第七章8Thomas Gray

1、Sentimentalism in Poetrythe first half of the 18th centurythe middle of the 18th centurythe latter half of the 18th centurythe classicismenlightenersPopeheroic coupletsentimentalismpre-romanticismFeatures of Sentimental Writingsdiscontent with the social realitystruggle against feudalismsense the co

2、ntradictionsdissatisfied with reason2) countryside for the material3) sympathy for the poverty-stricken, expropriated peasants simple annals(历史记载历史记载)of the poor, still in a classical style1) sentimentRepresentatives of Sentimentalism Thomas Gray 托马斯托马斯格雷格雷 William Cowper 威廉威廉柯伯柯伯 George Crabbe 乔治乔治

3、格拉伯格拉伯Thomas Gray (26 December 1716 30 July 1771) An English poet, classical scholar and professor at Cambridge University Life of Thomas Gray Thomas Gray was born in Cornhill, London, the son of an exchange broker and a milliner. He was the fifth of 12 children and the only child in his family to s

4、urvive infancy. He lived with his mother after she left his abusive father. He was educated at Eton College where his uncle was one of the masters. He recalled his schooldays as a time of great happiness, as is evident in his Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College. Gray was a delicate and natural

5、ly scholarly boy who spent his time reading great literature and avoiding athletics. It was probably fortunate for the young and sensitive Gray that he was able to live in his uncles household rather than at college. He made three close friends at Eton. The four of them prided themselves on their se

6、nse of style, their sense of humour, and their appreciation of beauty. In 1734 Gray went up to Peterhouse, Cambridge. He found the curriculum dull. Supposedly he was intended for the law, but in fact he spent his time as an undergraduate reading classical and modern literature and playing Vivaldi an

7、d Scarlatti on the harpsichord for relaxation. In 1738 he accompanied his old school-friend Walpole on his Grand Tour, probably at Walpoles expense. They fell out and parted in Tuscany because Walpole wanted to attend fashionable parties and Gray wanted to visit all the antiquities. However, they we

8、re reconciled a few years later. Then, he wished his poems would become more popular. Elegy Written in a Country Churchyarda mode of sentimentalist poetrya keen interest in the English countryside and a sincere feeling for the life of common people“Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard” Its reflecti

9、ve, calm and stoic tone was greatly admired, and it was pirated, imitated, quoted and translated into Latin and Greek. It is still one of the most popular and most frequently quoted poems in the English language. The Elegy was recognised immediately for its beauty and skill. It contains many outstan

10、ding phrases which have entered the common English lexicon, either on their own or as referenced in other works. It was completed in 1750 and first published in 1751. The poems origins are debated, but it was inspired by Grays thoughts following the death of the poet Richard West in 1742. Originally

11、 titled Stanzas Wrote in a Country Church-Yard, Gray was prompted to finish the poem after the death of his aunt and other tragic events occurring at the end of 1749. The poem was completed in June 1750 as Gray was near the Stoke Poges churchyard and it was sent to his friend Horace Walpole, who pop

12、ularised the poem among London literary circles. Eventually, Gray was forced to publish the work on 15 February 1751 to pre-empt a magazine publisher from printing an unlicensed copy of the poem. The poem is not an elegy in the true sense; It employs a similar style to contemporary odes, but it does

13、 embody a meditation on death, and remembrance after death. The poem argues that the remembrance can be good and bad, and the narrator finds comfort in pondering the lives of the obscure rustics who are buried in the churchyard. The two versions of the poem approach death in a different manner; the

14、first version contains a more stoic response to death, but the final version of the poem contains an epitaph which serves to repress the narrators fear of dying. With its discussion of and focus on the obscure and the known, the poem has possible political ramifications, but it does not make any def

15、inite claims on politics to be more universal in its approach to life and death. “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard” a masterpiece of lyric Theme: a sentimental meditation upon life and death, esp. of the common rural people, whose life, though simple and crude, has been full of real happiness a

16、nd meaningPoetic pattern: quatrains of iambic pentameter lines rhyming ABABMood: melancholy, calm Style: neoclassic -vivid visual painting, -musical/rhythmic, -controlled and restrained, -polished language First page of Dodsleys illustrated edition of Grays Elegy with illustration by Richard Bentley

17、 Frontispiece to 1753 edition of Elegy by Bentley Holograph manuscript of Grays Stanzas Wrote in a Country Church-yardAnalysis of the Poem Section 1(lines 112) : The poem begins in a churchyard with a narrator who is describing his surroundings in vivid detail. The narrator emphasizes both aural and

18、 visual sensations as he examines the area in relation to himself Section 2 (lines 5372) : As the poem continues, the narrator begins to focus less on the countryside and more on his immediate surroundings. His descriptions begin to move from sensations to his own thoughts about the dead. As the poe

19、m changes, the narrator begins to emphasize what is not present in the scene as the narrator contrasts an obscure country life with a life that is remembered. This contemplation provokes the narrators thoughts on waste that comes in nature Section 3(lines 93100) : The narrator focuses on the inequit

20、ies that come from death, obscuring individuals, while he begins to resign himself to his own inevitable fate. As the poem ends, the narrator begins to deal with death in a direct manner as he discusses how humans desire to be remembered. As the narrator does so, the poem shifts and the first narrat

21、or is replaced by a second who describes the firsts death. Section 4(lines 101116) : The poem concludes with a description of the poets grave that the narrator is meditating over along with a description of the end of that poets life Section 5(lines 117128) : An epitaph is included after the conclus

22、ion of the poem. The epitaph reveals that the poet whose grave is the focus of the poem was unknown and obscure. The poet was separated from the other common people because he was unable to join with the common affairs of life, and circumstance kept him from becoming something greater Elegy Written

23、in a Country ChurchyardThe curfew tolls the knell of parting day, The lowing herd wind slowly oer the lea,The plowman homeward plods his weary way, And leaves the world to darkness and to me.Thomas Grays “Elegy”The curfew tolls the knell of parting day, 晚钟响起来一阵阵给白昼报丧，晚钟响起来一阵阵给白昼报丧，The lowing herd wind slowly oer the lea,牛群在草原上迂回，吼声起落，牛群在草原上迂回，吼声起落，宵禁钟声宵禁钟声,晚八点钟敲晚八点钟敲,是中世纪遣留下来的风俗。是中世纪遣留下来的风俗。 白日已尽白日已尽,晚钟好像是送别晚钟好像是送别白昼的丧钟。白昼的丧钟。牛鸣牛鸣 牛群牛群 grassland草地草地 v.