chapter 7胡荫桐 美国文学选读

Chapter7

AmericanLiteraturebetweentheTwoWorldWarsContentsⅠ.ModernismⅡ.RobertLeeFrost&“StoppingbyWoodsonaSnowyEvening”Ⅲ.WilliamFaulkner&“DrySeptember”Ⅰ.Modernism1.Modernism1).Modernismisaninternationalmovementinliteratureandarts,especiallyinliterarycriticism,whichbeganinthelate19thcenturyandflourisheduntil1950s.2).Modernismtakestheirrationalphilosophyandthetheoryofpsycho-analysisasitstheoreticalcase.3).Themodernistwritersconcentratemoreontheprivateandsubjunctivethanonthepublicandobjective,mainlyconcernedwiththeinnerofanindividual.2.LostGeneration

1).TheLostGenerationisatermfirstusedbyGertrudeSteintodescribethepost-WorldWarOnegenerationofAmericanwriters:menandwomenhauntedbyasenseofbetrayalandemptinessbroughtaboutbythedestructivenessofthewar.2).Fullofyouthfulidealism,theseindividualssoughtthemeaningoflife,drankexcessively,hadloveaffairsandcreatedsomeofthefinestAmericanliteraturetodate.3).ThebestknownrepresentativesofLostGenerationareF.ScottFitzgeraldandErnestHemingway.3.Imagism

1).ImagismcameintobeinginU.S.around1910asareactiontothetraditionalEnglishpoetrytoexpressthesenseoffragmentationanddislocation.2).Theimagistsholdthatthemosteffectivemeanstoexpressthesemomentaryimpressionsisthroughtheuseofonedominantimage.3).ThethreeImagistprinciples:theeconomyofexpression,theuseofadominantimage,arhythmlikethatofamusicalphrase.

Ⅱ.RobertLeeFrost&“StoppingbyWoodsonaSnowyEvening”

1.ABriefLiteraryBiographyofRobertLeeFrost(1874-1963)1).RobertFrostwasborninSanFranciscoonMarch26,1874.HemovedtoNewEnglandattheageofelevenandbecameinterestedinreadingandwritingpoetryduringhishighschoolyearsinLawrence,Massachusetts.HewasenrolledatDartmouthCollegein1892,andlateratHarvard,thoughheneverearnedaformaldegree.2).Frostdriftedthroughastringofoccupationsafterleavingschool,workingasateacher,cobbler,andeditor.Hisfirstprofessionalpoem,“MyButterfly,”waspublishedonNovember8,1894.3).In1895,FrostmarriedElinorMiriamWhite,whobecameamajorinspirationinhispoetryuntilherdeathin1938.ThecouplemovedtoEnglandin1912,aftertheirNewHampshirefarmfailed.WhileinEngland,FrostalsoestablishedafriendshipwiththepoetEzraPound,whohelpedtopromoteandpublishhiswork.4).BythetimeFrostreturnedtotheUnitedStatesin1915,hehadpublishedtwofull-lengthcollections,ABoy'sWill(《少年的意志》)andNorthofBoston(《波士顿之北》),andhisreputationwasestablished.Bythe1920s,hewasthemostcelebratedpoetinAmerica,andwitheachnewbook—includingNewHampshire(《新罕布什尔》1923),AFurtherRange(《又一片牧场》1936)–hisfameandhonors(includingfourPulitzerPrizes)increased..5).AboutFrost,PresidentJohnF.Kennedysaid,"HehasbequeathedhisnationabodyofimperishableversefromwhichAmericanswillforevergainjoyandunderstanding.“6).RobertFrostlivedandtaughtformanyyearsinMassachusettsandVermont,anddiedinBostononJanuary29,1963.2.CommentsonRobertFrost1).RobertFrostisabelovedAmericanpoet,andmanypeopleassociatehimwithnatureandwiththeNewEnglandlandscape,because,well,helikedtowriteaboutnatureandtheNewEnglandlandscape.2).Frostisknownforcreatingsimplepoemsthatcanbeinterpretedonmanydifferentlevels.Healsolovedtoinjecteveryday,colloquialspeechintohispoems.Hewasoftentalkingabouthowthesoundsofwordscarrymoremeaningthanthewordsthemselves.3).ThemesLove,friendship,family,socialrelationshipFindingsufficientfaithintheself,nature,andthecosmostofuelpersistenceamidsufferingandchaosIsolationanddependence3.“StoppingbyWoodsonaSnowy

Evening”1).BackgroundInformationRobertFrostwrote"StoppingbyWoodsonaSnowyEvening"in1922,twoyearsbeforewinningthefirstofhisfourPulitzerPrizes.

Thepoemtellsthestoryofamantravelingthroughsomesnowywoodsonthedarkesteveningoftheyear,andhe'sprettymuchinlovewithwhatheseesaroundhim.He'sonhiswaybacktotown,buthecan'tquitetearhimselfawayfromthelovelyanddarkwoods.2).ThemeIsolationChoicesManandtheNaturalWorldNatureisabeautifulsireninthispoem,compellingthespeakertohangoutinspiteofthedangerousconsequences.3).Rhyme,FormandMeterRhymescheme:AABABBCBCCDCDDDDThefirsttwolinesandthelastlineofeachstanzarhymetogether,whereasthe

thirdlineintroducesanewrhymealtogether.Whenthenextstanzabegins,threeofthefourlinesrhymewiththethirdlineofthepreviousstanza.RubaiyatStanza

WhosewoodstheseareIthinkIknow.A

Hishouseisinthevillagethough;A

HewillnotseemestoppinghereB

Towatchhiswoodsfillupwithsnow.A

MylittlehorsemustthinkitqueerB

TostopwithoutafarmhousenearB

BetweenthewoodsandfrozenlakeC

Thedarkesteveningoftheyear.B

HegiveshisharnessbellsashakeC

Toaskifthereissomemistake.C

Theonlyothersound'sthesweepD

Ofeasywindanddownyflake.C

Thewoodsarelovely,darkanddeep,

D

ButIhavepromisestokeep,D

AndmilestogobeforeIsleep,D

AndmilestogobeforeIsleep.DMeter:IambicTetrameter雪夜林畔小驻

－－余光中译

想来我认识这座森林，林主的庄宅就在邻村,却不会见我在此驻马，看他林中积雪的美景。我的小马一定颇惊讶：四望不见有什么农家，偏是一年最暗的黄昏，寒林和冰湖之间停下。它摇一摇身上的串铃，问我这地方该不该停。此外只有轻风拂雪片，再也听不见其他声音。

森林又暗又深真可羡，但我还要守一些诺言，还要赶多少路才安眠，还要赶多少路才安眠。Ⅲ.WilliamFaulkner&“DrySeptember”1.ABriefLiteraryBiographyofWilliamFaulkner(1897-1962)1).WilliamFaulknerwasbornSeptember25,1897,inNewAlbany,Mississippi.OnSeptember22,1902,theFalknerfamilymovedtoOxford,Mississippi.2).Faulknerstartedtoshowhistechniquethroughdrawingandwritingpoetryatanearlyage.Duringthistime,Faulknermethischildhoodsweetheart,EstelleOldham,andhislifetimefriendPhilStone.3).In1918,FaulknerwasdeniedacceptanceintotheU.S.AirForcesoheturnedtotheCanadianRoyalAirForce.InDecember,FaulknerwasdischargedfromtheRAF(RoyalAirForce)andreturnedtoOxford.4).Faulkner'sreturnbroughthimbacktoschoolwhereheenteredtheUniversityofMississippiasaspecialstudentinSeptember,1919.Onlyafterthreesemestershedroppedoutofschool,butheacceptedajobasapostmasterattheUniversityofMississippipostoffice.5).In1924,FaulknerpublishedhisfirstcollectionofpoemsTheMarblefaun(《大理石牧神》).February25,1926,SoldiersPay(《士兵的报酬》)waspublished.ThiswasthestartwhenmanyofFaulkner'sworksbegantobepublished.Betweentheyearsof1927and1934,hehadabookpublishedeveryyear.6).InNovemberof1950,theannouncementthatFaulknerhadreceivedtheNobelPrizewasmade.HealsoreceivedtheNationalBookAwardandthePulitzerPrize.FaulknerdiedonJuly6,1962,ofaheartattack,inOxford.2.Works

Mosquitoes(《蚊群》1927)Sartoris(《沙多里斯》1929)TheSoundandtheFury(《喧嚣与躁动》1929)AsILayDying(《我弥留之际》1930)LightinAugust(《八月之光》1932)Absalom,Absalom!(《押沙龙，押沙龙！》1936)TheHamlet(《村子》1940)GoDown,Moses(《去吧，摩西》1942)IntruderintheDust(《坟墓里的闯入者》1948)TheTown(《小镇》1957)TheMansion(《大宅》1959)3.AmericanSouthernLiteratureandTheSouthernRenaissance

1).CharacteristicsofAmericanSouthernLiteratureafocusonacommonsouthernhistorythesignificanceoffamilyasenseofcommunityasenseofjusticetheregion'sdominantreligionandtheburdens/rewardsreligionoftenbringsissuesofracialtensiontheuseoftheSoutherndialect4.CommentsonWilliamFaulkner1).MajorThemesWilliamFaulknerisregardedasanimportantinterpreteroftheuniversalthemeof"theproblemsofthehumanheartinconflictwithitself.""[I]discoveredthatmyownlittlepostagestampofnativesoilwasworthwritingaboutandthatIwouldneverlivelongenoughtoexhaustit,andthatbysublimatingtheactualintotheapocryphalIwouldhavecompletelibertytousewhatevertalentImighthavetoitsabsolutetop.Itopenedupagoldmineofotherpeople,soIcreatedacosmosofmyown."---–WilliamFaulkner2).WritingTechniqueStreamofconsciousness/interiormonologueStreamofconsciousnesshassomethingtodowithamethodofstorytellinginwhichtheauthortellsthestorythroughthefreelyflowingthoughtsandassociationsofoneofthecharacters.Itisusedtodepictthementalandemotionalreactionsofcharacterstoexternalevents,ratherthantheeventsthemselves.MultiplepointofviewBypresentingmultiplepointofview,anauthorisintendedtoshowwithinthesamestoryhowthecharactersreacteddifferentlytothesamepersonofthesamesituation.Themultiplepointofviewstimulatesseveralquitedifferentstreamsofthought,allofwhichmakesense.Theuseofthistechniquegivesthestoryacircularformwhereinoneeventisthecenter,withvariouspointsofviewradiatingfromit.Themultiplepointofviewmakesthereaderrecognizethedifficultyofarrivingatatruejudgment.Dislocatedtimesequences5.“DrySeptember”1).PlotArumor

MissMinnieCooperWillMayesMclendon2).ThemeViolence"DrySeptember"issuffusedwithviolence.Muchoftheviolenceisrumored,