《面纱》中的文化冲突与融合_英语论文

Bachelor's Degree Thesis Of Hohai University

摘要

跨文化交际是具有不同文化背景的人从事交际的过程，是自古以来就存在的文化现象。在跨文化交流的过程中，人类文化伴随着不同文化的冲突与融合而发展。近代以来，东西方文化的交流更加频繁和深入，文化冲突凸显，在冲突中走向融合的趋势也更加清晰。英国小说家毛姆在1925年发表的小说《面纱》中不乏对中西方文化冲突与融合现象的描写。本文从跨文化交际的角度出发，对小说《面纱》中不同人物在中西方文化撞击处境中的所思所为进行详细的探究，发现小说中的文化冲突主要展现在两个方面：一是英国人对中国人的排斥，二是英国人对东方文化的抵触。而文化融合现象则体现在小说主人公对异域环境的适应、基督教和道教的相同点以及人们对宗教的理解之中。此外，本文还就造成小说里中西方文化冲突的主要因素进行了分析，发现小说中造成中西方文化冲突及融合的因素主要包括中英两国在政治地位、经济水平、文化差异以及作者个人多次旅居中国的经历。并且，本文就当前形势下如何处理文化冲突、推动文化融合提出建议，即我们要在对待外国文化的心态、对本国文化的继承以及对跨文化交流知识的普及等方面做出努力。因此，在全球化成为不可阻挡趋势的背景下，探究中英文化冲突与融合具有重要意义。这将有利于我们了解造成文化冲突的原因，从而在跨文化交际活动对这些因素加以重视，也将有利于探究更多能有效推动文化融合的方法。

关键词：《面纱》；文化冲突；文化融合

Abstract

Intercultural communication, as a common cultural phenomenon, is a process in which people from different cultures communicate with each other. In this process, human cultures develop along with the conflicts and integration of different cultures. Since the beginning of modern times, the communication of Oriental culture and Western culture has been more frequent and gone in depth, while cultural conflicts have been more prominent. However, there is a clearer tendency of various cultures converging with each other. The Painted Veil, written by English novelist Maugham, abounds in descriptions of the cultural conflicts and integration between Oriental culture and Western culture. This paper shows a comprehensive study on the major characters' experience in the convergence of Chinese and Western cultures from the perspective of intercultural communication. The results reveal the cultural conflicts mainly in two aspects. On the one hand, British adopt a hostile attitude towards Chinese people. On the other hand, British are resistant to accept Oriental culture. Meanwhile, this paper makes an analysis of the main factors for the conflicts and integration. They can be summarized as the disparities between China and Britain in political power, economic strength and cultural difference and the writer's personal experience in his traveling and dwelling in China. Moreover, it includes some advice to deal with cultural conflicts and promote cultural integration in the current situation. This paper suggests that we make efforts to change the mentality to foreign cultures, to inherit and develop our national culture and to popularize the knowledge concerning intercultural communication. So it is significant to make a study on the cultural conflicts and integration when globalization has become an irresistible trend. It helps us understand what causes cultural conflicts, which will be paid more attention to in intercultural activities. It is favorable to search more measures to enhance cultural integration.

Key Words: The Painted Veil; cultural conflicts; cultural integration

Contents

Acknowledgments i

摘要 ii

Abstract iii

Introduction 1

Chapter One Literature Review 3

1.1 Representative studies on intercultural communications 3

1.2 Representative studies on The Painted Veil 4

Chapter Two Cultural conflicts in The Painted Veil 5

2.1 British's exclusion to China and Chinese people 5

2.1.1 Kitty's exclusion to China and Chinese 5

2.1.2 Charlie's repulsion to Chinese 7

2.1.3 Waddington's rejection of Chinese 8

2.2 British's resistance to Oriental culture 8

2.2.1 British superiority of culture and national stand 8

2.2.2 British discrimination against Chinese and Chinese culture 9

2.2.3 British intention to assimilate Chinese and their culture 10

Chapter Three Cultural integration in The Painted Veil 11

3.1 British adjustment to Chinese culture 12

3.1.1 The marriage of Waddington and Manchu princess 12

3.1.2 Kitty and Walter's accommodation to their life in China 13

3.1.3 French nuns' devotion to the disaster-stricken areas 14

3.2 Harmony in religions 15

3.2.1 The similarities of Taoism and Christianity 15

3.2.2 British comprehension of Taoism 16

3.2.3 Chinese acceptance of Christianity 17

Chapter Four Reasons for the cultural conflicts and integration 17

4.1 Political reason: contrast between a half-colonized China and a strong imperialist Britain 18

4.2 Economical reason: imbalance of the half-feudalist economy and the capitalist economy 18

4.3 Cultural reason: difference between Oriental culture and Western culture 20

4.4 Personal reason: Maugham's experience in China and personal understanding of Oriental culture 21

Chapter Five Illumination of the novel 23

5.1 Opening mind to embrace various cultures 23

5.2 Inheritance and development of national culture 24

5.3 Importance of knowledge in intercultural communications 25

Conclusion 26

Bibliography 28