Reading Stevie’s Life in Her Work 英语专业毕业论文.doc

Reading Stevie ’s Life in Her Work Writer: Supervisor: Abstract: For most Chinese readers, the name Stevie Smith must be very unfamiliar with and they will ask “ who is Stevie Smith? Is she a myth? ” In this thesis , the author will first answer these questions to readers. Stevie Smith was born in Hull , Yorkshire, England in September 1902 . She was christened Florence Margaret, but always called Peggy by the family. She acquired the name Stevie when she was riding in the park accidentally (Sternlicht, 1991: P4) Retaining her nickname Stevie throughout her adulthood, she shifted her poems from male to female; Conformity to unconformity , simple plex, adult to child, but only one theme isnot changed: death — always being the core of her poems and melancholy is the preponderant mood of the poem . Through her life, Stevie Smith totally published 8 volumes of poetry, three novels, and a radio play. She acquired reputation in Britain and the United States. But what a pity is that few Chinese pundits and readers research her and even just know about her. Some people say Stevie ’s poems are elusive, while if we can have a thorough learning of her life, her poems will e easier alike the sentence saying “ Stevie ’s life can be read in her work; and, indeed, her life was her work ”(Sternlicht, 1991: P3), because poems are universal. In this thesis, the author will introduc e and analyze Stevie ’s life and works focusing on autobiographical view and find the relationship of them. Key w ords: Smith ’s life; Smith ’s poems; melancholy mood; psychology CONTENT Introduction .................................................................................................................. 1 Chapter One Is Stevie Smith a Myth ?B rief Introduction to Stevie Smith ............. 2 First Seventeenth Years Melancholy Life ..................................................... 2 Stevie es a Secretary and Two essful Love Relationship ..... 4 Stevie's First Novel and Collection o