伊丽莎自·乔利是一个风格奇谲、很难把握的作家。作品中渗透着后现代手法，却又不乏现实主义细节描写和狄更斯式人物个性化语言的重复；刻画的大多是传统小说中的小人物：护士、清洁工、小职员、丧失生存能力的老人等。

本书以文化符号学的方法阐释了乔利小说中边缘符号所蕴涵的深刻意义，揭示了作家隐藏在故事背后的主张，即超越二元框架之外的多元化融合，创造人与人、人与社会以及人与自然的和谐空间。

伊丽莎白·乔利是蜚声国际文坛的澳大利亚女作家，其作品所表现的人物多为被社会排斥的边缘人，其主题意义常常晦涩难解。本书以文化符号学的方法阐释了乔利小说中边缘符号所蕴涵的深刻意义，揭示了作家隐藏在故事背后的主张，即超越二元框架之外的多元化融合，创造人与人、人与社会以及人与自然的和谐空间。通过意义分析，作者成功地划分了乔利作品的不同创作阶段，解决了多年以来一直困惑评论家的一大难题，为乔利作品研究提供了新视角。

Introduction

　0.1 Review of Critical Study on Elizabeth Jolley

　0.2 A Semiological Approach

　0.3 Method of Application

Chapter One Margin and Center

　1.1 Dichotomous Conceptualization of the Wodd

　1.2 Definition of Margin and Center

　1.3 Relationship between Margin and Center

　Conclusion

Chapter Two Elizabeth JoHey and Sense of Margin-- Central Mischief

　2.1 Claims of Being Marginal

　2.2 Self-discovery and Dual Division

　2.3 Marginal Representations in Jolley's Fiction

　Conclusion

Chapter Three Silence in the Shadow of Power-- Mr.Scobie's Riddle

　3.1 Silence as Instrument of Insensibility

　3.2 Silence in the Generation Gap

　3.3 Silence in the Form of Power

　Conclusion

Chapter Four Myths of Margin and Codes of Powerlessness-- Milk and Honey

　4.1 Myths of Ideal and Instrument of Power

　4.2 Myths of Margin and Mystery as the Other

　4.3 Codes of Powerlessness and the Opposition of Myth

　Conclusion

Chapter Five Demystification of the Myths -- Palomino

　5.1 Lesbian--A Shunned Existence

　5.2 Sexuality as Dynamic-- Demystification of Heterosexuality

　5.3 Sexual Equality-- From Lesbian Visibility to Corporeal Subjectivity

　Conclusion

Chapter Six Changing Perspectives on Margin-- An Innocent Gentleman

　6.1 Personality Marginalized

　6.2 Personality Diminished

　6.3 Live-and-Let-Live Personality

　Conclusion

Chapter Seven A New Perspective between Margin and Center -- The Orchard Thieves

　7.1 Reconsidering the Two Aspects-- Margin and Center

　7.2 Transcending the Two Layers-- Individual and Societal

　7.3 Breaking through the Dichotomy-- Integration-in-Diversity

　Conclusion

Conclusion Boundary Blurred-- Concurrent Cosmos

Bibliography