The West Land 荒原.ppt

英国文学 Unit15TheWasteLand IntroductiontoEliot ThomasStearnsEliotOM 26September1888 4January1965 wasanessayist publisher playwright literaryandsocialcriticand oneofthetwentiethcentury smajorpoets BorninSt Louis MissouriintheUnitedStates hemovedtotheUnitedKingdomin1914 atage25 andwasnaturalizedasaBritishsubjectin1927atage39 EliotattractedwidespreadattentionforhispoemTheLoveSongofJ AlfredPrufrock 1915 whichisseenasamasterpieceoftheModernistmovement Itwasfollowedbysomeofthebest knownpoemsintheEnglishlanguage includingTheWasteLand 1922 TheHollowMen 1925 AshWednesday 1930 andFourQuartets 1945 2 Heisalsoknownforhissevenplays particularlyMurderintheCathedral 1935 InOctober1922 EliotpublishedTheWasteLandinTheCriterion Eliot sdedicationtoillmigliorfabbro thebettercraftsman referstoEzraPound ssignificanthandineditingandreshapingthepoemfromalongerEliotmanuscripttotheshortenedversionthatappearsinpublication ItwascomposedduringaperiodofpersonaldifficultyforEliot hismarriagewasfailing andbothheandVivienneweresufferingfromnervousdisorders Thepoemisoftenreadasarepresentationofthedisillusionmentofthepost wargeneration Beforethepoem spublicationasabookinDecember1922 Eliotdistancedhimselffromitsvisionofdespair On15November1922 hewrotetoRichardAldington saying AsforTheWasteLand thatisathingofthepastsofarasIamconcernedandIamnowfeelingtowardanewformandstyle Thepoemisknownforitsobscurenature itsslippagebetweensatireandprophesy itsabruptchangesofspeaker location andtime Despitethis ithasbecomeatouchstoneofmodernliterature apoeticcounterparttoanovelpublishedinthesameyear JamesJoyce sUlysses Amongitsbest knownphrasesare Aprilisthecruelestmonth Iwillshowyoufearinahandfulofdust and Shantihshantihshantih TheSanskritmantraendsthepoem SummaryofTheWasteLand TheWasteLandbeginswithasectionentitled TheBurialoftheDead Init thenarrator perhapsarepresentationofEliothimself describestheseasons Springbrings memoryanddesire andsothenarrator smemorydriftsbacktotimesinMunich tochildhoodsledrides andtoapossibleromancewitha hyacinthgirl Thememoriesonlygosofar however Thenarratorisnowsurroundedbyadesolatelandfullof stonyrubbish Heremembersafortune tellernamedMadameSosostriswhosaidhewas thedrownedPhoenicianSailor andthatheshould feardeathbywater NexthefindshimselfonLondonBridge surroundedbyacrowdofpeople Hespotsafriendofhisfromwartime andcallsouttohim UnderthebrownfogofawinterdawnAcrowdflowedoverLondonbridge somany一群人流过伦敦桥 呵 这么多我没有想到死亡毁灭了这么多人 Thenextsection AGameofChess transportsthereaderabruptlyfromthestreetsofLondontoagildeddrawingroom inwhichsitsarich jewel bedeckedladywhocomplainsabouthernervesandwonderswhattodo Thepoemdriftsagain thistimetoapubatclosingtimeinwhichtwoCockneywomengossip Withinafewstanzas wehavemovedfromtheuppercrustofsocietytoLondon slow life TheFireSermon openswithanimageofariver Thenarratorsitsonthebanksandmusesonthedeplorablestateoftheworld AsTiresias heseesayoung carbuncular manhopintobedwithalonelyfemaletypist onlytoaggressivelymakelovetoherandthenleavewithouthesitation Thepoemreturnstotheriver wheremaidenssingasongoflament oneofthemcryingoverherlossofinnocencetoasimilarlylustfulman DeathbyWater thefourthsectionofthepoem describesadeadPhoenicianlyinginthewater perhapsthesamedrownedsailorofwhomMadameSosostrisspoke WhattheThunderSaid shiftslocalesfromtheseatorocksandmountains Thenarratorcriesforrain anditfinallycomes Thethunderthataccompaniesitushersinthethree prongeddictumsprungfromtheBrihadaranyakaUpanishad Datta dayadhvam damyata togive tosympathize tocontrol Withthesecommandments benedictionispossible despitethecollapseofcivilizationthatisunderway Londonbridgeisfallingdownfallingdownfallingdown TranslationofTheWasteLand TheBurialofTheDeadAprilisthecruelestmonth breedingLilacsoutofthedeadland mixingMemoryanddesire stirringDullrootswithspringrain Winterkeptuswarm coveringEarthinforgetfulsnow feedingAlittlelifewithdriedtubers 死者的葬礼四月最残忍 从死了的土地滋生丁香 混杂着回忆和欲望 让春雨挑动着呆钝的根 冬天保我们温暖 把大地埋在忘怀的雪里 使干了的 FallingtowersJerusalemAthensAlexandriaViennaLondonunreal倒下的楼阁呵耶路撒冷 雅典 亚历山大 维也纳 伦敦呵 不真实的 AnanalysisofTheWasteLand Eliot sopeningquotationsetsthetoneforthepoemasawhole SibylisamythologicalfigurewhoaskedApollo forasmanyyearsoflifeastherearegrainsinahandfulofsand North 3 Unfortunately shedidnotthinktoaskforeverlastingyouth Asaresult sheisdoomedtodecayforyearsandyears andpreservesherselfwithinajar Havingaskedforsomethingakintoeternallife shefindsthatwhatshemostwantsisdeath Deathaloneoffersescape deathalonepromisestheend andthereforeanewbeginning ThusdoesEliotbeginhismagisterialpoem labelinghisfirstsection TheBurialoftheDead atitlepulledfromtheAnglicanBookofCommonPrayer Hehasbeencarefultolayouthiscentralthemebeforethefirststanzahasevenbegun deathandlifeareeasilyblurred fromdeathcanspringlife andlifeinturnnecessitatesdeath CleanthBrooks Jr in TheWasteLand AnAnalysis seesthepoem sengineasaparadox Lifedevoidofmeaningisdeath sacrifice eventhesacrificialdeath maybelife giving anawakingtolife Eliot svisionisofadecrepitlandinhabitedbypersonswholanguishinanin betweenstate perhapsakintothatofDante sLimbo theylive butinsofarastheyseemtofeelnothingandaspiretonothing theyaredead EliotoncearticulatedhisphilosophyconcerningthesemattersinapieceofcriticismonBaudelaire oneofhischiefpoeticinfluences init Eliotintimatedthatitmaybebettertodoevilthantodonothingatall thatatleastsomeformofactionmeansthatoneexists Thiscriterionforexistence perhapsanantecedenttoExistentialism holdsactionasinherentlymeaningful Inactionisequatedwithwaste Thekeyimagein TheWasteLand maythenbeSosostris svisionof crowdsofpeople walkingroundinaring Theywalkandwalk butgonowhere Likewise theinhabitantsofmodernLondonkeeptheireyesfixedtotheirfeet theirdestinationmatterslittletothemandtheyflowasanunthinkingmass bedeckingthemetropolisinapathy Fromthisthicketofmalaise thenarratorclingstomemoriesthatwouldseemtosuggestlifeinallitsvibrancyandwonder summerraininMunich coffeeinaGermanpark agirlwearingflowers Whatiscrucialtothepoem ssensibility however istherecognitionthateventhesetripstothepast eventheseattemptstoregainhappiness mustendinfailureorconfusion Identitiesareinflux TheHofgartenmemoryprecipitatesaflurryofGerman BingarkeineRussin stamm ausLitauen echtdeutsch Translated thislinereadsroughlyas I mnotRussianatall IcomefromLithuania atrueGerman Itisnotclearwhothespeakeris butwhateverthecasethelineisnonsensical threedistinctregionsofEuropearementioned thoughLithuaniaarguablyhasfarmoretodowithRussiathanwithGermany Thesentenceitselfdependsonanonsequitur anticipatingbyalmostacenturyEurope scurrentcrisisofidentity withindividualnationsslowlylosinggroundtoacollectiveunion InEliot stime thatcontinentwasjustemergingfromthewreckageofWorldWarI asplinteredentityteeteringonchaos Germany inparticular sufferedfromasevereidentitydilemma withvariousfactionscompetingforauthority classesthatweredistrustfulofoneanother andtheoldbreedofmilitarystrong menitchingtorenewitselffortheblood drencheddecadestocome Thehistoricalconsiderationswillonlygosofar Biographicalinterpretationisaslipperyslope butitshouldnonethelessbenotedthatEliotwas atthetimeofthepoem scomposition sufferingfromacutenervousailments chiefamongthemsevereanxiety Itwasduringhistimeofrecuperationthathewasabletowritemuchof TheWasteLand buthisconflictedfeelingsabouthiswife Vivienne didnotmuchhelphisstateofmind Theambiguityoflove thepotentialofthatemotiontocausebothgreatjoyandgreatsorrow informsthepassageinvolvingthehyacinthgirl anotherfailedmemory asitwere Inthiscase EliotdescribesavisionofyouthfulbeautyinapieceofwritingthatseemsatfirsttostemmorefromEnglishRomanticismthanfromthearidmodernworldoftherestofthepoem Yourarmsfull andyourhairwet Water socherishedanelementandsolackinginthisdesolatewasteland herebringsforthflowersandhyacinthgirls andthepossibilityofhappiness howeverfleeting Thatveryvision however causesEliot seyestofail hisspeechtoforsakehim overendershimimpotent andheisleft neitherlivingnordead muchliketheaforementionedresidentsofLimbo Theparadoxisthatsuchjoyandhumanwarmthmightelicitsuchpainandcoldness Eliotsumsitupwiththeline Lookingintotheheartoflight thesilence UsingWagner sTristanundIsoldeasabook enddevice thefirstsuchquotationalludingtothebeginningsoflove theseconddescribingthetragedyofalovelost Eliottracesaswiftpassagefromlighttodarkness soundtosilence movementtostasis Tristanbeginsonaboat withthewindfreshlyblowing andendsontheshoreline awaitingaboatthatnevercomes Itisappropriate then thatthenarratorshouldturnnexttoaclairvoyant aftergazinguponthepast henowseekstointothefuture Water giveroflife becomesatokenofdeath thenarratorisnoneotherthanthedrownedPhoenicianSailor andhemust feardeathbywater ThisrealizationpavesthewayforthefamousLondonBridgeimage EliotdoesnotevendescribethewateroftheThames hesaveshisverseforthefogthatfloatsoverhead forthequalityofthedawn litsky andforthefacelessmassofmenswarmingthroughthedeadcity BorrowingheavilyfromBaudelaire svisionsofParis EliotpaintsaportraitofLondonasahaunted orhaunting specter wheretheonlysoundis dead andnomandaresevenlookbeyondtheconfinesofhisfeet WhenthenarratorseesStetson wereturntotheprospectofhistory WorldWarIisreplacedbythePunicWar withthisoddchoice Eliotseemstobearguingthatallwarsarethesame justashesuggeststhatallmenarethesameinthestanza sfinalline You hypocritelecteur monsemblable monfr re Hypocritereader mylikeness mybrother WeareallStetson Eliotisspeakingdirectlytous Individualfacesblurintotheill definedmassofhumanityastheburialprocessioninexorablyproceeds Naturalism Naturalismwasaliterarymovementtakingplacefromthe1880sto1940sthatuseddetailedrealismtosuggestthatsocialconditions heredity andenvironment