Week3Irvingdiscussion歐文

1、Ichabod takes great care in his appearance as he gets ready for the party at Van Tassels. What is funny about his horse as he starts off like a “knight in quest of adventures”?What story does Brom Bones tell about his encounter with the headless horseman at the party?Rather than being intimidated wh

2、en he encounters the “midnight trooper”, he brazenly challenges the specter to a race. He even claims that he and Daredevil would have beaten the headless horseman whose “rushing speed” had earlier been described as “midnight blast” if the Hessian had not vanished as they approached the end of the r

3、ace.What mood is Ichabod in when he leaves Katrinas house that night? “Something, however, must have gone wrong, for he soon came out, quite desolate.” Its clear that Ichabod has been disappointed in his attempt to win Katrina as she had never seriously been interested in him. The evidence of the fr

4、ustration of his hopes comes from the fact that he takes no notice of the “scene of rural wealth on which he had so often gloated.”O(jiān)n his way back, what does Ichabod see that makes him so terrified that he sends his horse into full flight?Ichabod sees a “misshapen,” “towering” figure that looks like

5、 “some gigantic monster ready to spring upon the traveller”; when he finally catches a full view of the horseman silhouetted against the sky and realizes that he is headless, “his terror rose to desperation”.What four traces of the chase do the searchers find the next day?People find the saddle, “tr

6、ampled in the dirt,” and tracks of horses which “deeply dented the road, evidently at furious speed.” on the bank of the brook over which the bridge crosses, the hat of Ichabod is found near a shattered pumpkin. The body of Ichabod is not discovered.What did the people of the town believe about what

7、 happened that night?Rather than coming to the logical conclusion that we as modern readers do that this was all just Broms joke played on his rival, the “old country wives” clearly prefer to believe that supernatural forces were at work. Irving playfully asserts that they are “the best judges of th

8、ese matters”, but clearly it is more their desire for an entertaining story than their rational judgment that keeps the story a favorite.Topics for discussionn1. Contrast the protagonist Ichabod Crane and the antagonist Brom Bones (with details from text). n2. In which ways is Irving influenced by E

9、uropean culture (the old world)? In which ways is Irving showing the American culture (the new world)? Illustrate with examples from the text.nExtra: Think about the man-woman relationship in the legend. Do you agree that it is a male dominant discourse?Physical featuresSteedInterestsPersonality Pop

10、ularity in the communityMethod of pursuing KatrinaSymbolskinnyburly GunpowderDare-devildrone to farmers & gentleman in the female circlehero of the country round & umpire in all disputesfood, superstition fight, fun, pranka happy mixture of pliability and perseveranceroaring, roystering, waggish goo

11、d humor at bottommaking advances in a quiet, gently insinuating mannerusing open warfare like the knights-errant of yoreCity sophisticationCountry witspThe rivalry between the two represented the contest between two ethical groups in the frontier.City vs. Country, Brains vs. BrawnCity vs. Country, B

12、rains vs. BrawnpCity law & civilization: “dirty & dangerous”pCountry nature & freedom: “simple & beautiful”pHeroes of 19th c. US works: rugged, strong and clevernCity education and sophistication are no match for the wits and wiles of the rural people.nIchabods comeuppance at the hands of Brom Bones

13、nIchabods success in the city.In which ways is he showing the American culture (the new world)?Study Irvings allusions from European traditions & his views (refer to The Authors Account of Himself) Study how the legend reflects the US social realities in the post-Revolutionary war era & Irvings atti

14、tudeIn which ways is he influenced by European culture (the old world)?nThe situation of public education in the early period of the RepublicnDesign of the schoolnTreatment of the teachernMethod of instructionnIndustrial construction & westward expansionnEarly settlers (Europeans, Indians & Negros)n

15、Population mobility (pioneers vs locals)nMaterialism (Cranes moneymaking mentality)nAmerican Dream (Cranes desire for the wild land)n“eel pot”n“hum of a beehive” nthe appalling sound of the birchntaking the burden off the backs of the weak and laying it on those of the strong nliterary realmnswayed

16、a ferule nthe birch of justice reposed on three nails behind the throne nevildoersnin joy at their early emancipation The liberal atmosphere & affluent social environment (USA) grants everyone opportunities to succeed, if only the indivi- -dual works hard in an honest way. wilderness hero wilderness

17、 hero self-made man self-made manpIchabod is typical American in his longing for status and material possessions as a measure of worth.His appetite for food & moneyHis fantasy of future lifepThe wilderness hero? An effete fool?The meagerness of his body & spiritThe educational legacy he left for SHp

18、Irvings attitudechange vs. stabilityEuropean influences on European influences on Irvings WritingIrvings Writing zConservatism in change & developmentzElegant language stylezSource from German tales zAllusions from English literary workszAllusions from Greek and Roman mythszElements of the Gothic nI

19、ts original meaning, of or relating to the Goths, a Germanic tribe nA style of northern European architecturenAn English literary genre. It explores the dark side of human experience death, alienation, nightmares, ghosts, and haunted landscapes. It is the predecessor to modern horror fiction & it ab

20、ove all has led to the common definition of gothic as being connected to the dark and horrific. VExotic settings medieval times; old castles and mansionsVOriginated with Horace Walpoles Castle of Otranto (1764)VInfluenced by the Renaissance writers such as Shakespeare, and prospered through the Roma

21、ntic writers like Byron and Shelley VVictorian writers based the setting on the real social places (Charles Dickinson and Bronte sisters)VGothic influence on American fiction (Irving, Allan Poe, Hawthorne, Mark Twain, Faulkner, Toni Morrison)Irvings Portrayal of Europen“ Europe held forth the charms

22、 of storied and poetical association. There were to be seen the masterpieces of art, the refinements of highly cultivated society, the quaint peculiarities of ancient and local custom.” nIn the 1st period of his career, Irving wrote about subjects either English or European; found value in the past

23、and in the traditions of the old world, depicted “ruins” and objects of antiquitythe Rome Coliseum Canterbury Cathedral Irvings Portrayal of American“I visited various parts in my own country, and had I been merely a lover of fine scenery I should have felt little desire to seek elsewhere its gratif

24、ication, for no country have the charms of nature been more prodigally lavished.”nIn the 2nd period of his career, Irving found a whole new spirit of nationalism in American land and literature; wrote about the American beauty and experience.The Grand Canyon in Arizona, USA. Niagara Falls During the

25、 early 1800s, Americans generally believed there was a definite difference in character between the sexesman was active, dominant, assertive, and materialistic, while woman was pious, pure, submiss-ive, and domestic. As a result, there developed “a cult” of true womanhood. Despite the religious and

26、moral significance of women, American society was predominantly designed for men. Legally, women were strictly dependent and unequal.The dominance of The dominance of Male discourse and authorityMale discourse and authority Discrimination against women exists not only in the patriarchal society, but

27、 also in the male writers texts. The images of women in American literature traditionally fall into two extremes: angels (good, beautiful, pure) or devils (sophisticated, promiscuous, sinister). Men created the ideal women to adore, who have beautiful faces and innocent souls just like angels. Women

28、 became the embodiment of beauty or evil in mens mind. They are a creation by men, for men.The dominance of The dominance of Male discourse and authorityMale discourse and authoritynThe landscape is the predominant femalenSleepy Hollow lies “in the bosom” of a cove lining the Hudson, “embosomed in t

29、he great state of NY”n“Tarry Town” is named by women, a means of pre-serving female dominance over the valley.nThe tale begins with masculine experiences in the maternal bosom of Sleepy HollownThe narrator (male) intrudes Mother Nature (female) with a gun-shot (masculine symbol)nThe Headless Horsema

30、n intrudes this place with his Hessian swordnIchabod intrudes this place with his “birch in hand”n2 versions of Ichabods ending mens voice suppresses that of women who struggle to maintain order in SHMale-Female ConflictnIn Irvings tale, he suppresses actual female speech; the only narratives are directly or indirectly spoken by men. This conspicuous absence of female narration underscores the way in which males both fear and resist the feminine.nWomen as the greatest source of fear for men