Abstract:As one of the representatives of the “lost generation”, Ernest Hemingway’s works have attracted lots of attention in the circle of critics and literature since the 1920s. Among the many literary genres, Hemingway was renowned for his novels. His short stories a clean and well-lighted place receives much attention for its simple scene description, brief dialogue and unique inner monologue in the field of European and American literary criticism. But it didn’t receive the attention it deserves at home. The reception aesthetics rose in Germany in the 1960s, occupying a unique position in the contemporary Western theory of literary criticism. It opposes to studying literature and art in an isolated, one-sided and mechanical way, but regards the literary activities as a continuously dynamic process of writer-works-readers trinity. It focuses on the function of readers, and holds that the acceptance of literary works should be conducted in an open manner. Wolfgang Iser, one of the representatives of reception aesthetics, believes that literary works only provide readers with a schema or skeleton, which left many gaps or blanks to be filled. These gaps, in fact, are something that the author implied or was reluctant to say. They can be reflected in all aspects of the work, such as plots, clues, dialogues, vocabularies and structures. It is these gaps or blanks that beckon readers to give a full play to their initiatives to fill the blanks. In this way, a schematized work can be completed. This essay aims to study a Clean, Well-Lighted Place from the perspective of reception aesthetics, especially through Iser’s Gap Theory. At the same time, this essay combines Hemingway’s “Iceberg theory” with reception aesthetics to explore the concise language style and the role of omission in the short novel of a Clean, Well-Lighted Place.

Keywords: Ernest Hemingway; Iser; Reception Aesthetics; Gaps; Iceberg theory

Contents

摘要

Abstract

Chapter 1 Introduction-1

1.1 A Brief Introduction to Ernest Hemingway and a Clean, Well-Lighted Place-1

1.2 Literature review-1

1.2.1 Research on a Clean, Well-Lighted Place in China-1

1.2.2 Research on a Clean, Well-Lighted Place Aboard-2

1.3 The Significance and Feasibility of This Study-3

1.4 Theoretical Perspective-3

1.4.1 Reception Aesthetic-3

1.4.2 Jauss and the Horizon of Expectations-4

1.4.3 Wolfgang Iser and the Gap Theory-4

1.4.4 The Role and Status of Reader-5

1.4.5 The Iceberg Principle-5

1.4.6 The Relationship between the “Iceberg Theory’ and the Reception Aesthetics-6

Chapter 2 Fill the meaning gaps of the text-7

2.1 The gaps in the backgrounds-7

2.2 The gaps in characters-7

2.3 The gaps in Travesty-9

Chapter 3 the Iceberg Principle in a Clean, Well-Lighted Place-11

3.1 Conciseness and Simplicity of Words-11

3.2 The Dialogic Features in a Clean, Well-Lighted Place-12

3.2.1 Direct and Free Direct Discourse-12

3.2.2 Inner Monologue-13

Chapter 4 Conclusion-15

References-16

Acknowledgements-17