美国文学Herman-Melville

HermanMelville麦尔维尔(1819—1891)HermanMelville1.Threeimportantthingsinhislife:*GoingouttoseaHisexperiencesandadventuresontheseafurnishedhimwithabundantmaterialforhisfictionwritings,especiallyhismasterpieceMobyDick2)HismarriageInthehistoryofAmericanliteraturethereweretwoauthorshadsimilarmarriages.MelvilleandScottFitzgerald,bothmarriedabovethemandhadtodohackwork（纯粹为糊口而写的东西，庸俗作品）forthemoneytheyneededtokeeptheirwivesintheirextravagantstyle.3)HisfriendshipwithHawthorneDuringthesummerof1890MelvilleandHawthornemetandbecamegoodfriends.Theysharedsimilarideasandopinionsonmostkindsoffields.EspeciallyagainstthebackgroundofTranscendentaloptimism,MelvilleagreeswithHawthorne’sBlackness---theevilatthecoreoflife.“Evilinlifeandthehumansoulhelpmakelifeandmanbetter”“Toscalegreatheights,wemustcomeoutofthelowestdepths.Thewaytoheavenisthroughhell.Weneedfierybaptisminthefierceflameofourbosoms.”凤凰涅槃浴火重生•TheoriginaldesignofMobyDickwasjustatextonthewhalefishery.WhenMelvillemetHawthorne,hehadcompletedonethirdofMobyDick.WithoutHawthorne,Melvillewouldhavejustwrittenitaboutwhalinghunting.WiththeinfluenceofHawthorne,Melvillerewroteitintoaworldclassicwithamixtureof:游记、航海故事、寓言、捕鲸传说、有关鲸鱼与捕鲸业的百科全书、美国史诗、莎士比亚式的悲剧、抒情散文长诗、塞万提斯式的浪漫体小说InTokenofmyadmirationforhisgenius,thisbookisinscribedtoNATHANIELHAWTHORNE.2.Melville’sMajorWorks1)Novels(1)PolynsieTrilogy“波里尼西亚三部曲”fromhisadventuresamongthepeopleoftheSouthPacificislandsTypee1846«泰皮»Omoo1847«欧穆»Mardi1849«玛地»(2)Redburn1849«雷得本»anaccountofhisvoyagetoEngland(3)WhiteJacket1850«白外衣»hislifeonaUnitedStatesman-of-war军舰(4)Pierre《皮埃尔》(1852):Adarklyallegoricalexplorationofthenatureofevil,whichispsychologicallycomplexandelaborate.(5)IsraelPotter《伊斯雷尔·波特》(1855):Ahistoricalromance(6)TheConfidenceMan《骗子的化装表演》(1857):SatirizestheselfishnessandcommercialismofMelville’stime.(7)BillyBudd《比利•巴德》(1891)Anovellaaboutayoungsailor,personifyinginnocence,doomedbythemalevolenthatredofaship’sofficer,personifyingevil.2)ShortstoriesThePiazzaTales《广场故事》(1856):ContainssomeofMelville’sfinestshorterworks(1)Bartleby,theScrivener书记员巴特尔比ThestoryofBartlebyissimplyaboutamanlosinghiswilltolive.Subtitled,AStoryofWallStreet”,itissetinthebusinessworldof19th-centuryNewYork.Bartleby,ascrivenerwasgoodatthecopyingpartofhisjob,butwhenaskedtoproofreadaloudonedayhesimplyreplied,Iprefernotto.Fromthatmomentforward,heusedthephraseIprefernottoforeverytaskrequestedofhim,eventuallypreferringnottodoanyworkwhatsoever.Bartlebychosetorebelandbecomeananti-hero.Itisintendedtoshowthereaderadarksideinallofuswhenthemeaningofourexistenceisallowedtobechallenged.Bartleby,theScrivenerreflectsMelville'sownpessimismatthetime.(2)BenitoCereno《贝尼托·塞莱诺》ThestorycentersonaslaverebelliononboardaSpanishmerchantshipin1799.EarliercriticsregardedBenitoCerenoasatalethatprimarilyexploreshumandepravity.ItisregardedbymanyasMelville'sfinestshortstory.3)Poetry:(1)Battle-PiecesandtheAspectsofWar《战事集》(1866)(2)Clarel《克拉瑞尔》(1876)Melville’sMasterpieceMoby-Dick«白鲸»，«莫比•狄克»anencyclopediaofeverything:history,philosophy,religion,thewhalingindustryaShakespeareantragedyofmanfightingagainstfatesinanindifferentandhostileworld.Moby-Dick---“theworld’sgreatestseanovel”,compoundofsearch,pursuit,conflict,andcatastrophe.1.PlotThenovel’splotisbuiltononeconflict---Ahabvs.theWhaleItisessentiallythestoryofAhabandhisquesttodefeatMobyDick,forthiswhitewhaletookAhab’sleg.•Ishmael伊什梅尔,feelingdepressed,seeksescapebygoingouttoseaonthewhalingship,Peqoud裴廓德号.ThecaptainisAhab亚哈,themanwithoneleg.••MobyDick,thewhitewhale,hadshearedoffAhab’slegonapreviousvoyage,andAhabresolvestohunthim.•TheshipmakesagoodcatchofwhalesbutAhabrefusestoturnbackuntilhehaskilledhisenemy.•Eventually,thewhaleappears,andthePeqoudbeginsitsdoomedfightwithit.•Onthethirdday,thewhalecarriesthePeqoudalongwithittoitsdoom.•Allonboardthewhalergetdrowned,exceptone,Ishmael,whosurvivestotellthetale.2.Characters•Ishmael伊什梅尔/以实玛利•Thenarratorofthestory•Name:thefirstsonofAbraham(fromTheBible)symboloforphans,exiles,wanderersandsocialoutcasts,etc.startsoutfeelingbadhopestofindanideallifecomestoseethefollyofAhabseekingtoconquernaturefeelsthesignificanceofloveandcompanionshiplearnstoaccept,anattitudewhichensureshissurvival2)Ahab亚哈•Name:Ahab,KingofIsrael(fromTheBible，atyrant)symbolofevil•ThetyrannicalcaptainofthePequodAhabhasthequalitiesofatragichero–agreatheartandafatalflaw.•MelvilleportrayedAhabanEmersonianself-reliantindividual.Butheistoomuchofself-reliance.Forhim,theonlylawishisownwill;Tohimtheworldexistsforhissake;Hemaydowhathewills:livesmaybesacrificedandnaturemayhavebeenvanquished.Histoomuchself-relianceleadstodeath—physical,spiritual,emotional,attheexpenseofallelse.Histragedystemsfromhisextremeindividualismorsolipsism(唯我论).MobyDick–anegativereflectionuponTranscendentalism3.SymbolsinMobyDick1)Theship–Pequodandthevoyage2)MobyDick3)Ahab4)Queequeg’sCoffin1)ThePequodandthevoyage(1)asymbolofdoom必遭毁灭的命运namedafteraNativeAmericantribeinMassachusettsdidnotlongsurvivethearrivalofwhitemen(extincted)ispaintedgloomyblackandcoveredinwhaleteethandbones(2)thePequod-theshipoftheAmer