Abstract: As a British dramatist, novelist and a short story writer, Maugham’s misogynic tendency reflected in his works is an undeniable fact and it expresses to the most in The Moon and Sixpence. Maugham’s misogyny is manifested in his image building of the three major women characters in the work—Mrs. Strickland is vain and hypocritical, Blanche is ungrateful and concupiscent, and Ata, an ideal partner for men, is innocent and loyal. However, no matter “good” or “bad” characteristics, in essence, they are all anti-women, as they deprive women of their own identity and value. Maugham’s misogyny was rooted in collective unconscious and his personal life experience. This thesis is going to analysis causes of Maugham’s misogyny and its manifestation in his depiction of female characters based on Carl Jung’s collective unconscious theory, with the purpose of helping us exert critical view to judge female characters in male-centered literature.
Key words: Maugham; misogyny; The Moon and Sixpence; collective unconscious
Contents
Abstract
中文摘要
1 Introduction-1
2-Carl Jung’s Collective Unconscious Psychoanalysis-3
2.1-An Overview of Jung’s Theory-3
2.2-Connection between Collective Unconscious and Literature Work-4
2.3-Misogyny in Collective Unconscious and Literature-6
3-Causes of Maugham’s Misogyny and His Image-building of Women-8
3.1-Causes of Maugham’s Misogyny-9
3.2-The Images of Three Major Women Characters in the Work-11
3.2.1-Mrs. Strickland—the Embodiment of Hypocrisy-11
3.2.2-Blanche—the Image of a Dissolute and Ungrateful Woman-15
3.2.3-Ata—the Image of an Ideal Woman-17
4-Conclusion-18
References-20
