The Libido for the Ugly 课件讲义

TheLibidofortheUgly(爱丑之欲)HenryLouisMencken7OutlineofClassTeaching•AnintroductiontoHenryLouisMenckenHisearlylifeandcareerHiswritingstyleHiscontributionstoAmericanlanguage•Readingtheoryon“Description”HenryLouisMencken(1880-1956)•The1stAmericantobewidelyreadasacritic(批评家)JamesLowell(詹姆斯·洛威尔)EdgarAllanPoe(埃德加·爱伦·坡)HenryLouisMencken(1880-1956)•BorninBaltimore•Privatelyeducatedthere•GraduatedfromBaltimorePolytechnicInstituteHenryLouisMencken(1880-1956)•BecameareporteronBaltimoreHerald•JoinedSunpaper•EditedSmartSet•EditedAmericanMercuryH.L.Mencken’sGreatConcerns•HewasacentralfigureinAmericanintellectuallifeinthe1920s.HelaunchedthemostcuttingattacksagainstAmerica’smiddleclassculture.•Inhiswittyandsatiricalessays,hemockedtheinstitutionwhichsupportedthemiddleclass.Heenjoyed,metandchallengedhisantagonistswithhisdirectanddevastatingattacks.•Hehatednarrowed-mindedreligionsandstronglysupportedintellectualfreedom.Hefoughtwitheveryefforttomaintaintheindependenceofliterature.Hefeltthegreatestthreatofliteraturewasthecountry’sprevailingreligion“fundamentalism”,theopinionsofwhichwerebasedontheliteraryinterpretationoftheBible.H.L.Menken’sGreatConcerns•Hehatedcommercialismanddidnotsupporteddemocracy,becausehebelievedthemajorityofAmericanpopulationweretooignorantandgreedytoexert“democracy”wisely.H.L.Menken’sGreatConcernsMencken’sWritingStyle•“IopenedABookofPrejudicesandbegantoread.Iwasjarredandshockedbythestyle,theclear,clean,sweepingsentences.Whydidhewritelikethat?Andhowdidonewritelikethat?Ipicturedthemanasaragingdemon,slashingwithhispen.Ireadonandwhatamazedmewasnotwhathesaid,buthowonearthanybodyhadthecouragetosayit…Iidentifiedmyselfwiththatbook.”-----RichardWright•Rip-roaring,witty,humorous,ironical,combative,withunrestrainedhyperbole,extravagantaccentuation,fondofpairingadjectives,playful,comical.•Mencken’swritingisendearingbecauseofitswit,itscrispstyle,andtheobviousdelighthetakesinit.Mencken’sWritingStyle•Nootherentertainmentgavehimgreaterpleasurethanreportingfromtheconventions;nordidanyoneappreciatehiseffortsmorethanMenckenhimself.Onereporter,peeringthroughMencken'swindowlateatnightafteronerally,recalledwatchinghimatworkaloneinhishotelroom,poundingoutcopyonatypewriterproppedonadesk.Hewouldtypeafewsentences,readthem,slaphisthigh,tosshisheadback,androarwithlaughter.Thenhewouldtypesomemorelines,guffaw,andsoonuntiltheendofthearticle.----MarionElizabethRodgersMencken’sWritingStyle•Mencken’sworkswerereceivedwithbothdelightandhorror,dependingonthereaders’pointofview.HewashighlyrespectedforhisliterarycriticismandheexertedagreatinfluenceonAmericanliterature.Mencken’sWritingStyleMencken’sContributionstotheAmericanLanguage•Editor,socialcritic,andlongtimejournalistwithTheBaltimoreSun,Menckeninspiredmanyyoungwritersinthe1920s.Andthoughhediedmorethanhalfacenturyago,hisrip-roaring,witty,combative,yetgracefulstylecontinuestostiruptheanimalsandattractfreshadmirers.•H.L.MenckenwroteTheAmericanLanguage•AnInquiryintotheDevelopmentofEnglishintheUnitedStates•ThisclassicwaswrittentoclarifythediscrepanciesbetweenBritishandAmericanEnglishandtodefinethedistinguishingcharacteristicsofAmericanEnglish.Mencken’sgroundbreakingstudywasundoubtedlythemostscientificlinguisticworkontheAmericanlanguagetodateandcontinuestoserveasadefinitiveresourceinthefield.Mencken’sContributionstotheAmericanLanguageReadingTheoryon“Description”•Whatisadescription?•Whatdoesthewriterdoinadescription?•Whatkindofwordsarepreferredinadescription?•Whatistheorderoforganizationforadescription?Whatisadescription?•Descriptionconveysthesensations,emotionsandimpressionsthataffectawriterexperiencingaperson,place,objectoridea.Whatdoesthewriterdoinadescription?•Thewriterdescribeswhathesees,hears,smells,feels,ortastes,anditoftenincludeshisemotionalreactionstothephysicalsensationsoftheexperience.Indescription,awriterpaintsverbalpictureofaplace,objectorapersonWhatkindofwordsarepreferredinadescription?•Inordertoenablehisreadertoperceivetherealityoftheoriginal,heproducesanimageandevokesthatrealityessentiallybyspecificandconcretewordsthatappealtothereader’ssenseofsight,smell,sound,tasteandtouch.Whatistheorderoforganizationforadescription?•Descriptionisusuallyorganizedanddevelopedbyspaceorder.Thewritermayselectafixedpositioninspace,thenmovefromdistancetocloseup,orfromcloseuptodistance,fromlefttoright,orfromrighttoleft,etc.Hemayalsoestablishamentalattitudetowardhissubjectandthenmoveontootherfeatures.Adescriptionmaybeeithergeneralorspecific•Whenthecontrollingsentencecallsforgeneraldescription,thewriterselectsseveralofthemaintypicaltraitswhichcharacterizethesubjectandproceedtoanalyze,enumerateorsynthesizeitsfeatures.Forspecificdescription,hefocusesonthespecialcharacteristicswhichidentifyortypifytheperson,placeorobjectbeingdescribed.Adescriptionmaybesubjectiveorobjective•Anobjectivedescriptionismuchthesameasawhiteandblackphotograph.•Asubjectivedescriptionistosharewiththereaderanexpressionoremotion.Thewriterisemotionalandsubjectivebychoosingwordsrichinconnotativemeaningandbystronglyappealingtothereaders.A