灿烂千阳》.doc

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1、An Analysis of A Thousand Splendid Suns from the Perspective of Spivaks Postcolonial FeminismYe XiaoyingSupervisor: Lin Wei A dissertation presented in partial fulfillment of the requirementsfor the Degree of BA in English（business-oriented） at Guangzhou University of Chinese MedicineMay, 2019Table

2、of ContentsTable of Contents2Acknowledgements3Abstract4摘 要61. Introduction71.1 About Khaled Hosseini71.2About A Thousand Splendid Suns81.3 Aims and Objectives111.4 The Organization of the Dissertation122. Literature Review132.1 Reviews on the Studies of A Thousand Splendid Suns Abroad132.2 Reviews o

3、n the Studies of A Thousand Splendid Suns at Home153. Theoretical Framework173.1 Introduction to Spivak173.2 Introduction to Subaltern173.3 Introduction to Post-colonialism183.4 Gayatri C. Spivaks concept of Postcolonial Feminism194. Dual oppression of patriarchy and imperialism214.1 Mariams Experie

4、nce under Patriarchy224.2 Lailas misfortune under Imperialism244.3 The tragic fate towards the same end265. Identity Construction in the Process of Resistance275.1 The Process of Resistance in the Novel285.2 Construction of Gender and Social Identity305.3 Construction of Cultural Identity336. Conclu

5、sion35AcknowledgementsI would like to express my sincere appreciation to all those who had helped me during my writing of this dissertation. First of all, I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to my supervisor Mr. Wang who has spent much time to reading through all my drafts and gave me benefi

6、cial suggestions. Without his careful guidance, my dissertation can not come into being. I am very grateful to the teachers of School of Foreign Study who have helped me to equip myself with knowledge in the lectures. Finally, I would like to express my wholehearted thanks to my parents who support

7、me all the time no matter what decision I made. AbstractA Thousand Splendid Suns is the second novel by Khaled Hosseini, an Afghan writer. The author focuses on Afghan women. The novel tells the unfortunate stories of two Afghan women. Mariam was an illegitimate daughter, so her life and marriage we

8、re full of humiliation and abuse. Eighteen years later, the war had not yet subsided. Laila, a young girl, lost her parents and lover and was forced to marry Rasheed. Both of them were oppressed by patriarchy and imperialism, and their hearts were intertwined with misery and patience. They were once

9、 intolerant of fire and water, and because of each other, they realized their self-consciousness and completed their identity construction. Because of the great popularity of the novel, scholars at home and abroad have analyzed the novel from different perspectives, such as initiation novel, ecologi

10、sm, New Historicism and so on. This study uses Spivaks subaltern theory of post-colonial feminism and Can the subaltern speak？ to analyze the harm caused by these oppressions to Afghan women under the oppression of patriarchy and imperialism. And how they gradually awaken their self-consciousness, a

11、nd rise up to resist, and finally get redemption, complete the process of identity construction.Key words: Khaled Hosseini; A Thousand Splendid Suns; Marginalization；Postcolonial feminism；Identity construction摘 要灿烂千阳是美籍阿富汗作家卡勒德胡赛尼（Khaled Hosseini）的第二部长篇小说，于2007年在美国首发，该书上市仅一周销量就突破100万册。作者将关注焦点放在阿富汗妇女

12、身上，小说讲述了两个阿富汗妇女的不幸故事，玛丽雅姆是私生女，她的人生以及婚姻都充斥着耻辱和虐待。十八年后，战乱仍未平息，少女莱拉失去了父母与恋人，亦被迫嫁给拉希德。两个人都受到了父权主义和帝国主义的压迫，心底潜藏着的悲苦与忍耐相互交织，她们曾经水火不容，又因为彼此而自我意识觉醒，完成了身份建构。由于小说受到了极大的欢迎，国内国外的学者都从不同的角度分析了这本小说，例如从成长小说、生态主义、新历史主义等角度。而本研究则运用了斯皮瓦克的后殖民女性主义中的“属下”理论和“庶民不能说话”理论与阿富汗女性在父权主义和帝国主义压迫下的生活状态结合起来，分析这些压迫对她们造成的伤害。以及她们如何逐步自我意识

13、觉醒，并且奋起反抗，最后获得救赎，完成身份建构的过程。关键词：卡勒德胡赛尼；灿烂千阳；边缘化；后殖民女性主义；身份建构1. Introduction1.1 About Khaled Hosseini Khaled Hosseini, born in March 4th 1965, he graduated from the University of California, San Diego, and is an Afghan-American writer and doctor. Khaled Hosseini was born in Kabul, Afghanistan. His fat

14、her was a diplomat that made them move to different countries from time to time and his mother was a teacher at Kabul Womens School. In 1970, the family was sent to Tehran with their father, and in 1973 the family moved back to Kabul. This year is the last year for the Afghan regime to maintain stab

15、ility. After that, coups and invasions continued, which ended Hosseinis beautiful childhood in Afghanistan. In 1999, Hosseini came across a report that the Taliban forbade citizens to fly kites, which was Hosseinis favorite activity in Kabul as a child. He wrote a short story on the spur of the mome

16、nt and eventually expanded it into a novel, The Kite Runner, in 2001. In 2003, Hosseinis debut novel The Kite Runner won various new awards and remained on Amazons list for 131 weeks. In 2007, Hosseini published his second novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns, which has been widely recognized as a mature

17、 writer by new writers. The background of his novels is set in Afghanistan but the Afghanistan he described is not rosy at all. Khaled Hosseinis first novel The Kite Runner tells the story of Kabuls wealthy young master Amir and his servant Hassan. The protagonists in the book witnessed the eternal

18、topics of war, religion, love, guilt, atonement and so on. The second novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns, is considered a “female version of The Kite Runner”, which tells how two Afghan women struggle to survive marriage violence, drought and poverty. Hosseini has unveiled the other side of Afghanistan

19、s mystery, which is little known to the world: the suffering of the underclass, the blood-thicker flesh and blood, and the indomitable spirit of longing for freedom and happiness. 1.2About A Thousand Splendid SunsA Thousand Splendid Suns is the second novel of Afghan American writer Khaled Hosseini,

20、 which received great attention before its publication. Launched in the United States on May 22, 2007, it sold more than 1 million copies in a week and won unanimous praise from critics. It has been praised by many critics as “a great work beyond The Kite Runner”. This time Hosseini focused on Afgha

21、n women. The novel tells the unfortunate stories of two Afghan women who have to endure the restraints of hunger and illness. Families have to endure the trauma of war and the displacement of refugees. The country should endure the war between the former Soviet Union, the Taliban and the United Stat

22、es. Mariam and Laila are the two protagonists in this novel.Mariam is an illegitimate daughter whose mother is a maid in her fathers family. She grew up in a mud house in a mountain village near Heart because her father didnt take his responsibilities as a father. Jalil visits Nana and Mariam in the

23、 mud house every Thursday, which is the thing she longed for most from her father. Finally, on her 15th birthday, she showed a childs willfulness and rebellion for her fathers vague and uncertain decision. On her birthday, she naively thought Jalil would spend time with her. In order to meet her fat

24、her, she walked down the mountain village for the first time and went to Jalils home. She didnt realize that her father had avoided seeing her. Mariam spent the night waiting in front of the house, and finally rushed into the open door, only to see her fathers face flashing through the window. Then

25、the curtains were drawn. Mariam cried on her way home. She shed sad tears, but also a deep, deeply humiliating tears. But when she came back home, she saw her mother suicide by hanging herself. Later, she was allowed to be assigned to 45-year-old Kabul shoemaker Rasheed. After a miscarriage, Mariam

26、was in a declining situation. Rasheed always fights Mariam for something insignificant. Unlike Mariam, Laila is a well-educated, beautiful and happy girl. Her father is a local professor who teaches at Kabul University. Unlike ordinary Muslim families, their families advocate equality between men an

27、d women. Laila also has a friend named Tariq, who cherishes each other as if they cherish the most precious things in the world. When they were fourteen years old, Tariq and his family fled to Pakistan to take refuge. Shortly after they left, the Laila family also planned to leave Kabul. On the eve

28、of her departure, the shells hit her home, her parents died, and she was rescued home by Rasheed. Laila, with Tariqs baby in her stomach, was forced to marry Rasheed after she heard that Tariq had died and began working with Mariam. The two women have experienced many hardships, from the initial irr

29、econcilable to turn into an irreversible acquaintance. Laila gave birth to Tariqs daughter and Rasheeds son. One day, Tariq suddenly appeared at Lailas house, and Laila realized that she had been caught in a big scam years ago. When Rasheed knew that Tariq had come, he tried to strangle Laila with a

30、 mixture of jealousy and anger. Mariam killed Rasheed with a shovel. Later, Laila and Mariam planned to flee again, but when they left, Mariam chose to stay and take the blame. Laila and Tariq embarked on a new path of life, while Mariam was stoned to death by the Taliban at the Gaz Stadium.As for t

31、he new book, named A Thousand Splendid Suns, Hosseini explained that the title of the book originated from a poem about Kabul. “This poem was written by Saib-e-Tabrizi, a 17th-century Afghan poet, after visiting Kabul. The final phrase of the poem, A thousand brilliant suns, fits the theme of the no

32、vel. “A Thousand Splendid Suns is a novel of simple and unadorned nature. Its sincerity will still move millions of readers. Although life is full of bitterness, the warm sunshine of hope can be seen in every sad situation. 1.3 Aims and ObjectivesThis thesis is based on Spivaks postcolonial feminist

33、 theory, which aims to study how Afghan women are oppressed by patriarchy and imperialism. In addition, we will study how Afghan women construct their identity in oppression. Through the analysis, we try to answer the following questions:1. How did Mariam and Laila suffer from the oppression of patr

34、iarchy and imperialism, and how did they affect their whole life?2. In the process of being oppressed by patriarchy and imperialism, what attitudes did they adopt and what caused these two different attitudes?3. How does Spivaks post-colonial feminism manifest itself in this novel? Which theory is i

35、t?4. How did Mariam and Laila accomplish identity construction and finally achieve self-redemption?The answer for these four questions is expected to be helpful in understanding the novel and its author. It is hoped that the interpretation in theory of the text will be fully explored and elaborated

36、through the discussion.1.4 The Organization of the DissertationThe dissertation contains six parts. The first part is a brief introduction to the author and the text to be analyzed, and the aims and objectives of this dissertation, as well as the organization of this dissertation. The second part is

37、 a review on the previous studies on the novel at home and abroad. The third part establishes the theoretical framework for the study, emphasizing on Spivaks postcolonial feminist theory. The forth part is the analytical part of this dissertation in detail with the theory, which specifically analyse

38、s the harm of patriarchy and imperialism to the two heroines. The fifth part makes a concrete analysis of how the two heroines accomplish their identity construction. The last part covers the conclusions of interpretation, as well as the limitations existing in the study and some suggestions for fut

39、ure studies.2. Literature ReviewAs a bestseller, A Thousand Splendid Suns arises many scholars interest. But the book was published a few years ago and the writer is a new comer in the writing field. So the essay no mater foreign or domestic is not very rich. 2.1 Reviews on the Studies of A Thousand

40、 Splendid Suns AbroadIn the first week following its release, A Thousand Splendid Suns sold over one million copies, becoming a number-one New York Times bestseller for fifteen weeks. Time magazines Lev Grossman placed it at number three in the Top 10 Fiction Books of 2007, and praised it as a “dens

41、e, rich, pressure-packed guide to enduring the unendurable.” Jonathan Yardley said in the Washington Post “Book World”, “Just in case youre wondering whether Khaled Hosseinis A Thousand Splendid Suns is as good as The Kite Runner, heres the answer: No. Its better.” As for foreign researches, Dr. Md.

42、 Sahidul Islam has written a dissertation called “Gender Discrimination and The Wretched Condition of Women in Arundhati Roys The God of Small Things and Khaled Hosseinis A Thousand Splendid Suns” in Arts & Education International Research Journal in 2015. In that dissertation, the author said:”In a

43、 nutshell, Khaled Hosseini have raised a series of serious questions regarding the safeguard of women in patriarchal society. At the same time, the authors have given partial solution to the problem through the women characters in the novels who hinted at a drastic change through their protest to br

44、ing a revolutionary change in the society. This is how Hosseini brought into light the gender inequality in the society as reflected in A Thousand Splendid Suns.” “The impact of ideology on lexical choices in literary translation: A case study of A Thousand Splendid Suns” is written by Fatemeh Manso

45、urabadi and Amin Karimnia from Akdeniz Language Studies Conference in 2012. This dissertation attempts to discover ideological differences between Hosein A Thousand Splendid Suns and its two Persian translations, by Ganji and Soleimani and Ghebrai. According to Fairclough, ideology in discourse is e

46、ncoded in the lexical, grammatical and textual items and changes in these items indicate different ideology. Hence, lexical choices of the source book and the two translations were analyzed based on Faircloughs approach to investigate ideological differences between them. The results of chi-square r

47、evealed that there were no ideological difference between the source text and its two translations. Moreover, the translators selected similar vocabularies for representing the ideology of the original author. 2.2 Reviews on the Studies of A Thousand Splendid Suns at HomeCompared with the literature

48、 review of the novel abroad, the number of domestic research on the novel is remarkable after the Chinese version translated by Li Jihong published into Chinese market. Most scholars mainly make research on the following perspectives such as ecologist perspective, new historicism and growth theme.“An Eco-feminist Reading of A Thousand Splendid Suns” is written by Jiang(2012) from Liaoning University. Her essay uses the theory of ecological feminism to reveal the control and destruction of women in patriarchal society and the destruction of nature by war. And her es