巴巴拉·贝恩顿《丛林研究》中的母性情怀研究_英语论文

The Motherhood in Bush Studies by Barbara Baynton

摘  要

短篇小说集《丛林研究》是19世纪澳大利亚女作家巴巴拉·贝恩顿的代表作之一。本文从她最负盛名的短篇小说集《丛林研究》中选取两篇短篇小说作为研究文本，对贝恩顿作品中的重要主题——母性情怀进行研究。通过对母性情怀在作品中的表现、成因以及作家所运用的创作手法进行分析，本文力图揭示贝恩顿笔下的丛林生活的特别之处：不同于高度赞扬丛林生活中伙伴情谊的男性作家，她从女性视角出发，通过母性情怀这一主题的书写，向读者展示了丛林女性生活的艰辛与不易。对她笔下的这一重要主题进行研究将有助于增进我国读者对澳大利亚文学，特别是女性文学的理解，加深对澳大利亚文化的认识。

关键词：母性情怀，丛林，澳大利亚，女性主义 

Abstract

The short story collection Bush Studies is one of the representative works by the well-known Australian writer Barbara Baynton. This thesis takes two short stories from the book as texts for study, and it focuses on motherhood, an important theme in Baynton’s works. By exploring the manifestation and the causes of motherhood in her works, and by analyzing the writing techniques the author uses, this thesis aims to reveal the features of bush life in Baynton’s works. Different from the male writers who speak highly of the mateship in bush life, Baynton, through the female viewpoint, shows the readers the tough life the bush women are living. Studying the important theme in her works will help Chinese readers achieve a further understanding of Australian literature, especially the female literature, and at the same time it enables them to know Australian culture better.

Key words: motherhood; bush; Australia; feminism

Contents

Introduction 1

1. About the Author 2

  1.1 Barbara Baynton's life experience 2

  1.2 Barbara Baynton’s influence and status in the world of literature 3

2 Bush Studies 4

  2.1 A brief introduction to Bush Studies 4

  2.2 Symbolic meanings of the bush and Australian culture 4

  2.3 Study on Barbara Baynton’s creative works 5

    2.3.1 The views of the Chinese scholars 5

    2.3.2 The views of the overseas scholars 5

3 Motherhood 6

  3.1 The motherhood reflected in Bush Studies 6

    3.1.1 The unselfish love of mothers in The Chosen Vessel 6

  3.1.2 The devotion and sacrifice of Mary in Squeaker’s Mate 7

  3.2 What lies behind motherhood 8

    3.2.1 Female instinct and motherhood 8

    3.2.2 Harsh environment and motherhood 8

    3.2.3 Social conventions and motherhood 9

    3.2.4 Male absence and motherhood 10

 3.3 Approaches Barbara Baynton used to explore motherhood 10

    3.3.1 The Gothic Style 10

    3.3.2 Binary Opposition 12

 3.4 Relationship between Baynton’s experience and motherhood 13

Conclusion 14

References 16