Naturalism of Theodre Dreiser in Sister Carrie文献综述

 2022-09-04 21:18:20

Reviewing the Researches on Sister Carrie

In the 1900s, Dreiserrsquo; s frank discussion and celebration of sex were new and shocking to the reading public. Although many critics blame the immorality presented in this book, the literary significance of Sister Carrie is undeniable. American critics believe that Dreiser is loyal to life and he boldly breaks through the traditional thinking of American literature imprisonment. American critics have been studying Sister Carrie Since 1900. Now the United States even has set up a special American Literature Research Society under the Dreiser. All the time, Dreiser has a large amount of proponents and opponents.

Dreiserrsquo; s honestly depictions of reality had been highly praised by his proponents. Salzman, and his partner Jack (1972) wrote a book, Dreiser and His Fiction: A Twentieth-century Quest, which collected many critical articles. And now these valuable articles are significant for us to study the Naturalism in Sister Carrie. A 1901 review in The Academy said that Sister Carrie was 'absolutely free from the slightest trace of sentimentality or pettiness, and dominated everywhere by a serious and strenuous desire for truth.' (Salzman, 1972). The London Express claimed that realism made the book appealing: 'It is a cruel, merciless story, intensely clever in its realism, and one that will remain impressed in the memory of the reader for many a long day.' (Salzman, 1972). The novel has also been praised for its accurate depiction of the protests in New York and the city life in Chicago. Alfred Kazin (1970) said that 'Dreiserrsquo; s Naturalism is the instinctive reaction to the reality.'. William Reedy (1900) identified one of the enduring powers of Dreiserrsquo; s tale:”the strong hint of the pathetic in banal situations which is more frequent than often imagined.” In a review dominated by plot summary and frequently acknowledging Dreiserrsquo; s clumsy style, Reedy returns to his own fascination fro Dreiserrsquo; s remarkable blend of Realism and art again:”at times the whole thing is impossible, and then again it is as absolute as life itself.”

Hussman (1983)admired Dreiserrsquo; s frankly description of desires and he remarked: “He shows us that even simple people can be bewilderingly complex in their need to satisfy their own incompatible longingshellip; We easily identify with his characters because their search for substance in the modern world is our own”.

And opponents also have their opinions. Sister Carrie is blamed for feeling its style awkward and its expression of social Darwinism and pseudo-scientific explanations of human behavior inadequate. Karl F. Zender, argued that Dreiserrsquo; s stress on circumstance over character was 'adequate neither to the artistic power nor to the culture implications of Sister Carrie.' (quoted in Gale, 2011).

There are a thousand Hamlets in a thousand peoplersquo; s eyes. Some critics condemn Dreiserrsquo; s realist portrayal of sexuality, and his evading the principles of moralizing fiction that dictates that female sexuality outside marriage leads to mental, physical, social and economic decline. Stuart P. Sherman claimed that the philosophy of Sister Carrie belonged to “barbaric Naturalism” (quoted in Davies, 2001), and that literature should register the writerrsquo; s noble responsibility. Yet defenders argue that Dreiserrsquo; s work is attractive due to his lenient 'moralistic judgments' and the 'spacious compassion' in which he viewed his characterrsquo; s actions. This toleration of immorality was an entirely new idea for the readers of Dreiserrsquo; s era. In fact, the novel and its modern ideas of morality helped to produce a movement in which the literary generation of its time was found 'detaching itself from its predecessor.'

The study of Dreiser has long been a hot topic of discussion. The study goes through the early traditions of the historical biographical criticism, the textual analysis in the 1960s and 1970s, and the new methods of criticism in the 1980s, such as Freudian psychoanalysis, feminist criticism and Post - Structuralist Criticism. In addition, in the 90s, a large number of excavations about Dreiserrsquo; s works of manuscripts and his life appeared which enriched the research monographs of him. These biographies and monographs constituted a new upsurge in Dreiser research. Recently, debate has raged over the novelrsquo;s political significance, as a critique of, an apology for, or a product of American capitalism. More recently, critics have focused on the novelrsquo;s striking depictions of the urban life.

Many Chinese Critics have also shown great interest in Sister Carrie. Far in the early 30s, the great pioneer of the new literary movement Qu Qiubai had introduced Dreiser. Realism of Sister Carrie (罗光汉，1982)，Dreiserrsquo; s Sister Carrie(朱达，1989) and Dreiserrsquo; s contradictory feminism in terms of Carriersquo;s figure(林斌，2003) are quite influential among the essays on Sister Carrie. They try to analyze the novel from different perspectives such as Feminism, Realism and Naturalism. In fact, the majority of critics focus on one aspect of the novel, but few try to comprehensively analyze the Naturalism in Sister Carrie. Recently, Dr. Jiang Daochao has started such an attempt, viewing Sister Carrie as a naturalistic work in the light of consumerism. And more or less, Wang Changrong has a brief introduction of Dreiserrsquo; s Naturalism in Sister Carrie.

Therefore, there is still room for exploring the subject further. This thesis is intended to analyze the Naturalism in Sister Carrie through analyzing the influence of environment and heredity on Carriersquo;s fate.

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