Perspective Of Reality And Focus On Humanity

The Booker Prize,as the most influential literary award in the history of contemporary English literature,has awarded 54 outstanding novels over the past 51 years since its inception in 1969.These winning novels from Asia,Africa,Oceania,America and Europe bear witness to a half-century of literary aesthetics.From both the individual and collective perspective,they are embodiment of the dynamic,national,global and pluralistic literary images and cultural moments of Britain.With its inheritance and criticism of the traditional cultural heritage of the British Empire,as well as the adaptation and controversy of the global capital circulation and market economy,the Booker Prize has brought different yet diverse cultural forms to the world stage.In the whole process from the colonial expansion of the early British Empire to colonial austerity,decolonization and post-colonialism,the changes of national and state ideology in Britain correspond to the development of world history.Apart from being a manifestation of British aesthetic tastes,the winning works of the Booker are as well historical choices of British and even world culture.This paper includes seven chapters.In the Introduction,the research significance of the topic is first discussed.After a brief description to the Booker Prize,the author discusses the interweaving of the decline of Britain centrism and the literature wave,as well as reflections on human nature in the vicissitudes of the empire.Literatures about the Booker Prize and its winning novels at home and abroad are then reviewed and analyzed,followed by the basic ideas and research methods.Chapter 1 focuses on the operation strategy and development mode introduced by the Booker Prize in the historical background of grand narrative.The "Booker effect" brought about by the prize in the British society is serving as a crucial media of contemporary British literature,and the historical background of the British Empire suggests its imperial theme.Through analysis of the types and themes of the winning works,the author explores the selection and equal concern of the time focuses of the prize in Chapter 2to Chapter 6,as well as the aesthetic interest,aesthetic value and artistic spirit of the British style expressed in these works.The rewriting of post-colonial history and the exotic cultures presented in these novels are highlighted in Chapter 2.With the winning of Midnight’s Children in 1981,the Booker Prize for post-colonial fiction sounded the trumpet of the end of the British Empire’s central discourse hegemony.In post-colonial literature,the relationship between the colonized and the colonized is re-examined from an utterly different perspective.Those who had been colonized regained their power and national identity and restored their voice by shedding their previous imperialist positions and giving value to their words.The Booker Prize is dedicated to bringing the post-colonial theme to the world stage and making it one of the most important branches of contemporary English literature.In Chapter 3,the devastation of human nature caused by the two world wars is analyzed,followed by the exploration of the adjustment and reconstruction of the relationship between self and others,center and edge by individuals with traumatic memories.In such extreme contexts as war,there is a growing desire among the public to restore civilization.Chapter 4 describes the reflective concern of postmodern historical narrative from the new historical perspective.The transition from meta-narrative to mini-narrative promotes the transformation of public discourse to individual discourse,and the parody and reconstruction of imperial history reveals the contradictions and conflicts between culture and individuals.The picture of female survival and consciousness presented in the winning works of Booker Prize is depicted in Chapter 5.As the "other" in the concept of gender,women gradually achieve the verification and return of individual existence by confronting the central discourse of paternal system and repeatedly affirming noumenon and self-consciousness.In Chapter 6,it analyzes the identity confusion between the self and the other in the crisis of human nature and cultural contradictions in western capitalism.The identity issues,including gender,race,class,religion,family,society and ethics,invariably lead to conflict,division and disorder.Both self-will and human value are expected to be rethought and perceived in the theoretical system of the "other".Cultural reflections on the winning works of the Booker Prize are explored in Chapter 7,including the combination of commercial and aesthetic ideals,the relationship between prestige economy and artistic values,and the various factors leading to the prominent position of the Booker Prize in literature.With its insight into human nature and the exploration of new historical view and multi-narrative,the Booker Prize provides notable reference and literary inspiration for future English novels.The main arguments are reviewed in the Conclusion,and it is proposed that literary texts are to some extent synchronized with the politics,economy and ideology of the state.As a representative of the cultural field,the Booker Prize has made remarkable contribution in promoting the decolonization process of Britain.In the changing international relations and economic situation,it has demonstrated its inclusiveness and appreciation for cultural symbols of non-British regions and countries,thus assuming a global vision of multi-nationality,multi-race and multi-culture.