摘 要

本论文以西奥多·德莱塞的著作《美国悲剧》和田纳西·威廉斯的著作《欲望号街车》为研究对象,试图在文本细读和分析的基础上,从两位作家思想中体现的悲观的人性出发，对两部作品中的典型人物突出的人性特征进行研究和剖析, 从而知道在享乐的社会里，只要不迷失自我，不受欲望的支配，拥有健全的人格，才不会酿成悲剧。

关键词： 悲观人性；矛盾人性；对比

Contents

1.Introduction….………………………………………………………………………1

2.Demonstration.………………………………………………………………………2

2.1 The reflection of pessimistic humanity in two authors……………………………2

2.1.1 Weak humanity in Dreiser's Philosophy.....……………………………………...2

2.1.2 Pessimistic humanity in William's Work.........…………………………………..3

2.2 Analysis of two works of typical characters of self-expression.....………………..4

2.3 Analysis on causes of humanity of typical characters..……………...…………….6

2.3.1 Contradictions of human nature with both material and spiritual pursuits..…….6

2.3.2 The effect of consumption ideology in the human nature………………….……8

3.Conclusion…...………………………………………………………………………9

Notes.............................................................................................................................12

Works cited...................................................................................................................13

Bibliography.................................................................................................................14

An Approach to the Tragedy of Human Nature in An American Tragedy and A Streetcar Named Desire

1. Introduction

Theodore Dreiser (1871-1945) is one of the most distinguished novelists in the 20th century. He is the greatest naturalist writer in American literature. Besides, he is also the pioneer in American modern literature. Theodore Dreiser is well-known by almost everyone because in the first half of the twentieth century of American critical realism, he is the representative of the highest literary achievements. He collects the excellent achievements of his predecessors and his contemporary realist. Therefore, he has opened the way for the critical realism literature of American. America owned a peaceful period after the World War. People strove to develop the productivity and the social productivity developed rapidly. They lived a materialistic life. People’s thought underwent a fundamental transition with the change of the society. Money worship, hedonism and dark politics became the symbol of American society in the twentieth century．

Affected by the reality，Theodore Dreiser wrote down An American Tragedy . An American Tragedy is one of the masterpieces of modern American novels. This novel was based on a murder case happened in that age. It helped him to get a high prestige all around the world with its publication. It reflected the life style of the Americans as well as the endless desire and the widespread disillusionment of people. In addition, the breaking of American dream is also embodied in this novel．

Tennessee Williams has a great impact on American Southern Dramatists. More importantly than all of that, he is one of the most significant playwrights in the twentieth century. He is also a playwright of great psychological depth. He frequently deals with relationships among individuals, as well as neurosis and psychological disintegration. A Streetcar Named Desire is his masterpiece. Blanche who was the heroine got huge attention from readers and had different remarks from literary critics. In 1940s, homosexuality was opposed severely in American society, and Williams wrote about homosexuality secretly in his works, which was strictly prohibited at that time.

In this play A Streetcar Named Desire, the tragic hero Blanche Dubois is a faded Southern belle, who is dismissed from her teaching job in Auriol, Mississippi, and disgraced in her hometown. So she seeks solace and refuges with her married sister Stella and brother-in-law Stanley Kowalski who are living in New Orleans. This play is not only the tragedy of Blanche, but also the tragedy of Southern belle.

In history of American literature in the 20^th century, Theodore Dreiser (1871-1945) and Tennessee Williams (1911-1983) are both excellent writers who are controversial for a long time. The reason why this paper selects their works as research topic is that no thesis has joint research and comparison of human nature in these two works and no thesis has referred to the common cause of human nature formation.

1. Demonstration

2.1 The reflection of pessimistic humanity in two authors

Although Dreiser and Williams are two distinguished writers, they live in different times and different themes. The reason why I choose to compare the two writers is that the two writers in their works show the same pessimistic nature. In the history of American literature, the pessimistic humanity reflected on them can be almost identical.