英语专业毕业设计newwoman_inold_new_yorkaninterpretationofedithwharton’stheageofinnocence.doc

摘要 美国小说家伊迪斯·华顿以描写她所处的上层社会的故事而闻名。《纯真年代》是一部经久不衰的杰作，被认为是伊迪丝·华顿结构技巧最为完美的一部小说。《纯真年代》的主要情节发生在19世纪70年代末80年代初的纽约上流社会。那是伊迪丝度过童年与青春的地方。她在那儿长大成人，进入社交界，订婚又解除婚约，最后嫁给波士顿的爱德华·华顿，并度过了婚后的最初几年。时隔40年后，作为小说家的她回顾养育过她也束缚过她的那个社会，她的感情是复杂的，既有亲切的眷恋，又有清醒的针砭。 华顿运用女性特有的细腻的描写方法及敏锐的洞察力，真实地再现19世纪70年代末八十年代初的社会活动及人们的内心世界，同时通过对艾伦的亲人及朋友对她的蔑视及冷淡，无情地揭露了老纽约社会的黑暗及人性的扭曲，庆幸的是还有像艾伦这样爽朗大方，坦诚率真，同情人们疾苦又不做作的新新女性代表，尽管命运坎坷，但始终如一，追求自己的梦想及自由。 作者从自己亲身经历与熟悉的环境中提炼素材，塑造人物，将作品题材根置于深厚的现实土壤中。尤其通过博福特命运浮沉这一线索与主人公爱情悲剧的主线相互映衬，使一个看似寻常的爱情故事具备了深刻的社会现实意义。 关键词：老纽约，新女性，理想，自由，虚伪  ABSTRACT Edith Wharton is an American modern woman writer, who is popular with her description of upper middle class of life. The Age of Innocence, which is acknowledged as the most excellent work, is exquisitely structured. The story is in the background of late 70s and early 80s in the 19th century, where Wharton was born and grew up and experienced a great deal. She connected herself with the upper middle society and married to Edward whom she got divorced with finally. During about 40 years, she recalled the society where she lived and was raised, and was haltered as well. Depicting the story, she was teemed with sentimental attachment and thorough sarcasm as well. The use of exquisite depiction and sharp insight of female character represents the upper middle class practically by the social activities and the inner actions of the people in that society. On the other hand, the revealment of the harsh society and the twisted personality is displayed by the contempt and indifference they acted towards to Ellen. Fortunately, Ellen is really different from them, who is bright and clear, candid, sympathetic and inartificial. She is one of the typical characters of the new women at that time. Even though the path in front of her is teeming with thistles and thorns, she never diverts even an inch. On the contrary, she goes on stepping forward and looks forwards to happiness and freedom. The author absorbs the story from the real life of her own, and blurts out