Genius or Devil: A Brief Study of the Main Character in The Moon and Sixpence_英语论文

摘要

作为一个作家，毛姆在文学史上声誉广泛却也饱受争议，月亮与六便士是使其最受争议的作品。两百年间，国内外学者从小说主题逐梦之路、小说中的存在主义、毛姆的厌女主义、小说的艺术魅力、作者与小说的关系、人物原型和小说的关系、小说中主要人物等对它进行了研究，其中对于主人公的研究相对较少。

本文将从主人公入手研究，旨在通过不断总结各方观点，更加细致透彻地分析思特里克兰德这一矛盾的人物，进而更加了解“人性”这一伟大而复杂的主题。众所周知，小说主人公是一位抛妻弃子，背信弃义的卑鄙小人，但多数读者在读罢全书之后，却不得不生出重重敬意，这种尖锐的矛盾实在令人深思。通过对主人公的研究，希望帮助读者了解人们恨与爱，鄙夷与崇敬的来源。

本文主要由四部分组成，在第一部分的简介中，作者介绍了《月亮与六便士》写作时的历史文化背景;第二部分作者总结了前人对小说的研究，包括对主人公和其原型高更的研究，小说主题的研究和小说标题意象的研究。第三部分将结合已有观点对思特里克兰德进行分析评论，从世俗角度的“恶魔”和艺术角度的“天才”分六小点阐述主人公褒贬不一的由来，最后总结全文。

关键词：毛姆 思特里克兰德 逐梦 人性 牺牲

Abstract

As a writer, William Somerset Maugham has a wide reputation in the history of literature but also with great controversy. The Moon and Sixpence is the most controversial works. In the past two hundred years, many domestic and foreign scholars have studied it from the theme of chasing the dream, the existentialism in the novel, Maugham's feminism, the artistic charm of the novel, the relationship between the author and the novel, the relationship between the characters prototype and the novel and so on, but the research about the main character is relatively less.

This article focuses on main character-Charles Strickland. It aims to sum up the views of all parties, providing a more detailed and thorough analysis of this figure, and helps readers understand this great and complex “human nature”. It is well known that the protagonist of the novel is a despicable villain, who abandoned his wife and friends. However, most readers acknowledge that they can’t help loving this devil after reading the book, and this sharp contradiction is thought-provoking. Through the study of the protagonist, I hope to help readers understand the reason of hate and love, contempt and reverence.

This thesis is made up of five parts. In the introduction part, the author describes the historical and cultural background of The Moon and Sixpence. In the second part, the author summarizes literal reviews on the book in three main part, the studies on the relationship of Strickland and Gauguin, the symbolism in the novel and the theme. In the third part, the study explains why readers have utterly different view on Strickland with six subordinate aspects. At last, the writer makes a brief conclusion.

Key words: Maugham; Strickland; Dream; Humanity; Salvation

Contents

1.  Introduction 1

1.1 Background of the Study 1

1.2 Significance of the Study 2

1.3 Objective of the Study 2

2.  Background of the Novel 3

2.1 The Historical Background 3

2.2 The Personal Background 3

2.3 The Literary Background 5

3.  Literature Review of the Studies on The Moon and Sixpence 8

3.1 Studies on the Relationship between Paul Gauguin and the Novel 8

3.2 Studies on the Symbolism in the Novel 9

3.3 Studies on the Theme of the Novel 9

4.  Analysis of Charles Strickland’s Character 11

4.1The Secular Devil 11

4.2 The Terrible Family Abandoner 11

4.3The Despicable Ingrate 12

4.4The Artistic Genius 13

4.5 The Fearless Dream-chaser 13

4.6 The Remarkable Artist 14

5.  Conclusion 16

Bibliography 17

Acknowledgements 18