J.m Library Cut The Biblical Archetypal Study Of The Novel

J.M.Coetzee is the second writer who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in the history of South Africa. He is also one of the most important writers in contemporary South Africa and even in Europe. The composition of his works is well-crafted, the dialogue is regnant, and the brilliance is analytical. Specifically, his novels are of both postcoloniality and post-modernity. There is a clear clue in his complex creative technique that "extensive reading reveals a recurring pattern, the downward spiralling journeys he considers necessary for the salvation of his characters. His protagonists are overwhelmed by the urge to sink but paradoxically derive strength from being stripped of all external dignity". Based on this speech of the awarding of the Nobel Prize in Literature for2003, this thesis attempts to research the biblical archetypes in Coetzee’s novels from the perspective of Frye’s archetypal criticism. Combining Coetzee’s novels and the text of Bible, it is hoped that the practical and significant reason for the use of the archetypal writing of the Bible can be probed. The thesis comprises five chapters:Chapter I:Myth-Archetype criticism. This chapter dwells on defining the theoretical basis of this article, that is, archetypal criticism. Since the branches of archetypal criticism are huge and complicated, and the opinions of various scholars are not unified and even conflicting, the theoretical basis must be defined. This chapter is divided into two parts. The first part defines two core concepts "myth" and "archetype" of archetypal criticism. Based on Anatomy of Criticism, the second part introduces Frye’s archetypal theory and briefly describes the relationship between archetypal theory and the Bible. The purpose of the chapter is to limit the archetypal theory to Frye’s doctrine in order to avoid the unnecessary problems due to mixed discipline.Chapter II:the biblical archetypes of Bible in J.M. Coetzee’s novels. Archetypal character is an important area in the archetypal theory. The character of the Bible, which is one of the sources of western culture, has been a common archetype in literature. This chapter gives analysis to the biblical archetypal characters in Coetzee’s novels from three aspects:the image of the scapegoats, the image of the victims, and the image of the migrants. After taking a contrast between the three archetypal characters in Coetzee’s novels, it is hoped that the connection between them can be found.Chapter III:the biblical structure archetype. According to Frye’s archetypal theory, the literature of all time is repeating the same story that of the God who dies and resurrects. Based on this story since the ancient time, Frye discussed the "U-shaped structure" of literature. This chapter is divided into threes parts. The first part briefly introduces the’"U-shaped structure" in literature. The second part discusses the biblical "U-shaped structure" form both macro and micro levels. Modeled on Disgrace, the third part analyzes the similar structures between Coetzee’s novels and the Bible, taking "Paradise-crime-punishment-repentance-saved" as the clue.Chapter IV:the displacement and deformation of the biblical archetypes in Coetzee’s novels. The novels of Coetzee are not just simple imitation of biblical archetypes, but have a lot of changes which can be seen in his works. According to Frye’s The Great Code:The Bible and Literature, there are five images which can cover the whole Bible:the image of Paradise, pasture, agriculture, city and the related image of human life. Based on the five images, this part explores the displacement and deformation of the biblical archetypes in Coetzee’s novels and finally sums up the post-colonial and post-modern features of displacement and deformation.Chapter V:the practical reason and meaning of the biblical archetype in Coetzee’s novels. If the first four chapters of the thesis are talking about the surface relationship between the novels and the text of Bible, this chapter focuses on the deep relationship between the two. The reasons that Coetzee uses the biblical archetype and takes the replacement and defonnation are the deteriorated religion he contacted in his childhood, the social environment exposed in his youth time, and the special cultural identity as a diasporic writer. These practical reasons affect his future creation and make him try to use the logic of Jewish Messianic salvation to find a way for the shallow sense of morality for the Western modern people. He creates a series of "myth of South Africa" and deconstructs the binary opposition in religious culture between the sovereign state and the colonial country.The last section summarizes the main content and key points of the thesis and sums up the core argument of the article:due to the replacement and deformation of the biblical archetype, Coetzee not only makes his novels have the religious implication and explains his intention in the religious level, but also integrates the biblical archetype with the contemporary context and makes his works exude the glory of era. This is his literary characteristics that are ignored by the critics.