O.Henry and His Writing Style

1、歐亨利和他的寫作風(fēng)格o.henry and his writing stylecontentsabstract.1key words.1i. introduction.2ii. o.henry, mouthpiece of the lower people.21. sympathy for the poor people.22. reflection on the ordinary people .3iii. the characteristics of his writing51. surprising ending.52. the vividness of details.63. coin

2、cidence.74. humor and irony.85. brilliant use of language.9iv. short critical comments on o.henrys writing style.9v. conclusion.10references.11o.henry and his writing styleo.henry and his writing styleabstract: o.henry was a distinguished american storywriter. he wrote more than 300 short stories in

3、 his life, and all of his stories were ingeniously conceived, with the endings always contrary to readers expectations, yet not beyond reason, for both ways conform well to the logic of life. actually, his style had a great influence on modern american fiction, especially stories printed in magazine

4、s. therefore, some critics called him the founder of american stories. being gifted with humor and a keen awareness of details, he objectively shows us what america looks like. all his stories put together constitute a true panorama of american life, or as someone said, the encyclopedia of american

5、life. key words: short story ; writing style摘 要：歐亨利原名威廉西德尼波特（william sydney porter），是美國最著名的短篇小說家之一，他一生中寫了三百多部小說，曾被評論界譽(yù)為曼哈頓桂冠散文作家和美國現(xiàn)代短篇小說之父。他善于描寫美國社會尤其是紐約百姓的生活。從藝術(shù)手法上看，歐.亨利善于捕捉生活中令人啼笑皆非而富于哲理的戲劇性場景，用漫畫般的筆觸勾勒出人物的特點(diǎn)。作品情節(jié)的發(fā)展較快，在結(jié)尾時(shí)突然出現(xiàn)一個(gè)意料不到的結(jié)局，使讀者驚愕之余，不能不承認(rèn)故事合情合理，進(jìn)而贊嘆作者構(gòu)思的巧妙，被譽(yù)為“美國生活的百科全書”。 關(guān)鍵詞：短篇小說; 寫

6、作風(fēng)格 i. introductiono.henry originally named william sydney porter is a dynamic author and individual who established himself among significant american authors by emerging from a troubled past, creating a vast unique collection of short stories, and through the lasting popularity that he earned. mos

7、t of his 200 short stories followed a pattern of character, plot, structure, and setting, often culminating with an o.henry twist. this continuity allowed him to garner considerable fame, added to by the persistent use of idealistic and romanticized themes. william saroyan stated, the people of amer

8、ica love o.henry.he was a nobody, but he was a nobody who was also a somebody, everybodys somebody. underestimating the importance of porters background would be doing injustice to his work and the true nature of the author. current-garcia supports this view in saying, the landscapes of his stories

9、were vastly enriched by his unique life experiences, both as a convicted criminal who learned to write short stories while in jail and, later, as a literary celebrity in new york city. william sydney porter has deservingly merited his stature among the greatest american authors. stephen leacock epit

10、omizes this point in saying that the whole english-speaking world will recognize in one of his greatest masters of modern literature.ii. o.henry, mouthpiece of the lower people1. sympathy for the poor peopleo.henry wrote about the life of ordinary people in new york city. he is mouthpiece of the low

11、er people. many of his stories show sympathy for the lower people, such as the voice of the city and the four million. these works sympathize with the young poor couple, with the down and outer, the drifter, or the alien, with his sympathy as the main feature of his works and is a projection of his

12、personal loneliness. o.henrys original feeling for the poor people has a great deal to do with his own experience full of frustration.o.henry had a sad experience in his early years. his mother died when he was three years old, then he was brought up by his aunt, and virtually became an orphan. he w

13、orked in his uncles drugstore with little schooling. in 1887, o.henry fell in love with a girl called athol estes, but her family didnt agree to the marriage of the young couple. as a result, the two young people had no choice but to run away together. in 1897, o.henry was charged with embezzlement

14、of funds from the austin, texas bank. to avoid being arrested, he fled to new orleans and honduras. his wife became ill during his absence, so he had to come back secretly. one trouble followed another. he was heart-broken with grief for his wifes death. finally he was arrested and sentenced to five

15、 years in the ohio pentitentiary. in prison he thought of his own misery and humiliation, also the lower peoples lives around him. he was determined to write diligently with his pen as a mouthpiece of the poor people.as his experience shows, the majority people meet in his daily life are those in th

16、e lower class of the society such as clerks, policemen, and waitresses. he opens the four million by observing that some one invented the assertion that there were only four hundred people in new york city who were really worth noticing. but a wiser man has arisenthe census takerand his larger estim

17、ate of human interest has been preferred in marking out the field of these little stories of the four million. but just because his observation for the poor and the ordinary people made him the most famous author in his times and this is why his twist ending can gain the sympathy and the tears of so

18、 many readers. they are the stories of four million people, but not the stories of four hundred people.in short, without o.henrys miserable experience, there would not be his deep sympathy for the lower people in his stories and he would not form his own writing style.2. reflection on the ordinary p

19、eoplein many of o.henrys short stories, he wrote about the lives of the ordinary people in new york, as well as in the other places. o.henry was very familiar with common peoples life style. he drifted through several occupations: a bookkeeper, a drugstore clerk, a texas ranger, an accountant, a dra

20、ftsman, a bank teller and a newspaper columnist. he himself had experienced many failures and frustrations, such as his wifes death, some financial failures in early literary ventures and the failure of his own humorous weekly the rolling stone. he was even indicted on a charge of embezzling funds a

21、nd was thrown into prison. he could turn out many stories based on his own life, and he himself might be the prototype of many of his characters. in addition, o.henry used to wander about new york city, drifting into conversations with strangers on the streets or in the parks, observing with an acut

22、e eye and ear, sights and sounds, nuances of sounds, nuances of day or on wall street. he knew ordinary people so well and the way he represents them in his stories gives the readers the impression that they meet these characters everyday. they have not any striking characteristics, not would they b

23、e easy to find in a large multitude of people. in fact, every one of them was as ordinary as a grain of sand, and the only word that could be used to describe them is common.o.henrys stories were written to help people escape from their everyday problems. the author had been a skilled storyteller si

24、nce he was a teenager. he used to entertain people in his uncles drugstore and on the texas ranch where he lived as a young man. he wanted his stories to be entertaining and enjoyable. to achieve this, he uses lively dialogue, vivid and quickly drawn descriptions, humor, irony, chance happenings, an

25、d surprise endings.in 1908 critic henry james forman wrote that no talent could be more original or more delightful. the combination of technical excellence with whimsical, sparkling wit, abundant humor and a fertile invention is so rare that the reader is content without comparisons.e. hudson long

26、who writes the book o.henry, the man and his work once said poverty is so terrible and so common, we should all do more than we do-much more-to relieve it. there can be no doubt about o.henrys sincere sympathy for those who needed help, but were unable to help themselves. stories like brickdust row

27、and an unfinished story caused theodore roosevelt to say, it was o.henry who started me on my campaign for office girls. because of this interest in the unfortunate, especially the victims of environment, the stories of o.henry take on sociological import. he presented the shopgirl, the derelict, th

28、e woman of the street, the gangster, against the background that produced them. he knew that environment could cause tragedy, and he realized the injustice of a system which would permit an employer to pay a clerk only six dollars a week. brickdust row depicts the damaging effects on the lives of th

29、ose whose surroundings are inadequate and squalid. the guilty party attempts to show that slum children, forced to play in the streets, are defeated in life before they start.it was on behalf of the shopgirl, however, that o.henry finally dipped his pen in acid. an unfinished story ends with the aut

30、hor, at the bar of judgment, being asked if he belongs with a certain group: who are they? a journalist asked. why, said he, they are the men who hired working-girls, and paid me five or six dollars a week to live on. are you one of the bunch? not on your immortality, said journalist. im only the fe

31、llow that set fire to an orphan asylum, and murdered a blind man for his pennies.so o.henry has been recognized among the greatest american authors. not only because of his remarkable life story but also his good attitude towards life.iii. the characteristics of his writingo.henrys stories had many

32、recognizable elements, some of which became distinctly his own. some of these were poor, working-class characters, a humorous tone, realistic detail, and a surprise ending. he was so adapt and skilled in utilizing the unexpected ending, it became know as the o.henry twist. this became the signature

33、ending to his short stories, compiled with repeating themes and structures. many of his stories were exceedingly allegoric, expressing themes of love, compassion, and poverty. harold bloom said, people find themselves in his stories, not more truly and more strange, but rather as they were and are,

34、this sentimental idealism explains his continuous popularity, even through the subsequent decline of his reputation among literary critics. many critics still view o.henry in positive light, highlighting the trademarks, which became synonymous with his name.1. surprising endingo.henry stories are fa

35、mous for their surprise endings. he was called the american guy de maupassant. both authors wrote twist endings, but o.henry stories were much more playful and optimistic. a surprise at the end of the story can bring an enormous amount of pleasure to readers. the key to a surprise ending-and it is o

36、ne that o.henry mastered early on-is that it has to be believable. the characteristics of o.henrys writings are popular with the people. his surprise ending is especially liked by readers and makes all readers think of it long after.the gift of the magi, o.henry used the most famous trick ending. th

37、e story tells readers about how a poor young husband and wife buy each other a christmas present, though they are both nearly penniless. they make up their minds to get a suitable christmas gift for the other side for sincere love. the wife has her beautiful hair cut off and sells the tresses to buy

38、 the husband a gold watch chain. he sells his watch to get a set of combs. when he and she finally know what the matter is, both of them feel very surprised and at the same time, they feel much disappointed, for the presents that they have bought have no use at this time.the conception of this is re

39、ally ingenious clever. when the story is over, the readers become intoxicated in the minute arrangement of the writer, and meanwhile are deeply moved by this young affectionate couple.in the cop and the anthem, a vagrant tries to be arrested by the police and put into prison in order to get a shelte

40、r in the winter. he has a meal in a restaurant without paying, breaks the glass of the window, takes liberties with a young pretty woman and robs a man of his umbrella, etc. but all the evil deeds dont get him arrested. at last soapy is moved by the music coming from a small church. when he is deter

41、mined to correct his errors and make a fresh start, he is caught by a policeman. the sad denouncement of the story surprises every reader. when soapy does bad things and wants to be arrested, he cant be arrested. when he doesnt do bad things and wants to turn over a new leaf, he is done wrong to bec

42、ome a prisoner. as every reader can see, o.henry shows ingenuity and affords food for thought in this story.2. the vividness of detailso.henry often observes the people and things around him, so he always gives a description of vivid details in his short stories. he does his best to make his portray

43、al exact and exquisite. the very style of the stories is absorbing. such detailed description makes every reader indulge him in the plots of the story. the more people read such writings, the more they are interested in the characters and plots in the stories.in the gift of magi, della wants to buy

44、jim a christmas present. she sells her beautiful hair because she has only one dollar and eighty-seven cents. as soon as she buys a platinum fob chain, she comes back home. when della reaches home, o.henry has a detailed description:“when della reached home, her intoxication gave away a little to pr

45、udence and reason. she got out her curling irons and lights the gas and went to work repairing the ravages made by generosity added to love. that is always a tremendous task, dear friends - a mammoth task. within forty minutes her head was covered with tiny, close-lying curls that made her look wond

46、erfully like a truant schoolboy. she looked at her reflection in the mirror long, carefully and criticallydella doubled the fob chain in her hand and sat on the corner of the table near the door that he always entered. then she heard his step on the stair away down on the first flight, and she turne

47、d white for just a momentand now she whispered please god, make him think i am still pretty”through the detailed description of this paragraph, o.henry fully reveals dellas cordial love towards jim. it is for jim that she cuts off her beautiful hair, but she thinks how he will like her when he sees

48、she has lost her long hair. therefore, she has been embellishing her own head for about forty minutes before the mirror. she wants to try her best to have jim cheerful when he sees her. o.henry praised love which leading character chaste good heart and helped one another in difficult time. della is

49、the beautiful incarnation, she not only the human attractively, especially valuably is the heart chaste is good who passionately devoted to the husband, in order to like being possible to sacrifice all. o.henry pours into sentiment of the affection to oneself writing this character. he beautifully w

50、rites the portrait which della: thin and small nimble, the stature slender, two crystal clear are bright.also does not hesitate the words to the utmost to exaggerate, strong point of the analogy, which extremely vividly describes the long hair flows swiftly and the utilization is expressive. dellas

51、long hair not only has unfolded leading characters beautiful semblance, refracts the heroine chaste good fine mind. the author also uses to stir turns a word to portrays della buys the platinum watch chain. this movement transmits della to jim a piece of unreasoning passion. in the novel, della each

52、 speech all is that gentle and good intention. the novel writes della more than jim but does not affect his lovable. he in order to takes away the holiday joy to the wife, his willing gold watch which sacrifices inherited, also is oneself most proud, indicates it is the sentiment which jim to della

53、really. outstandingly is, he does not like common man such sloppy, he sympathizes the human to the wife micro, he knows the wife to long for even in dreams is in that broadway road display window set of pure hawks-bill turtles sends combs, here appears jim depth of the sentimental which jim to della

54、. no wonder jim saw to loses when the long hair della is like that being in trance. in the last section of the novel, the author with the humorous writing, in the review story leading character, the gift which as well as they presents as a gift mutually, at the end of promulgates the article topic:

55、della the platinum watch chain which bought with jim and sends combs all cannot have an effect, the happy desire failed in light of this, but looked like in the author, this was not is contrary to what expects but the regrettable result, dellas love which helped one another in difficult time with ji

56、m. not was each other most precious gift? no wonder the author names the novel topic as gift of the magi, because this is sacred, fills likes, emitting the human nature beautiful brilliance, the implication profound gift.3. coincidenceo.henrys plots often involve coincidence. coincidence (chance or

57、luck) also plays a key role in most of o.henrys stories. very often, the strange coincidences that the characters experience add another element of humor to the story. for example, in after twenty years, two old friends make plans to meet. but one has just learned something about the other, and this leads to an unexpected event. in a retrieved reformation, it is a coincidence that ben price happens to be watching at the exact moment that jimmy decides to save a little girl. in these stories and others, the coincidence acts as a kind of warm-up to the storys surprise ending.4. h