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

GeoffreyChaucerandhisTheCanterburyTalesGeoffreyChaucer(1340-1400)MessengerofHumanismThefirstrealisticwriterFatherofEnglishpoetryMasteroftheEnglishlanguageTheCanterburyTalesTheCanterburyTalesTheCanterburyTaleswaswrittenintheyearsbetween1387and1400.Ithasageneralprologueandtwentyfourtalesthatareconnectedby“links”.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:抑揚格(輕讀音節與重讀音節交替出現）pentameter:五音步(fivefeet）syllable:音節，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：

世紀之交深刻的社會危機

一次大戰

一個動蕩不安、矛盾激化、充滿精神危機而又急速現代化的世界必然要求文學對其作出相應的反應。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，這是不恰當的。意識并不是一段一段地連結起來的。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成的。它的棲息部分（實體狀態）包含著長期埋在人腦中的思想內容，而飛行部分（過渡狀態）則屬于那種飄忽、閃爍和晃動的感官印象。Streamofconsciousnessinliterature:thenarrativemethodwherebycertainnovelistsdescribetheunspokenthoughtsandfeelingsoftheircharacters,withoutresortingtoobjectivedescriptionorconventionaldialogue傳統小說的特征：

1)追求表現外部世界，刻意描繪人的物質生活環境，塑造典型環境中的典型人物。2)布局上具有戲劇化的特點。人物，情節，場景，沖突。3)有完整和有趣的故事情節。4)遵循以鐘表時間為順序的創作原則。意識流小說的特征：1)深刻反映現代作家新的價值觀，異化感。2)遵循由里及表，由微觀到宏觀的創作原則。3)充分展示全新時空的觀念。4)竭力淡化小說情節。意識流小說敘述形式的特征1.作品視角的頻繁轉換。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。作家的筆法既體現了散文的風格，又蘊含著詩歌的意境。句子結構簡單，詞匯顛倒錯置，注重音韻和節奏的藝術效果，強調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，強調光、色、聲、影、味對感官的刺激作用，形象地再現了純屬個人精神領域最浮淺、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(內戰前)

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