学士学位论文—-英语专业浅析《小王子》中的象征意蕴.doc

本科生毕业论Analysis the Symbolic Meanings of The Little Prince浅析小王子中的象征意蕴姓名学号20084020110专业外国语言文学系指导教师2012年5月30日Analysis the Symbolic Meanings of The Little PrinceA Thesis Submitted toForeign Languages Department ofHenan University of Economics and Law inPartial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of ArtByJin YanyanSupervisor: Guo LimeiMay 30, 2012所在系：外国语言文学系 专 业：英 语学 号：20084020110 姓 名：金岩岩毕业论文题目：Analysis the Symbolic Meanings of The Little Prince浅析小王子中的象征意蕴1. Aim and Significance:Antoine de Saint-Exupery (1900-1944) was born in Lyons, France. A year after the publication of The Little Prince, Saint-Exupery disappeared over the Mediterranean while flying a reconnaissance mission for his French air squadron. Best known throughout the world as the author and illustrator of The Little Prince, Saint-Exupery wrote several other books that also have become classics of world literature such as Night Flight and Wind, Sand and Stars.The Little Prince has been republished several times since it was published in New York in 1943. It has been translated into more than 100 languages and becomes one of the most popular books which circulation only second to Bible. Symbolism is the best successful factor of the novel. There are few works of studies about symbolism in the perspective of love and responsibility. Their studies are mainly concerned in the following aspects: 1) study symbolic meaning of the images. 2) the relationship between symbolism and philosophy in the work. 3) the realistic meaning of symbolism in the work. This essay tries to explore the realization of love and responsibility of the little prince through symbolism.So the aim of the essay is to seek the theme of love and responsibility through symbolic meanings in the book. It is a great significance to search love and responsibility in nowadays that full of apathy among people.2. Main Methods and Ways of Studies: This essay mainly uses the methods of literature reading and theoretical analysis. It mainly separate into three parts. In the first part, mainly illustrate some theories of symbolism and the studies of symbolism in current situation of The Little Prince. In the second part, research the various symbolic meanings in the growing of the little prince, namely, the progress of realizing love and responsibility of the little prince.1).the symbolic meaning of leaving home of the little prince is escaping from love. 2) the symbolic meanings of residents in the six planets are “self-love” and “love others” .3) begin to understand love and responsibility through the foxthe symbol of the wise. 4)find the real meaning of life and self value, namely love and responsibility. In the third part, make a conclusion about the realistic meaning of this research.3. Literature Review：There are a large number of outstanding scholars who have made their studies on Analysis the Symbolic Meanings of The Little Prince. Among the foreign researchers, for example, Paul Webster focused on the research of the life and death of the little prince in 1967, he believes that the life and death of the little prince symbolize the experience of Antoine de Saint-Exupery; S L Ablon carried on the studies on Child analysis and The Little Prince in 1989, she researched the children psychology through behavior and thoughts of the little prince. In China, the study of this field has also got much attention. For instance, Ling Xuedong studied The Little Prince from the point of view of symbolism play an important role in developing the work; and Liao Shasha tried to find the realistic meaning of The Little Prince in 2005, she came to conclusion that The Little Prince reflects the era of the Second World War through studying symbolism in the work. On the basis of related studies in this field, the present thesis attempts to study love and responsibility through analysis symbolism of The Little Prince.4. Timetable of the Thesis Writing:Time arrangement for the writing plan is as follows:Before March19, 2012, hand in the presentation of the paper.Before April 16, 2012, hand in the first draft of the paper.Before May 14, 2012, hand in the second draft of the paper.Before May21, 2012, hand in the final paper.指导教师意见：指导教师签名:2012年 月 日11AbstractAntoine de Saint-Exupery was an aristocrat French writer, poet and pioneering aviator. He became a laureate of several of Frances highest literary awards，such as Prix Femina and Le grand prix de littrature de lAcadmie franaise and also won the U.S. National Book Award. He is best remembered for his novella The Little Prince. The Little Prince, known as “The French Rose” is loved by both children and adults since it was published. The work is so charming and successful has many factors and the use of various symbolic meanings in most important one of them. Antoine de Saint-Exupery connects his work with the real life and improved his thoughts through symbolism. The Little Prince is not only a world- famous philosophic fairy tale, but also a fable pregnant with the meaning of life. The little prince, the main character in the book, is distressed, and then he explores what is meaningful to him. In the process of the experience, he observes those “adults” who are occupied with a lot of valueless things such as hunting for power, being vain and searching for too much owning, working and learning. The little prince pursues the true value of life and true love without any obstacle. The subject of this thesis is mainly about the little princes course of realizing love and responsibility by analyzing symbolic meanings in the book. It begins with escaping from the love restricting, experiencing the course of taming others, and ended with returning of love and responsibility. In the society of lacing of human touch, searching for love and responsibility has a profound meaning indeed.Key words: symbolic meaning; The Little Prince; Antoine de Saint- Exupery; love and reasonability; philosophic fairy tale摘要安东尼德圣-埃克苏佩里是法国著名的作家，诗人和飞行员。曾获法国几项最高文学奖项，例如费米娜文学奖，法兰西学院文学大奖,还曾获美国国家图书奖。小王子为其最著名的作品。被誉为“法兰西玫瑰”的小王子自问世以来，深受儿童和成人的喜爱。这部作品之所以如此有魅力，原因很多作者对于象征主义手法的成功运用便是其中之一。圣-埃克苏佩里将自己的作品置于现实生活中，通过象征这一艺术手段，使自己对人生的思考得以升华，使之更具哲理性。它是一本世界著名的哲理童话，更是一部寓意生命的寓言。书中的主人公小王子是忧伤的，他一直在寻找生命的真正意义。在他的旅途中，他发现“大人”们一直在追求一些毫无意义的东西，比如：权势、名誉、地位。本文通过分析书中的象征意蕴在小王子成长过程中的运用，以小王子感悟爱与责任的过程为角度，从离开“爱的束缚”为始，经历了驯服他者的过程，最后又回归爱与责任。在当今这个处处都是人心荒漠的时代，探寻爱与责任的主题具有深刻的意义。关键词：象征意蕴；小王子；安东尼德圣-埃克苏佩里； 爱与责任； 哲理性童话AcknowledgementsThis thesis is the product of the author and the supervisors three months of efforts. It has been repeatedly revised under the guidance of Professor Guo. It was the joint efforts of both the author and the teachers in Foreign Languages Department. I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to Professor Guo and the teachers who have helped the author in the process of the thesis writing. I will also give my thanks to my classmates and friends who have helped me revise the thesis. Last but not least, I will give my heartfelt thanks to my parents who have been always supporting and encouraging me.ContentIntroduction11 Some theories about symbolism and the research status of symbolism in The Little Prince.32 The symbolic meanings in the growing of the little prince42.1 The little prince escapes from love42.2 Symbols of “Self-love” and “love others”52.2.1 Residents in the five asteroids52.2.2 The lamplighter in the sixth asteroid72.3 The little prince realizes love and responsibility72.3.1 The symbolic meaning of “tame”72.3.2 The process of “tame”.72.3.3 Tamed the fox82.4 The little prince finds the true meaning of life and self-value82.4.1 The symbolic meaning of the snake82.4.2 The symbolic meaning of the death of the little prince.93 Effect of the symbolism in researching love and responsibility of the little prince.9Conclusion10Bibliography11IntroductionAntoine de Saint-Exupery (29 June 1900 31 July 1944)，French novelist and essayist, a pioneer commercial pilot, more than any other writer can be regarded as the poet of flight. He attended Jesuit schools in France and Switzerland. He was a poor and unruly student but took great interest in the rapidly developing science of flight. He was a successful commercial pilot before World War II, working airmail routes in Europe, Africa and South America. At the outbreak of war he joined the Arme de lAir (French Air Force), flying reconnaissance missions until Frances armistice with Germany in 1940. After being demobilized from the French Air Force he voyaged to the United States to convince its government to quickly enter the war against Nazi Germany. Following a 27-month hiatus in North America during which he wrote three of his most important works, he joined the Free French Air Force in North Africa although he was far past the maximum age for such pilots and in declining health. He disappeared over the Mediterranean on his last assigned reconnaissance mission in July 1944, and is believed to have died at that time.Prior to the war he had achieved fame in France as an aviator. His writing career links closely with his experience as an aviator. His literary works mainly includes: The Aviator; Flight to Arras; The Little Prince; Night Flight; A Sense of Life Wind, Sand and Stars. Among them The Little Prince, translated into more than languages and dialects, and propelled his stature posthumously allowing him to achieve national hero status in France. His six works all about flight and he observes the world and life in the height of the outer space. He is the pioneer who cares about the situation of human in the history modern literature.An earlier memoir by the author recounted his aviation experiences in the Sahara desert and he is thought to have drawn on those same experiences for use as plot elements in The Little Prince. The Little Prince was republished many times since it first published in New York in 1943. It becomes the most popular book all over the world only second to the bible. Since first being published the novella has been translated into more than 100 languages and adapted to various media over the decades, including audio recordings, stage, screen, ballet and operatic works.Though ostensibly a childrens book, The Little Prince makes several profound and idealistic observations about life and human nature through symbolism. “We can see symbolism everywhere in the book which is clear and obscure and it makes the fable very beautiful and charming.”(Moirs, 1987:67) It reflects the human experience and survival significance in the plain text through symbolism. For example, Saint-Exupery tells of a fox meeting the little prince during his travels on Earth. The storys essence is contained in the lines uttered by the fox to the little prince: One sees clearly only with the heart. What is essential is invisible to the eye. Other key thematic messages are articulated by the fox, such as: You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed and It is the time you have devoted to your rose that makes your rose so important. The Little Prince is so charming that there are many studies of it. Their studies are mainly concerned in three aspects. Firstly, study the symbolism in the work and many people study in this aspect such as Ling Xuedong, Hu Yulong, and Jiang Haitao. Secondly, study the realistic meaning or philosophical meaning in the work. Thirdly, study the relationship between the author and the aviator in the book through analyzing the symbolism of the work. Those are a great help to understand The Little Prince and also offering a lot of information of both the work and the author.Based on the studies as referred, the subject of this essay is mainly about the little princes realizing love and responsibility during his travel by analyzing symbolic meanings in the book. It begins with escaping from the love restricting, experiences the course of taming others, and ends with returning of love and responsibility. In the society of lacing of human touch, searching for love and responsibility has a profound meaning indeed. 1 Some theories about symbolism and the research status of symbolism in The Little Prince. There are some basic theories about symbolism as follows. Symbolism is the practice of representing things by symbols, or of investing things with a symbolic meaning or character. A symbol is an object, action, or idea that represents something other than itself, often of a more abstract nature. Symbolism in literature is when the author uses an object or reference to add deeper meaning to a story. Symbolism in literature can be subtle or obvious, used sparingly or heavy-handedly. An author may repeatedly use the same object to convey deeper meaning or may use variations of the same object to create an overarching mood or feeling. Symbolism is often used to support a literary theme in a subtle manner. Writers insert symbols into their writing to allude to a feeling, mood or attitude without directly stating the perspective or mood intended. Symbolism is supplemental to the story. Symbolism was a late nineteenth-century art movement of French, Russian and Belgian origin in poetry and other arts. In literature, the style had its beginnings with the publication Les Fleurs du mal (The Flowers of Evil, 1857) by Charles Baudelaire. The works of Edgar Allan Poe, which Baudelaire admired greatly and translated into French, were a significant influence and the source of many stock tropes and images. The aesthetic was developed by Stphane Mallarm and Paul Verlaine during the 1860s and 70s. In the 1880s, the aesthetic was articulated by a series of manifestos and attracted a generation of writers. The Little Prince is a successful work well developed through symbolism. “Symbolism can be seen everywhere in the book which is clear and obscure and it makes the fable very beautiful and charming.”(Morova, 1987: 83) A connect his work with the real life through symbolism and makes his work philosophical by improving his thought. The work is full of poetic flavor, grief and loneness. It reflects the human experience and survival significance in the plain text. The Little Prince was written in the middle of the twentieth century, during Second World War. It is a period people lost spiritual pillar and mind was polluted by the modern civilization. People found it was hardly to seek the real meaning of life and became more loneliness. “The loneliness of people partly results in the