マーガレット・アトウッドの本質 : 批評家と作家の間

抄録

Margaret Atwood is one of the best-known writers in her country. Canada. Her works are translated in the various countries. She was nominated for the Nobel prize for literature in 2001. She has been awarded the Booker Prize (2000) and the Governor General's Award, which is the best prize for literature in Canada, twice. Jugding from the above, not only Canada but also the world has admired her works. Therefore, it seems reasonable to suppose that she has what other writers don't have. On the other hand, it is important to bear in mind that she has also written some books about literature. These books tell us her unique literary theory. Moreover, Atwood accepts herself that her idea as a literay critic is reflected in her writings in many ways. So, we think that the quality of Atwood the writer can be found out by analyzing that of Atwood the critic. The first and foremost, we must try to clarify the central conception of Atwood the critic, which is derived from Survial (1972), Second Words (1982) and Negotiating with the Dead (2002). Next, her central conception is compared with successive Canadian literary critics', T. S. Eliot's, Nathaniel Hawthorne's and W. Somerset Maugham's. Only in the final place, we consider her novels through the concept of Atwood the critic, and then reach the quality of Atwood the writer.