歐亨利小說的結(jié)構(gòu)藝術(shù)特色

1、蘇州大學(xué)應(yīng)用技術(shù)學(xué)院2008級(jí)學(xué)士學(xué)位論文A Study of Structural ArtIn O. Henrys Short Stories簡(jiǎn)析歐亨利短篇小說中的結(jié)構(gòu)藝術(shù)專業(yè)：08英語學(xué)號(hào)：0816420053姓名：周俊導(dǎo)師：房紅梅Acknowledgements 摘 要?dú)W·亨利是美國(guó)最著名的短篇小說家之一，曾被評(píng)論界譽(yù)為美國(guó)現(xiàn)代短篇小說之父。他善于戲劇性的設(shè)計(jì)情節(jié)，做好鋪墊，最后在結(jié)尾處讓人物命運(yùn)陡然逆轉(zhuǎn)，從而形成獨(dú)特的藝術(shù)魅力。近些年來有不少關(guān)于歐·亨利小說的探索研究，但多關(guān)是于歐·亨利小說語言的幽默和小說的結(jié)尾，這樣不免過于片面。本次論文主要通過概述了美

2、國(guó)短篇小說的一些特色，與前人對(duì)于歐亨利小說結(jié)構(gòu)內(nèi)容編排的研究。再通過分別列舉歐亨利著名小說中的經(jīng)典片段研究歐亨利小說中的獨(dú)樹一幟的開頭與小說那些出人意料的戲劇性結(jié)尾，還有歐亨利小說中從頭至尾的雙線結(jié)構(gòu)藝術(shù)。主要通過這三方面的論述歐亨利小說的結(jié)構(gòu)特色。關(guān)鍵詞：歐·亨利；結(jié)構(gòu)藝術(shù)；雙線索AbstractOHenry, one of the most famous short story writers in the world, has been known as the father of the modern American short stories. He is good at

3、 designing plot theatrically, lays down the foreshadowing, and finally shows the unexpected endings which make the readers suddenly see the light, joy after sorrow. Processing novel ending is OHenry's most creative contribution, thus cause him to enjoy the great reputation in American and in the

4、 world history of literature. OHenry is a unique artist of short stories. In recent years, there are many researches about OHenry's short stories, but most of them are based on the humor language and the endings of his works. But it is too one-sided. This thesis mainly analyze the fiction struct

5、ure art of OHenry. The thesis is divided into 6 chapters. The first chapter is an introduction of O. Henry. The second part is the literature review. The third chapter is an analysis of the diversified openings of OHenry's works: opening with description; opening with comment; opening with allus

6、ion. The fourth part is about the unexpected endings, also from three aspects: happy ending; ridiculous ending; sorrowful ending. The fifth part is the dual-clue structure. The sixth part is the two clues crossed more than twice and two clues crossed once. The final chapter is the conclusion.Key Wor

7、ds: diversified openings; unexpected endings; dual-clueContentChapter 1 Introduction11.1 Significance of the Study11.2 Structure of the Thesis1Chapter 2 Literature Review32.1 The Overview of Short Stories32.2 The Plot in O. Henrys Novels4Chapter 3 The Diversified Openings63.1 Opening with Descriptio

8、n63.2 Opening with Comment73.3 Opening with Allusion8Chapter 4 The Unexpected Endings94.1 The Happy Ending94.2 The Ridiculous Ending104.3 The Sorrowful Ending10Chapter 5 The Dual-clue Structure125.1 The Two Clues Crossed More than Twice125.2 The Two Clues Crossed Once13Chapter 6 Conclusion14Appendix

9、15 Chapter 1 Introduction1.1 Significance of the StudyOHenry, one of the most famous short story writers in the world, enjoys the equal status with Chekhov and Maupassant. He is known as the father of American contemporary short stories. Some critics are not so enthusiastic about his works, but the

10、public love them very much. OHenry is a prolific American short story writer, a master of surprise endings. Processing novel ending is OHenry's most creative contribution, which made him enjoy the great reputation in American history of literature. Many critics in America and other countries com

11、ment on OHenry and his work respectfully. People speak highly of the ingenious arrangement of his works, the typical characters and plots, and the critical implications of his works. Critics often regard him as a writer who puts moral judgment and social criticism into his unique style with humor, s

12、atire, burlesque and obvious comic inclination.There are many comments on O. Henry and his works. Opinions on OHenry's works from the aspects of theme, tone, object of vision, and plot to that of language and style were all found. The comment on various aspects of OHenry's works are quite es

13、sential and necessary for us to understand the writer and his works.Like his endings, OHenry's openings are very outstanding. OHenry's short stories have diversified openings. In OHenry's works, the openings and endings are mainly the following types, opening with description, opening wi

14、th comment, opening with allusion and surprise endings, ridiculous endings and sorrowful endings. The dual-clue structure is also an interesting element in O. Henrys works.By studying some most famous stories of O. Henrys, the thesis attempt to provide a new and more objective interpretation of O. H

15、enry and explore his unique writing style. 1.2 Structure of the ThesisThe thesis consists of 6 chapters. The first chapter makes a general introduction to O. Henry, points out the necessity for the study, and further clarifies the aims and significance and structure of the thesis. Chapter 2 presents

16、 the overview of American short stories and some others study of O. Henrys works. Chapter 3 is mainly about the analysis of the O. Henrys diversified Openings.In Chapter 4, I will study the O Henrys unique endings, which will divide into 3 parts. The dual-clue structure analysis is in Chapter 5. The

17、 final chapter gives the conclusion of the thesis. Chapter 2 Literature Review2.1 The Overview of Short StoriesAuthors such as Charles Dickens, Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., Nathaniel Hawthorne, Virginia Woolf, Dino Buzzati, Rudyard Kipling, William Faulkner, F. Scott Fitzgerald, James Joyce, Franz Kafka, P.

18、G. Wodehouse, H. P. Lovecraft and Ernest Hemingway were highly accomplished writers of both short stories and novels. Short stories have their face in oral story-telling traditions and the prose anecdote, a swiftly sketched situation that quickly comes to its point. With the rise of the comparativel

19、y realistic novel, the short story evolved as a miniature version, with some of its first perfectly independent examples in the tales of E. T. A. Hoffmann. Other 19th-century writers well known for their short stories include Nikolai Gogol, Guy de Maupassant. Some authors are known almost entirely f

20、or their short stories, either by choice or by critical regard (short-story writing is thought of as a challenging art). An example is Jorge Luis Borges, who won American fame with The Garden of Forking Paths, published in the August 1948 Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine. Another example is O. He

21、nry, for whom the O. Henry Award is named. American examples include Flannery OConnor, John Cheever, and Raymond Carver.The art of storytelling is doubtlessly older than record of civilization. Even the so-called modern short story, which was the latest of the major literary types to evolve, has an

22、ancient lineage. Perhaps the oldest and most direct ancestor of the short story is the anecdote and illustrative story, straight to the point. The ancient parable and fable, starkly brief narrative used to enforce some moral or spiritual truth, anticipate the severe brevity and unity of some short s

23、tories written today.Short stories tend to be less complex than novels. Usually a short story focuses on one incident; has a single plot, a single setting, and a small number of characters; and covers a short period of time.In longer forms of fiction, stories tend to contain certain core elements of

24、 dramatic structure: exposition (the introduction of setting, situation and main characters); complication (the event that introduces the conflict); rising action, crisis (the decisive moment for the protagonist and his commitment to a course of action); climax (the point of highest interest in term

25、s of the conflict and the point with the most action); resolution; and moral.Because of their length, short stories may or may not follow this pattern. Some do not follow patterns at all. For example, modern short stories only occasionally have an exposition. More typical, though, is an abrupt begin

26、ning, with the story starting in the middle of the action. As with longer stories, plots of short stories also have a climax, crisis, or turning point. However, the endings of many short stories are abrupt and open and may or may not have a moral or practical lesson. As with any art forms, the exact

27、 characteristics of a short story will vary by creator. When short stories intend to convey a specific ethical or moral perspective, they fall into a more specific sub-category called Parables. This specific kind of short story has been used by spiritual and religious leaders worldwide to inspire, e

28、nlighten, and educate their followers. 2.2 The Plot in O. Henrys NovelsThe typical feature of O. Henry's stories is a twist of plot which turns on an ironic or coincidental circumstance. His ultimate achievement was to create a new kind of short story with a novel ending-"surprising ending”

29、, or "twist ending", which wins him a great fame.The real charm of O. Henrys tales lies in his reversal of the narrative. He would arrange a story moving in one direction. And just when reader was going to be convinced of the general direction of the narrative which he took for granted, th

30、e story would be completely reversed. With respect to the theory of prose fiction, the central formalist distinction is that between the story and the plot, An author is Sid to transform the raw material of a story into a literary plot by the use of a variety of devices that violate sequence and def

31、orm and defamiliarize the story elements; the effect is to foreground a narrative medium and devices themselves, and in this way to disrupt what had been people's standard responses to the subject matter.Usually in a literary work, the temporal order of succession of the events in the story and

32、the pseudo-temporal order of their arrangement in the narrative is different according to author's intention when they present one work to the public. To Tzvetan Todorov, a French narratologist, the relation between the time of the story and the time of the discourse is subtle. Furthermore, ther

33、e is temporal distortions; infidelities to the chronological order of events; relationships of linking, alternation, or embedding among the different lines of action that make up the story with aesthetic value (Forster, 1974:85-88).In order to understand later sections of any narrative, readers must

34、 connect their content with that of the earlier sections, thereby establishing reflexive reference on the level of events, character features, etc. Especially in O. Henry's works, the events of some short stories are arranged in the specific order of occurrence by distorting the natural order in

35、 which they occurred which exceed reader's normal expectation to the arrangement of those events in his work, then exert the effect of defamiliarization to make his works new and strange.(張秀娟 2007;3)Chapter 3 The Diversified OpeningsOHenrys short stories start with varying openings. Most of his

36、stories do not begin immediately with an action, but the readers are supplied with a background of both time and place, and then, the hero is introduced. OHenry is good at foreshadowing in the opening of the story. In OHenry's works, the varying openings are mainly the following types:3.1 Openin

37、g with Description Usually, OHenry begins the story with some descriptive sentences to introduce the environment or describe the dress and personal adornment of the character, giving readers a very distinct sense of being led only gradually into the story. For example, The Count and the Wedding Gust

38、 begins as follows: One evening when Andy Donovan went to dinner at his second boarding-house, Mrs. Scott introduced him to a new boarder, a young lady, Miss Conway. Miss Conway was small and unobtrusive. She wore a plain, snuffy-brown dress, and bestowed her interest, which seemed languid, upon her

39、 plate. She lifted her different eyelids and shot one perspicuous, judicial glance at Mr. Donovan, politely murmured his name, and returned to her mutton. Mr. Donovan bowed with the grace and beaming smile O. Henry. Selected Stories. Wordsworth Editions Ltd, 1977. p.184 Here the writer draws the rea

40、ders' whole attention to the two people in the apartment. OHenry uses a lot of words to describe the actresss appearance. The readers were supplied with so many details, for example, the actresss clothing, figure, even the action details. The actor was described in the same way, even with the fa

41、cial expressions. In a general way, the descriptive sentences were used to express feelings, render atmosphere and foil characters. In OHenry's The Count and the Wedding Gust, the opening was a serious of descriptive sentences. This series of detail description were designed to leave the readers

42、 an impression that both the actor and the actress are good mannered, and both of them belong to the upper class in society。 Actually, in the beginning, the description about Miss Conway is a prediction. The lady is in black, and she is too young to be a widow. The questions will came to the readers

43、, and they will go on reading the story eagerly. That is the sagacity of OHenry.3.2 Opening with CommentDuring the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, OHenry's openings were popular. Many of his short stories open with comment, for example, in OHenry's An Unfinished Story：We no longer groan

44、 and heap ashes upon our heads when the flames of Tophet are mentioned. For, even the preachers have begun to tell us that God is radium, or ether or some scientific compound, and that the worst we wicked ones may expect is a chemical reaction. This is a pleasing hypothesis; but there lingers yet so

45、me of the old, goodly terror of orthodoxy. Ibid. , p. 60Here, the writer starts the story with a comment with a point of view about religion. Then, the author showed the dream about "lamented bar-of-judgment theory". But after reading the whole passage, the readers will realize the Capital

46、ists lived extravagant life, their income and workers' incomes formed a striking contrast. The capitalist is very cruel to the workers. In the story, in the "lamented bar-of-judgment theory”, the capitalists should be punished.There is another example of opening with comment. The story is o

47、pened with comment on the work itself. Springtime à la Carte begins just like that:Never, never begin a story this way when you write one. No opening could possibly be worse. It is unimaginative, flat, dry and likely to consist of mere wind. But in this instance it is allowable. For the followi

48、ng paragraph, which should have inaugurated the narrative, is too wildly extravagant and preposterous to be flaunted in the face of the reader without preparation. Ibid. , p. 51Here, the author's dialogue with his imaginary readers is only one of many ways in which OHenry foregrounds the gap bet

49、ween art and life that conventional realism seeks to conceal.This kind of beginning is an expression of the author's or the narrator's feelings, ideas, also the thoughts which contain the philosophical ideas. Sometimes readers will admit that kind of opening, because it is very likely to lea

50、d the readers to the deep heart of the author. It is nevertheless true that many great authors have used it and used it well. OHenry is such a one.3.3 Opening with AllusionThe distinguish feature of the beginning with allusion lies in that before the character appears in the story, the narrator come

51、s on the stage to present some other stories which will be alluded to in this one. By telling the allusion, the narrator will forebode the ending, offer hints of the personality of character, symbolize the theme or draw an analogy between the tow. Such beginning is like an actor's opening to a d

52、rama or film, which can arouse the readers' curiosity and enthusiasm. Moreover, the allusion adopted often contains certain knowledge derived from famous works which are informative and instructive, thus broadening the readers' horizon. For example, the beginning of The Enchanted ProfileTher

53、e are few Caliphesses. Women are Schehherazades by birth, predilection, instinct, and arrangement of the vocal cords. The thousand and one stores are being told everyday by hundreds of thousands of vizier's daughters to their respective sultans. But the bowstring will get some of 'em yet if

54、they don't watch out.I heard a story, though, of one lady Caliph. It is not precisely an Arabian Nights story, because it brings in Cinderella, who flourished her dishrag in another epoch and country. So, if you do not mind the mixed dates (which seem to give it an Eastern Flavor, after all), we

55、 will get along. Ibid. , p. 530In The Enchanted Profile, before telling the things he really wants to present, OHenry refers to Caliph who will be alluded later in the story to contrast with the heroine, Mrs. Maggie Brown, who was greedy. If readers want to know how on earth the two are alike, they

56、will go on reading the story eagerly. By alluding, OHenry holds the readers' interest freely. Chapter 4 The Unexpected EndingsOn the other hand, endings are important too, especially for short-story writers. OHenry obviously devoted special care to his “unexpected ending". Many of his unexp

57、ected endings have been conceived with deliberate care, a certain unique or single effect to be wrought out, and then he invented such incidents, after that he combined such events which may best aid him in establishing his preconceived effect and achieve it.4.1 The Happy EndingIn OHenry's short

58、 stories, strict words were used quite often, but in the story A Service of Love, he used a lot of words to speak highly of the character. The author tells a beautiful love story which has a happy ending. The story has an unexpected ending like other stories written by OHenry, but this one ended wit

59、h happiness.“I couldn't get any pupils, she confessed.” And I couldn't bear to have you give up your lessons; and I got a place ironing shirts in that big Twenty-fourth Street laundry. ""My purchaser from Peoria," said Joe, "and General Pinckney are both creations of the same art-but you wouldn't call it either painting or music”And they both laughed, and Joe began:"When one loves one's Art no service seems-"But Delia stopped him with her hand on his lips. “No," she said-&q