美国文学简史常耀信版讲义8

TheSouthernRenaissance&WilliamFaulknerAmericansouthernliteraturecandatebacktoEdgarAllenPoe,andreachitssummitwiththeappearanceofthetwo“giants”–FaulknerandWolfe.Therearesouthernwomenwriters–KatherineAnnePorter凯瑟琳.安.波特,EudoraWelty尤朵拉·韦尔蒂,FlanneryO’Connor弗兰纳里·奥康诺.TheSouthernRenaissanceI.HeritageFeaturesofSouthernliteraturepriortothisrenaissance---focusonhistoricalromancesabouttheLostCauseoftheConfederateStatesofAmerica.---glorifiedtheheroismoftheConfederatearmyandcivilianpopulationduringtheCivilWarandthesupposedlyidyllicculturethatexistedintheSouthbeforethewar(knownastheAntebellumSouth).TheSouthernRenaissancewasthereinvigorationofAmericanSouthernliteraturethatbeganinthe1920sand1930swiththeappearanceofwriterssuchasWilliamFaulkner,Wolfe,TennesseeWilliams,etc.ThreemajorthemesinSouthernRenaissance---theburdenofhistoryinaplacewheremanypeoplestillrememberedslavery,reconstruction,andadevastatingmilitarydefeat.---focusontheSouth'sconservativeculture,specificallyonhowanindividualcouldexistwithoutlosingasenseofidentityinaregionwherefamily,religion,andcommunityweremorehighlyvaluedthanone'spersonalandsociallife.---theSouth'stroubledhistoryinregardstoracialissues.WilliamFaulkner---Oneofthegreatestwriterin20thcentury---initiatorofSouthernRenaissance---oneofthemostinfluentialmodernistnovelwritersinthewestWilliamFaulkner(1897-1962)WilliamFaulknerwasbornonSeptember25,1897andbegantowritepoetryasateenager.DuringWorldWarI,hejoinedtheCanadianRoyalFlyingCorpsbutneverfought;thedayhegraduatedfromtheFlyingCorps,theArmisticewassigned.TheonlywarinjuryhereceivedwastheresultofgettingdrunkandpartyingtoohardonArmisticeDay,whereinheinjuredhisleg.Threestages(1)1924~1929:trainingasawriterTheMarbleFaunSoldier’sPayMosquitoes(2)1929~1936:mostproductiveandprolificperiodSartoris《萨托里斯》TheSoundandtheFury《喧哗与骚动》AsILayDying《在我弥留之际》LightinAugust《八月之光》Absalom,Absalom《押沙龙，押沙龙！》literarycareer:(3)1940~end:wonrecognitioninAmericaGoDown,Moses《去吧，摩西》Yoknapatawpha约克纳帕塔法YoknapatawphaCounty:---AcountyinnorthernMississippi,thesettingformostofWilliamFaulkner’snovelsandshortstories,andpatterneduponFaulkner’sactualhomeinLafayetteCounty,Mississippi.WilliamFaulkner:NobelPrizeAcceptanceSpeech---Ifeelthatthisawardwasnotmadetomeasaman,buttomywork--alife'sworkintheagonyandsweatofthehumanspirit,notforgloryandleastofallforprofit,buttocreateoutofthematerialsofthehumanspiritsomethingwhichdidnotexistbefore.---我感觉，这个奖不是授予我这个人，而是授予我的工作，它是对我呕心沥血、毕生从事的人类精神探索的工作的肯定。我的这项工作不为名，更不图利，而是要从人类精神的原始素材里创造出前所未有的东西。TheSoundandtheFurywaspublishedin1929.ManycriticsandevenFaulknerhimselfthinkthatitisthebestnovelthathewrote.ItssubjectisthedownfalloftheCompsonfamily,theoffspringofthepioneerJasonLycurgusCompson.TheSoundandtheFuryPlot:小说的故事发生在杰弗生镇上的康普生家。这是一个曾经显赫一时的望族，祖上出过一位州长、一位将军。家中原来广有田地，黑奴成群，如今只剩下一幢破败的宅子，黑佣人也只剩下老婆婆迪尔西和她的小外孙勒斯特了。一家之长康普生先生是一九一二年病逝的。他在世时算是一个律师，但从不见他接洽业务，他整天醉醺醺，唠唠叨叨地发些愤世嫉俗的空论，把悲观的情绪传染给大儿子昆丁。康普生太太自私冷酷，无病呻吟，总感到自己受气吃亏，实际上是她在拖累、折磨全家人。她时时不忘南方大家闰秀的身分，以致她仅仅成了一种“身分”的化身，而完全不具有作为母亲与妻子应有的温情。家中没有一个人能从她那里得到爱与温暖。女儿凯蒂可以说是全书的中心，虽然没有以她的观点为中心的单独的一章，但书中一切人物的所作所为都与她息息相关。物极必反，从古板高傲、规矩极多的旧世家里偏偏会出现浪荡的子女。凯蒂从“南方淑女”的规约下冲出来，走过了头，成了一个轻佻放荡的女子。她与男子幽会，有了身孕，不得不与另一男子结婚。婚后丈夫发现隐情，抛弃了她。她只得把私生女（也叫昆丁）寄养在母亲家，自己到大城市去闯荡。哥哥昆丁和凯蒂儿时感情很好、作为没落的庄园主阶级的最后一代的代表者，一种没落感始终追随着昆丁。他极其骄傲，极其敏感，却又极其孱弱（精神上、肉体上都是如此）。他偏偏又过分重视妹妹的贞操，把它与门第的荣誉甚至自己生与死的问题联系在一起。凯蒂的遭遇一下子使他失去了精神平衡。就在妹妹结婚一个多月后，他投河自尽了。对昆丁来说，“未来”是看不见的，“现在”则是模糊不清的一片混饨，只有“过去”才是真实清晰的。昆丁本也想与妹妹“一起进地狱”，因为只有这样才可以与蔑视、鄙视他们的世界隔绝开来。这一点既然办不到，他只得采用结束自己生命的办法，免得自己看到事态朝他不喜欢的方向发展。表面上他是为妹妹而死，实际上则是为家庭的没有前途而亡。CharacterList:JasonCompsonIII-TheheadoftheCompsonhouseholduntilhisdeathfromalcoholismin1912.Mr.CompsonisthefatherofQuentin,Caddy,JasonIV,andBenjy,andthehusbandofCaroline.CarolineCompson-Theself-pityingandself-absorbedwifeofMr.CompsonandmotherofthefourCompsonchildren.Caroline‘shypochondria（忧郁症）preoccupiesherandcontributestoherinabilitytocareproperlyforherchildren.QuentinCompson-TheoldestoftheCompsonchildrenandthenarratorofthenovel'ssecondchapter.Asensitiveandintelligentboy,QuentinispreoccupiedwithhisloveforhissisterCaddyandhisnotionoftheCompsonfamily'shonor.HecommitssuicidebydrowninghimselfjustbeforetheendofhisfirstyearatHarvard.CaddyCompson-ThesecondoldestoftheCompsonchildrenandtheonlydaughter.ActuallynamedCandace,CaddyisveryclosetoherbrotherQuentin.Shebecomespromiscuous,getspregnantoutofwedlock,andeventuallymarriesanddivorcesHerbertHeadin1910.JasonCompsonIV-ThesecondyoungestoftheCompsonchildrenandthenarratorofthenovel'sthirdchapter.Jasonismean-spirited,petty,andverycynical.BenjyCompson-TheyoungestoftheCompsonchildrenandnarratorofthenovel'sfirstchapter.BornMauryCompson,hisnameischangedtoBenjaminin1900,whenheisdiscoveredtobeseverelymentallyretarded.Narrative:streamofconsciousnessThefirstthreechaptersofthenovelconsistoftheconvolutedthoughts,voices,andmemoriesofthethreeCompsonbrothers,capturedonthreedifferentdays.---Benjy,aseverelyretardedthirty-three-year-oldman,speakinginApril,1928;---Quentin,ayoungHarvardstudent,speakinginJune,1910;---andJason,abitterfarm-supplystoreworker,speakingagaininApril,1928.---Fa