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1、An Existential Analysis of Catch-22ContentsAcknowledgements. iAbstract(English). iiAbstract(Chinese). iii1. Introduction.11.1 Catch-22. 11.2 Writing Background .12. The Existentialism.22.1 “I think, so I am” and “existence before essence” .22.2 The initiative of the soldiers.33. Free Choice .43.1 Or
2、r.53.2 Yossarian .64. The Absurdity of the World.74.1 The Absolute power of the Bureaucracy.74.2 The Moral Insanity.84.3 The Inevitability of Death.95. Conclusion .10Work Cited.12AbstractThis paper is going to talk about the existentialism in Joseph Hellers masterpiece Catch-22. As regards to the in
3、fluence of existentialism on literature, Jean Paul Sartres theories are the one of the great significance, which is the main concern in this thesis.Joseph Heller (1923-1999) is one of the most representative writers of Black Humor, which forecasts the dominating of American post-modernism literature
4、. The heart of Black Humor is the description of the absurdity of the world, which is also a doctrine of existentialism. So it is said that existentialism is one of the origins of Black Humor.In Catch-22, there are bounds of freedom and the struggles to get off from them, which is a main theme of th
5、e book. And as regard to Sartres existentialism, the central thought is the freedom to choose what one wants to be or to do, which agrees with the theme of Catch-22 above I have mentioned. So in this paper I just choose Sartres existentialist thoughts to analyze it, despite other existentialists. Ex
6、istentialism is a different point of view to look at the traditional war-novel, from which I think a deeper and more theoretical criticism of the war as well as that of the world can be obtained.For the value of this paper, first of all, it will prove Catch-22 an existential novel. Both centered on
7、the theme of freedom, this novel and existentialism share the same basis, so its natural to connect them together. Also, there is chapter four on absurdity to illustrate this point. Thirdly, I want to stress the subjectivity and advantages of existentialism. Although many people think it as superfic
8、ial and spiritual, it stresses on humanism, paying attention to initiative and subjectivity, which are still hot centers of discussion till now. Key words: Catch-22; Existentialism; Free choice; Absurdity内容摘要约瑟夫海勒的代表作二十二条军规中渗透着存在主义的思想,这也是本论文讨论的主旨所在。在存在主义理论，特别是其对文学有影响的存在主义理论中，萨特的理论是有着重要的地位。虽然他的理论观点看法
9、总是在不断地改进中，自由问题始终是他所重点关注的问题。萨特的哲学被称为“自由哲学”的原因，就是因为他对人类自由问题的关注和阐释。根据萨特的重要理论“存在先于本质”，人必须得先发挥主动性积极为自己思考，然后去做自由的选择，这些也是本论文中要涉及的内容。虽然萨特本体论为彻底完善，但使用它分析小说,可以从宏观上看到海勒对军队，对战争的厌恶,以及对社会的批判。约瑟夫海勒是黑色幽默小说的代表作家之一，而黑色幽默小说预示着美国后现代文学将在美国文坛占有重要的地位。黑色幽默理论的核心是世界的荒诞性，而这也是存在主义所坚持的信条。本论文通过存在主义，特别是萨特的存在主义理论，尝试着从一个全新的角度去阐释第二十
10、二条军规从存在主义关于自由，世界荒谬性，对人的主动性的强调，我们可以看到，小说中无处不渗透着存在主义的痕迹。在本文里我想强调存在主义的优点之一，注重人的主动性。虽然很多人认为它是迷信的精神的，但是它强调人道主义，注重人的主动性和主体性，而这些现在仍是被讨论的重点。关键词：第二十二条军规；存在主义；自由；荒诞性An Existential Analysis of Catch-22OutlineThesis Statement: This paper is meant to talk about the existentialism in Joseph Hellers masterpiece Ca
11、tch-22. As regards to the influence of existentialism on literature, Jean Paul Sartres theories are the one of the outstanding significance, which is the main concern in this thesis. In Catch-22, there are bounds of freedom as well as the struggles to get off from them, which is a main theme of the
12、book. And for Sartres existentialism, the central thought is the freedom to choose what one wants to be or to do, which agrees with the theme of Catch-22 above I have mentioned. So here I just choose Sartres existentialist thoughts to analyze it. Introduction: Catch-22 and its writing background. Th
13、e ExistentialismA. “I think, so I am” and “existence before essence”B. The initiative of the soldiers. Free Choice A. OrrB. Yossarian. The Absurdity of the WorldA. The Absolute power of the BureaucracyB. The Moral InsanityC. The Inevitability of Death. Conclusion毕业论文开题报告1结合毕业论文课题情况，根据所查阅的文献资料，每人撰写50
14、0字左右的文献综述，阐述当前的研究现状：Literature ReviewJoseph Heller, one of the most outstanding American novelists and the representative of Black Humor, His first and best known novel Catch-22 is now widely recognized as one of the most important books written by Americans since World War II. term Catch-22 has ent
15、ered the American vocabulary to express the frustration of encountering absurd obstacles. Therefore a thorough existentialist reading of Joseph Hellers Catch-22 may give us some enlightenment and inspiration. According to Brian Czech in her essay A potential catch-22 for a sustainable American ideol
16、ogy, the history of American ideology includes elements of increasing sustainability. Laissez-faire, racism, sexism, and anthropocentrism have been declining throughout the 20th century, as indicated by various social movements and institutional developments. Economic growth has proceeded concurrent
17、ly and the material standard of living has generally done likewise. Proponents of an environmental Kuznets curve posit that continued economic growth and associated increases in the standard of living will have the effect of, and are required for, producing an increasingly sustainable ideology.In th
18、e paper of From Modernism to Postmodernism , the auther Zhao Guofan says it is widely accepted that the emergence of Black Humor was under the influence of Existentialism. Existentialism is a philosophy which grew out of France around World War II, with Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus as its repre
19、sentatives. The two world wars exerted great influence on Existentialism and Black Humor, both of which share a common viewpoint of the artistic demand of facing up an absurd universe without intrinsic values. Joseph Heller, as a Black Humorist, was inevitably influenced by the existentialist philos
20、ophy and presented it in his Catch-22 There was a study by Gary w . Davis, in A detailed Summary of Catch 22, he criticized that through Catch-22 Joseph Heller permeates the idea that there is no single definitive truth, that the world is the form of a continual clash of truths. Heller permeates his
21、 ideas of existentialism throughout the novel. Each character lives within his/her own world where each creates their individual ideas of right and wrong. Through this no single truth remains a constant. The principal behind existentialism states that oneself is the only definitive reference to what
22、 may be perceived of the world. The only truths that remain become those created by the individual. Each character within Catch-22 lives within the world perceived by their mind, the ideas of right and wrong perpetuated by the individual. Catch-22 is an extraordinary novel whose basic assumption is
23、that all men are equally mad in war. Many critics have properly identified the distinctive features of Catch-22: its wild and truly hilarious humor, its broadly satiric portrait of the military, and its savage characterization of the modern social order. Since the publication of Catch-22, it has cau
24、sed much discussion and argument. After a series of study on the critical works of Joseph Heller, I have a clear understanding of the significance of existentialism in his works and give me inspiration to have a deep knowledge of Catch-22.Bibliography:Barrett, William. Irrational Man: A Study in Exi
25、stential Philosophy. Garden City: Doubleday, 1958. Kaufmann, Walter. Existentialism from Dostoevsky to Sartre. New York: Meridian, 1956.Kennard, Jean E. World Literature Criticism. Detroit: Gale Research Inc., 1997.Nagel, James. Critical Essays on Joseph Heller. Boston: G.K. Hall & Co., 1984.Seed, D
26、avid. The Fiction of Joseph Heller: Against the Grain. London: Macmillan, 1989.Sartre, Jean-Paul. Being and Nothing. Beijing: China Social Sciences Publishing House, 1993.汤永宽. 第二十二条军规译本序. 上海：上海译文出版社, 1981.吴晓东. 20世纪外国文学专题. 北京: 北京大学出版社, 2002.潘利锋. 全球化语境与东西方文学. 长沙: 湖南人民出版社, 2004.钱满素. 美国当代小说家论. 北京: 中国社会科
27、学出版社, 1987.毕业论文开题报告本课题研究的主要内容和拟解决的问题：主要内容：20世纪60年代称霸于西方剧坛的荒诞派戏剧以萨特的存在主义哲学为思想基拙，强调人的分离与隔膜、存在的危机与友酷、人生的无用以及世界的荒诞。本文通过分析美国现代作家海勒的“黑色幽默”经典之作第二十二条军规中体现的人与其生存的世界的隔离、人与宗教、人与人以及人与自然的隔离，以阐明在现代社会里人类存在的荒诞与无奈。第二十二条军规中通过尤索林的遭遇，反映了战争和官僚机器的疯狂、荒诞，并通过“第二十二条军规”的象征，达到一种形而上的艺术境界。主人公尤索林是一个浸透着存在主义意识的“反英雄”形象，身兼批判现实的积极因素和取
28、消斗争的消极因素。他是荒诞与疯狂社会中的清醒者。亲眼目睹的许多事实，促使他进行痛苦的思考。他有一定的社会意识和正义感。对于疯狂的世界，他一直进行着道义的评判。尤索林信仰的丧失，理想的落空，英雄气概的消亡，都反映了西方资产阶级的日趋衰败并渐渐走向衰亡拟解决的问题： 通过对作品中主要人物尤索林的遭遇的分析，体现第二十二条军规中人与其生存的世界的隔离、人与宗教、人与人以及人与自然的隔离。分析后现代主义，充分论证阐明小说中体现的现代社会里人类存在的荒诞与无奈。1. Introduction1.1 Catch-22Before Catch-22, Joseph Heller has written se
29、veral works, including many short stories, three plays and several novels. But it is after the publication of Catch-22 that Heller as a specialized writer is remembered by the world. This work is called the epic in the 1960s.By describing a apparently crazy world, he exposes the corruption of Americ
30、an society, where the social bureaucrats, related to capital power, brought suffering and death to the ordinary people.The novel Catch-22 mainly tells a story about a pilot soldier named Yossarian. This story happens in World War II. Serving in the army for a long time, he gets tired of it, and want
31、s to go back home away from the war and from the threat to be killed. After the death of his friend Snowden, Yossarian begins to try to be grounded, to be an ordinary person away from the cruel world. In order to accomplish his dream, he pretends to be insane; to be ill and even behaves in insane ma
32、nners. At last, he, obeying his own authentic self, refuses to work together with the upper officials and deserts from the army. Also there are some sub-stories about other soldiers beside Yossarian, such as his co-pilot Orr, who deserts successfully at last, another one, Nately, who falls in love w
33、ith a whore, etc.1.2 Writing Background Joseph Heller was born in Brooklyn, New York, as the son of poor Jewish parents. His father, who was a bakery truck driver, died in 1927. After graduating from Abraham Lincoln High School in 1941, Heller joined the Twelfth Air Force. He was posted in Corsica,
34、where he flew 60 combat missions as a B-25 bombardier. In 1949 Heller received his M.A. from Columbia University. He was a Fulbright scholar at Oxford in 1949-1950. Heller worked as a teacher at Pennsylvania State University (1950-1952), copywriter for the magazines Time (1952-56), Look (1956-58), a
35、nd promotion manager for McCalls. He left McCalls in 1961 to teach fiction and dramatic writing at Yale University and the University of Pennsylvania. All those experiences contribute to Hellers writing. After WW, American government didnt pay much attention to social reforms, and instead it lent mu
36、ch money to Europe and carried out commercialism, which dissatisfied the people deeply. In politics, the horror of McCarthyism swept every corner of America. Those conditions mentioned above are the writing background of Catch-22. At the very beginning of the story, Heller told that it is not just a
37、n anti-war story. Wayne Charles Miller, in his An Armed American: Its Face in Fiction, said that Pianosa, where the story Catch-22 happened, is a mirror of America, a tool that allowed Heller to criticize justice, romantic love, heroism, the military, and capitalism. People in this background are ca
38、lling for true freedom and responsibility of the government as well as themselves. So Sartres theories just pleased what those people needed. All those above mentioned are the background reasons why I choose existentialism to analyze Catch-22.2. ExistentialismExistentialists tend, for example, to hi
39、ghlight the unique and particular in human experience; they put the individual person at the centre of their pictures of the world, and are suspicious of philosophical or psychological doctrines that obscure this existential individuality by speaking as if there were some abstract “human nature”, so
40、me set of general laws or principles, to which men are determined or required, by their common humanity, and to conform that each man is what he chooses to be or make himself to be, and he cannot escape responsibility for his character or his deeds by claiming that they are the pre-determined conseq
41、uence of factors beyond his power to control resist, nor can he justify what he does in terms upon him from without.For the relationship of existentialism with the literature, Sartres theories are much more powerful than the others. Sartres theory “Existence before essence” stresses the initiative o
42、f human being, for which it is called “the philosophy of action”. In this chapter, focusing on the Catch-22, Ill have a discussion about soldiers different responses to the war according to their different initiative.2.1 “I think, so I am” and “existence before essence”“Cogito ergo sum” is the slogan of a French philosopher, Decarte, which means in English “I think before I am.”, which is almost the equation of Sarters “existence before essence.” Both of them tell us that we should be suspicious to everything in the world except that “Im susp
