论文部分内容阅读
【Abstract】The character is an indispensable part of literary works which have significant research value. Mansfield’s Miss Brill is one of the top works in the field of short story. This excellent article has reflected the protagonist’s complex characters with a unique way. With the help of the theory of narratology， the paper aims at analyzing Miss Brill’s characters from the perspective of “direct description” and “indirect expression.”
【Key words】Narratological perspective； Miss Brill’s characters； direct description； indirect expression
1. Introduction
“The event and the behavior of the narrative works will not occur without actors.”（Tan， 2008：62） The characterization of the main figures in the novel is related to the success of the article.
1.1 Narratological theory
After entering China， narratological theory has attracted the research and application of scholars of a variety of fields.
“In Narrative Fiction， Israeli fiction theorist has talked about the methods of the characterization in articles. In detail， there are two main kinds：direct description and indirect expression.”（Song， 2012：98）
Briefly， the former directly portrays personalities of figures in one novel with adjectives， adverbs and so on. However， the latter mainly presents person’s characteristics and changes with the help of implicit verbal component or a variety of technique of expressions including the description of action， surrounding description and so on.
1.2 Miss Brill
Frankly speaking， the character image of the protagonist in his Miss Brill leaves a deep impression on people. In this classic short story， the protagonist named Miss Brill is an old lady and works as a teacher to maintain life. Based on the Narratological theory of characterization， the paper has a further study on the protagonist’s characters of Miss Brill.
2. Direct Description
In this excellent novel， these direct descriptions give people a clear impression on Miss Brill. Firstly， Miss Brill is glad that she had decided on her fur， which shows her affable character. Secondly， the author described her as an “expert” in listening to others’ conversations which displays her good at observing and careful character. In addition， in the ninth paragraph of this short novel， the adjectives in the sentence “why she had a queer， shy feeling” also reflect Miss Brill’s lonely and unsocial characters. Finally， readers can have an understanding that Miss Brill is a teacher from the sentence “her English pupils”. Above all， there are some examples that directly describe her image. 3. Indirect Expressions
Based on narratological theory， this paper focuses on the analysis of Miss Brill’s personality from two aspects：inner activity and environment.
3.1 Inner Activity
“Weakening the plot and portraying the figure’s inner world is a prominent feature of Miss Brill.” （Yang， 2002：41） For instance， in the beginning of this article， Miss Brill’s automatic speaking to the old fur——“Dear little thing！ It was nice to feel that.” All that let readers easily feel fur is precious for her and Miss Brill’s nostalgic character. When the story came to the climax， she imagined herself as the leading actress in the life stage. In particular， the sentence——“Yes， I have been an actress for a long time” has presented Miss Brill’s imaginative character.
3.2 Environment
In particular， the author described the blue sky powdered with gold and great spots of light， which showed she is full of hope for life. Later， it is not difficult to see that the description of the environment has changed. Briefly， the author described the slender trees with yellow leaves down drooping and the blue sky with gold-veined clouds. In the end of the short novel， the writer told Miss Brill’s home is little and dark. From these， readers can feel that her hope for life shattered and her life is still desolate and lonely.
4. Conclusion
It’s true that characters take a significant position in literal novels. From the perspective of nrratology， there are two main arts of characterization：direct description and indirect expression. With the help of this theory， this paper mainly analyzes and explains the characters of the protagonist in Miss Brill. In general， Mansfield has created an impressive figure that has complicated characters. Above all， a careful reading of classic works like Mansfield’s Miss Brill， which is a meaningful and benefit thing.
References：
[1]宋嘉港.敘事视角下的人物形象塑造-对鲁迅《故乡》中的闰土形象的分析[J].新西部，2014，26（21）：67-68.
[2]谭君强.叙事学导论[M].北京：高等教育出版社，2008.
[3]杨捷.短篇精品的艺术魅力-解读曼斯菲尔德的《布里尔小姐》[J].重庆教育学院学报，2002，15（4）：41.
【Key words】Narratological perspective； Miss Brill’s characters； direct description； indirect expression
1. Introduction
“The event and the behavior of the narrative works will not occur without actors.”（Tan， 2008：62） The characterization of the main figures in the novel is related to the success of the article.
1.1 Narratological theory
After entering China， narratological theory has attracted the research and application of scholars of a variety of fields.
“In Narrative Fiction， Israeli fiction theorist has talked about the methods of the characterization in articles. In detail， there are two main kinds：direct description and indirect expression.”（Song， 2012：98）
Briefly， the former directly portrays personalities of figures in one novel with adjectives， adverbs and so on. However， the latter mainly presents person’s characteristics and changes with the help of implicit verbal component or a variety of technique of expressions including the description of action， surrounding description and so on.
1.2 Miss Brill
Frankly speaking， the character image of the protagonist in his Miss Brill leaves a deep impression on people. In this classic short story， the protagonist named Miss Brill is an old lady and works as a teacher to maintain life. Based on the Narratological theory of characterization， the paper has a further study on the protagonist’s characters of Miss Brill.
2. Direct Description
In this excellent novel， these direct descriptions give people a clear impression on Miss Brill. Firstly， Miss Brill is glad that she had decided on her fur， which shows her affable character. Secondly， the author described her as an “expert” in listening to others’ conversations which displays her good at observing and careful character. In addition， in the ninth paragraph of this short novel， the adjectives in the sentence “why she had a queer， shy feeling” also reflect Miss Brill’s lonely and unsocial characters. Finally， readers can have an understanding that Miss Brill is a teacher from the sentence “her English pupils”. Above all， there are some examples that directly describe her image. 3. Indirect Expressions
Based on narratological theory， this paper focuses on the analysis of Miss Brill’s personality from two aspects：inner activity and environment.
3.1 Inner Activity
“Weakening the plot and portraying the figure’s inner world is a prominent feature of Miss Brill.” （Yang， 2002：41） For instance， in the beginning of this article， Miss Brill’s automatic speaking to the old fur——“Dear little thing！ It was nice to feel that.” All that let readers easily feel fur is precious for her and Miss Brill’s nostalgic character. When the story came to the climax， she imagined herself as the leading actress in the life stage. In particular， the sentence——“Yes， I have been an actress for a long time” has presented Miss Brill’s imaginative character.
3.2 Environment
In particular， the author described the blue sky powdered with gold and great spots of light， which showed she is full of hope for life. Later， it is not difficult to see that the description of the environment has changed. Briefly， the author described the slender trees with yellow leaves down drooping and the blue sky with gold-veined clouds. In the end of the short novel， the writer told Miss Brill’s home is little and dark. From these， readers can feel that her hope for life shattered and her life is still desolate and lonely.
4. Conclusion
It’s true that characters take a significant position in literal novels. From the perspective of nrratology， there are two main arts of characterization：direct description and indirect expression. With the help of this theory， this paper mainly analyzes and explains the characters of the protagonist in Miss Brill. In general， Mansfield has created an impressive figure that has complicated characters. Above all， a careful reading of classic works like Mansfield’s Miss Brill， which is a meaningful and benefit thing.
References：
[1]宋嘉港.敘事视角下的人物形象塑造-对鲁迅《故乡》中的闰土形象的分析[J].新西部，2014，26（21）：67-68.
[2]谭君强.叙事学导论[M].北京：高等教育出版社，2008.
[3]杨捷.短篇精品的艺术魅力-解读曼斯菲尔德的《布里尔小姐》[J].重庆教育学院学报，2002，15（4）：41.