Alfred Tennyson丁尼生.ppt

Alfred, Lord Tennyson poet laureate (1850), spokesman for the ideas and values of his time Alfred Tennyson l 1. the fourth son of a clergyman in the country 2. entered Cambridge in 1827 3. made Laureate Poet in 1850 4. created a baron in 1884 5. became a court poet 6. an admirer of Keats l作者简介 l 阿尔弗雷德丁尼生（Afred Tennyson, 1809-1892）生于林 肯郡的萨默斯比的一个牧师家庭，少有诗名，12岁时便写出了 6000行的史诗，18岁时与其兄出版了两兄弟诗集（ Poems by Two Brothers，1827）。1828年，丁尼生进入剑桥 大学，继续诗歌创作，并结识哈勒姆（Arthur Henry Hallam） 。1831年，因父亲去世，丁尼生被迫辍学，两年后，他的挚友 哈勒姆又英年早逝，使他深受打击，此后10内未发表诗作。在 此期间，丁尼生贫困潦倒，但仍然在写诗。1842年，丁尼生又 开始发表新诗，从此诗名与日俱增。1850年，他被封为桂冠诗 人。丁尼生是维多利亚时期的主要诗人，他的诗歌语言极富音 乐感和表现力，其主要诗作有公主(The Princess,1847)、 悼念(In Memoriam A. H. H., 1850)、毛黛(Maud, 1855)、伊诺克阿登(Enoch Arden, 1864)和国王之歌 (Idylls of the King, 1859-1885)等。 Victorian poetry lThe Victorian age produced two great English poets: Browning But O for the touch of a vanished hand, And the sound of a voice that is still! Alliteration (Line 15): day that is dead Repetend: Line 13 repeats Line 1; Line 7 repeats the first two words of Line 5. Paradox: Touch of a vanished hand (Line 11), sound of a voice that is still (Line 12). 4). Themes lGrief The main theme is bereavement, heartache, emptiness. In the narrators dark hour of grief, the sun rises, children laugh, business goes on as usual. How could the world be so cruel and unfeeling? lPreciousness of Youth Tennysons friend, Arthur Hallam, was only 22 when he died. The shock of Hallams death impressed upon Tennyson how priceless youth is. To underscore this idea, and to express the agony he suffers at the loss of young Hallam, Tennyson presents images of youthful joy: the fishermans son playing with his sister and the “sailor lad“ singing in the bay. lIndifference of Nature Nature continues to function according to its rhythms and cycles regardless of what happens, good or bad, to human beings. The temperature may plummet just when a poor family runs out of fuel. The sun may shine and the birds may sing in the middle of the bloodiest of battles. And the sea will rise and fall in a defiant, unrelenting rhythm that refuses to acknowledge tragedy in the everyday life of average men. Tennyson laments this cold indifference in “Break, Break, Break.“ 5) Summary The narrator grieves the loss of his friend, Arthur Henry Hallam, a promising poet and essayist who had been engaged to Tennysons sister, Emily. Hallam died of a stroke in 1833 when he was only 22. Nature, of course, does not stop to mourn the loss of anyone. Cold and indifferent, it carries on, the waves of the ocean breaking against rocks along the seashore without pausing even for a moment. The rest of the world carries on as well: the fishermans boy happily playing with his sister, the sailor merrily singing, the ship busily plying the waters of commerce. Downcast, isolated by his grief, the narrator yearns to touch the hand of his friend once more, to hear the sound of his voice. But, no, Hallam is gone forever; his “tender grace“ will never again return. 拍，拍，拍 l海浪无情地拍，拍，拍 l拍到冰冷阴灰的礁石来 l纵然这世上有千言万语 l又怎能表达我忧伤的情怀 喔，看那远处渔夫的孩子 他叫呀喊呀，和妹妹在玩 喔，还有那个年轻的水手 在小舟上，歌声唱遍港湾 远方那艘豪华的大轮船 还在慢慢地向着港湾驶进 我仿佛又摸到那已消失的手 我仿佛又听见那已消逝的声音 海浪无情地拍，拍，拍 拍到峭壁下的礁石来 往日的温情已消逝 永远永远不再回来 Such contrast is very common to classical Chinese poems. A proper phrase to describe such contrast is “物是人非” （The things are still there but men are no more the same ones). Here are some examples. Ah, generations have come and passed away From year to year the moons look alike, old and new. We do not know tonight for whom she sheds her ray, But hear the river say to its water adieu. 人生代代无穷已，江月年年望相似。 不知江月照何人，但见长江送流水。 -张若虚，春江花月夜 Last year I came to view the moon with my compeers, But where are they, now that the scene is like last years? 同来望月人何在，风景依稀似去年。 -赵嘏，江楼感旧 Literary Term l Dramatic monologue: A kind of poem in which a single fictional or historical character other than the poet speaks to one or more listeners whose replies are not given in the poem. The occasion is usually a crucial one in the speakers personality as well as the incident that is the subject of the poem. In Memoriam It was written by Tennyon in memory of A.H.Hallam, his closest friend and the fiance of his sister. As a poetic diary, the poem is also an elaborate and powerful expression of the poets philosophical and religious thoughts-his doubts about the meaning of life, the existence of the soul and the afterlife, his faith in the power of love and the souls instinct and immortality. The familiar trance-like experience, mellifluous rhythm and pictorial descriptions make it one of the best elegies in English literature. Appreciation of Ulysses lWritten in blank verse, it is a story about Ulysses, king of the Ithaca Island, a Trojan War hero. Now, in his old age and three years back in his homeland, he calls on his old followers to give up their idle life at home and to set forth with him on further quests and travels. The story is based upon Dantes account of Ulysses on his last voyage to “explore the world and search the ways of life”. lThe general idea of his speech is that the value and significance of human life lies in living it to the full, to do and achieve something new when one is alive. And even in old age, when one is weaker in body, his spirit never wanes, his heart is as heroic and his will as strong as before. The research and strife ends only with life. Such undying spirit of adverture and exploration in an old man is really admirable. In a way, it expresses the unconquerable urge of mankind to seek knowledge and enrich our life in this world. Features of his poetry l1.resort to the world of romances: classical, medieval and English (The Idylls of the King). l2.skilled in the lyric, the dramatic monologue; l3.perfect control of the sound of English and consummate choice and taste in words. lHis poetry voices the doubt and the faith, the grief and the joy of English people in an age of fast social changes. In 1850, he was appointed the Poet Laureate. Tennysons philosophical and religious thoughts are his doubts about the meaning of life, the existence of the soul and the afterlife, and his faith in the power of love and the souls instinct and immortality . lTennyson is a real artist. He has the natural power of linking visual pictures with musical expressions, and these two with the feelings. He has perfect control of the sound of English, and a sensitive ear, an excellent choice and taste of words. His poet is rich in poetic images and melodious language, and noted for its lyrical beauty and metrical charm. lHis wonderful works manifest all the qualities of Englands great poets: the dreaminess (朦胧) of Spenser, the majesty （庄严） of Milton, the natural simplicity （ 自然清纯）of Wordsworth, the fantasy（美 妙） of Blake and Coleridge, the melody（ 韵律） of Keats and Shelly , and the narrative vigor（气势宏大）of Scott and Byron. 4. Comment on Tennyson lTennyson is the representative poet of Victorian age. He has perfect control of the sound of English. His works are not only the products of the creative imagination of a poetic genius but also products of a long and rich English heritage. lTennyson was severely criticized by Imagist poets in the early twentieth century for his affectation and wordiness. THE EAGLE The Eagle He class the crag with crooked hands; Close to the Sun in lonely lauds, Ringd with the azure World he stands. The wrinkled sea beneath brim crawls He watches from his mountain walls, And a like thunderbolt he falls. lHow do you feel when reading this poem? lThis short poem was first published in 1851.It is a mere fragment of a poem , consisting of only six lines .First it appeared in the seventh edition of Poems , then it was also included in Selections of 1885 .In the poem , there is an imaginative , but minute description of an eagle . lIdeas: l1. a poem in memory of his friend Hallam; l2.a poem in praise of noble persons; l3.a hymn of independence and freedom; lThe poem, consisting of only two stanzas, is one of pure imagery. lThe first description is of an eagle sitting of the side of a mountain, while digging its talons into the rock. lThe eagle, a bird of prey, of strength, size, gracefulness, keen vision and power of flight, is pictured as lonely. The bird, also known for his power and strength seems rather small against its surroundings: Tennyson portrayed an eagle against the “backdrop“ of an azure sky and mountain in his poem. lAlthough the eagle is alone and small against nature, its majestic stereotype is maintained by the placement of the bird at great height or as the poem states, “Close to the sun.“ lThe eagle, at its great height, is a representation of a man at the peak of his life, clinging on desperately. lThe mountain represent the universe. Similar to the eagles smallness as compared to the mountain, is mans as compared to the universe. The man is lonely in that he must enter and leave the world alone. lJust as the eagle is a part or fragment of the mountain, the man is a part of the universe and they both leave when they “fall off.“ Both are encircled by their “worlds“ and must stand or endure. lThe sea delineates life and the return to it after death because of the theory that states such. lThe thunderbolt characterizes death in that both are sudden, effective, and momentary. A thunderbolt is loud and it disappears just as quickly as it appears. Man was supposedly born water, and returns to his origins after death. lThus the water below the cliff maintains that idea as the eagle presumably falls in. lIn addition, the last words of each stanza, “stands“ and “falls,“ are opposite to each other in definition. l“Falls“ is often used to convey death, while “stands“ is used to convey endurance. lThus, falls and the suddenness of the thunderbolt, together convey death. Paraphrase With its twisted claws , the eagle holds the rugged rock firmly .The bird appears to be sitting very close to the sun in a lonely part of some regions , encircled with the blue sky .Below the rock where the eagle is sitting is the furrowed sea which appears to be heaving .The eagle looks upon the sea from the rocky mountain , and as soon as it finds some object of prey , it swoops downward like the flash of lightning . Critical Appreciation lThe Eagle is a small poem , but rich in pictorial Quality .The poet describes an eagle sitting on a high rocky-peak holding with its twisted claws firmly .It appears very near to the sun in the blue sky .Below there is furrowed sea .The eagle pounces upon its object of prey from the high rock like a flash of lightning . lThe poem reveals the poets power of minute observation and precise delineation . lFor example , there are such matches expressions as “ The wrinkled sea beneath him crawls “ , “ And like a thunderbolt he falls “ , etc . lSo the texture of the poem is highly imaginative. lThe eagle in this poem symbol of outstanding personality of humanity: uniqueness, superiority, courage, strength, heroism, nobility lSummary: Tennyson expresses admiration for the birds beauty. lSimiles: like a thunderbolt he falls lPersonification: He clasps the crag with crooked hands He watches He stands Wrinkled sea crawls lRhyme scheme: AAA, BBB Form and devices: l1.single rhyme in each stanzasingleness and aloneness of the eagle; l2.alliteration in the first linethe hard consonant /k/ in the three words suggests hardness of the rock and firmness of the bird; Form and devices: l3.imagery or symbolism lthe eagle is symbolic of a noble person and free spririt; l the wrinkled sea: the masses or ordinary people; lthe sun: truth Form and devices: l4.contrast between the two stanzas: motionlessness and thunderbolt-like action Crossing the Bar Crossing the Bar Sunset and evening star, And one clear call for me! And may there be no moaning of the bar, When I put out to sea, But such a tide as moving seems asleep, Too full for sound and foam, When That which drew form out the boundless deep Turns again home. Twilight and evening bell, And after that the dark! And may there be no sadness of farewell, When I embark; For though from out our bourne of Time and Place The flood may bear me far, I hope to see my Pilot face to face When I have crossed the bar. lHis son gives the following interesting facts concerning its writing: “My father heard the moaning of the bar as he crossed from Aldworth to Farringford. Before he reached Farringford, he had the moaning of the bar in mind, and after dinner he showed me the poem written out. I said, That is the crown of your life work. He answered, It came in a moment. A few days before his death he said to me, Mind you, put Crossing the Bar at the end of all the editions of my poems. “ Crossing the Bar lMay be taken as his farewell word lfour quatrains rhyming ABAB lThe 1st and 3rd lines of each stanza are always a couple of beats longer than the 2nd and 4th lines, although the line lengths vary among the stanzas. sand, between the land and the sea life death The theme is that Tennyson expresses his optimistic attitude towards death when he is old. bar lA sandbar sometimes obstructs the passage of a ship from the harbor into the open water. lTennyson uses the metaphor of a sand bar to describe the barrier between life and death. l“crossing,“ suggesting Christian connotations: “crossing“ refers both to “crossing over“ into the next world, and to the act of “crossing“ oneself in the classic Catholic gesture