1、生态观解读野性的呼唤淮北煤炭师范学院信息学院 2006 级学士学位论文 An Interpretation of The Call of the Wild from the Ecological Perspective系 别: 英语系 专 业: 英语 学 号: 2006180430169 姓 名: 张晶晶 指 导 教 师: 潘学权 指导教师职称: 副教授 2010年 5 月 29 日AcknowledgementsIm deeply indebted, first and foremost, to my supervisor, professor Pan Xuequan, who has pr
2、ovided patient instructions, valuable suggestions and everlasting encouragement at every stage of this thesis.I am also grateful to the professors and other teachers in the Information School. Their thoughtful lectures and insightful guidance helped me a lot in writing this thesis.My heart-felt than
3、ks also go to my classmates and roommates from whom I benefit a lot.An Interpretation of The Call of the Wildfrom the Ecological PerspectiveAbstract: The Call of the Wild makes the American writer Jack London known all around the world. Ecological perspective can be found in this animal novel when i
4、t is read against the background of eco-criticism. The major task of eco-criticism is to explore the relationship between human beings and nature, eco-criticism especially focuses on the side-effects of human beings development on environment. There are three principles: anti-anthropocentrism, deep
5、ecology and ecological holism. Obviously, London detests the anthropocentric view on animals, which leads to promote peoples consciousness of ecological vision and promote them to think that they could have lived differently if they focused more on the balance of ecosystem. He admires the harmonious
6、 relationship between humans and nature and advocates the benefit that people receive from the harmonious relationship. The thesis consists of four parts. Firstly it is about current studies of Jack Londons animal novel. Then it focuses on emergence, features and principles of eco-criticism. The pri
7、nciples include anti-anthropocentrism, deep ecology and ecological holism. Next it analyzes the reflection of the principles in the novel. Finally it summarizes ecological thoughts and hopes that readers can take up their own ecological responsibilities.Key words: eco-criticism; anti-anthropocentris
8、m; deep ecology; ecological holism从生态观角度解读野性的呼唤摘要：小说野性的呼唤使美国作家杰克伦敦闻名于世。以生态批评为背景则可看出这篇动物小说中的生态观。生态批评旨在探索人与自然的关系，批判人在发展中对自然的负面影响。生态批评主要有三个原则：反人类中心主义、深层生态学和生态整体主义。伦敦在这篇小说中非常明显地强调了对人类中心主义的厌恶，这也就引出了他对人类生态观在思想意识上的提升。如果人们更加关注生态的平衡，那么人们本来有可能生活的与现在不同。他仍然强调了这种人与自然和谐共生的关系，并积极倡导人在这种关系中获得的有利之处。本文由四部分组成。首先主要介绍伦敦这
9、部动物小说和它的研究现状，然后阐述生态批评的理论原则反人类中心主义、深层生态学和生态整体主义，其次分析生态批评的理论原则在这部小说中的体现，最后总结小说蕴涵的生态思想并希望读者承担起自己的生态责任。关键词：生态批评；反人类中心主义；深层生态学；生态整体主义Table of Contents1. Introduction11.1 Research Background.11.2 Introduction of The Call of the Wild.22. Principles of Eco-criticism.22.1 Introduction of Eco-criticism.22.2 A
10、nti-anthropocentrism.42.3 Deep Ecology.52.4 Ecological Holism53. Eco-criticism Reflected in the Novel.63.1 Anthropocentric Analysis in the Novel63.1.1 The Scotch Half-breeds Treating Buck as a Tool.63.1.2 Hals Ruthlessness to Buck.7 3.2 Deep Ecology in the Novel.8 3.2.1 Dogs Self-realization.9 3.2.2
11、 Dogs Bio-centric Equality.93.3 Ecological Holism in the Novel.103.3.1 Bucks Harmony with Judge Miller.103.3.2 Bucks Harmony with John Thornton.114. Conclusion.13References15An Interpretation of The Call of the Wildfrom the Ecological Perspective1. Introduction1.1 Research BackgroundJack Londonan ea
12、rly spokesman for the philosophy of “the survival of the fittest”, whose life symbolized the power of will, was one of the most successful and prolific writers in America in the early 20th Century. Since 1898, he had written unceasingly for 18 years till his death in 1916, he had produced 19 complet
13、e novels, 152 short stories and articles, three plays and eight autobiographical and sociological books. His vigorous stories were drawn mainly from his own experience. The turning point of his life was a thirty-day imprisonment that was so degrading it made him decide to turn to education and pursu
14、e a career in writing. He is very diligent and ambitious, which is the basis of his future success.Up to now, the studies on Londons works mainly focus on the content, themes and writing skills. Some critics analyze this novel from the perspective of ecology and demonstrate the influence of environm
15、ent respectively. The writer of the thesis thinks, however, ecological perspective can be found in this novel when it is read against the background of eco-criticism. At present, the literary research on this novel can be classified into three kinds: regarding it as childrens literature, analyzing h
16、ow Naturalism is embodied, and exploring how the novel reflects Jack Londons superman complex and superman philosophy. Undoubtedly, these research angles help a lot in further researching his animal novels. According to these researches, London really emphasized the relationship between nature (dogs
17、) and human beings and how peoples attitudes become a bridge between civilization and wildness.In addition, literary research is closely connected with the times. With the development of society, human beings begin to realize different kinds of conflicts within their civilization. At this time, anim
18、al novels research value can be reflected. The most profound point in Jack Londons animal novels is that human beings reflect themselves through the animals eyes. So it is necessary and meaningful to reread this animal novel from a new perspective, which is eco-criticism.1.2 Introduction of The Call
19、 of the Wild The Call of the Wild is a novel about the life of a dog, Buck, which is the leading actor of the novel. His first owner was Judge Miller in the south of America, he liked his owner very much. Manuel who was a gardener kidnapped Buck, so Buck was taken to the north of America. Buck becam
20、e a sled dog. The bad weather, the terrible fights, his dead friend and many things made Buck know he was surrounded by savages. There was no fair play. Only fight and war can help him. Finally, he began to master his new surroundings and he often listened to some special voice of the wild during hi
21、s terrible life in the north. Then, Buck was sold once more and he had two stupid owners. At last, John Thornton rescued Buck, and became Bucks best and ideal owner. When they lived in a forest, the Yeehats, an Indian tribe killed all the people, including John. Buck was very angry and he killed mos
22、t of the Yeehats. John was dead, Bucks last tie with people was broken. Finally, he was ready to answer the call of the wild. More and more roughness make humans realize we are not the only master in the world, only in harmonious with the nature, can we get interests from each other. From Buck and J
23、ack London, we can see how to face nature rightly. After understanding the research background and the brief introduction of the novel, the writer of the thesis will analyze how eco-criticism is reflected through analyzing the relationship between human beings and nature (dogs).2. Principles of Eco-
24、criticism2.1 Introduction of Eco-criticismEco-criticism, also called studies of literature and environment, is the latest literary critical approaches in western literary fields. It was launched in America during the 1970s-1980s and has developed rapidly since the 1990s. Goltfelty Cheryll, professor
25、 of literature and environment at the University of Nevada, for the first time said: “Simply defined, eco-criticism is the study of the relationship between literature and the physical environment. Eco-criticism takes an earth-centered approach to literary studies” (Cheryll, 1996: 77).Eco-criticism
26、has reason for its origin. In the social circle, after the World War the technological revolution brought to human unbalanced wealth and also destroyed the ecological balance. With the rapid economical development, human activities such as industrialization and pollution were threatening to cause di
27、sasters on the planet. When the first nuclear bomb exploded, it indicated the possibility of the total destruction of mankind. The historian and ecological scholar Donald Worster commented that explosion like this: “For the first time in some two million years of human history, there existed a force
28、 capable of destroying the entire fabric of life on the planet” (Worster, 1985: 42). Besides the dreadful power of the atomic bomb, solid waste, acid rain and automobile emissions, all these environmental problems were striking the public consciousness and awakening the public awareness. Thereupon,
29、a new era of the global ecology movement emerged during the late 1960s.With the deteriorating global environment, e.g. acid rain in the 1980s, and deforestation in the 1990s, critics can not neglect environment any longer. Just as Lawrence Buell, American eco-critic and professor of English predicat
30、ed that if the main problem in 20th century is the gender, then the most pressing problem in the 21st century is the global environment. Thus, solving the environmental problems also is the business of all the scholars of humanities.According to Glotfelty Cheryll, literary theory examines the relati
31、ons between writers, texts and the world. Eco-criticism expands the concept of “the world” to include the entire ecosphere (Cheryll, 1996: 104). That is to say, besides the human world, eco-critics also deal with the nonhuman natural world and human interactions. Eco-critical scholars need to depend not only on the view of literary studies but also on other related disciplines, especially in the field of environment and eco
