高级英语 嗜丑之欲 The Libido for the Ugly

云南大学外国语学院2012级英专TheLibidofortheUgly

——————HenryL.MenckenAbouttheAuthorWritingStyleAbouttheTitleAuthor

HenryLouisMencken1880--1956)-Themostprominentnewspaperman;-Apoliticalcommentator-Bookreviewer

—“ThebadboyfromBaltimore”,renownedforhistough,cynicalstyleandwit;

—Editorof

TheSmartSet

(时髦者）andTheAmericanMercury(美国火星）Mencken’squotationAcynicisamanwho,whenhesmellsaflower,looksaroundforacoffin.(

Acynicisapersonwhobelievesthatallmenareselfish.Heseeslittleornogoodinanythingandshowsthisbymakingunkindandunfairremarksaboutpeopleandthings.)好冷嘲人生者，是个当他闻到花香之时就会四处寻找棺材的人。Mencken’Creed:Ibelievethatreligion,generallyspeaking,hasbeenacursetomankind—thatitsmodestandgreatlyoverestimatedserviceontheethicalsidehavebeenmorethanovercamebythedamageithasdonetoclearandhonestthinking.HejeeredatAmericansham(伪装）,pretension,provincialism,andprudery（假正经的行为）,andheridiculedthenation’sorganizedreligion,businessandmiddleclass.Writingstyle1.

Apieceofsubjective,impressionisticoremotionaldescriptionHischoiceofwords:1.usedifferentwordstodescribethesameimageEg:grime,soot,fifthdirt.(todescribedirt)2.Emphaticwords: Eg:allevery,oneandall,notasingle,notone,withoutbreak,unbroken,themost,mere,downright.2.BombasticstyleandacidtongueUsefiguresofspeech:--hyperbole--metaphor--simile--over-rhetorical--sarcasm--ridiculeandirony3.Excessiveuseofstronglanguage,wordsborderingupontheabusive

adj:

hideous,abominable

nouns:

abomination,horrors,monstrousness.

adv+adj:

dreadfullyhideous;intolerablebleak

-ing+n.:revoltingmonstrousness.4.Useofimagesofdiseases:leprosy,eczemas,uremiatocreatetheimpressionofUS.beingverysick

eczematous(湿疹一样的)

uremic(尿毒症的)

malarious(疟疾的)Thetitle“thelibidofortheugly”isveryarresting.whydoestheauthoruse“libido”ratherthan“desire”inthetitle?Whytouse“thelibido”,butnot“thelove”?Whytouse“theugly”,butnot“forthebeautiful”?Peoplemayalsoask:1.(originatingfromLatin)thesexualurgeorinstinct.2.(psychoanalysis)emotionalenergy;apsychoanalytictermdescribingpsychicenergygenerally;orspecificallybasicformofpsychicenergy,comprisingthepositive,lovinginstinctsmanifestedvariouslyatdifferentstagesofpersonalitydevelopment.力比多（心理学），精神能量的一种基本形式，包括积极的爱的本能，并在性格发展的不同阶段中表现出来。Whatislibido?Hewantstodemonstratethatwhathedescribeshaspsychologicalandscientificfoundation.Usually,peoplelovethingsbeautiful,butagroupofpeopleintheUSlovethingsuglyforitsownsakeByusing“thelibido”thatusuallyusedinpsychoanalysisisadeviation,”fortheugly”isusedoutofthesamepurpose.Theytwocombines,“thelibidofortheugly”,violatinglinguisticnorms.The

contrastissoin