TheLastLeaf剖析学习课程

1、 O. Henry: pseudonym of William Sydney Porter（威廉西德尼波特）, American writer of short stories, best known for his ironic plot twists and surprise endings. His style of storytelling later became a model not only for short fiction, but also for American motion pictures and television programs.The AuthorO.

2、Henry(1862 1910)第1页/共14页第一页，编辑于星期日：点 二十七分。 He was born September 11, 1862 in North Carolina, where he spent his childhood. An acclaimed master of short stories and tales. Starting in 1895 he wrote a column for the Houston Daily Post（休斯敦邮报). In early 1898 Porter was found guilty of embezzlement（挪用） c

3、harges and sentenced to five years in an Ohio（俄亥俄州） prison. Three years and about a dozen short stories later, he emerged from prison as O. Henry to help shield his true identity. 2第2页/共14页第二页，编辑于星期日：点 二十七分。 O. Henry wrote with realistic detail based on his first-hand experiences both in Texas and i

4、n New York City. In 1907, he published many of his Texas stories in The Heart of the West. He moved to New York City, where over the next ten years before his death in 1910, he published over 300 stories and gained worldwide acclaim as Americas favorite short story writer. Porter died on June 5, 191

5、0 in New York City at the age of forty seven. An alcoholic, he died virtually penniless. 3第3页/共14页第三页，编辑于星期日：点 二十七分。 His main worksThe Four Million 四百万The Last Leaf最后一片叶子The Cop and the Anthem 警察与赞美诗The Furnished Room带家具出租的房间 The Gift of the Magi麦琪的礼物第4页/共14页第四页，编辑于星期日：点 二十七分。 Johnsy and Sue are art

6、ists who move into Greenwich Village in New York City. As Winter approaches and the weather gets colder, Johnsy becomes ill with pneumonia(肺炎）. She gets so sick that she believes that when the last leaf falls from the vine outside her window, she will die. An old artist, named Behrman, who lives in

7、the same building as the girls, braves a storm one night to paint a leaf on the wall a leaf that will never fall. Cold and wet from painting in the icy rain, he catches pneumonia and dies. This gives Johnsy the hope to survive her illness, and it also creates the masterpiece Behrman had always dream

8、ed of painting.第5页/共14页第五页，编辑于星期日：点 二十七分。A brief introduction to the plot1.1.趣味相投的两个年轻画家趣味相投的两个年轻画家Sue和和Johnsy成了好朋友，拥成了好朋友，拥有一间共同画室。有一间共同画室。2.Johnsy得了肺炎，很虚弱，得了肺炎，很虚弱，只能隔着小窗看着窗外那棵只能隔着小窗看着窗外那棵几乎光秃秃的常青藤，并在几乎光秃秃的常青藤，并在不停数着树上的叶子。不停数着树上的叶子。第6页/共14页第六页，编辑于星期日：点 二十七分。3.3.Johnsy情绪很低落，跟情绪很低落，跟Sue说，树上最后一片树叶落下说

9、，树上最后一片树叶落下的日子就是她离去的日子，的日子就是她离去的日子，Sue很担心她。很担心她。4.4.Sue把把Johnsy的想法告诉了也的想法告诉了也很关心她的老画家很关心她的老画家Behrman。第7页/共14页第七页，编辑于星期日：点 二十七分。5.5.一夜疾风暴雨后，一夜疾风暴雨后，Johnsy看到树上仍留有一片树叶，重看到树上仍留有一片树叶，重新鼓起了活下去的勇气。新鼓起了活下去的勇气。6.6.原来原来Behrman冒着风雨在墙冒着风雨在墙上画了一片树叶上画了一片树叶, ,因感风寒，因感风寒，他得了肺炎死了。老画家所他得了肺炎死了。老画家所画的最后一片叶子，成了他画的最后一片叶子，

10、成了他的毕生杰作。的毕生杰作。 第8页/共14页第八页，编辑于星期日：点 二十七分。The Surprise Ending O. Henrys trademark was the surprise ending that each of his stories contained. He would set a story moving in one direction, and just when the reader was convinced of the general direction of the narrative, the story would be completely

11、reversed. 第9页/共14页第九页，编辑于星期日：点 二十七分。 Although O. Henry certainly did not invent the short story, he mastered this form and perfected the technique of the surprise ending. O. Henry became a master at doing this by laying the construction for these endings in the story itself. He gives hints to his re

12、aders of the endings to come by briefly including details that seem unimportant at first memories. But become immensely important when the surprise ending is “revealed”. An example of this is in the story the last Leaf，where reader sees clues of what the old artist living downtowns has done to save

13、the life of the girl upstairs. 尽管短篇小说这种文学形式并非欧亨利首创，但他堪称这种文体的大师级人物，而且还将出人意料的这种结局技巧发扬至完美。在故事展开的过程中，他就开始为结局埋下伏笔，手法非常熟稔巧妙，通过那些初看似乎无关紧要的细节，设置，他不断给读者以小小的暗示，然而，直到故事真相大白的那一刻，读者才会意识到当初那些细枝末节是多么重要。最后一片叶子就是一个典型例子。在这篇小说里，读者其实可以发现很多蛛丝马迹，揭示楼下的那位老画家是如何挽救那位姑娘的生命的。第10页/共14页第十页，编辑于星期日：点 二十七分。 We know the old man has

14、been waiting his whole life to paint his masterpiece. Not until the very ending do we realize that the old artist has indeed fulfilled his dream while at the same time, fatally injuring himself in a selfless act of kindness. O.Herry is a master at leading the reader down one path of expectation, and

15、 then shattering these expectations at the surprising conclusion of the story. However, just as in “the last leaf”, these endings are rarely random acts of cruel fate. Instead, they are carefully constructed by the masterful author to show the reader the humanity of our frail and sometimes foolish,

16、but also generous and kind nature. 我们都知道，那位老人终生都在等待创出一部经典画作，可我们觉得是白日做梦。直到小说结尾，我们才意识到，他确确实实实现了梦想，同时却因为自己善良无私的行为身染重病致死。在小说中，欧亨利非常善于引导读者满怀期望地开始阅读，却在故事结尾用出人意料的结局打碎这一切期望。然而，正如在最后一片叶子里一样，这些结尾大多并非命运残酷无常造成的，而是这位大师级的作者精心构造出来的，旨在向读者揭示我们那脆弱、有时愚蠢却亦慷慨而善良的本性。第11页/共14页第十一页，编辑于星期日：点 二十七分。Summary The last leaf symbolizes the spirit of love, care and self-sacrifice and reflects the glory of humanity and miracle of life-saving.最后一