KASDI MERBAH UNIVERSIEY OUARGLA Faculty of Letters and Languages Department of Foreign Languages English Section
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
KASDI MERBAH UNIVERSIEY OUARGLA Faculty of Letters and Languages Department of Foreign Languages English Section Dissertation Academic Master Domain: Letters and Foreign languages Field : English Language Division Speciality : Anglo-Saxon Literature Presented by : Gheribi Abdelhadi Title Title Publicly defended On: ../../.... Before the jury: Mr. Bousbai Abd elaziz President UKM Ouargla Mrs. Keddache Assia Supervisor UKM Ouargla Mrs. Tedjani Hinde Examiner UKM Ouargla Academic Year: 2013 /2014 Dedication I would like to dedicate this modest work to those who gave their spirits and devoted their life to make me reach to this position. To my mother and father for their support and patience. This work is also dedicated to all my brothers and sisters. In addition I dedicate this work to all my lovely friends without exception especially my best friend Redouane who encouraged me to the way it should be. It is such a great pleasure to dedicate this humble work to all my teachers from primary school till university. I I Acknowledgement This work would not be completed without considerable help from Allah, who gives the strength to accomplish it. My special thanks and appreciation with my deepest respect to my supervisor: Mrs. Kaddeche Assia for her help and guidance during this process. Also, I would like to thank all my teachers who helped me throughout the course of my study. Finally, I am deeply thankful to every person who has helped me in this work. II II Abstract This study is an attempt to analyze the use of symbolism in Edgar Allan Poe's poem "The Raven" (1845). This work aims to shed the light on the symbols by identifying the various interpretations of the symbols by applying "Whitehead's theory". This study is divided into four main chapters. The first chapter presents a general survey of symbolism and its major theories such as: Ferdinand De Saussure, Sigmund Freud, and Alfred Whitehead. The second chapter contains the literary analysis of Edgar Allan Poe: biography and style and a literary analysis about Poe's masterpiece "The Raven". The third chapter focuses mainly on the use of symbols and its interpretations in the poem. The fourth chapter is the pedagogical implications that provides methods on how this poem should be studied in literature. The objective of the study is to show the motive behind the use of symbols in this work "The Raven". Key words: Symbols, meaning, Symbolism, Gothic fiction III III ا ھه ارا ھ و إل ا ة ا ا إدر آ ن "The Raven" (ااب) 1845 . ھه ارا ف إ اء از ا اة وذ ا ا از واد. ھا ا إ أر ل ر. م ا اول ة ل ا وأھ : د دو ر, و و أ واد.أ ا ا ارا ا در آن ق إ ة ا وأ ا ار ارا ا ا (ااب). ا إل ا و اة. أ ا اا ح ط و أ ل ر ھه اة ادب. ات ا : از ، ا ، ا ، ا IV Table of Contents Dedication………………………………………………………………………..... I Acknowledgement………………………………………………….............……… II Abstract………………………………………………………………...................... III Table of Contents………………………………………………………………….. IV General Introduction………………………………………………………................. 1 Chapter One Theoretical Part Symbolism as a Figure of Speech: A General Survey Introduction………………………………………………………..…………….… 4 1.1Figurative Language ……………………………………………………..……… 4 1.2 Symbolism …………………………………………………….....…………….. 5 1.2.1 Symbolism as Metaphor ……………….…………………………………….. 6 1.2.2 Symbolism Versus Allegory ……………….………..………………………... 7 1.2.3 Symbolism in Poetry …….……………..……………………………………. 7 1.3 Theories of Symbolism ………………………………………………………… 8 1.3.1 Ferdinand De Saussure's Theory …………………………………………..… 8 1.3.2 Frye's Theory ……………………………………………………………..….. 8 1.3.3 Sigmund Freud's Theory …………………………………………….……… 9 1.3.4 Alfred Whitehead's Theory ……………………………………………….... 9 Conclusion ………………………………………………….....................………. 9 Chapter Two Historical Background Historical, Social and Biographical Background Introduction……………………………………………………………………….…………..11 2.1 Romanticism ………………………………………………..……………………....……11 2.1.1 The Gothic Fiction ……………………………………………………………………..12 2.1.1.1 Characteristic of the Gothic Fiction …………………………………………..……. 12 2.2 Edgar Allan Poe Biography …………………………...…………………………………13 2. 3 Edgar Allan Poe and the Gothic literature……………………………………………….14 2.4 Edgar Allan Poe Philosophy and Style …………………………………………….……15 2.4.1 Poe's Philosophy in Literature ………………………...………………………………..15 2.4.2 Edgar Allan Poe's Style ………………………………………………………………...16 2.4.2.1 Structure of Love Narrative in Poe ……………………….……………………….....17 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………....……...…….18 Chapter Three Practical Part Corpus Analysis: The Use of Symbolism in The Raven Introduction………………………………………………………………………………...…19 3.1 The General Literary Analysis of The Raven ……………...…..…………….……..……19 3.1.1 The Analysis of The Raven ………….………………………..………………....…….19 3.1.1.1 Plot Summary………………………………………………………………...……….19 3.1.1.2 The Setting ……………………..……………………………………..…...………....20 3.1.1.3 Themes ……………………………………………………………………………….20 3.1.1.4 Characters …………………………………………………………………………….24 3.2 Rhetorical Devices ………………………………………………..…………………..…25 3.2.1 Schemes …………………………………………………………………………..……25 3.2.1.1 Phoneme Level…………………………………………………………...…………...25 3.2.1.2 Word Level ………………………………………………........................................27 3.2.1.3 Sentence Level …………………………………………………………………….…29 3.2.2 Tropes …………………………………………………………………………………..29 3.3 Symbolic Situation……………………………………………………………..…………31 3.3.1 The Psychological Side of the Narrator …………………………………………….…32 3.3.2 The Use of Initiation ……………………………………………………….…………..32 3.3.3 Light and Darkness………………………………………………................…………..33 3.3.4 The Supernatural Intervention …………………………………………………………33 3.3.5 The Use of the Nature …………………………………………..………….………..…34 3.4 Symbolism in Characters ………………… ……………….…………………..………...35 3.4.1 The Raven as a Symbol……………………………………………...……………….…35 3.4.2 Lenore as a Symbol……………………………………………………………………..36 3.5 Symbolism Objects …………………………………....................................................... 37 3.5.1 The Title ………………………………………………………………..………………37 3.5.2 Forgotten Lore ………………………………………………………………….……....38 3.5.3 The Chamber ………………………………………………………………………..….38 3.5.4 The Bust of Pallas ……………………………………………………………………...39 3.5.5 Nepenthe …………………………………………………………….…………………40 3.5.6 Night`s Plutonian Shore ………………………………………………………………..40 3.5.7 Midnight and December ……………………………………………………..................41 3.5.8 Nevermore ……………………………………………………………………………...41 Conclusion …………………………………………………………………………………...42 Chapter Four Pedagogical Implications Introduction ……………………………………………………………………...…………...44 4.1 Active Reading Strategies……………………………………………………………..….44 4.1.1 Rereading …………………………………………………………………….………...44 4.1.2 During Reading …..……………………………………………………………...…….44 4.1.3 After Reading ………………………….......................................................................45 4.1.4 Reading and Appreciating Poetry………………………………………………...…….46 4.2 Edgar Allan Poe Lecture Notes ………………………………………………….…….…47 4.3 The Tips to Interpret The Raven …………………………………………………………48 4.4 Teaching Poe`s The Raven ………………………………………………………...…….49 4.4.1 Tips to Teach The Raven in Classroom………….………………………………….….49 4.4.2 Key Vocabulary …………………………………………………………..……………50 4.4.3 Reading Comprehension Questions …………………………………………………....51 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………....52 General Conclusion ……………………………………………………………......................53 Bibliography……………………………………………………………………......................54 General Introduction During the 19 th century the American literature was dominated by Romanticism. The gothic fiction deals with horror and madness which was derived from Romanticism. The author has his or her own way to deliver the message via using figures of speech such as: Simile, Metaphor, understatement, symbolism, etc. These figures of speech have different effect due to their impact on the literary text and the reader. Edgar Allan Poe is known primarily for his mastery of the gothic fiction. He is a professional artist in horror, besides he overuses symbolism in most of his works such as: The Black cat (1843), The Tell Tale Heart (1843), The Raven (1845), etc. in order to enhance the sense of discomfort and horror. The present study attempts to identify the use of symbolism in "The Raven" (1845). The latter is considered a masterpiece of Edgar Allan Poe, because it is well known for its particular structure and its musicality (H. Alkhatib, 2011). In this work, Poe attempted to make the poem having a melancholy mood by symbolizing the raven to describe the tough situation of the lost love. The figurative language plays a significant role in the literary work. Symbolism is frequently used by many authors in order to make the reader understand and interpret the literary work. Since Edgar Allan Poe tends to use symbols in his writing, this study is an attempt to shed the light on the motives behind using such particular device. Symbolism is often used by writers to enhance their writing and it gives the text a deep meaning and richness. Symbolism was used from the Shakespearian era for instance: (in Macbeth by Shakespeare). Shakespeare used both real and imaginary blood as a symbol of guilt for both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth .Some writers use symbols criticize society indirectly to avoid troubles that may fall upon the writer (Ibid). Symbol "has a sensual form" and it conceals and at the same time shows the meaning that was given in particular time and place (Marketa Ševčikova, 2008). The same symbol is understood differently in different cultures, countries, and eras. (Ibid). 01 01 Symbols have always been used by artist to "express