The West Land 荒原课件.ppt

英国文学 Unit15TheWasteLand 1 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 2 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 3 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 4 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 5 Thenextsection AGameofChess transportsthereaderabruptlyfromthestreetsofLondontoagildeddrawingroom inwhichsitsarich jewel bedeckedladywhocomplainsabouthernervesandwonderswhattodo Thepoemdriftsagain thistimetoapubatclosingtimeinwhichtwoCockneywomengossip Withinafewstanzas wehavemovedfromtheuppercrustofsocietytoLondon slow life TheFireSermon openswithanimageofariver Thenarratorsitsonthebanksandmusesonthedeplorablestateoftheworld AsTiresias heseesayoung carbuncular manhopintobedwithalonelyfemaletypist onlytoaggressivelymakelovetoherandthenleavewithouthesitation Thepoemreturnstotheriver wheremaidenssingasongoflament oneofthemcryingoverherlossofinnocencetoasimilarlylustfulman 6 DeathbyWater thefourthsectionofthepoem describesadeadPhoenicianlyinginthewater perhapsthesamedrownedsailorofwhomMadameSosostrisspoke WhattheThunderSaid shiftslocalesfromtheseatorocksandmountains Thenarratorcriesforrain anditfinallycomes Thethunderthataccompaniesitushersinthethree prongeddictumsprungfromtheBrihadaranyakaUpanishad Datta dayadhvam damyata togive tosympathize tocontrol Withthesecommandments benedictionispossible despitethecollapseofcivilizationthatisunderway Londonbridgeisfallingdownfallingdownfallingdown 7 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 8 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 9 AnanalysisofTheWasteLand Eliot sopeningquotationsetsthetoneforthepoemasawhole SibylisamythologicalfigurewhoaskedApollo forasmanyyearsoflifeastherearegrainsinahandfulofsand North 3 Unfortunately shedidnotthinktoaskforeverlastingyouth Asaresult sheisdoomedtodecayforyearsandyears andpreservesherselfwithinajar Havingaskedforsomethingakintoeternallife shefindsthatwhatshemostwantsisdeath Deathaloneoffersescape deathalonepromisestheend andthereforeanewbeginning 10 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 11 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 12 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 13 overendershimimpotent andheisleft neitherlivingnordead muchliketheaforementionedresidentsofLimbo Theparadoxisthatsuchjoyandhumanwarmthmightelicitsuchpainandcoldness Eliotsumsitupwiththeline Lookingintotheheartoflight thesilence UsingWagner sTristanundIsoldeasabook enddevice thefirstsuchquotationalludingtothebeginningsoflove theseconddescribingthetragedyofalovelost Eliottracesaswiftpassagefromlighttodarkness soundtosilence movementtostasis Tristanbeginsonaboat withthewindfreshlyblowing andendsontheshoreline awaitingaboatthatnevercomes 14 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 15 WhenthenarratorseesStetson wereturntotheprospectofhistory WorldWarIisreplacedbythePunicWar withthisoddchoice Eliotseemstobearguingthatallwarsarethesame justashesuggeststhatallmenarethesameinthestanza sfinalline You hypocritelecteur monsemblable monfr re Hypocritereader mylikeness mybrother WeareallStetson Eliotisspeakingdirectlytous Individualfacesblurintotheill definedmassofhumanityastheburialprocessioninexorablyproceeds 16 Naturalism Naturalismwasaliterarymovementtakingplacefromthe1880sto1940sthatuseddetailedrealismtosuggestthatsocialconditions heredity andenvironmenthadinescapableforceinshapinghumanchar