美国文学欧亨利_O_Henry1

1、O. Henry 欧亨利The famous American critical realist writer 美国著名批判现实主义作家 One of the three great masters of short stories of the world (others are: Anton Chekhov契诃夫，Guy de Maupassant 莫泊桑 ).世界三大短篇小说巨匠之一。 Manhattan laureate prose writer and the father of modern American short stories. 曼哈顿桂冠散文作家和美国现代短篇小说之父。

2、 “Encyclopedia of American life with humor”. 美国生活的幽默百科全书美国生活的幽默百科全书Name of O.HenryPen name : O.HenryAnother pen name :Olivier HenryHis primitive name : Williams Sydney Porter 原名：威廉姆斯西德尼波特Life of O.Henry. 1. Borned in North Carolina in1862; his father was a physician（内科医生）. 2. Received little educati

3、on.He left school at 15 years old , but he was an avid reader. 3.Rich in working experiences. He did a variety of jobs such as clerk, book keeper, reporter. 4. Accused of stealing in 1894 and captured in1897.He was sentenced to 5 years imprisonment . At this period , he bagan to write and became suc

4、cessful in writing.But he wrote for bread.Life of O.Henry His last years was tragic as a result of alcoholism,financial problem,and poor health. He died of cirrhosis（肝硬化） of the liver on June 5, 1910, in New York. He was 48 years old when he dead.Three subject matters1) The United States western lif

5、e （西部生活（西部生活 ）2) Latin American life （拉美生活）（拉美生活）3) urban subject （大都市生活）（大都市生活） three major novels reflect the subject matters: The heart of the west（西部之心）: describing the western grasslands and cowherd people live-描写西部草原生活 cabbages and kings（白菜与国王）: Central America -中美洲 Four million（四百万）: the city

6、 life, especially New York life-城市生活，特别是纽约生活Setting Most of stories took place in the early 20th centure in New York, especially in Manhattan. He is concerned about lower class people,and most of his works focus on the ordinary paople in an urban background.Writing technique1.Humorous：幽默：幽默 2.Realis

7、tic：写实：写实3.O Henrys Twisting End ： 欧亨利式结尾欧亨利式结尾1.Humorous：幽默：幽默 Humor is one of American literary traditions.O. Henry inherited this tradition, and was influenced by the contemporary writers. Moreover, his own unusual experiences contribute to his unique sense of humor called tearful smile - filled

8、with bitter laughter,exaggeration,irony . 2. Realistic technique His description is always lively and vivid . Many of his stories contain a great deal of slang （俚语）and colloquial（通俗的） expression that made them hard to be understood by people outside of American.This is called local colour. Besides,m

9、ost leading characters in the stories are poor people.3.Twisting end The so-called O. Henrys twist ending means: the end of the article makes sense not only unexpected but logical and convincing.（意（意料之外，情理之中）料之外，情理之中）e.g. Gift of the Magi, the last piece of ivy leaves“ and “The cop and the anthem”.A

10、rtistic feature 1.Narrative structure,well structured plot , and witty narration.构思新颖，情节巧妙。All of stories are marked by twist of plot and short in size.And the very plot turns on an ironic or coincidental circumstance. 2.The use of twist ending.That is climax or unexpected conclusion to a work of fi

11、ction. It often contains irony and causes the readers to reexamine the characters or narrative.追思追忆的效果。 3 .Foreshadowing beginning.伏笔式开端 He always prepared for the clues for the ending cleverly.Artistic feature 4. Style: humurous , clear, witty. Most of his stories are irony and abound in good- natu

12、red humor.O.Henrys own speech , both spoken and written, is always clear. Throughout whole life，He wrote 281 short stories(短篇)，only 1 novel（长篇）and several poems（诗） in total.works: Novel collections 1904: Cabbages and Kings白菜与皇帝 唯一的长篇小说 1906: The Four Million四百万 1907: Heart of the West西部的心 1907: The

13、Trimmed Lamp剪亮的灯盏 1908: The Voice of the City城市之声 1908: The Gentle Grafter善良的骗子 1909: Roads of Destiny命运之路 1909: Options选择 1910: Strictly Business毫不通融 1911: Sixes and Sevens乱七八糟 1917：Waifs and Strays 流浪儿 Twenty years later 二十年后 Mammon and the Archer 财神和爱神 A Cosmopolite in a Caf 咖啡馆里的世界公民 “The Cop an

14、d the Anthem”警察与赞美诗 “The Furnished Room”带家具出租的房间 “The Gift of the Magi” 麦琪的礼物 “The Last Leaf” 最后一片叶子 “A Service of Love” 爱的隐秘 “The Ransom of Red Chief”红酋长的赎金 works:Some masterpiecesThe Cop and the Anthem Published in 1904 Embodying(体现）体现） his classic elements: a setting in New York city; an empathet

15、ic look at the state of mind of the member of the lower class; an ironic ending.The Cop and the Anthem plot summary: With winters coming, Soapy wanted to be arrested. swindling （欺骗）（欺骗）a restaurant vandalizing （摧残）（摧残）the window of luxury shop sexually harassing （扰乱）（扰乱）a young woman; pretending to be publicly intoxicated（喝醉的）（喝醉