Analysis of Jack London’s Contradictory Feminist Perspective in Martin Eden

Abstract

Martin Eden is American writer Jack London’s semi-biographical novel。 It is a story of the eponymous hero, Martin Eden。 In order to match up to his lover Ruth, Martin struggled from a poor sailor to a wealthy writer。 But he feels confused and disillusioned after his success, and commits suicide in the end。 85275

The creation and portrayal of the hero Martin Eden is so outstanding and remarkable that most scholars lay their focus on Martin when appreciating this novel。 The vivid images of female characters are often neglected。 To understand this story completely and thoroughly, it is necessary to analyze those female characters who have great influence on hero’s life。 Therefore, this thesis will apply the theory of feminist criticism to analyze the female images in the novel and Martin’s attitudes towards them。 After that the author’s feminist perspective will also be explored。 This thesis will end up in the conclusion that although Jack London’s attitudes towards women were contradictory, he is by no means a male-chauvinist writer。

Key Words: Martin Eden; Jack London; feminist criticism

杰克。伦敦在《马丁。伊登》中的女性观

摘要

《马丁·伊登》是著名的美国作家杰克·伦敦的一部代表作。它讲述了同名主角马丁·伊登为了配得上露丝，从一个水手自学成为了一名作家，但在成名后感到迷茫和幻灭，最后选择了自杀的悲剧故事。

杰克·伦敦对马丁·伊登这一角色塑造过于出色，导致众多学者在赏析这本书的时候，都把注意力放在了研究马丁·伊登这个人物本身性格及思想的发展上，而忽略了对书中的女性角色的分析。然而马丁·伊登的生活变化和这些女性角色是密切相关的。为更好的研究整个故事，本文将从女性主义角度对文中的女性角色加以分析。对《马丁·伊登》中的女性人物形象和马丁对她们的矛盾情感进行深入分析，然后探讨本书作者杰克·伦敦的女性观。最后得出结论，虽然伦敦在女性问题上的态度是矛盾的，但他不是个男权作家。

关键词：《马丁·伊登》；杰克·伦敦；女性主义批判

Contents

1。 Introduction 1

1。1 Introduction of Jack London 1

1。2 Introduction of Martin Eden 1

1。2。1 The Story 1

1。2。2 The Background 2

1。3 Feminist Criticism 3

2。 Literature Review 4

3。 Analysis of Female Characters in Martin Eden 6

3。1 Traditional Women from Upper Class 6

3。1。1 Ruth Morse: Martin’s Lover 6

3。1。2 Mrs。 Morse: Ruth’s Mother 8

3。2 Traditional Women from Lower Class 9

3。2。1 Gertrude: Martin’s Sister 9

3。2。2 Lizzie Connolly: Martin’s Pursuer 9

3。3 Martin Eden’s Contradictory Attitudes towards Women 11

4。 Jack London’s Attitudes towards Women 12

4。1 Jack London’s Contradictory 源Q于W优H尔J论K文M网WwW.youeRw.com 原文+QQ75201.,8766 Attitudes towards Women