On the Sublime Beauty of Hemingway’s A Clean

1、On the Sublime Beauty of Hemingways A Clean贾强强【Abstract】ErnestHemingwayisfamousforhisshortstoriesandnovels.Andhisshortstoriesareallverysimpleanddirectnarrated.AClean,Well-LightedPlaceisoneofhisrepresentativeshortstories.OntheSublimeisaclassicsdealingwiththesublimebeautyofliteraryworkswrittenbyLongin

2、us.Theauthorthoughtthat“sublimityisacertaindistinctionandexcellenceinexpression,andthatitisfromnoothersourcethanthisthatthegreatestpoetsandwritershavederivedtheireminenceandgainedanimmortalityofrenown.AClean,Well-LightedPlaceispregnantwiththesublimeartisticelementsbothinthethemeandthelanguage.【Keywo

3、rds】ErnestHemingway;AClean,Well-LightedPlace;Longinus;sublimebeautyIntroductionAClean,Well-LightedPlaceisafamousshortstoryofHemingway.ThestorytakesplaceinaSpanishtownaftertheFirstWorldWar.Theplotisverysimple.Adeafoldmanwhowaswealthywassittinginacafealone.Hehadalreadybeenalittledrunk.Twowaitersuseddi

4、fferentattitudetowardshim.Theyoungerwaiterdrovehimawayrudelybecausehewantedtogohomeimmediately.Althoughalreadydrunk,theoldmanstillleftahalfpesetatipinapolitewaywhenheleft.Theolderwaiterhadthesamefeelingwiththeoldman,andhethoughttheywerelivinginalifefullof“nada,andeveryonewasconfusedwiththefuture.Lon

5、ginusisaRomepoetinthefirstCenturyA.D.OntheSublimeiswideacknowledgedashiswork.Inthiswork,Longinussaid“sublimityistheechoofagreatsoul,and“oursoulisupliftedbythetruesublime.ThereflectionofthethemeandtheusesofwritingskillsbyHemingwayinAClean,Well-LightedPlaceattractmanyreadersandmakethestorybeingasublim

6、eone.TheexplanationofsublimeinLonginusOntheSublime:OntheSublimeisafamousworkdealingwiththeaesthetics.Inthiswork,Longinuselaboratelyexplainedtheprincipalsourcesofelevatedlanguage.Helistedfiveprincipalsofsublime.Firstandthemostimportantisthepowerofforminggreatconceptions.Secondisthevehementandinspired

7、passion.Thirdistheuseoffiguresandtheforthisthenoblediction,whichinturncompriseschoicesofwords,anduseofmetaphors,andelaborationoflanguage.Thefifthcauseofelevationisdignifiedandelevatedcomposition.TheembodimentofsublimebeautyinAClean,Well-LightedPlace:ThesublimebeautyofthethemeinAClean,Well-LightedPla

8、ce:AsfarasLonginusconcerned,themostimportantelementofasublimeworkisthegreatconception.“Hencealsoabareidea,byitselfwithoutaspokenword,sometimesexcitesadmirationjustbecauseofthegreatnessofsoulimplied.basedonhisrichlifeexperience,Hemingwaychoseamovingsubjectbeforethereaders.Theauthorgavethereadersavivi

9、ddescriptionoftheoldmanslonelinessandhisvoid.Theoldmanwasrichbutdeepvoidandhislifewasfilledwithfrustration.Hesoughtacleanandwell-lightedplacetoescapefromthe“nadaforamomentofpeace.Hehidhimselfintheshadowoftheleavesofthetree.Atthistime,the“lightinthecafeshowsagreatcontrasttothereality,anditindicatesex

10、istence,order,hopeandsurvivalfortheoldman.Thethemeofthestorynada,infact,isnotapersonalfearofaspecificthing,butafearoftheunknownfuture.AftertheFirstWorldWar,therewasagroupofpeoplecalledthe“lostgeneration,whoheldnegativeattitudetofuturelife.Theydidntknowwhattheyshoulddoandtheyweresurroundedbyasenseofc

11、onfusionandmeaninglessness,justastheolderwaiter.Hemingwayhimselfisoneofthem,andhisfamousworkslikeTheSunAlsoRisesandAFarewelltoArmsarerepresentationsoflostgeneration.LonginusthoughtthereasonforSapphosworksuccesslies“intheskillswithwhichsheselecsandbindstogetherthemoststrikingandvehementcircumstanceso

12、fpassion.ItisalsothesamewithHemingwaysAClean,Well-LightedPlace.ThesublimebeautyofthewritingskillsinAClean,Well-LightedPlace:Hemingwaysworksareknownfortheuseofthe“icebergtheory,whichindicatesthattheconflictsandthechangesinhisworksarenotdiscoveredimmediately.Longinuspointedthelatterthreeprincipalsourc

13、esofsublimearethefiguresofspeech,nobledictionanddignifiedandelevatedcomposition,andtheyare“partlytheproductofart.TheexcellentwritingskillsofHemingwayinAClean,Well-LightedPlacealsoshowthesublimebeauty.Firstly,Longinusproposedseveralrhetoricaldevicesthatcanproducethesublimebeauty,suchas“thefigureofque

14、stionandanswer,“hyperbataorinversions,“polyptotaand“periphrasis.InAClean,Well-LightedPlace,Hemingwaymainlyused“thefigureofquestionandanswertoshowthesublimebeauty.Inthestory,thereisaparagraphwhichnarratestheolderwaitersconversationwithhimselfwhenheturnedofftheelectriclight.“Whatdidhefear?Itwasnotafea

15、rordread.Itwasanothingthatheknewtoowell.Itwasallanothingandamanwasanothingtoo.Fromhisownconversation,wecanseetheworldisfullof“nothing.Thehumanisalsoa“nothing,andtheydidntknowwhattheyshoulddo.Longinussaid“questionsaskedandansweredbyoneselfsimulateanaturaloutburstofpassion,sothesenseofalienationandmea

16、ninglessnessofthesocietyandpeopleinthisperiodisdeepreflectedinthesefewlines.Secondly,whenitcomestothenoblediction,Longinussaidtheproperdictioncanmaketheworks“grandeur,beauty,mellowness,dignity,force,power,andanyotherhighqualitiestheremaybe,but“thatstatelylanguageisnottobeusedeverywher.ThelanguageofH

17、emingwaysworksisverysimpleandeasytounderstand.AClean,Well-LightedPlaceisalmostadialogue.Thedictionisveryeasy,butthemeaningbehinditissignificant.Theoldmanonlysaidfoursentences,threeofthemaskedthewaiterstogivehimanotherbrandy,buthisimagesaredeeplyrootedinthesefoursentences.Whatsmore,withthediscussiono

18、fthetwowaitersabouttheoldmanssuicide,hisimagesoflonelinessandvoidarereflectedvividly.Whentheolderwaitersaidplayfullytotheyoungerwaiterthat“youhavenofearofgoinghomebeforeyourusualhour,wecanindicatethemoraldegradationofthattime.Forhis“icebergtheory,Hemingwaytriedhisbesttomakepeopleunderstandthe“oneeig

19、hthonthesurfaceofthewater,andatthesametime,attractedthereaderstoimaginetherest“seveneighthunderthewaterbetter.Thatistheextraordinaryaspectabouthisdiction.Lastbutnotleast,thelastprincipalsourceofsublimeis“dignifiedandelevatedcomposition,whichisrelatedtothestructureofthewholework.Longniussaid“thechief

20、causesofthesublimeinspeech,.isthecollocationofmembersand“whenformedintoabodybyassociationandwhenfurtherencircledinachainofharmonytheybecomesonorousbytheirveryrotundity.Thestorybeginswiththedescriptionofthe“clean,well-lightedplaceandthecontrastwiththedaytimeofthestreet,anditendswiththeolderwaiterspraiseofthe“clean,well-lightedplace.Forthestructureofthestory,itseemstoformacircle,whichgivesreadersawholeandcompleteimpressionofthe