美国文学Lecture 3

L3LiteratureofRomanticismII•HighRomantics:EdgarAllanPoe•TheRaven•TheFalloftheHouseofUsherPreviewQuiz•Whymostofhighromanticswerenotpopularintheirlifetime?•Usenomorethan3wordstodescribePoe’slife.•WhendidPoeregainhisliteraryreputation?•WhatarethecommonsubjectsinPoe’spoetryandfiction?•WhatisPoe’ssignificanceinAmericanliterature?•补充作业：TheRaven朗诵录音（3月1日前完成，发给课代表，然后统一打包发给老师）请阅读小说文本TheScarletLetter并观看改编电影。找出一处电影与小说文本的不同之处，分析导演为何做出如此改动，改编后的效果和文字的效果有何不同。（英文分析400字左右，写在作业本上开学第一次课后交）EdgarAllanPoe1809–1849Poet,critic,writeroffiction(horrortale,detectivestory)Lifestory:disastrousArtisticprinciplesAt2–fatherdiedAt3—motherdiedtooAt6—wentLondonwithhisfosterparentsAt17—inVirginiaUniversityAt21—admittedbyWestPointAt22—quittedAt27—marriedhiscousinsecretlywhowasonly13At38–hiswifediedAt40—EdgarAllanPoe(1809-1849)OriginatorTheMurdersintheRueMorgueEach[ofPoe'sdetectivestories]isarootfromwhichawholeliteraturehasdeveloped....WherewasthedetectivestoryuntilPoebreathedthebreathoflifeintoit?(PoeEncyclopedia103).-ArthurConanDoyleSciencefiction“TheNarrativeofArthurGordonPym”NotedthatPymtellswhataveryintelligentmindcouldimagineaboutthesouthpolarregionacenturyago-H.G.WellsW.H.AudenHisportraitsofabnormalorself-destructivestatescontributedmuchtoDostoyevsky,hisratiocinatingheroistheancestorofSherlockHolmesandhismanysuccessors,histalesofthefutureleadtoH.G.Wells,hisadventurestoriestoJulesVerneandRobertLouisStevenson.Poe’sArtisticTheoriesarguedforthecreationofbeautyandintensityofemotion,againstthedidacticmotiveforliterature.theartistshouldbeconcernedsolelywithbeauty,ofimagination.literatureshouldhavenosocialfunctionorresponsibilitybutshouldbeanexpressionoftheisolatedartist.Therealworldiscruel,uglyandfastintodecaying.Theartist’slifeislonely,painfulandhopeless.Theonlyhappinessaroseoutofthecreationandcontemplationofbeauty.JohnKeats(1795—1821)•Truthisbeauty,beautytruth.•Athingofbeautyisajoyforever.OscarWilde’saesthetics:(1854-1900)•Theartististhecreatorofbeautifulthings.•TheyaretheelecttowhombeautifulthingsmeanonlyBeauty.•Thereisnosuchthingasamoraloranimmoralbook.•Bookarewellwritten,orbadlywritten.Thatisall.Lifeimitatesart.Art’sforart’ssake.-PrefacetoThePictureofDorianGrayPoe’stheoryonPoetryThepoemshouldbeshort,readableatonesittingavoidstheintrusionofuglinessandtriestocreateavisionofbeautyandamelodioussound,stressonrhythm.Musicaleffectwithartistryofalliteration,assonance,andrepetition.Opposedtothedidacticandcallfor“pure”poetry.Thebasictoneismelancholy.Themostpoeticaltopic:thedeathofabeautifulwoman.Poe’stheoryonshortstoryAgoodfictionshouldonlytelloneevent,whichcanbefinishedatonesitting(brevity).Storyshouldstimulatereadersandimpressthemdeeply.Itshouldhaveaconsistenteffectthroughoutthewholetext.Heshowedinhisfictiontheimpulsetoself-destruction,thefascinationwithhorriblecatastrophe,whimsicalandabnormalpsychology.Hedepictedtheinnerworldorpsychologyofhischaracters,whoaremostlyneurotics.Bestcommandofdialogue,socialsituationandswiftdramaticclimax.SelectedreadingsTheRavenTheFalloftheHouseofUsherOtherfamouspoems:Israfel,ToHelen,TheCityintheSea•Canyoufindevidenceofhistheoryinhispoemandshortstory?TheRaven(p.113)Length:108linesTopic:ayoungmangrievingforhislostlove,thedeathofabeautifulmaidenTone:melancholyTime:drearymidnight,bleakDecemberPlace:chamberBlack&WhiteImage:dyingember,shadowylamplight,darkness,pallidandplacidbust,grim,ungainly,ghastly,gaunt,andominousRavenwhoseonlyutteranceis“Nevermore”.Rhythm:evenmetricalflowwithalliteration,rhyme,repetitionEffect:weariness,sorrow-terror,fear-marvelled–startled-criedfornepenthe-shrieked–mysoulshallbelifted-nevermoreQuestionsforinterpretation•1.Onthephoneticlevel:•Findoutthewordsthatcontainthevowel“o”andtheconsonant“ing”?Whateffectdotheyachieve?•2.Ontherhymelevel:•Pointouttherhymeinthefirststanzaandtheeffectofit.•3.Ontherhetoriclevel:•Findouttherhetoricdevicesemployedinthepoemandtheeffectofthem.•4.Onthetextlevel:•Findoutthewordsthatrepeatedlyappearinthepoemandthepossiblereasonofit.江神子（乙卯正月二十日夜记梦）苏轼►十年生死两茫茫。不思量。自难忘。千里孤坟，无处话凄凉。纵使相逢应不识，尘满面，鬓如霜。►夜来幽梦忽还乡。小轩窗。正梳妆。相顾无言，惟有泪千行。料得年年断肠处，明月夜，短松冈。TheFalloftheHouseofUsher•Characters:RoderickUsher,Madeline,Usher’sfriend•Genre:horrortale,gothicnovel•Characteristics:gloomy,dreadful,brevity•Tone:suspense,depression,melancholyTheFalloftheHouseofUsher(P.119)Length:brevity,readatonesittingFirstsentence:helpstobringoutthe“singleeffect”ofthestoryLastsentence:senseoffinalityLogicaltruth:fissure,deceaseofthesister,preservinghercorpse,storyinthestory,deadoutofcoffinTheme:thedisintegrationandannihilationofahumanmindThefirstsentence•Duringthewholeofadull,dark,andsoundlessdayintheautumnoftheyear,whenthecloudshungoppressivelylowintheheavens,Ihadbeenpassingalone,onhorseback,throughasingularlydreary,tractofcountry;andatlengthastheshadesoftheeveningdrewon,withinviewofthemelancholyHouseofUsher.Thelastsentence(p.127)•WhileIgazed,thisfissurerapidlywidened--therecameafiercebreathofthewhirlwind--theentire