英美文學(xué)作品賞析

英美文學(xué)賞析EnglishLiterature“TheWifeofBath”fromTheCanterburyTales“Sonnet18”ExcerptfromRomeoandJuliet“Song”“LettertoLordChesterfield”“IWanderedLonelyasaCloud”AdiscussionofJaneEyreExcerptfromMrs.DallowayAmericanLiterature“RipVanWinkle”“TheTell-taleHeart”“BecauseICouldnotStopforDeath”“Iheardaflybuzz”ExcerptfromTheAdventuresofHuckleberryFinn20thcenturypoems“ACleanWell-lightedPlace”Lecture1

GeoffreyChaucerandhisTheCanterburyTalesGeoffreyChaucer(1340-1400)MessengerofHumanismThefirstrealisticwriterFatherofEnglishpoetryMasteroftheEnglishlanguageTheCanterburyTalesTheCanterburyTalesTheCanterburyTaleswaswrittenintheyearsbetween1387and1400.Ithasageneralprologueandtwentyfourtalesthatareconnectedby“l(fā)inks”.TheCanterburyTalesItgivesacomprehensivepictureofChaucer’stime.(Thereare29pilgrimsandtheyarefromallwalksoflife.)ItpopularizestheliteraryuseofthevernacularEnglish.TheWifeofBathOneoftwofemalestorytellers(theotheristhePrioress),theWifehasalotofexperienceunderherbelt.Shehastraveledallovertheworldonpilgrimages,soCanterburyisajourneyforpleasureorenjoymentcomparedtootherdangerousjourneysshehasendured.BathBackLecture2WilliamShakespeare

TheRenaissance

Renaissance:TogetherwiththedevelopmentofbourgeoisrelationshipsandformationoftheEnglishnationalstate,the16thcenturyismarkedbyaflourishingofnationalcultureknownastheRenaissance.ThetermRenaissanceoriginallyindicatedarevivalofclassical(GreekandRoman)artsandsciencesafterthedarkagesofmedievalobscurantism.

TheRenaissanceThestudyandpropagationofclassicallearningandartwascarriedonbytheprogressivethinkersofthehumanists.Theyheldtheirchiefinterestnotinecclesiastical(教會的)knowledge,butinman,hisenvironmentanddoingsandbravelyfoughtfortheemancipationofmanfromthetyrannyofthechurchandreligiousdogmas.WilliamShakespeare(1564-1616)Hewasnotofanage,butforalltime!thegreatestofallEnglishauthorsAlandmarkinthehistoryofworldcultureWilliamShakespeareSonnet:A

sonnet

isafourteen-linelyricpoem,traditionallywritteniniambicpentameter—thatis,inlinestensyllableslong,withaccentsfallingoneverysecondsyllable.TheShakespeareansonnetisdividedintofourparts.Thefirstthreepartsareeachfourlineslong,andareknownasquatrains,rhymedABAB;thefourthpartiscalledthecouplet,andisrhymedCC.TheShakespeareansonnetisoftenusedtodevelopasequenceofmetaphorsorideas,oneineachquatrain,whilethecoupletofferseitherasummaryoranewtakeontheprecedingimagesorideas.WilliamShakespeareShakespearewrote154sonnets.Thefirstgroup(1-126):toMr.W.H.Thesecondgroup(127-152):toaDarkLadyiambicpentametermeter:thebasicrhythmicstructureofaverseorlinesinversethepatternofsyllablesinalineofpoetry

arhythmofaccentedandunaccentedsyllablesarrangedintofeet.iambic:抑揚(yáng)格(輕讀音節(jié)與重讀音節(jié)交替出現(xiàn)）pentameter:五音步(fivefeet）syllable:音節(jié)，通常包含一個元音和若干輔音vowel:元音consonant:輔音

iambicpentameterExample：

1.ifyouwouldputthekeyinsidethelockifYOU|wouldPUT|theKEY|inSIDE|theLOCK2.ShallIcomparetheetoasummer’sday?Thouartmorelovelyandmoretemperate.

ShallI/comPARE/theeTO/aSUM/mer’sDAY?

ThouART/moreLOVE/lyAND/moreTEM/perATESonnet18Inthesonnet,thespeakercompareshisbelovedtothesummerseason,andarguesthathisbelovedisbetter.Healsostatesthathisbelovedwillliveonforeverthroughthewordsofthepoem.RomeoandJulietLecture3JohnDonneJohnDonne(1572-1631)anEnglishpoet,satirist,lawyeranda

cleric

intheChurchofEngland.Heisconsideredthepre-eminentrepresentativeofthe

metaphysicalpoets.JohnDonneHispoetryisnotedforitsvibrancyoflanguageandinventivenessofmetaphor,especiallycomparedtothatofhiscontemporaries.Donne'sstyleischaracterizedbyabruptopeningsandvariousparadoxes,ironiesanddislocations.Metaphysicalpoets(玄學(xué)派）

aloosegroupof

British

lyricpoets

ofthe17thcentury,whoseworkwascharacterizedbytheinventiveuseof

conceits,andbyspeculationabouttopicssuchasloveorreligion.Conceits（奇喻）—far-fetchedorunusualsimilesormetaphors“themostheterogeneousideasareyokedbyviolencetogether”Example:TheFleaLecture4SamuelJohnsonSamuelJohnson(1709-1784)anEnglishwriterwhomadelastingcontributionsto

Englishliterature

asapoet,essayist,moralist,literarycritic,biographer,editorand

lexicographerDr.Johnson’sDictionaryAfternineyearsofwork,Johnson's

ADictionaryoftheEnglishLanguage

waspublishedin1755.Ithadafar-reachingeffecton

ModernEnglishandhasbeendescribedas"oneofthegreatestsingleachievementsofscholarship."ThisworkbroughtJohnsonpopularityandsuccess;untilthecompletionofthe

OxfordEnglishDictionary

150yearslater,Johnson'swasviewedasthepre-eminentBritishdictionary.Dr.Johnson’sDictionaryAnimportantinnovationinEnglishlexicographywastoillustratethemeaningsofhiswordsbyliteraryquotation,ofwhichtherearearound114,000.TheauthorsmostfrequentlycitedincludeShakespeare,MiltonandDryden.Lecture5WilliamWordsworthRomanticismEnglishromanticism:1798-1832AreactionagainsttheageofEnlightenmentFeatures:1.Poetryisthespontaneousoverflowofpowerfulfeelingsthatexpressesthepoet’smind.2.anemphasisonspontaneity3.astronglovefortheremote,theunusual,thestrange,thesupernatural,themysterious,thesplendid,thepicturesque,andtheillogical4.worshipofnature5.Romanticpoetstaketousingeverydaylanguagespokenbytherusticpeople.WilliamWordsworth(1770-1850)Amajorromanticpoet

Britain's

PoetLaureate

from1843untilhisdeathin1850Lecture6ADiscussionofJaneEyreJaneEyreTheVictorianAgeColonialismThe“scientific”studyofraceandgendereg.Thefacialangleconclusion:1.racewasacrucialdeterminantofphysical,intellectual,andmoralcharacter,andthatwhiteEuropeanswereofthesuperiorrace.2.ThefemaleEuropeanskullresemblesmuchmoretheNegroskullthanthatoftheEuropeanmale.Intheevolutionarydevelopmentoftherace,womenhadlaggedbehindmen,muchas“primitivepeople’laggedbehindEuropeans.RaceasmetaphorItwouldseemlogicaltolookforaninterestinraceinthefictionofsomeofthewomennovelistsofnineteenth-centuryEnglandwhomanifestthemostovertdiscontentwiththeconstraintsofgender.BerthaMason,aCreoleIsshewhiteorblack?BerthaMason:anindictmentofBritishimperialismintheWestIndiesandthestainedwealththatcamefromitsoppressiveruleBerthaMason:Jane’s“darkdouble”Lecture7StreamofConsciousness,VirginiaWoolfandMrsDalloway基本背景：

世紀(jì)之交深刻的社會危機(jī)

一次大戰(zhàn)

一個動蕩不安、矛盾激化、充滿精神危機(jī)而又急速現(xiàn)代化的世界必然要求文學(xué)對其作出相應(yīng)的反應(yīng)。意識流：

意識本身并非是許多割裂的碎片。乍看起來，似乎可以用“鎖鏈”或“系列”這樣的字眼來描述它。其實，這是不恰當(dāng)?shù)?。意識并不是一段一段地連結(jié)起來的。用“河”或者“流”這樣的比喻來形容它才恰如其分……我們就稱之為思想流，意識流或主觀生活之流吧。人的意識似乎是由飛行與棲息交替構(gòu)成的。它的棲息部分（實體狀態(tài)）包含著長期埋在人腦中的思想內(nèi)容，而飛行部分（過渡狀態(tài)）則屬于那種飄忽、閃爍和晃動的感官印象。Streamofconsciousnessinliterature:thenarrativemethodwherebycertainnovelistsdescribetheunspokenthoughtsandfeelingsoftheircharacters,withoutresortingtoobjectivedescriptionorconventionaldialogue傳統(tǒng)小說的特征：

1)追求表現(xiàn)外部世界，刻意描繪人的物質(zhì)生活環(huán)境，塑造典型環(huán)境中的典型人物。2)布局上具有戲劇化的特點。人物，情節(jié)，場景，沖突。3)有完整和有趣的故事情節(jié)。4)遵循以鐘表時間為順序的創(chuàng)作原則。意識流小說的特征：1)深刻反映現(xiàn)代作家新的價值觀，異化感。2)遵循由里及表，由微觀到宏觀的創(chuàng)作原則。3)充分展示全新時空的觀念。4)竭力淡化小說情節(jié)。意識流小說敘述形式的特征1.作品視角的頻繁轉(zhuǎn)換。作家退出小說，不僅讓人物將自己最隱秘的心跡與感受和盤托出，而且還使作品的視角轉(zhuǎn)換自如、跳躍頻繁，猶如電影中的快鏡頭一般閃爍不停，向讀者展示了一幅幅生動、逼真的意識畫面。2.敘述筆法的詩歌化傾向。作家的筆法既體現(xiàn)了散文的風(fēng)格，又蘊(yùn)含著詩歌的意境。句子結(jié)構(gòu)簡單，詞匯顛倒錯置，注重音韻和節(jié)奏的藝術(shù)效果，強(qiáng)調(diào)形象的暗示作用以及講究語言的抒情性而忽略它的邏輯性。3.文理敘事的印象主義色彩。作家充分挖掘語言的表意功能，強(qiáng)調(diào)光、色、聲、影、味對感官的刺激作用，形象地再現(xiàn)了純屬個人精神領(lǐng)域最浮淺、最朦朧的感性活動。VirginiaWoolf(1882-1941)anEnglishwriter,andoneoftheforemostmodernistsofthetwentiethcenturyWoolfisconsideredamajorinnovatorintheEnglishlanguage.Inherworkssheexperimentedwith

stream-of-consciousness

andtheunderlyingpsychologicalaswellasemotionalmotivesofcharacters.NewDevices:

Thenarrowframeworkoftimethedevicesofmemoryandpsychictimethree-foldedtimestrata:1)theclocktime:thepassingofthehours2)symbolictime:thevoyagefromyouthtoage3)Thepsychictime:theblendingupofthepast,presentandfutureThus,byshapinghermajornovelswithanarrowframeworkoftime,VirginiaWoolfhasrealizedherpurpose:torepresentthedualaspectofhumanlife—theinnerlifesimultaneouslywiththeouterlife.MrsDalloway(1925)Mrs.Dallowayinherpreparationforherparty,goestotowntobuyflowersinthemorningandpresidesoverherpartyintheevening.SeptimusWarrenSmith,aworking-classveteranwhohasreturnedfromthe

FirstWorldWar

bearsdeeppsychologicalscars.Inonesense,thenovelisalifestoryofClarissaDalloway;inanother,itisaboutthehumanlifeitself,aboutitstensionbetweenmiseryandhappiness.Itisawretchedpictureofthealienatedmodernworldwithitsdestructiveforcesofpower-struggle,economicdepression,andwarLecture8WashingtonIrvingand“RipVanWinkle”WashingtonIrvingThefirstAmericanwriterofimaginativeliteraturetogaininternationalfameWashingtonIrvingStyle:avoidsmoralizingasmuchaspossiblegoodatenvelopinghisstoriesinanatmospherevividandtruecharactersHumorthefinishedandmusicallanguage“RipVanWinkle”“RipVanWinkle”“RipVanWinkle”“RipVanWinkle”“RipVanWinkle”“RipVanWinkle”“RipVanWinkle”“RipVanWinkle”“RipVanWinkle”thestoryofmanwhohasdifficultiesfacinghisadvancingagethecontradictoryimpulsesinAmericatowardwork—thepuritanattitudeasopposedtotheAmericandesireforleisurethethemeofescapefromone’sresponsibilitiesandevenone’shistorythelossofidentitySymbols:Rip:likeAmerica,isimmature,self-centered,careless,anti-intellectual,imaginative,andjollyastheovergrownchildDame:puritanicaldisciplineandtheworkethicofFranklinVillage:likeAmerica,foreverandrapidlychangingRip’sconflictsanddream:arethoseofthenation—theconflictofinnocenceand

experience,workandleisure,theoldandthenew,theheadandtheheartLecture9EdgarAllanPoeEdgarAllanPoe(1809-1849)anAmericanauthor,poet,editor,andliterarycriticBestknownforhistalesof

mystery

andthe

macabre(可怖的)theinventorofthedetectivefiction

genre

Heisfurthercreditedwithcontributingtotheemerginggenreof

sciencefiction.Theoryforshortstories:①Thestorymustbeofsuchlengthastobereadatonesitting(brevity)②Theveryfirstsentenceoughttohelptobringoutthe“singleeffect”ofthestory(compression);ataleshouldendwiththelastsentence,leavingasenseoffinalitywiththereader.Intheme,Poeanticipates20thcenturyliteratureinhistreatmentofthedisintegrationoftheselfinaworldofT.S.Eliot’s“nothingness”andHemingway’s“nada.”Whatinterestshimmostisthedeepabyssoftheunconsciousandsubconsciousmentalactivityofthepeople,thesubterraneanrecessesofthemindatwork.Hisassumptionseemstobethateverymindishalfmadorcapableofslippingintoinsanity.Poe’smostenduringtalesarethoseofhorror,thehorrorcomingfromtheworkingsofanirrationalorcriminalmind,driventoevilorinsanitybyaperverse,irrationalforcewhich,toPoe,isanelementaryimpulseinman.Lecture10EmilyDickinsonandherpoemsEmilyDickinson(1830-1886)therecluseofAmherst,whowrotealtogether1775poems,ofwhichonlysevenappearedinprintinherlifetimeSheisskepticalandambivalent.basictone:tragic

Dickinson'suniquestyle:theycontainshortlines,typicallylacktitles,andoftenuse

slantrhymeaswellasunconventionalcapitalizationandpunctuation.Themes:deathandimmortalitynatureasbothgaily,benevolentandcruelfreewillandhumanresponsibility"BecauseIcouldnotstopforDeath--"

Inthispoem,Dickinson’sspeakeriscommunicatingfrombeyondthegrave,describingherjourneywithDeath,personified,fromlifetoafterlife.Deathisnofrightening,orevenintimidating,reaper,butratheracourteousandgentleguide,leadinghertoeternity.“IheardaFlybuzz–whenIdied–”Thispoem,however,unlike“BecauseIcouldnotstopforDeath,“isfocusednotonwhatcomesafterdeath—eternityandtheafterlife—butinsteadisfocusedontheactualritesofdying,ofhavingone’slastmoments.Thispoemstrikinglydescribesthementaldistractionposedbyirrelevantdetailsateventhemostcrucialmoments—evenatthemomentofdeath.

Lecture11

MarkTwainandhisTheAdventuresofHuckleberryFinnMarkTwain(1835-1910)anAmericanauthorand

humoristHisThe

AdventuresofHuckleberryFinn(1885)isoftencalled"the

GreatAmericanNovel."MarkTwain(1835-1910)Abouthispenname:Theriverboatman'scrywas"marktwain"or,morefully,"bythemarktwain",meaning"accordingtothemark[ontheline],[thedepthis]two[fathoms],"thatis,"Thewateris12feet(3.7

m)deepanditissafetopass."MarkTwain(1835-1910)Atmid-career,with

HuckleberryFinn,Twaincombinedrichhumor,sturdynarrativeandsocialcriticism.Twainwasamasteratrendering

colloquialspeech

andhelpedtocreateandpopularizeadistinctiveAmericanliteraturebuiltonAmericanthemesandlanguage.TheAdventuresofHuckleberryFinn

theworkisamongthefirstinmajor

Americanliterature

tobewrittenthroughoutinvernacular

English(方言),characterizedby

localcolorregionalism.Thebookisnotedforitscolorfuldescriptionofpeopleandplacesalongthe

MississippiRiver.TheAdventuresofHuckleberryFinnSetina

Southernantebellum(內(nèi)戰(zhàn)前)

societythathadceasedtoexistabouttwentyyearsbeforetheworkwaspublished,

HuckleberryFinn

isanoftenscathing

satire

onentrenched(根深蒂固的)attitudes,particularlyracism.HuckleberryFinnTheprotagonistandnarratorofthenovel.Huckisthethirteen-year-oldsonofthelocaldrunkofSt.Petersburg,Missouri,atownontheMississippiRiver.Frequentlyforcedtosurviveonhisownwitsandalwaysabitofanoutcast,Huckisthoughtful,intelligent(thoughformallyuneducated),andwillingtocometohisownconclusionsaboutimportantmatters,eveniftheseconclusionscontradictsociety’snorms.Jim

AhouseholdslaveJimissuperstitiousandoccasionallysentimental,butheisalsointelligent,practical,andultimatelymoreofanadultthananyoneelseinthenovel.Jim’sfrequentactsofselflessness,hislongingforhisfamily,andhisfriendshipwithbothHuckandTomdemonstratetoHuckthathumanityhasnothingtodowithrace.dramaticirony:thecontrastbetweenwhatacharacterbelievesorsaysandwhatthereaderunderstandtobetrueTheAdventuresofHuckleberryFinnThroughoutthestory,Huckisinmoralconflictwiththereceivedvaluesofthesocietyinwhichhelives,andwhileheisunabletoconsciouslyrefutethosevalueseveninhisthoughts,hemakesamoralchoicebasedonhisownvaluationofJim'sfriendshipandhumanworth,adecisionindirectoppositiontothethingshehasbeentaught.Lecture12

ImagismImagism(意象派)Background:1.TheFirstWorldWar2.ThesenseoflifebeingdislocatedandfragmentedDefinition：amovementinearly20th-centuryAnglo-Americanpoetrythatfavoredprecisionof

imagery

andclear,sharplanguage.Poeticprinciples

1.Directtreatmentofthe“thing”,whethersubjectiveorobjective.2.Touseabsolutelynowordthatdoesnotcontributetothepresentation.3.Asregardingtorhythm,tocomposeinthesequenceofthemusicalphrase,notinthesequenceofametronome.WhatistheimageastheImagistssawit?

T.E.Hulme:Theimagemustenableone“todwellandlingeruponapointofexcitement,toachievetheimpossibleandconvertapointintoaline.”EzraPound:Animagepresentsanintellectualandemotionalcomplexinaninstantoftime.Animagewas“avortexorclusteroffusedideas”“endowedwithenergy.”AnImagisticpresentationishard,clear,un-blurred,donebymeansofthechosen“exactword.”Andtheexactwordmustbringtheeffectoftheobjectbeforethereaderasithadpresenteditselftothepoet’smindatthetimeofwriting.AnImagistpoemenablesthereadertoseethephysicalthingratherthanputhimthroughanabstractprocess.Thebestpoeticeffectisvisualandconcrete.ThusanImagist’simagerepresentsamomentofrevealedtruth,truthrevealedbyaphysicalobjectpresentedandseenassuch.AnImagistpoem,therefore,oftencontainsasingledominantimage,oraquicksuccessionofrelatedimages.Itseffectismeanttobeinstantaneous.Lecture13ErnestHemingwayErnestHemingway(1899-1961)a