’s Imagination of the Empire 17

3.3 Indian People’ s Failure on Seeking for Equality 18

Conclusion 21

Works Cited 23