从新历史主义角度解读凯特—肖班的《觉醒》.pdf

西安外国语大学
硕 士 学 位 论 文
从新历史主义角度解读凯特--肖班的《觉醒》












专业名称： 英语语言文学
作者姓名： Zhao CaiXia 
指导老师： 潘惠霞
REBELLIONS AND TRANSGRESSIONS：
AN INTERPRETATION OF KATE
CHOPIN’S THE AWAKENING FROM THE
PERSPECTIVE OF NEW HISTORICISM

by

Zhao CaiXia

A Thesis

Submitted to the Graduate School
of Xi’an International Studies University
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree
of

MASTER OF ARTS
in

AMERICAN LITERATURE
Xi’an, China
2013
ABSTRACT

Kate Chopin’s masterpiece, The Awakening, is honored as a classic feminist
novel and one of the most frequently required readings in American high schools and
colleges as well. Studies of this novel so far mainly focus on its heroine Edna
Pontellier’s awakening from the perspective of feminism and symbolism. Theme of
rebellions and transgressions is mentioned by critics, it is not interpreted from the
perspective of New Historicism. This thesis attempts to explore this theme from the
perspective of New Historicism with the focuses on the historicity of text and the
textuality of history to explore the social impacts on the characters and demonstrate
Chopin’s reconstruction of women’s history. Through the analysis, the thesis reaches
the conclusion that The Awakening reve