Edgar Allan Poe.ppt

EdgarAllanPoe HeheldauniquepositionintheAmericanliteraryhistory GeorgeBernardShawoncesaidAmericahadonlytwogreatwriters EdgarAllanPoeandMarkTwain PrecursoroftheWesternmodernistliterature SomeFrenchsymbolistwritersregardedhimastheirspiritualleader Todayheisstillcelebrated recognizedasthemasterofshortstoryandamasterofsoundandrhymeinpoetry 1 Life 1809 1849 Helivedashortandtragiclife 1 miserablechildhood lostbothofhisparentswhenhewasveryyoung adoptedbyawealthymerchant JohnAllan Poe srelationwiththeAllanswasunhappy 2 EnteredUniversityofVirginiaandthenWestPointbutdidnotfinish 3 Workedaseditorandwritermostofhislifeandwasalwayspoor 4 At27hemarriedhisthirteen year oldcousin whosedeathin1847lefthiminconsolable 2 Works Allkindsofliteraryproductions poemsandshortstoriesaremorefamous A Hisliterarycriticism markedthebeginningoftruecriticisminhiscountry Hisbasictheoryis artforart ssake aestheticism thepurposeofartispleasureseeking Remember inthe19thcentury didacticismwasprevailing sohistheorywasdislikedbyhiscontemporaries HecriticizedLongfellowfordidacticism Poemsshouldbeshort conciseandreadableatonesitting Theaimofpoemwritingisbeauty themostbeautifulthingdescribedbyapoemisthedeathofabeautifulwoman thedesirabletoneofapoemismelancholy Heopposeddidacticpoems thepoemisnotadidacticvehicleHestressedtheformofpoems especiallythebeautifulandneatrhyme Thepoemcannotbeparaphrased oranalyzed Itisaself containedunity notrelyingonanyexternalthings Hispoetictheoryisnotfairatalltime Forexample accordingtohim ParadiseLostisnotagoodpoem Summary Poetryconcernsitselfnotwithlifeortruthornature butwithbeautyalone Itusuallyaimsatproducingonesingleimpression Thethreemajorcomponentsofpoetry beauty purityandmelody ThePoeticPrinciple anessay ThePhilosophyofComposition Poestressesrhythm definestruepoetryas therhythmicalcreationofbeauty anddeclaresthat musicisthesoul oridea ofpoetry B AmongPoe spoeticoutput aboutadozenpoemsareremarkablefortheirflawlessliteraryconstructionandfortheirhauntingthemesandmeters In TheRaven 1845 forexample thenarratorisoverwhelmedbymelancholyandomensofdeath Poe sextraordinarymanipulationofrhythmandsoundisparticularlyevidentin TheBells 1849 apoemthatseemstoechowiththechimingofmetallicinstruments andTheSleeper 1831 whichreproducesthestateofdrowsiness Lenore 1831 andAnnabelLee 1849 areverselamentationsonthedeathofabeautifulyoungwoman Famouspoems TheRaven AnnabelLee ToHelen Sonnet toScience etc C Allhispoemswerewrittenaccordingtohispoetictheoryandhaveastrongdreamycolor D Sample ToHelen p 59 OneofthemostfamousofPoe slyrics InspiredbythebeautyofaschoolmateofPoeFamousforanumberofthings rhymescheme variedlinelengths metaphorofatravelonthesea 参考中文译本 余光中译 致海伦海伦 你的美貌对于我像古代奈西亚的那些帆船在芬芳的海上悠然浮起把劳困而倦游的浪子载还回到他故国的港湾惯于在惊险的海上流浪你风信子般的柔发 古典的面孔你女神的风姿召我回乡回到昨日希腊的光荣和往昔罗马的盛况看 那明亮的窗龛中间我看见你像一座神像站立玛瑙的亮灯擎在你手里哦 赛琪 你所来自的地点原是那遥远的圣地 2 ShortStory Bothforms heargued shouldaimat acertainuniqueorsingleeffect bestexemplifiedin Ligeia 1838 thetalePoeconsideredhisfinest and TheFalloftheHouseofUsher 1839 whichwastobecomeoneofhismostfamousstories WhetherornotPoeinventedtheshortstory itiscertainthatheoriginatedthenovelofdetection Best TheGoldBug 1843 aboutasearchforburiedtreasure TheMurdersintheRueMorgue 1841 TheMysteryofMarieRog 1842 1843 and ThePurloinedLetter 1844 areregardedaspredecessorsofthemodernmystery ordetective story C Features hissubjectmattersareusuallytheabnormal thegrotesqueA GothicelementsB Deepanalysisofhumanpsychology HenoticedthesubconsciousofhumanmindnearlyonehundredyearsbeforeFreud HewasalsothefirstAmericanauthorwhotookneuroticcharactersasmaincharactersinhisstories C Precursorofdetectivestoriesoranalyticaltales e g TheMurdersintheRueMorgue andsciencestories Gothicnovel GothicnovelasonebranchoftheEnglishliteratureandthefatherofhorrormoviesoriginsfromTheCastleofOtranto 1764 Moreimportantly itleadshabituallywithdarknessandhorror Gothicelementsincludehorror mystery supernaturalphenomenon misfortune death hauntedhouses andfamilycurses ItsbirthisdeeplyconnectedwiththeideasofCemeteryPoets 墓园派诗人 atthattime aswellaswithGothicaestheticstandardraisedbyEdmundBurke 3 Conclusion 1 style ordinary traditional 2 language mannerism 3 acontroversialfigureinAmericanliteraryhistory PoewascriticizedbyseveralfamousAmericanwriters suchasEmerson HenryJamesandMarkTwain However hisworkswerewelcomedinEurope especiallyinFrance 4 greatinfluenceonaestheticism WilliamFaulkner Baudelaire 法国著名诗人波德莱尔 有著名诗集 恶之花 etc TheCaskofAmontillado Consideredbysomecritics thefinestofallPoe stalesofhorror Plotwise featuringthefirst personnarrator sretellingofhissuccessfulrevenge enactedagainstafool ironically namedFortunato fiftyyearsbefore RevengecameintheformofimmurementforFortunato inthecrypts alsousedasawinecellar farbelowthenarrator spalazzo whiletheformerwasdrunkandill Thenarrator amemberoftheonceillustriousMontresorfamily nevermentionsaspecificreasonforFortunato sprematuredemise achillingstory butPoealsouseshumorouselementsasthenarratorrecountshisexperiencewithFortunato Canyouidentifyelementsinthestorythatmightberegardedashumorous Whatdoesthehumoraddtothestory Althoughthenarratorseemstoassumethathisactionsarejustified hecertainlycanbeinterpretedasavillain Whatcharacteristicsofthenarratormakehimaneffectivevillain ThenarratorneverspecifieswhyhehatesFortunato Instead hestatesonlythatFortunatocaused athousandinjuries tothenarratorandeventually ventureduponinsult WhatisyourgeneralimpressionofFortunato DoanyofFortunato swordsandactionssupportthenarrator sbeliefthatFortunatoisworthyofhatred DoanyofFortunato swordsandactionsrefutethenarrator sbeliefthatFortunatoisworthyofhatred Whatelementsofthesettinginthisstorywouldyouconsidertypicalofahorrorstory Whatelementsseemunusual Theme canbedefinedas acommentaboutthehumanconditionthatawritermakesthroughhisorherwork andathemeorthemesareoftenwhatmakeaworkofliteraturerelevanttoallofourlives Canyouidentifyoneormorethemesin TheCaskofAmontillado Inotherwords canyouidentifyanygeneralcommentsaboutlifeandthehumanconditionthatPoeissuggestingthroughthespecificsofthisstory Readingcritically quiteadifferencebetweenreadingandreadingcritically readandrereadwithaquestioningmind continuallyaskingyourself Whythis and Whythat Readingcriticallyrequiresyoutopayattentionnotonlytowhatawriterissayingbutalsotohowheorsheisconveyingmeaning Byreadingatextcritically youcanidentifyandunderstandthecomplexitiesandinterrelatedelementsinatextthatcasualreadersmaynevernotice Greatworksofliteraturerevealtheirgreatnesstoreaderswhoapproachthemcritically TheCaskofAmontillado isoneofPoe smostwell knownhorrorstories Itisfascinatinginitsthemeandmasterfulinitstightlywovensymbolismandcontrast Onlythreenamesarementionedinthework Fortunato Luchresi orLuchesiinsomeversions andMontressor allthreeofwhicharesuggestiveoftreasure TwoofthesenamesareItalian fromwhicharederivedthewords fortunate and lucrativ