Sinclair Lewis( 辛克莱·刘易斯)

SinclairLewis(1885-1951)In1930,hebecamethefirstAmericantowintheNobelPrizeinLiterature.Duringhislifetimehepublished22novels.BorninthetownofSankCenter,Minnesota;GraduatedfromYale;Becameaneditorandawriter;PublishedMainStreetin1920andwontheNobelPrizeinliterature;PublishedBabbittin1922.OurMr.Wrenn(1914)TheTrialoftheHawk(1915)MainStreet(1920)Babbitt(1922)Arrowsmith(1925)TheManWhoKnewCoolidge(1928)ItCan’tHappenHere(1935)MainStreetMainStreetwasastudyofidealismandrealityinanarrow-mindedsmall-town.MainStreetisthecontinuationofmainStreetseverywhere.Itmeantcheapshops,uglypublicbuildings,andcitizenswhowereboundbyrigidconventions.Thebookhadparallelswiththeauthor'sownearlylife.Theprotagonistalsohasskinproblems.LewisclaimedthatMainStreetwasreadwiththesamemasochisticpleasurethatonehasinsuckinganachingtooth.Photographsof“MainStreet”IllustrationsofthephotographsWhenSinclairLewiswrote“MainStreet”,itwasgenerallybelievedthathishometown,SaukCenter,Minnesota,wasthelocalealthoughhecalledhisfictionaltownGopherPrairie.Thoughtheheroineof“MainStreet”Lewisexpressedhisownfeelings,particularlyhisdissatisfactions.SinclairLewis’NobelPrizeAddress(AfterpraisingErnestHemingway,ThomasWolfeandothercontemporaryAmericanwriters:)Isolutethem,withajoyinbeingnotyettoofarremovedfromthedeterminationtogivetotheAmericathathasmountainsandendlessprairies,enormouscitiesandlostfarmcabins,billionsofmoneyandtonsoffaith,toanAmericathatisasstrangeasRussiaandascomplexaschina,aliteratureworthyofhervastness.美国有许多名山大川，有无尽的草原，建造了许多庞大的城市，同时也丢掉许多边远的茅屋村舍，丢掉了亿万财富，也丢掉了许多信念，美国像俄国一样陌生新奇、像中国一样错综复杂，这些年轻的美国作家们，决心给美国带来与美国的伟大浩瀚相称的文学，我很高兴我个人与他们的决心相去还不甚远。我就是怀着这样的喜悦，向他们表示我的敬意的。对美国文学的未来，我充满了希望，也满怀着各种热切的信念。我认为，我们正在从四平八稳、迟钝沉闷的地方主义的束缚中挣脱出来。现在有许多年轻的美国人，正满腔热情，稳健可靠地工作着，以致使我因年迈不能与他们为伍而感到有点淡淡的哀愁。其中有欧内斯特·海明威，一位严格、有拚命工作精神的年轻人，受过严酷经历的熏陶，用高标准严格锻炼自己，是一位真正的艺术家，一直投身于现实生活的浪潮之中；还有托马斯·沃尔夫，是位30岁或者不到30岁的小伙子。他的惟一一部长篇小说《天使，望故乡》，堪与我们文学创作中最优秀的作品相媲美，是一部散发着浓郁生活气息的巨著.还有桑顿·怀尔德，处在现实主义时代的他，却缅怀梦想着不朽的浪漫主义往昔的良辰美景，还有约翰·多斯·帕索斯，他憎恶巴比特那四平八稳的标准观，及其他那堂而皇之的所谓革命；还有斯蒂芬·贝尼特，他用自己那对老约翰·布朗的光彩夺目的回忆，给单调乏味的美国文坛恢复了叙事诗的生气，还有迈克尔·戈尔德和威廉·福克纳，前一位揭示了犹太东区文学的新疆界；后一位将南方各州的文学从女人的裙子那儿解脱出来；还有许多其它年轻的诗人和小说家，他们现在大多住在巴黎，大多数对詹姆斯·乔伊斯的传统表现出某种狂热。然而，无论多么狂热，他们都已拒绝装腔作势摆架子，拒绝墨守陈规，拒绝迟钝呆滞的文风。美国有许多名山大川，有无尽的草原，建造了许多庞大的城市，同时也丢掉许多边远的茅屋村舍，丢掉了亿万财富，也丢掉了许多信念，美国像俄国一样陌生新奇、像中国一样错综复杂，这些年轻的美国作家们，决心给美国带来与美国的伟大浩瀚相称的文学，我很高兴我个人与他们的决心相去还不甚远。我就是怀着这样的喜悦，向他们表示我的敬意的。MainStreet(1920)LewiscriticizedattimestheAmericanwayofliving,buthisbasicviewwasoptimistic.Hiscentralcharactersarethepioneer,thedoctor,thescientist,thebusinessman,andthefeminist.Theappealofhisbestfictionliesintheoppositionbetweenhisidealisticprotagonistsandanarrayoffools,charlatans(假装内行的骗子）,andscoundrels-evangelists,editorialists,pseudo-artists,cultists,andboosters.Babbitt-aMiniatureoftheAmericanMiddleClassinthe1920sThedecadeofthe1920sisoftencharacterizedasaperiodofAmericanprosperityandoptimism.Itisthedecadeofthespeakeasies,movie,andflappers.TheRoaringTwenties,fromtheendofWWItothestockmarketcrashin1929,didusherinaneraofgreatsocialchange,generalprosperity,andwhathistoriansrefertoas“modernity“(现代派).However,inLewis'sBabbitt,thedecadeofthe1920sisdescribedasshallow,corrupt,andmaterialisticperiodinAmericanhistory.BabbittBabbittissetinthemodernMidwesterncityofZenith,itisnotlikeoldercitieswhosebuildingsarecitadelsdevotedtowarorcathedralsdevotedtoreligion,Zenith'sshiningtowersaredevotedtobusiness,devotedtothenew.Itisaminiatureofthetwentieth-centuryAmerica.InBabbitt,Lewisshowsthereaderacityprevaileduponwithcommercialismandpragmatism,whichistheepitomeofthewhole-country-America.BabbittInsuchaperfectlystandardizedmoneysociety,moneyandrichnessaremostimportant,towhichbeauty,passion,wisdom,joy,andsanctitygiveplace.Aperson'ssocialstatusismeasuredbythesumofmoneyheownsandhispossessions.Beingwealthy,hewillhavehighsocialandbeadmiredandrespectedbyothersaresoeagertohavewithhim.BabbittConsequently,everyoneisruledbythedesiretogetrich.Boomingbusinessisregardedasthebestwaytoreachthisaim.Stimulatedbythismotive,businessmenaccumulatedwealthbyincontestablemeansasbribe,cheat,threat,conspiracy,completelydiscardingbusinessmorals.Babbitt(1922)Theprevalenceofcommercialismandpragmatisminevitablybringaboutmaterialshowiness.ThecitizenslikeBabbittarewildaboutmechanicaldevicesandconvenientfacilityforshowingone'sownpossessionsasthemainwaytoprovehissocialstatus.Therefore,thecitizensofZenithnotonlytheirracktheirbrainstoaccumulatewealthorsocialprestigebutalsotakepainstoshowwealthinordertogainandkeeptherespectofothersformaterialshowinessistheproofofyourbeingrespectedornotbyothers.Moneyerodeseveryholything.Eitherpriestsorartistschangetheirrolestoservethebusinessmenandtherealestatebrokers.Theholyreligionisdebased,becomingjustanothermarketablecommodity.Babbitthasenormousadmirationofallmechanicaldeviceswhicharehissymbolsoftruth,beauty,wisdom,andthesubstitutesforjoyandpassion.Amoney-mindedmaterialistGeorgeF.Babbitt,theforty-six-year-oldrealtor,isafiguresovividthathehascometorepresentthetypicalprosperous,middle-agedAmericanbusinessmanofthe1920s--conservative,uncultu