消费主义视野下的《嘉莉妹妹》Sister_Carrie_&_Theodore_Dreiser

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1、Sister Carrie&Theodore Dreiser Consumerism&Commodity Fetishism We Are Going to Discuss:Theodore Dreiser and Sister Carrie Philosophical Thoughts in Dreisers Writings Consumerism and Commodity Fetishism:Reconstruction of National MentalitySeveral Facts to Bear in Mind Time:The last half of 19th centu

2、ry the early half of 20th centuryPlace:AmericaPersona:Theodore Dreiser Man of LetterKey Words:Loss&Desire&Consumerism(消费主义）&Commodity Fetishism(商品崇拜）Part 1:Theodore Dreiser&Sister CarrieTheodore Herman Albert DreiserAugust 27,1871 December 28,1945 “because of him,those who follow will never have to

3、face the road through the wilderness of Puritan denial,the road that Dreiser faced alone.”Sherwood Anderson(Wikipedia)“among the American giants,one of the very few American giants we have had.”Irving Howe(Wikipedia)that he is a great artist,and that no other American of his generation left so wide

4、and handsome a mark upon the national letters.American writing,before and after his time,differed almost as much as biology before and after Darwin.He was a man of large originality,of profound feeling,and of unshakable courage.All of us who write are better off because he lived,worked,and hoped.“H.

5、L.Mencken(Wikipedia)Plunged into“The hurly-burly（喧嚷）of Chicago and had precariously held on there as dishwasher,stove cleaner,freight car tracer,warehouse clerk,and laundry trunk driver until finally,in early 1982,he broke into newspaper work as a reporter”in Chicago.In 1894 came to New York.And mad

6、e his name quicklyFrom Chicago to New YorkJournalistAmerican novelist of originality Pioneer of American NaturalismPractitioner of Realism Left-oriented in Politics-A Communist 1900:Sister Carrie Dreisers great first novel,Sister Carrie,which he dared to publish thirty long years ago and which I rea

7、d twenty-five years ago,came to housebound and airless America like a great free Western wind,and to our stuffy domesticity gave us the first fresh air since Mark Twain and Whitman.Sinclair LewisModels Elopement of Dreiser Sister Emma with L.A.Hopkins,an Architect.Dreisers New York Adventures in Jou

8、rnalismCarrie Sister:Three Persons Ups and DownsChicago New YorkSister CarrieManager:HurstwoodSalesman:DrouetBroadway Star“Drummer”StillDeathSome Views on Sister Carrie“For lack of concision,his writings appear more inclusive and less selective,and the readers are sometimes burdened with massive det

9、ailed descriptions of characters and events.”Simple or even awkward characterization,especially that of sister Carrie(“real”but“paradoxicallyshadowy.”):a.“The novels heroine,however,puzzled many reviewers,who found her to be,as William Marion Reedy“its”extraordinary powerhas little to do with the de

10、lineation(描述）描述）of foolish,worldly wise Carrie.”b.“The contradictions in Carries character a narcissistic(自恋的）自恋的）young woman in whom self-interest runs high,yet who on“her spiritual sidewas rich in feelingfor the weak and the helpless”Publication mythology:Rejected for dire realism and amorality “H

11、ow can a novel seemingly so unconsciously shaped and so inept in its devices and languages hold generation after generation of sophisticated readers?.Sister Carrie as a novel which achieves its penetrating insight into our lives almost in spite of itself”essay.“A distinctive characteristic of works

12、of this kind is their centrality in efforts to define the nature of modern thought and expression.”Legacy of Sister CarrieDreisers courage to discuss the nature of the 21th century American lifeWhat is the nature of the 21th century American life?Part 2:Philosophical Thoughts in Dreisers Writings Le

13、gacy of Theodore Dreiser:Herbert Spencer and Social Darwinism.:Naturalism&Realism.The Core of His Philosophy Herbert Spencer27 April 1820 8 December 1903Force&MoveHerbert Spencer:Emphasis on Animal Nature of Human Being Reason VS InstinctMechanical Cycling of Human LifeSmallness of Men.Social Amoral

14、ityNature and Society:Force Irreversible.Social Darwinism:Mechanical Process of Society.In his words,man is a“victim of forces over which he has no control”The fittest survive:The world is like a jungle,where men live“to kill or to be killed.”cruel competition.The limit of man in front of the societ

15、y and the nature;Amorality and Human SurvivalThe Relationship Between Man and Society and Reality There are large forces which allure with all the soulfulness of expression possible in the most cultured human.The gleam of a thousand lights is often as effective as the persuasive light in a wooing an

16、d fascinating eye.Half the undoing of the unsophisticated and natural mind is accomplished by forces wholly superhuman.P2,Chapter 1.Among the forces which sweep and play throughout the universe,untutored man is but a wisp in the wind we see him aligned by nature with the forces of life he is born in

17、to their keeping and without thought the is protected P68,Chapter 8.Naturalism and Realism Force:Emphasis on Instincts&Intuition;Little Free Will&ReasonDeterminism:Predetermined Human Force.Nature and Society:Objective Existence;No EmotionsReality:Merciless;TragicWriting Tone:DifferenceObjective and

18、 Accurate Reflection of Reality-RealismSpenserian Philosophy and Naturalism in Sister Carrie Force:DesireCity A Magnet Carries Love AffairsSocial Selection-the End of the Novel When a girl leaves her home at eighteen,she does one of two things.Either she falls into saving hands and becomes better,or

19、 she rapidly assumes the cosmopolitan standard of virtue and becomes worse.P1.Chapter 1.Summary 1 What is the nature of the 21th century American life?Powerless man with its animal nature of desire to survive,lead a competitive tragic life,predetermined by the mechanical and merciless mother nature

20、and society.Sister Carrie Force Of Desire Reflected in:Consumerism&Commodity Fetishism Part 3:Consumerism and Commodity Part 3:Consumerism and Commodity Fetishism:Reconstruction of Fetishism:Reconstruction of National MentalityNational MentalityDreiser and His TimesEconomic:IndustrializationPolitica

21、l:Post-civil-war;Post-westward-movement.As a Result:Interior Stability&Unity Social Changes:Commercialization;urbanization;Dramatic Increase of Productivity;The Improvement of Peoples Life(Provision of various commodities.);Mass Media;New Definition of American Dream.Political Changes:New Concepts o

22、f Freedom and Equality.Dreiser and His TimesAs a Result:Spiritual DisbeliefEmptinessIdeology:Theory of EvolutionPost-civil-war Spiritual Wound.American in a:Gilded,Restless,Material-oriented AgeSummary 2 The Reconstruction of Nation Moral CodesConsumerism&Commodity Fetishism:Loss&Desire for Commodit

23、y the Center of Life.Oh,these women who had passed her by,hundreds and hundreds strong,who are they?Whence came the rich,elegant dresses,the astonishingly coloured buttons,the knick-knacks(小饰物）of silver and gold?where were these lovely creatures housed?Amide what elegancies of carved furniture,decor

24、ated walls,elaborate tapestries（壁毯）did they move?Where were their rich apartments,loaded with all that money could provide?In what staple champed these sleek,nervous horses and rested the gorgeous carriages?Where lounged the richly groomed footmen?Oh,the mansions,the lights,the perfume,the loaded bo

25、udoirs（闺房）and tables!.P280.Chapter 32.Long History of Love for Dainty GoodsWhat are Consumerism and Commodity Fetishism(Features)20th CenturySocial Mentality in Western Country Commodity and Materialism and Mammonism(拜金主义）Commodity Merely as A SymbolLoss in the Commodity World.Commodity3.Money and S

26、ocial Relationship1.Clothes4.City5.Carrie2.Residence Consumerism and Commodity Fetishism in Sister CarrieClothes Serving as a Symbol(符号）符号）Carries fervent worship of clothesHurstwoods Daughter-JessicaHurstwoods fall and the change of his clothesClothes：Social Status,Fortune,Success She lingered in t

27、he jewelry department,she saw the earrings,the bracelets,the pins,the chains.What would she not have given if she could have had them all!She would look fine too,if she had some of these things.P61,Chapter 7.“My dear,”said the lace collar she secured from Partridges,“I fit you beautifully;dont give

28、me up.”“Ah,such little feet,”said the leather of the soft new shoes;“how effectively I cover them.What a pity they should ever want my aid.”P92,Chapter11.“She forgot that if she were alone she would have to pay for a room and board,and imagined that every cent of her eighteen could be spent for clot

29、hes and things that she liked.”P356,Chapter 39.His suit was of a striped and crossed pattern of brown wool,new at that timethe low crotch of the vest revealed a stiff shirt bosom of white and pink stripesfrom his coat sleeves protruded a pair of linen cuffs of the same pattern,fastened with large,go

30、ld plate buttons,set with the common yellow agates known as“cats-eyes.”she became conscious of an inequality.Her own plain blue dress,with its black cotton tape trimmings,now seemed to her shabby.She felt the worn state of her shoes.P3 Chapter 1 His clothes were particularly new and rich in appearan

31、ce.The coat lapels stood out with that medium stiffness which excellent cloth possesses.The vest was of a rich Scotch plaid,set with a double row of round mother-of-pearl buttons.His cravat was a shiny combination of silken threads,not loud,not inconspicuous.What he wore did not strike the eye so fo

32、rcibly as that which Drouet had on,but Carrie could not help feeling that there was a distinction in favor of the soft leather,where all else was so rich.P88.chapter 10 first sight.Money:the Center of life.The detailed computation of money life quantified in monetary termsCarrie in shoe factory:$4.5

33、/weekDrouet:give sister Carrie$20 when the remeet in Chicago after the train encounterCarrie leaves Hurstwood in New York:$20 left“Hale received a salary of forty five dollars a week.”P94“Hurstood showed his hand.He was done.The bitter fact that he had lost seventy dollars made him desperate.There w

34、as now but a hundred and ninety dollars and some change.”(P329)“Hurstwood reasoned,when he neared the last ten dollars,that he had better keep a little pocket change and not become wholly dependent for car-fare,shaves,and the like”P349“she opened her purse and laid down a half dollar.He pretended no

35、t to notice it.”(P350)“One hundred and fifty a week!”she murmured,when she was again alone.She found,after all as what millionaire has not?that there was no realizing,in consciousness,the meaning of large sums.(P401)Ah,money,money,money!What a thing it was to have.How plenty of it would clear away a

36、ll these troubles.P61,Chapter 7.Money and Social Relationship Commodity Relationship The Hansons(Carries brother-in-law)and CarrieThe HurstwoodsDrouet/Hurstwood and Carrie:True Love?Mrs.Hale(in Chicago)/Mrs.Vance(in New York)and Carrie:Carries Contrast.Lola Osborne(in the theatre)and Carrie:True Fri

37、endship?She felt the drag of a lean and narrow life.The walls of the rooms were discordantly papered.The floors were covered with matting and the hall laid with a thin rag carpet.One could see that the furniture was of that poor,hurriedly patched together quality sold by the instalmet houses.P11.Cha

38、pter2She was not so dull but that she could perceive they were but three small rooms in a moderately well-furnished boarding-house.She was not contrasting it now with what she had had,but what she had so recently seen.The glow of the palatial doors was still in her eye,the roll of cushioned carriage

39、s still in her ears.What,after all,was Drouet?What was she?P106.Chapter12“The new furniture made an excellent showing,the sideboard which Hurstwood himself arranged gleamed brightly.The furniture for each room was appropriate,and in the so-called parlour,or front room,was installed a piano,because C

40、arrie said she would like to learn to play.She kept a servant and developed rapidly in household tactics and information”P271.Chapter31The new flat was located in Thirteenth Street,a half block west of Sixth Avenue,and contained only four rooms.The new neighborhood didnt appeal to Carrie as much.The

41、re were no trees here,no west view of the river P298,Chapter33P405 chapter 44.Desire：Stronger Residence：NarrowerCity the Magnet “I shall soon be free.I shall be in the ways and the hosts of the merry.The streets,the lamps,the lighted chamber set for dining,are for me.The theatre,the halls,the partie

42、s,the ways of rest and the paths of song these are mine in the night.”P7.chapter 1.Walk among the magnificent residences,the splendid equipages,the gilded shops,restaurants,resorts of all kinds;scent the flowers,the silks,the wines;drink of the laughter spring from the soul of luxurious content,of t

43、he glances which gleam like light from defiant spears;P263 chapter30.Carrie as a CommodityThe Rise of TheatreSummary 3:1.Clothes2.Residence3.Money and Social Relationship4.City5.CarrieContrastNew American Experience：New National Mentality Desire for CommodityDesire VS.MoralityInstinct VS.ReasonUnconsciousness and the Nature of Man We Have Discussed:Theodore and Sister Carrie Dreisers Legacy in His Writings Consumerism and Commodity Fetishism:Reconstruction of National Moral CodesRecommendation Chapter:30 32:First Days in New YorkNew Essays on Sister Carrie