摘 要

华盛顿∙欧文是 19 世纪美国著名的作家之一，号称美国文学之父。他于 1819 年出版的《见闻札记》开创了美国短篇小说的传统,引起了欧洲和美国文学界的重视，奠定了欧文在美国文学史上的地位。欧文的文笔优雅自然，清新精致，时常流露出温和的幽默。他能够在描写现实生活的细节中巧妙地体现他的幽默与幻想。他的作品大部分以英国为背景，其中有充满浪漫色彩的传说，也有对英国风俗习惯的描写及旅行随笔。

《瑞普∙凡∙温克尔》是收录在《见闻札记》中的一篇著名短篇小说，与收录在其中的另一篇短篇小说《睡谷的传说》堪称姊妹篇，影响较广。《瑞普∙凡∙温克尔》以殖民地时期哈德逊河畔的一个山村为背景，描写了贫苦农民瑞普∙凡∙ 温克尔的奇特遭遇。这篇小说乡土风味浓郁，充满浪漫主义奇想，流露出作者本人的保守观点，也巧妙暗示了资产阶级革命的局限。《瑞普∙凡∙温克尔》一直是文学界研究的重点对象之一，但是其中的女性形象却鲜有人关注，因此本论文着手对小说中的女性形象做了一些解析。

关键词：女性形象；《瑞普∙凡∙温克尔》；解析

Washington Irving is one of the most famous writers in the United States in the 19th century and is known as the father of American literature. In 1819, Irving’s publication of The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon created the tradition of American short stories, attracted the attention of European and American literary circles and laid the foundation for Irving’s position in the history of American literature. Irving’s writing is elegant and natural, fresh and exquisite, often shows a gentle humor. He can subtly express his humor and fantasy in describing the details of real life. Most of his works are based in the United Kingdom, with romantic legends, as well as descriptions of British customs and travel essays.

Rip Van Winkle is a famous short story included in the The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. It is a companion to another short story The Legend of the Sleepy Hollow. Rip Van Winkle is based on a mountain village on the Hudson River during the colonial period and describes the strange encounter of poor peasant Rip Van Winkle. This novel is rich in local flavor, full of romantic fantasies, reveals the Irving’s own conservative views and also cleverly implies the limitations of the bourgeois revolution. Rip Van Winkle has always been one of the focuses of literary research, but few people pay attention to the female image in it, so this paper makes some analysis on the female image in the novel.

Key Words: female image; Rip Van Winkle; analysis

1. Introduction 1
   1. Introduction to Washington Irving and Rip Van Winkle 1
   2. Research Purpose and Significance 2
2. Literature Review 4
   1. Previous Research on Rip Van Winkle 4
   2. Previous Research on Female Image 4
      1. Overseas Research 4
      2. Domestic Research 5
3. Female Image in Rip Van Winkle 8
   1. Direct Embodiment of Female Image 8
      1. Adjectives Used to Describe Women 8
      2. Description of Women’s Behavior 9
   2. Indirect Embodiment of Female Image 11
      1. The Dog’s Performance 11
      2. Male’s Performance and Certain Characteristics 12
4. Causes for Such Female Image and Reinterpretation 14
   1. Causes for Such Female Image in Rip Van Winkle 14
      1. Washington Irving’s Bias against Women 14
      2. The Product of the Times 15
   2. Reinterpretation 17
      1. Vindication for the Women in Rip Van Winkle 17
      2. Reinterpretation of Female Image in Rip Van Winkle 17
5. Conclusion 19
   1. Summary 19
   2. Limitation and Further Studies 20

References 21

Acknowledgements 24