A Carnivalistic Perspective Of Invisible Man

The publication of Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man quickly catches the critical attentions at home and abroad. Critics have interpreted the novel from different perspectives. They comment on the novel's craft, its structure, its complex themes, its multiple resources, etc. The diverse approaches and pluralistic perspectives of criticism reflect the inclusive nature of the novel itself. However few have ever proposed theoretical connections between Ellison's Invisible Man and the poetics of camivalesque and given critical analysis in this line. The thesis also attempts to interpret Ralph Ellison's monumental novel Invisible Man in light of Bakhtin's poetics of carnivalization in order to broaden the horizon of the readers and to enrich the understanding of the novel.There are three parts altogether, the introduction, the body and the conclusion. The Introduction points out briefly the connection between camivalesque and Invisible Man, the similarities between Ralph Ellison and Mikhail Bakhtin. The body consists of three chapters. Chapter One approaches Invisible Man from the angle of carnival spirit of the world. The carnival sense of subversion, of the gay relativity of everything and the carnival style of Meanippea, of dialogism work well in the novel. Chapter Two brings the rituals of crowning/decrowning practiced in the novel to the foreground. Besides, the chapter mentions the carnival squares where such carnival ceremonies are carried out. Chapter Three elucidates the carnival collective alive in the novel, including the paired-images, the carnival clowns and the carnival fools or madmen. In the conclusion, the writer sums up the major points of the whole thesis and affirms that Invisible Man is a camivalized novel and life in it is a life outside of life.Since few have interpreted Invisible Man from the perspective of...