摘 要

《弗勒希：一条狗的传记》是英国女作家弗吉尼亚·伍尔夫的著名小说，其并置技巧的运用赋予了小说很大的艺术魅力。本论文研究了并置技巧在场景书写、人物刻画、叙事视角三方面的运用，重点剖析了这一叙事技巧在主旨意蕴、审美表达等方面的作用。

关键词：《弗勒希：一条狗的传记》；弗吉尼亚·伍尔夫；并置

Contents

1. Introduction 1

2. Demonstration 2

2.1 Juxtaposition achieved by social settings 2

2.1.1 Juxtaposition of Three Mile Cross and the Back Bedroom 2

2.1.2 Juxtaposition of Wimpole Street and Whitechapel 4

2.1.3 Juxtaposition of London and Italy 5

2.2 Juxtaposition represented by characterization 6

2.2.1 Juxtaposition of Mrs. Browning and Flush 6

2.2.2 Juxtaposition of the tied dogs and Flush 6

2.2.3 Juxtaposition of male and female characters 7

2.3 Juxtaposition displayed by narrative perspectives 7

2.3.1 Juxtaposition of the third person limited perspective and the third person omniscient perspective 7

2.3.2 Intricate use of omniscient and limited point of view 8

3. Conclusion 9

Works Cited 10

Bibliography 11

Juxtaposition in Virginia Woolf’s Flush

1. Introduction

Virginia Woolf(1883-1941) is one of the greatest writers in the history of English literature in the 20^th century, regarded as the pioneer of modernism and feminism. Throughout her lifetime, Woolf has created many classic novels such as The Mark on the Wall, Mrs. Dalloway and To the Lighthouse.

Flush: A Biography, created by Woolf in 1933, is one of the most popular novels among the public. In this novel, the world is seen through the eyes of Flush, a cocker spaniel. Although this novel is named a biography of a dog, this is also the biography of the female character Elizabeth Barrette Browning. What’s more, many think of it the biography of Woolf herself. At the beginning of the story, Woolf describes a dog living in the Three Mile Cross, full of pleasure and freedom. His master Miss. Mitford loves him so much that even when she is trapped in the dilemma, she hasn’t sold Flush. And she thinks only a noble lady like Elizabeth can match Flush. Hence, Flush is sent to Elizabeth. With more time spent with Elizabeth, Flush loves her more. Both of them think they are similar but also different. Elizabeth could find many emotional and spiritual similarities on Flush. However, Woolf has created barriers between Elizabeth and Flush. For Flush, smell is poetry while Elizabeth thinks poetry is impossible without words. But these barriers created by language are overcome by their spiritual emotions. Finally they leave London for Italy.

This book, as is well-known among the public, is often ignored by those experts. In Hussey’s Virginia Woolf A to Z:A Comprehensive Reference for Students, Teachers, and Common Readers to Her Life, Work, and Critical Reception, there are nearly twenty pages for Woolf’s classical novels with only two pages for Flush. Geoffrey Grigson even sharply criticized it is Woolf’s most boring work. Nevertheless, there are also some people trying to speak for Woolf and find Flush important and meaningful. For example, in Flush and the Literary Canon: oh Where Has the Little Dog Gone, Palema L. Caughie attempted to explain the value of reading this book.

With time passing by, the novel Flush has drawn more and more attention among experts. Both domestic and foreign experts begin to study Flush and bring its significant value to us. With gifted wits, Woolf created a vivid dog image who deserves special attention. Besides, Flush: A Biography is also noted for the narrative technique of juxtaposition. In Flush, the major characters move from Three Mile Cross, a symbol of heaven of freedom, to The Bask Bedroom, a sad place where the characters suffer a lot. The juxtaposition of settings is further presented by Wimpole Street and The Whitechapel. Besides, Woolf impresses us deeply with the significant juxtaposition of characters who are different in many ways and also share some similarities. Apart from the physical settings and characters, the employment of structure helps achieve a sense of structural juxtaposition.