3-D Cultural Encounters Expressive of A Passage to India

摘要

A Passage to India is the masterpiece of E.M. Forster and a classical work of the early 20th century, which exposes the insuperable chasm between the Great Britain and India. The book is full of bitter irony, beautiful lyrics, meaningful symbol and far-reaching philosophical predict. In 1996, it was voted as one of the "100 Greatest Books of the Century." The novel was translated into silver screen in 1984, directed by David Lean, starring by Judy Denis. It won the nomination of the 57th Oscar Award for the best film, the best director, the best actress the best photography, so on and so forth, totaling 11 in 1985. Mysterious, Subtle and rich in symbolism, the novel works on several levels through this exotic trip. It presents us a movie with a profound theme, picturesque shooting, intricate plots, eye-pleasing and yet thought-provoking at the same time. The message is clear: lonely is human, and communication is all but impossible between them. The gulf between the British and native Indians grows wider than ever despite Aziz's dropping of the case, and the novel ends on an ambiguous note. This thesis ventures to sort out the complex and complicated strands of cultural phenomena from the following three dimensions, that is, (1) the religious spectrum. (2) the ruling class perspective, (3) the ruled class/the civilian level. The writer of this thesis attempts to explore and clarify the underlying reasons that contributes to the cultural clashes present in the movie so as to shed more light on those who are doing cross-cultural interactions between the East and the West, to avoid pitfalls, embarrassments, and above all, unnecessary misunderstandings.