A Study of Stream of Consciousness Technique in To the Lighthouse_英语论文

摘要

小说《到灯塔去》一直被认为是著名现代作家维吉尼亚·伍尔夫最杰出的意识流作品。该小说的杰出之处在于简单情节掩映之下繁杂的意识流描写。这无疑增加了读者阅读的困难，但维吉尼亚·伍尔夫认为这样的描写才是生活的真实模样，因为生活即是一种主观世界和客观世界的共存。本文以维吉尼亚·伍尔夫的艺术追求和小说艺术为准则，分析《到灯塔去》中的意识流手法的运用，研究意识流对小说情节结构的影响，以及意识流手法如何有效体现“一战后的西方人从混乱的世界中重建自我”这一小说主题。

关键词：意识流  重建自我  叙述形式  情节  主题

Abstract

To the Lighthouse has long been considered as the most excellent stream of consciousness work written by a famous modernist writer Virginia Woolf. It is known for its simple plot with myriad stream of consciousness depictions, which adds difficulty to reading. Virginia Woolf believes this is the truth of life in which subjective world and objective world work together. In light of Virginia Woolf’s aesthetic pursuit and art of fiction, this thesis analyzes how stream of consciousness is represented in To the Lighthouse, and how stream of consciousness technique influences structure of plot, and how it contributes to theme of the novel— westerners rediscovering “self” out of a chaotic world after the First World War.

Key words: stream of consciousness  re-establishment of “self”  narrative form  plot  theme  

Contents

Chapter One Introduction 1

1.1 A Brief Introduction to Virginia Woolf 1

1.2 A Brief Introduction to To the Lighthouse 2

1.3 Purpose of the Thesis 2

1.4 Structure of the Thesis 3

1.5 Research Method of the Thesis 3

Chapter Two Literature Review 4

2.1  Introduction 4

2.2  Previous Studies of To the Lighthouse Abroad 4

2.3  Previous Studies of To the Lighthouse at Home 6

2.4  Summary 8

Chapter Three  Theoretical Framework 9

3.1 Theoretical Origin 9

3.2 Social Origin 11

3.3 Virginia Woolf and Stream of Consciousness 13

Chapter Four  Stream of Consciousness Analyses in To the Lighthouse 15

4.1 The Representation of Stream of Consciousness in To the Lighthouse 15

4.2 Narrative Forms of Stream of Consciousness 18

4.2.1 Indirect Interior Monologue 19

4.2.2 Free Association 20

4.2.3 Montage 24

4.2.4 Mixed Narrative Form 27

4.3  Stream of Consciousness and Structure of Plot 28

4.3.1 Structure of Plot 28

4.4  Stream of Consciousness and Theme 32

Chapter Five Conclusion 37

5.1  Major Finding 37

5.2  Limitations and Suggestions for Future Study 39

Bibliography

Acknowledgements