Henry Mackenzie＇ s The Man of Feeling （1771 ）, widely read m its time, has been generally regarded as an exemplar of sentimental fiction. As a typical man of the world, Mackenzie made arduous efforts to distance hi...Henry Mackenzie＇ s The Man of Feeling （1771 ）, widely read m its time, has been generally regarded as an exemplar of sentimental fiction. As a typical man of the world, Mackenzie made arduous efforts to distance himself from Harley, the simple and naive sentimental hero he created in his novel. The novel described how the innocence and tenderness of Harley were thwarted by the evil world and how Harley responded with sighs and tears. The same response was asked of the reader. Hence, readings of sentimental novels became tear-demanding exhibitions of pathos, while the unkindness and perverseness of the world were minimized and even concealed.展开更多
Paulo Coelho＇s novels call into question the nature of the literary text and the act of reading in a post-Einsteinian world. Amidst the debate over his popular writings （Albanese; Ndagano）, the discussion turns to ...Paulo Coelho＇s novels call into question the nature of the literary text and the act of reading in a post-Einsteinian world. Amidst the debate over his popular writings （Albanese; Ndagano）, the discussion turns to whether Coelho continues a poetics of narrative developed by Jorge Luis Borges. This paper explores how Coelho＇s work may depart from a reading of Borges, yet goes beyond it into what Bakhtin established as ＂the Einsteinian universe applied to literary studies＂, as posited by Stone （2008）. Coelho＇s work is affected by hypertexts, new ways of connecting and perceiving subjectivities, and cross-cultural pilgrimages. A hermeneutic reading of his novel, The Zahir： A Novel of Obsession （2005b）, allows us to delve into the Coelhian the notion of the zahir as a tensional metaphor （Ricouer） of world-making （Valdes）. This underscores the postmodern assumption of the author as just another reader, albeit an ably active one. Through the courageous act of making his reading（s） transparent through writing, he invites other readers into the dialectical presumptions of his world.展开更多
The purpose of the present paper is to investigate the multimodality in college English textbooks. Because multimodality is closely associated with college English teaching and learning, it is necessary to probe into ...The purpose of the present paper is to investigate the multimodality in college English textbooks. Because multimodality is closely associated with college English teaching and learning, it is necessary to probe into the multimodality in college English books. First, the study showed that the images in college English textbooks have the following functions： to illustrate the text, to consolidate the information in the text, to aestheticize the text, as well as to collaborate with the text to establish harmony between the author and the reader, therefore to convey the author＇s intentions well. Second, the study showed that the multimodality in college English textbooks reflects power relation and solidarity relation between the author and the reader. On the one hand, multimodality in college English textbooks implies unequal power relationships which are represented by unequal power opportunities for the author to select images while the reader has little influence. On the other hand, the learning activities provide a lot of chances for the reader to make contact with the images, hence establishing a familiar and harmonious relationship between the reader and the author. The findings of the present study have useful implications for college English teaching and learning and imply the need for further studies in this field.展开更多
The thesis statement, as an arguable statement that communicates the author＇s stance on a topic to the reader in one or two sentences, functions as an aid for the author to focus on the subject and the reader to unde...The thesis statement, as an arguable statement that communicates the author＇s stance on a topic to the reader in one or two sentences, functions as an aid for the author to focus on the subject and the reader to understand the main idea. After drafting a preliminary thesis statement, one should shape it from aspects of the structure, content and position. Structurally, an effective thesis statement includes one claim and several rea^ons. In content, consideration should be put in the author＇s stand, the value of debate, and clearness and concreteness of the main argument. The review and revising stage is indispensable after writing a thesis statement.展开更多
The sources of meanings of literary works can be reviewed from various angles, one of which should be hermeneutics. Since the mid-20~ century, Western hermeneutics developed two important types of theories： one was t...The sources of meanings of literary works can be reviewed from various angles, one of which should be hermeneutics. Since the mid-20~ century, Western hermeneutics developed two important types of theories： one was the ontological hermeneutics from Martin Heidegger to Hans-Georg Gadamer, orientated towards the reader-centered theory in terms of the view of meanings; the other was the ＂hermeneutics as the general methodology of the Geisteswissenschaften＂ represented by Italian philosopher Emilio Betti, which affirmed that the author （subject） was one of the important sources of meanings of works. Due to intricate reasons, the latter exerted less influence, and Gadamer＇s ontological hermeneutics firmly stuck to a mainstay position in European and American academia. Since the 1990s, the circle of literature in China has also been greatly influenced by the hermeneutic theories from Heidegger and Gadamer to reception aesthetics, and Betti＇s impact almost can be neglected. Consequently, the view of meanings of literary works from the perspective of the reader-centered theory has been widely accepted, and the role of the author to endow initial meanings to his works was belittled and even denied. Since Zhang Jiang advanced the theory of ＂imposed interpretation＂ in 2014, academia has begun to reflect upon the one-sidedness of the reader-centered theory （relativism and subjectivism）, and pick up the significance, which cannot be denied, of the author＇s meaning in the generation of meanings of literary works. In reference to Betti＇s hermeneutic train of thought and methodology, this essay, based on the practice of literary creation, concludes that the meaning of a literary work is created by the author and readers together in their interaction, and constantly generated in the dynamic process of the three factors of author, literary texts and readers, rather than by the author alone, or by readers solely.展开更多
基金This paper is supported by Science Foundation of BLCU （supported by ＂the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities＂） （No. 12YBG022）.
文摘Henry Mackenzie＇ s The Man of Feeling （1771 ）, widely read m its time, has been generally regarded as an exemplar of sentimental fiction. As a typical man of the world, Mackenzie made arduous efforts to distance himself from Harley, the simple and naive sentimental hero he created in his novel. The novel described how the innocence and tenderness of Harley were thwarted by the evil world and how Harley responded with sighs and tears. The same response was asked of the reader. Hence, readings of sentimental novels became tear-demanding exhibitions of pathos, while the unkindness and perverseness of the world were minimized and even concealed.
文摘Paulo Coelho＇s novels call into question the nature of the literary text and the act of reading in a post-Einsteinian world. Amidst the debate over his popular writings （Albanese; Ndagano）, the discussion turns to whether Coelho continues a poetics of narrative developed by Jorge Luis Borges. This paper explores how Coelho＇s work may depart from a reading of Borges, yet goes beyond it into what Bakhtin established as ＂the Einsteinian universe applied to literary studies＂, as posited by Stone （2008）. Coelho＇s work is affected by hypertexts, new ways of connecting and perceiving subjectivities, and cross-cultural pilgrimages. A hermeneutic reading of his novel, The Zahir： A Novel of Obsession （2005b）, allows us to delve into the Coelhian the notion of the zahir as a tensional metaphor （Ricouer） of world-making （Valdes）. This underscores the postmodern assumption of the author as just another reader, albeit an ably active one. Through the courageous act of making his reading（s） transparent through writing, he invites other readers into the dialectical presumptions of his world.
文摘The purpose of the present paper is to investigate the multimodality in college English textbooks. Because multimodality is closely associated with college English teaching and learning, it is necessary to probe into the multimodality in college English books. First, the study showed that the images in college English textbooks have the following functions： to illustrate the text, to consolidate the information in the text, to aestheticize the text, as well as to collaborate with the text to establish harmony between the author and the reader, therefore to convey the author＇s intentions well. Second, the study showed that the multimodality in college English textbooks reflects power relation and solidarity relation between the author and the reader. On the one hand, multimodality in college English textbooks implies unequal power relationships which are represented by unequal power opportunities for the author to select images while the reader has little influence. On the other hand, the learning activities provide a lot of chances for the reader to make contact with the images, hence establishing a familiar and harmonious relationship between the reader and the author. The findings of the present study have useful implications for college English teaching and learning and imply the need for further studies in this field.
文摘The thesis statement, as an arguable statement that communicates the author＇s stance on a topic to the reader in one or two sentences, functions as an aid for the author to focus on the subject and the reader to understand the main idea. After drafting a preliminary thesis statement, one should shape it from aspects of the structure, content and position. Structurally, an effective thesis statement includes one claim and several rea^ons. In content, consideration should be put in the author＇s stand, the value of debate, and clearness and concreteness of the main argument. The review and revising stage is indispensable after writing a thesis statement.
文摘The sources of meanings of literary works can be reviewed from various angles, one of which should be hermeneutics. Since the mid-20~ century, Western hermeneutics developed two important types of theories： one was the ontological hermeneutics from Martin Heidegger to Hans-Georg Gadamer, orientated towards the reader-centered theory in terms of the view of meanings; the other was the ＂hermeneutics as the general methodology of the Geisteswissenschaften＂ represented by Italian philosopher Emilio Betti, which affirmed that the author （subject） was one of the important sources of meanings of works. Due to intricate reasons, the latter exerted less influence, and Gadamer＇s ontological hermeneutics firmly stuck to a mainstay position in European and American academia. Since the 1990s, the circle of literature in China has also been greatly influenced by the hermeneutic theories from Heidegger and Gadamer to reception aesthetics, and Betti＇s impact almost can be neglected. Consequently, the view of meanings of literary works from the perspective of the reader-centered theory has been widely accepted, and the role of the author to endow initial meanings to his works was belittled and even denied. Since Zhang Jiang advanced the theory of ＂imposed interpretation＂ in 2014, academia has begun to reflect upon the one-sidedness of the reader-centered theory （relativism and subjectivism）, and pick up the significance, which cannot be denied, of the author＇s meaning in the generation of meanings of literary works. In reference to Betti＇s hermeneutic train of thought and methodology, this essay, based on the practice of literary creation, concludes that the meaning of a literary work is created by the author and readers together in their interaction, and constantly generated in the dynamic process of the three factors of author, literary texts and readers, rather than by the author alone, or by readers solely.
