ABSTRACT

As one of the most famous American naturalists in 20th century, Theodore Dreiser had been the pioneer of American modern novels because of his acute foreseeability and bold innovation. As the masterwork of Dreiser, Sister Carrie is considered to be a milestone of American novels. By analyzing the rising of “new feminism” in the turn of the century, this paper aims at investigating the feminist intension through the image of Sister Carrie. It also explores the new feminism by investigating relationship between the writer and the ideology of feminine characteristic in mainstream culture.

Key words：Sister Carrie; new feminism; contradiction

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

ABSTRACT

摘要

Chapter  One  INTRODUCTION-1

Chapter  Two  LITERATURE    REVIEW-2

2.1 Feminism-2

2.2 Previous Study on Sister Carrie-3

Chapter  Three  FORMATION OF MODERN FEMINISM IN CARRIE-4

3.1 Feminism in America-4

3.2 Characters of Carrie-5

3.3 Changing Dreams of Carrie-7

3.4 Awakening Feminism of Carrie-10

Chapter  Four  CONTRADICTIONS IN THE NOVEL-12

4.1 Ambivalence of Theodore Dreiser-12

4.2 Contradictory Feminism in Carrie-13

Chapter  Five  CONCLUSION-15

WORKS   CITED-16