霍桑小说中的儿童与童年-以《红字》为例_英语论文

Children and Childhood in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Novels: A Casestudy of The Scarlet Letter

摘要

纳撒尼尔·霍桑是19世纪美国杰出的浪漫主义小说家，其代表作《红字》自问世以来受到学界的广泛关注。本论文将从“珠儿”形象入手，探讨霍桑小说中的儿童与童年。

本文将从康德的美学理论出发，结合科利斯·拉蒙特的人文主义和爱默生主创的超验主义概念，分析霍桑笔下珠儿这一人物形象的独特性，探讨父母与孩子间的互动以及儿童童年生活向自然的回归。论文认为，霍桑对儿童及其童年有着独特情怀，他关注儿童的成长、教育，启发父母与孩子和谐相处，并赞成让儿童在自然中享受童年的乐趣。本研究旨在对当代社会儿童成长和儿童教育问题提供借鉴。

关键词  纳撒尼尔·霍桑  《红字》  儿童  童年  美学  人文主义  超验主义

Abstract

Nathaniel Hawthorne is an outstanding American romantic novelist in the 19th century, and The Scarlet Letter is his representative work that has been widely studied since its publication. This thesis will analyze the child image “Pearl” to discuss the children and childhood in Hawthorne’s novels.

This thesis will employ Kant’s aesthetics theory, combined with the concepts of humanism and transcendentalism proposed by Corliss Lamont and Emerson respectively to analyze Pearl’s uniqueness, the interaction between parents and children, and the free return of children to nature. This thesis holds that Hawthorne has a unique view towards children and childhood. He is concerned about the growth and education of children and encourages parents to keep harmony with children and to let children enjoy the happiest childhood in nature. This thesis aims to provide insights into child-development and educational issues in contemporary society.

Keywords  Nathaniel Hawthorne  The Scarlet Letter  children  childhood  aesthetics theory  humanism  transcendentalism

Contents

1 Introduction 1

1.1 Nathaniel Hawthorne and The Scarlet Letter 1

1.2 Literature Review 2

1.3 Theoretical Framework 4

1.4 Thesis Structure 6

2 The Unique Charm of Pearl 7

2.1 Hawthorne’s View on Beauty 7

2.2 Pearl’s Physical Beauty 7

2.3 Pearl’s Noble Soul 9

3 The Interaction between Parents and Children 11

3.1 Hawthorne’s Faith in Humanism 11

3.2 Pearl as a Redeemer for the Three Adults 12

4 The Free Return of Children to the Nature 15

4.1 Hawthorne’s Transcendental Thoughts in The Scarlet Letter 15

4.2 Pearl: A Natural Person in The Scarlet Letter 15

Conclusion 18

Acknowledgements 20

References 21