《瓦尔登湖》的文体学分析

1、英语文体学结课论文对梭罗的瓦尔登湖的文体学分析班级：英语07-2班姓名：李晓璐学号：310714010207AbstractThispaperwillintroducethebackgroundofHenryDavidThoreau.HismasterpieceWalden,orLifeintheWoodsishonoredtobeasGreenBible.Thebookembodieshisphilosophyandreflectshisindependentcharacter.Thepaperwilladoptstylisticanalysis,whichwillbehelpfulforu

2、stobetterunderstandthethemeandaestheticeffectofthebookandatthesametimethestylisticanalysisofthebookalsohasstrongsocialinfluence.Atpresent,ourChinesemodernconstructioncomestoanewstep,ithassomesimilaritieswithAmericaatthetimeofHenryDavidThoreau,sohowtokeepbalancebetweentheeconomicgrowthandthenaturalpr

3、otectionisnotthedesireofcitizens,butalsothedemandsofharmonioussociety.Sotheanalysisofthebookcanbenefitusalot.KeyWords:ThoreauH.D;Walden,orLifeintheWoods;StylisticAnalysisChapter1IntroductionThesignificantPlaceofHenryDavidThoreauinAmericanLiteratureHenryDavidThoreau,Americanwriter,philosopher,andnatu

4、ralistwhobelievedintheimportanceofindividualism.Whenhewasyoung,heheardaspeechofRalphWaldoEmersonwhichwascalledTheAmericanScholarandthisspeechwasthoughttobetheguideforyoungThoreau,itledhimtothetranscendentalism.Heshowedgreatinterestintranscendentalismandorientalbookswhichwerefullofmysteriousphilosoph

5、y.Inacommercial,conservative,expedientsocietythatwasrapidlybecomingurbanandindustrial,heupheldtherighttoself-culture,toanindividuallifeshapedbyinnerprinciple.Hedemandedforallmenthefreedomtofollowuniquelifestyles,tomakepoemsoftheirlivesandlivingitselfanart.Inarestless,expandingsocietydedicatedtopract

6、icalaction,hedemonstratedtheusesandvaluesofleisure,contemplation,andaharmoniousappreciationofandcoexistencewithnature.Becauseofhisprolifictalentsinliterature,hewashonoredtobeasAmericanenvironmentalpioneerandmentalmasterofphilosophy.Chapter2TheStylisticAnalysisofWalden,orLifeintheWoodsAGeneralOvervie

7、woftheBookWaldenwaspublishedin1854,sevenyearsafterHenryDavidThoreauendedhisstayinasmallcabinnearWaldenPond.InWalden,Thoreaucondensedeventsofhistwenty-sixmonthsojournintooneyear,forliterarypurposes.Theeighteenchapterscelebratetheunityofnature,humanity,anddivinity-acentralideaoftranscendentalism-andpo

8、rtrayThoreauslifeatWaldenPondasanidealmodelforenjoyingthatunity.Thoreauwasverycriticalofmoderncivilization.Hefeltthatmanshouldseektruthdirectlybyhimselfandnotthroughimitationofothers.Thisbookdoesnotattractthecorrespondingattentionatthattime:Astimegoesby,itbecomeshotterandhotter.Walden,orLifeintheWoo

9、dswashonoredoneofthe25masterpieceswhichshapepeopleslife;In1985,itwasbestowedoneof10bookswhichhadtheabilitytoconstructAmericanscharacter.StylisticAnalysisStylisticanalysisofWalden,orLifeintheWoodswillbedividedintofourparts.Theyarelexicallevel,grammaticallevel,figuresandspeech,cohesionandcontext.2.21L

10、exicalLevelGeoffreyN.LeechandMichaelH.ShortinStyleinFiction(2001)haveexplainsuchtheorythatthewordsarethebasesofaparagraph,achapter,evenabook.Specialemploymentofspecialwordscangetspecialeffect,forexample,theycanenhancethedescriptionsandprotrudethetheme.Thoreauisaspecialman,sohisthoughts,suchashisaffe

11、ctionfornatureandlife,hisindependentstyle,hispositiveideas,hisinnocentandnaughtycharacteristicsoftenappearinhisbook.Letusappreciatethemonebyone.EmploymentofAdjectivesExample1:“BreadIatfirstmadeofpureIndianmealandsalt,genuinehomecakes,whichIbakedbeforemyfireoutofdoorsonashingleortheendofastickoftimbe

12、rsawedoffinbuildingmyhouse,butitwaswonttogetsmokedandtohaveapineflavor”(2004:52).Inthepassage,hetrieshisbesttomakepureIndianmealandsalt,genuinehomecakes,therearetwoadjectives“pure”and“genuine”,whichcanfullymakeusimaginethat“howdoesthewriterdo?Wheredoeshedo?Whathewoulduse?”andsoaseriesofinterestingqu

13、estionswhichcanlargelyenhanceourappreciation.Example2:“IwenttothewoodsbecauseIwishedtolivedeliberately,tofrontonlytheessentialfactsoflifeandseeifIcouldnotlearnwhatithadtoteach,andnot,whenIcametodie,discoverthatIhadnotlived”(2004:77).Letuspayspecialattentiontotheadjectives“deliberately,essential”,fro

14、mwhichwecanseethehardlifeofThoreau,thoughwhenhemeetshisdifficultdays,hedoesnotgiveup.InourChinesehistory,therearesomepeoplewhowouldliketogiveuptheirmoney,theirlands,eventheirlivesinordertoachievetheirpursuits.JustasaChinesemanhasoncesaidthatifapeoplewantstohaveapositioninhistory,hemustknowwhatshould

15、begivenupandwhatshouldbestuckto.HenryDavidThoreauhasafirmbeliefintranscendentalism,hethinkthatthepeoplecanhavedirectconnectionwiththenature,soinordertocompletehisbelief,inordertoexperiencethenature,heleavesnoisyworldforthehugofnature,sothesesentencesexpresshispuristfortherealityoflife.Example3:“Myre

16、sidencewasmorefavorable,notonlytothought,buttoaseriesofreading,thanauniversity,andthoughIwasbeyondtherangeoftheordinarycirculatinglibrary.Ihadmorethanevercomewithintheinfluenceofthosebookswhichcirculatingroundtheworld,whosesentenceswerefirstwrittenonbark,andarenowmerelycopiedfromtimetotimeontolinenp

17、aper”(2004:85).Asweknow,whenThoreaulivesinWalden,hecomesintohislandwhichheexpectsalotbefore.Helikeshishouse,evenitisonlyahut,becauseasfarasHenryDavidThoreauconcerned,thishutprovidesanidealplaceforhimtolistentothenature,Whenheputshimselfinthenature,hefindsthathecomesintoahugelibrary,thenaturewilltell

18、peoplewhentogiveseedstolandandhowtoworkwiththelandinordertogetagoodharvest.Thenatureneveradvisespeopletocopybecauseeverydayforitselfisfreshandeveryonehastheabilitytoachievehimself.IthinkthispassagealsoreflectsthebadhabitofcopyinginAmericanliteratureatthattime.Thoughhehastosufferthepovertyoflifeand“s

19、olitude”ofspirit,thoughheonlylivesinasimplehut,butintheeyesofhim,thelifeis“favorable”andheisabsorbedinthereadingofnature.Thisadjectiveexhibitsapositiveman.EmploymentofVerbsAccordingtoGeoffreyN.Leech,StyleinFiction(2001),verbshavestrongexpressiontoshowthestateandatmosphere,theadoptionsofdefiniteverbs

20、canmakethedescriptionsmoreimpressive.Ofcourse,Thoreauisgoodatcomposition,hehasgoodabilitytohandletheverbs.Example1:Atthebeginningofthebook,hewrites:”whenIwrotethefollowingpapers,orratherthebulkofthem,Ilivedalone,inthewoods,amilefromanyneighbor,inahousewhichIhadbuiltmyself,ontheshoreofWaldenpond,inCo

21、ncord,Massachusetts,andearnedmylivingbythelaborofmyhandsonly.Ilivedtheretwoyearsandtwomonths.Atpresent,Iamasojournerincivilizedlifeagain.Iseeyoungmen,mytownmen,whosemisfortuneistohaveinheritedfarms,houses,barns,cattle,andfarmingtools,forthesearemoreeasilyacquiredthangotridofsomeofyou,weallknow,arepo

22、or,findithardtolive,aresometimes,asitwere,gaspingforbreath”(2004:21).Fromthesentences,wecanseethewords“wrote,lived,hadbuilt,earned”,whichclearlyshowustwoThoreau:oneisthepresentandtheotheristhepast.ThepresentThoreaulivesinahutandhehastodoeverythingbyhimself,butheishappy；ThepastThoreaulivesincity,hene

23、edsnottodoeverythingbyhimself,butheisunhappy.Sofromthewordswecanseetheindependentandcompassionatecharacteristicsofhim.Example2:“IhavethussurveyedthecountryoneverysidewithinadozenmilesofwhereIlive,inimaginationIhaveboughtallthefarmsinsuccession,forallweretobebought,andIknowtheirprice.Iwalkedovereachf

24、armer,tastedhiswildapples,discoursedonhusbandrywithhim,tookhisfarmathispriceonit.Itookevery,buthimtosomeextent,Itrust,andwithdrawwhenIhadenjoyeditlongenough,leavinghimtocarryiton”(2004:69).Inthesentences,“surveyed,tasted,discoursed”exhibithisaffectionforhisresidencestrongly,whenhegoesintothenature,h

25、efindsallthingsbelongstohim,thelands,thefarms,thefruits,sothesewordsdeepenourunderstandingofThoreau.EmploymentofColloquialwordsBecausewhenthewriterwrotethebook,helivedinconcord,avillage,soitisapparentforustoseealotofcolloquialwords,whichmakethelanguagestylefresh.Letusseesomeexamples.Example1:“WhenIr

26、eturntomyhouseIfindthatvisitorshavebeenthereandlefttheircards,eitherabunchofflowers,orawreathofevergreen,oranameinpencilonayellowwantleaforachip”(2004:93).Example2:“Iplantedabouttwoacresandahalfofupland,anditwasonlyaboutfifteenyearssincethelandwascleared,andImyselfhadgotouttwoorthreecordsofstumps,Id

27、idnotgiveitanymanure”(2004:138).Fromthetwoexamples,thecolloquialwords“I,evergreenacre”makethedescriptionofthepassagemorerustic,fromthewholebook,theadoptionoflocallanguageisveryoftenandthestylemakesthefeaturesofthelanguagefresher,moreaccessible.GrammaticalLevelThispartisdividedintotwoparts,whichareem

28、ploymentofparallelismsentencesandquestionsentences.A.EmploymentofParallelismSentencesandtheOtherGeoffreyN.LeechandMichaelH.ShorthaveoncesaidinStyleinFiction(2001)thatsomestructurescanexhibitstrangeeffects.Inthebook,wecanseealotofparallelismsentences,whichstressthetonealot.Letusseesomeexamples.Exampl

29、e1:“SomehaveaskedwhatIgottoeat.IfIdidnotfeellonesome,ifIwasnot,andthelike.OthershavebeencurioustolearnwhatportionofmyincomeIdevotedtocharitablepurpose,andsome,whohavelargefamilies,howmanypoorchildrenImaintained”2004:32.Intheparagraph,theparallelismsentence“ifIdidnotfeellonesome,ifIwasnot,andthelike”

30、expressesthecuriosityofthelocalpeople.Example2:“Ihavetraveledagooddealinconcord,andeverywhereinshops,andoffices,andfields,theinhabitantshaveappearedtometobedoingpenanceinathousandremarkableway.WhatIhaveheardofsittingexposedtofourfiresandlookinginthefaceofthesun,orhangingsuspendedshouldersuntilitbeco

31、mesimpossibleforthemtoresumetheirnaturalposition,whilefromthetwistofthenecknothingbutliquidscanpassintothestomach,ordwellingchainedforlife,atthefootofatree;oronelegonthetopsofpillars-eventheseformsofconsciouspenancearehardlymoreincredibleandastonishingthanthesceneswhichIdailywitness”2004:56.Inthesen

32、tence,“and,or”arerepeatedseveraltimes,andfromtheparallelismsentences,asifwearesocuriousaswellastheauthorbecausetheanecdotesofthelocalpeoplearesotrue,andthepatterncausesatensestressonus,whenwehearthesethings,thereisalittleofscarebesidesthecuriosity,anditalsoemphasizestheauthorsaffectionforthefield.B.

33、EmploymentofQuestionSentencesTheadoptionofquestionsentencescanmakeusfeelthatwearewiththeauthorandthestylecanmakeusthinkaboutthatwhytheauthorhassuchquestion?Andcorrespondingly,thiswillbehelpfultodeepenourcontemplationsofthebook.Example1:“Whomadethemserfsofthesoil?Whyshouldtheyeattheirsixtyacres,whenm

34、aniscondemnedtoeatonlyhispeckofdirt?Whyshouldbegindiggingtheirgraves”(2004:48).Inthetext,theauthorusesaseriesofquestions,fromwhichwecanseehisindignationovertheinequalitybetweentherichandthepoor,hecallsforpeopletoliveindependently,weshouldnotbegforfoodfromourparents,soithassocialinfluenceandthepatter

35、nofquestionsentenceimpressesusalot.Example2:“Ifweliveinthe19thcentury,whyshouldwenotenjoytheadvantageswhichitoffers?Whyshouldourlifebeinanyrespecttheprovincial?Ifwewillreadnewspapers,whynotskipthegossipofBostonandtakethebestnewspaperintheworldatonce?Notbesuckingthepapofneutralfamilypaper,orbrowsingo

36、livebrancheshereinEngland.Letthereportsofallthelearnedsocietiescometous,andwewillseeiftheynowanything.WhyshouldweleaveittoHarperandtoselectourreading?Asthenoblemanofcultivatedtastesurroundshimselfwithwhateverconducesthisculturegeniuslearningwitbookpainting,musicphilosophicalinstruments,andtheotherth

37、ings”(2004:94).Fromthepassage,theauthorproposesagoodquestion:thesocialpropertybecomesmoreandmore,butwedonotgetcorrespondinghappinessandevenoursmilebecomeslessandless,webecometobeparticularabouteverything.Theauthoradoptsaseriesofquestionsentences,thisadoptionherelikesatrumpetwhichbeatsourdepthofheart

38、.Wearelargelyshockedbythesequestionsanditmakesusthinkabouthowtoliveinagoodlife.FiguresofSpeechThispartisdividedintotwoparts,whichareemploymentofsimileandmetaphor,onomatopoeticdevice.A.EmploymentofSimileandMetaphorAccordingtoHuZhuanglin(2007),theemploymentofsimileandmetaphorcanchangetheinvisibleintoc

39、oncrete.Itwillgiveusadirectfeelingoftheabstractanditmakestheinvisibleintovisible.Example1:“Forthefirstweek,wheneverIlookedoutontheponditimpressedmelikeatarnhighuponthesideofamountain,itsfarabovethesurfaceofotherlakes,andasthesun,Isawitthrowingoffitssmoothreflectingsurfacewasrevealed.Whilethemists,li

40、keghosts,theywerestealthilywithdrawingineverydirectionontothewoods,asatthebreakingupofsomenocturnalconventicler”(2004:83).Intheparagraph,heusesaseriesofsimilesandmetaphors,forexample,hecomparesthepondtoatarn,andhecomparesthemiststoghosts,theemploymentfullyexhibitsthebeautyofthepondandthemists,whichg

41、ivesusamorevividimpression.B.EmploymentofOnomatopoeticDeviceAccordingtoHuZhuanglin(2007),Semanticsexamineshowmeaningisencodedinalanguage.Itisnotonlyconcernedwithmeaningsofwordsaslexicalitems,butalsowithlevelsoflanguagebelowthewordandaboveit,basedonsuchtheory,wecanseethatonomatopoeticwordstransmitspe

42、cialmeanings.Example1:“Theygivemeanewsenseofthevarietyandcapacityofthatnaturewhichisourcommon,oh-o-othatIneverhadbeenbor-r-r-rn!”(2004:87).Whenthewriterdescribesthesoundofthebirds,headopts“oh-o-o-bor-r-r-rn”toimitatethesoundsofbirds,whichisveryspecialandvivid.CohesionandContextAccordingtoHuZhuanglin

43、(2007),theroleofconjunctionsandnumeralscanmakethetextmorecoherent,andtheyarejustasabridgewhichlinkstheaboveandthefollow.A,EmploymentofConjunctionExample1:“Butwhileweareconfinedtobooks,thoughthemostselectedclassic,andreadonlyparticularwrittenlanguages,whicharethemselvesbutdialectsandprovincial”(2004:

44、95).Thissentenceappearsattheturnofchapter“Reading”andchapter“Sound”,andtheconjunction“but,and”aswellas“weareconfinedtobooks”,whichgivesusacoherentimpressionofthetext.B,EmploymentofNumeralsExample1:“Ihadthreechairsinmyhouse,oneforsolitude,twoforfriendship,threeforsociety”(2004:120).Numerals“one,two,three”maketheconnectionbetweentheaboveandthefollowmorenatural.Chapter3ConclusionWalden,orLifeintheWoodsisamasterpieceallovertheworldandeveryonecansharesomethingfromit.Byanalyzingitfromstylisticanalysis,wecanappreciateitbet