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UM E-Theses Collection (澳門大學電子學位論文庫)

Title

The Cubist Stein : narrative strategies in the Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas

English Abstract

Gertrude Stein is one of the avant-garde writers of the twentieth century. Many studies have been done on the influence of Cubism on other modernist writers, and the studies which were done on Gertrude Stein have focused on her difficult works. It seems that the Cubist influence on The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas, Gertrude Stein's landmark writing, has been neglected. This thesis examines various Cubist techniques in The Autobiography, which, despite its apparent easy style, is as experimental as Gertrude Stein's difficult writings. The approach is to relate Gertrude Stein's writing techniques to important Cubist aesthetic principles, Gertrude Stein flattens the narrative of the autobiography. Instead of presenting a story of the growth of a protagonist, Gertrude Stein shows a collection of interesting anecdotes. The description of characters and events is fragmented and dispersed throughout the autobiography. This feature of the autobiography helps to support the larger claim of the paradox of modernist works. Gertrude Stein also decentres the narrative. She puts on a kind of literary ventriloquist act, narrating her life experience in the voice of her companion, Alice B. Toklas. The blurring of fact and fiction in The Autobiography parallels the use of collage in Cubist painting and makes it one of the most controversial memoirs. By analyzing the influence of Cubism on the narrative strategies of Gertrude Stein, this thesis seeks to show The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas as an exemplary instance of early literary Cubism.

Issue date

2005.

Author

Wei, Xiu Rong

Faculty
Faculty of Arts and Humanities (former name: Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities)
Department
Department of English
Degree

M.A.

Subject

Stein, Gertrude, -- 1874-1946 -- Criticism and interpretation

Toklas, Alice B.

American fiction -- 20th century -- History and criticism

Supervisor

Chiu, Man Yin

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Location
1/F Zone C
Library URL
991000141219706306