以结构主义分析了不起的盖茨比

AStructuralistAnalysisofTheGreatGatsbyAbstract:SinceFrancisScottFitzgeraldhadhismasterpieceTheGreatGatsbypublishedin1925,ithadwonmanyfavorablepraises.Nowpeoplekeepreadingitandtheresearchesonitareinexhaustible.Thispresentthesiswillofferare-readingofTheGreatGatsbyfromastructuralistperspective.Thisthesisismainlycomposedoftwoparts.Thefirstpartwillpresentusabriefintroductionoftheauthor,asummaryofTheGreatGatsbyandthecorrespondingtheoriesaboutStructuralism.ThesecondpartistoanalyzeTheGreatGatsbywithbinaryoppositionswhichunderlieitstheme,setting,charactersandthemeaningofsymbols:illusionanddisillusionmentintheme;ideallandandrealisticworldinsetting;insidersandoutsidersincharacters;superficialmeaningandimpliedmeaninginsymbols.Inaword,thisthesisintendstorenderustoappreciateTheGreatGatsbyfromanewperspectivethatisthestructuralistperspective.Keywords:FrancisScottFitzgeraldTheGreatGatsbyStructuralismbinaryoppositionsIntroductionFrancisScottFitzgeraldwasanAmericanauthorofnovelsandshortstories,whoseworksaretheparadigmwritingsoftheJazzAge,atermhecoinedhimself.HeiswidelyregardedasoneofthegreatestAmericanwritersofthe20thcentury.FitzgeraldisconsideredamemberoftheLostGenerationofthe1920s.Hefinishedfournovels,ThisSideofParadise,TheBeautifulandDamned,TenderistheNightandhismostfamous,TheGreatGatsby.Afifth,unfinishednovel,TheLoveoftheLastTycoonwaspublishedposthumously.Fitzgeraldalsowrotemanyshortstoriesthattreatthemesofyouthandpromisealongwithdespairandage.Undoubtedly,TheGreatGatsbybroughtFitzgeraldgreatpopularity.ManyofFitzgerald’peersagreedT.S.Eliot,inalettertoFitzgeraldthatthenovelwascalled“thefirststeptheAmericanfictionhastakensinceHenryJames.”(常耀信，1994：292)Thebasicplotwasverysimple.JamesGatz,apoorboylivingintheMiddleWestwasdriventorealizeadreamofsuccessandelegance.BythattimeAmericaenteredWWⅠ,JamesGatzhadbecomeJamesGatsby,metandlovedDaisyFay,thefirst“nice”girl,whowastoembodyallhisdreams.ButlaterhewenttoFranceandDaisymarriedtoamannamedTomwhowasfabulouslyrich.Afterthewar,TomandDaisywereoccupyingagreathouseontheLongIsland,leadingarecklessandidlelife,withTomseekingexcitementinhisadulteries.Gatsby,nowrichfromunderworldconnections,andstillobsessedwithDaisy,tookahousenearBuchanan,nearenoughsothatatnighthecouldseethe“greenlight”onDaisy’dock.Hebegantoholdwildparties,inordertoattractDaisy’attention,andfinallyhemanagedtopersuadeDaisythatshehadneverlovedTom.However,DaisyretreatedtoTomsoonafterashortperiodofswaying.Unfortunately,GatsbywasshottodeathbyGeorgewhomistookGatsbyastheexactmurdererofhiswife.Infact,itwasDaisywhorandownGeorge’wifeandkilledher.Generallyspeaking,mostofthecriticismputthisbookTheGreatGatsbyinthecaseofpsychologicalandsociologicalfactorsforanalysis,whicharethefactorsoutsidetheliterarytext.Therefore,thisthesiswillofferananalysisofTheGreatGatsbythatwillbeviewedfromastructuralistperspective,mainlyintermsofthetheoryaboutbinaryoppositions.Firstofall,essentialknowledgeonstructuralismmustbeintroduced.Structuralismisoneofthehumanisticthoughtsthathavegreatimpactonthe20thcentury,whichrisestoitsprominenceinFrancethroughtheapplicationoftheSaussurianlinguisticstothestudyoftheculturalphenomenabytheFrenchanthropologistClaudeLevis-Strauss.Structuralismarguesthataspecificdomainofculturemaybeunderstoodbymeansofastructure—modeledonlanguage—thatisdistinctbothfromtheorganizationsofrealityandthoseofideasortheimagination.Besides,itisRomanJacobsonwhofirstbringsforwardtheconceptofbinaryoppositions,whichistheessentialprincipaladoptedintheanalysisofTheGreatGatsby.Forhim,humanmindnaturallyoperatestooppositionsandthebinaryoppositionsinstory’structurerevealitsmeanings.Later,Greimasappliesthisprincipleinthenarrativeanalysis.Heobservesthathumanbeingsmakemeaningbystructuringtheworldintermsoftwokindsofopposedpairsandhebelievesthatthisfundamentalstructureofbinaryoppositionsshapesourlanguage,ourexperienceandthenarrativesthroughwhichwearticulateourexperience.1.BinaryoppositionsinTheGreatGatsbyTheGreatGatsbyishistoricallyaproductoftimes,atypicalwarnovel.WithregardtotheideaofTheGreatGatsby,thenovelattemptssuccessinconventionalterms:love,moneyandpower.However,intermsofform,thisnovelisnodoubtagoodapplicationofbinaryoppositionsfromthestructuralistperspective.1.1BinaryoppositionsinthemeThroughreadingthewholenovel,wewillnotfailtodiscoverbinaryoppositioninitstheme,thatis,thetensionbetweenillusionanddisillusionment,pursuitandloss,dreamandreality.AsFitzgeraldsawit,theAmericandreamwasoriginallyaboutdiscovery,individualism,andthepursuitofhappiness.Inthe1920sdepictedinthenovel,however,easymoneyandrelaxedsocialvalueshavecorruptedthisdream,especiallyontheEastCoast.Themainplotlineofthenovelreflectsthisassessment,asGatsby’sdreamoflovingDaisyisruinedbythedifferenceintheirrespectivesocialstatuses,hisresortingtocrimetomakeenoughmoneytoimpressher,andtherampantmaterialismthatcharacterizesherlifestyle.JustasAmericanshavegivenAmericameaningthroughtheirdreamsfortheirownlives,GatsbyinstillsDaisywithakindofidealizedperfectionthatsheneitherdeservesnorpossesses.Gatsby’sdreamisruinedbytheunw