the--raven-愛(ài)倫坡意象淺析

1、TheravenlonelymantriestoeasehissorrowforthelostLenore,bydistractinghismindwitholdbooksofforgottenlore.Heisinterruptedwhileheisnearlynapping,byatappingonhischamberdoor.Asheopensupthedoor,hefindsdarknessthereandnothingmore.Intothedarknesshewhispers,Lenore,hopinghislostlovehadcomeback,butallthatcouldbe

2、heardwasanechothatmurmuredbackthewordLenore!Withaburningsoul,themanreturnstohischamber,andthistimehecanhearatappingatthewindowlattice.Asheflungopentheshutter,intheresteppedastatelyRaven,thebirdofill-omen(Poe,1850).TheravenperchedonthebustofPallas,thegoddessofwisdominGreekmythology,abovehischamberdoo

3、r.ThemanaskstheRavenforhisname,andsurprisinglyitanswers,andcroaksNevermore.Themanknowsthatthebirddoesnotspeakfromwisdom,buthasbeentaughtbysomeunhappymaster,andthatthewordnevermoreisitsonlystockandstore.Themanwelcomestheraven,andisafraidthattheravenwillbegoneinthemorning,ashisHopeshaveflownbefore;how

4、ever,theravenanswers,Nevermore.Themansmiled,andpulledupachair,interestedinwhattheravenmeantincroaking,曜evermore.?Thechair,whereLenoreoncesat,broughtbackpainfulmemories.Theman,whoknowstheirrationalnatureintheraven擔(dān)speech,stillcannothelpbutasktheravenquestions.Sincethenarratorisawarethattheravenonlykn

5、owsoneword,hecananticipatethebirdsresponses.IstherebalminGilead?-Nevermore.CanLenorebefoundinparadise?-Nevermore.Takethyformfromoffmydoor!-Nevermore.Finallythemanconcedes,realizingthattocontinuethisdialoguewouldbepointless.Andhissoulfromoutthatshadowthattheraventhrowsonthefloor,Shallbelifted-Nevermo

6、re!SymbolsInthispoem,oneofthemostfamousAmericanpoemsever,Poeusesseveralsymbolstotakethepoemtoahigherlevel.Themostobvioussymbolis,ofcourse,theravenitself.WhenPoehaddecidedtousearefrainthatrepeatedthewordnevermore,hefoundthatitwouldbemosteffectiveifheusedanon-reasoningcreaturetouttertheword.Itwouldmak

7、elittlesensetouseahuman,sincethehumancouldreasontoanswerthequestions(Poe,1850).InTheRavenitisimportantthattheanswerstothequestionsarealreadyknown,toillustratetheself-torturetowhichthenarratorexposeshimself.Thiswayofinterpretingsignsthatdonotbeararealmeaning,isoneofthemostprofoundimpulsesofhumannatur

8、e(Quinn,1998:441).Poealsoconsideredaparrotasthebirdinsteadoftheraven;however,becauseofthemelancholytone,andthesymbolismofravensasbirdsofill-omen,hefoundtheravenmoresuitableforthemoodinthepoem(Poe,1850).QuoththeParrot,Nevermore?AnotherobvioussymbolisthebustofPallas.Whydidtheravendecidetoperchonthegod

9、dessofwisdom?Onereasoncouldbe,becauseitwouldleadthenarratortobelievethattheravenspokefromwisdom,andwasnotjustrepeatingitsonlystockandstore,andtosignifythescholarshipofthenarrator.AnotherreasonforusingPallasinthepoemwas,accordingtoPoehimself,simplybecauseofthesonorousnessoftheword,Pallas,itself(Poe,1

10、850).Alessobvioussymbol,mightbetheuseofmidnightinthefirstverse,andDecemberinthesecondverse.BothmidnightandDecember,symbolizeanendofsomething,andalsotheanticipationofsomethingnew,achange,tohappen.ThemidnightinDecember,mightverywellbeNewYear擔(dān)eve,adatemostofusconnectwithchange.ThisalsoseemstobewhatVikt

11、orRydbergbelieveswhenheistranslatingTheRaventoSwedish,sinceheusesthephraseMetssistanattvarinne,(Thelastnightoftheyearhadarrived).KennethSilvermanconnectedtheuseofDecemberwiththedeathofEdgar擔(dān)mother(Silverman,1992:241),whodiedinthatmonth;whetherthisistrueornotis,however,notsignificanttoitsmeaninginthe

12、poem.Thechamberinwhichthenarratorispositioned,isusedtosignifythelonelinessoftheman,andthesorrowhefeelsforthelossofLenore.Theroomisrichlyfurnished,andremindsthenarratorofhislostlove,whichhelpstocreateaneffectofbeautyinthepoem.Thetempestoutside,isusedtoevenmoresignifytheisolationofthisman,toshowasharp

13、contrastbetweenthecalmnessinthechamberandthetempestuousnight.Thephrasefromoutmyheart,Poeclaims,isused,incombinationwiththeanswerNevermore,toletthenarratorrealizethatheshouldnottrytoseekamoralinwhathasbeenpreviouslynarrated(Poe,1850).WordsPoehadanextensivevocabulary,whichisobvioustothereadersofbothhi

14、spoetryaswellashisfiction.Sometimesthismeantintroducingwordsthatwerenotcommonlyused.InTheRaven,theuseofancientandpoeticlanguageseemsappropriate,sincethepoemisaboutamanspendingmostofhistimewithbooksofforgottenlore.?Seraphim,inthefourteenthverse,perfumedbyanunseencenser/Swungbyseraphimwhosefoot-fallst

15、inkled.isusedtoillustratetheswift,invisiblewayascentspreadsinaroom.Aseraphimisoneofthesix-wingedangelsstandinginthepresenceofGod.?Nepenthe,fromthesameverse,isapotion,usedbyancientstoinduceforgetfullnesofpainorsorrow.?BalminGilead,fromthefollowingverse,isasoothingointmentmadeinGilead,amountainousregi

16、onofPalestineeastoftheJordanriver.?Aidenn,fromthesixteenthverse,isanArabicwordforEdenorparadise.?Plutonian,characteristicofPluto,thegodoftheunderworldinRomanmythology.ThePhilosphyofCompositionEdgarAllanPoewroteanessayonthecreationofTheRaven,entitledThePhilosophyofComposition.InthatessayPoedescribest

17、heworkofcomposingthepoemasifitwereamathematicalproblem,andderidesthepoetsthatclaimthattheycomposebyaspeciesoffinefrenzy-anecstaticintuition-andwouldpositivelyshudderatlettingthepublictakeapeepbehindthescenes.WhetherPoewasascalculatingasheclaimswhenhewroteTheRavenornotisaquestionthatcannotbeanswered;

18、itis,however,unlikelythathecreateditexactlylikehedescribedinhisessay.ThethoughtsoccurringintheessaymightwellhaveoccurredtoPoewhilehewascomposingit.InThePhilosophyofComposition,Poestressestheneedtoexpressasingleeffectwhentheliteraryworkistobereadinonesitting.Apoemshouldalwaysbewrittenshortenoughtober

19、eadinonesitting,andshould,therefore,strivetoachievethissingle,uniqueeffect.Consequently,Poefiguredthatthelengthofapoemshouldstayaroundonehundredlines,andTheRavenis108lines.ThemostimportantthingtoconsiderinPhilosophyisthefactthatTheRaven,aswellasmanyofPoestales,iswrittenbackwards.Theeffectisdetermine

20、dfirst,andthewholeplotisset;thenthewebgrowsbackwardsfromthatsingleeffect.Poestalesofratiocination,e.g.theDupintales,arewritteninthesamemanner.Nothingismoreclearthanthateveryplot,worththename,mustbeelaboratedtoitsdenouementbeforeanythingbeattemptedwiththepen(Poe,1850).ItwasimportanttoPoetomakeTheRave

21、nuniversallyappreciable.Itshouldbeappreciatedbythepublic,aswellasthecritics.PoechoseBeautytobethethemeofthepoem,sinceBeautyisthesolelegitimateprovinceofthepoem(Poe,1850).AfterchoosingBeautyastheprovince,Poeconsideredsadnesstobethehighestmanifestationofbeauty.Beautyofwhateverkindinitssupremedevelopme

22、ntinvariablyexcitesthesensitivesoultotears.Melancholyisthusthemostlegitimateofallthepoeticaltones(Poe,1850).Ofallmelancholytopics,Poewantedtousetheonethatwasuniversallyunderstood,andtherefore,hechoseDeathashistopic.Poe(alongwithotherwriters)believedthatthedeathofabeautifulwomanwasthemostpoeticaluseofdeath,becauseitc