Abstract

Edward Albee is a famous contemporary American playwright. His representative work Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf ? has aroused great concern ever since its publication. He achieved both critical and popular success with this masterpiece. This play, with its innovative construction, fickle language and grotesque plot, has reflected a strong carnival sense of the world. Moreover, carnivalization can be seen in the plot composition of this play. This thesis intends to interpret this play through Bakhtinian theory of carnivalization. This thesis focus on three aspects of carnivalization, that is carnivalized life, carnivalization of artistic thinking and dialogue between reality and illusion. Thus, the study provides a new version for understanding and constructing the deep meaning of the play. 

Keywords: Edward Albee; Who is Afraid of Virginia Woolf?; Bakhtin; carnivalization; carnivalized life

Contents

Abstract

摘要

1. Introduction-1

1.1 A Brief Introduction to Edward Albee and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?-1

1.2 Literature Review-1

1.3 A Brief Introduction to Mikhail Bakhtin and The Theory of Carnivalization-2

2. The Carnivalized Life in the Play-4

2.1 The Carnival Kings and The Carnival Collective-4

2.2 The Carnivalized Space and Time in Martha’s House-6

3. The Carnivalization of Artistic Thinking-7

3.1 The Ritual of Crowning and Decrowning-7

3.2 The Duality of the Carnivalized Images-8

4. The Permanent Dialogue between Reality and Illusion-9

4.1 Official and Civilian: the Influence of the Author's Experiences on the Play-9

4.2 The Exposure of the Disparity between Reality and Illusion-10

5. Conclusion-10

Works Cited-12