Herman Melville赫尔曼.梅尔维尔简介

HermanMelville赫尔曼·梅尔维尔（1819-1891）IntroductionofHermanMelvilleIntroductionofhislifeandfamilyTheexperienceasanseamanTheperiodofhiswritingHermanMelville’smajorworkHermanMelville

(August1,1819

–September28,1891)wasanAmerican

novelist,writerofshortstories,andpoetfromthe

AmericanRenaissance

period.Thebulkofhiswritingswaspublishedbetween1846and1857.HeisoneofthegreatAmericanwritersandamajorfigureinworldliterature.Heisalsoknownasthe“AmericanShakespeare”.HermanMelvillewasborninNewYorkCityonAugust1,1819.HewasadescendentofEnglishandDutchcolonialfamilies.Hisfather,onceasuccessfuldry-goods.

Melville‘seducationbeganwhenhewasfiveyearsold,andthenhereadwidely.Whenhewas12yearsold,hisfartherdiedbecauseofbankruptcy.SinceMelvillewasnolongerattendingschool,hehadtofacethehardtimeofhisfamily.Inordertogetridofpoverty,hebegantoworkonmerchantship.Sailingbroadenedhisvision.Thenhebecameasuccessfulwriter.Withdrawnfromliterarycircles,backinNewYork,beingaclerkinacustomhouse.Hisdeathwentunnoticedbythepublicin1891.In1839,Melvilledecidedtobecomeaseaman,firstsignedontoamerchantshipthatwasgoingfromBostontoliver-pool,England,andthenin1841signedonforalongwhalingcruisetotheSouthSeas.Duringthisharshvoyage,hemetanotheryoungman.LatertheyventuredintoavalleyontheislandofNukahiva.Finallytheyescaped,andMelvillesignedasaseamanonanavalvesselandreturnedhomein1844.From1841to1844,seafaringlifehadagreatinfluenceonMelville’slife.Hisexperiencesandadventuresontheseafurnishedhimwithabundantmaterialforhisfictionwritings,especiallyhismasterpieceMobyDick.NotlongafterhisreturntotheUnitedStates,MelvillebegantowritethestoryofhisadventuresintheSouthSeas.InAugust1847MelvillemarriedElizabethShaw,daughterofLemuelShaw,theChiefJusticeoftheMassachusettsSupremeJudicialCourt.MelvilletraveledtoEnglandtoarrangeforitspublicationthereandenjoyedashortholidayinEurope.Onhisreturn,hemovedwithhiswifetoafarmnearPittsfield,Massachusetts.Duringthesummerof1890inPittsfield,MelvilleandAmericanwriterNathanielHawthornemetandbecamegoodfriends.Theysharedsimilarideasandopinionsonmostkindsoffields.TheoriginaldesignofMobyDickwasjustatextonthewhalefishery.WhenMelvillemetHawthorne,hehadcompletedonethirdofMobyDick.WithoutHawthorne,Melvillewouldhavejustwrittenitaboutwhalinghunting.WiththeinfluenceofHawthorne,

Melvillerewroteitintoaworldclassicwhichisanencyclopediaofeverything:history,philosophy,religion,thewhalingindustry.ItisalsoaShakespeareantragedyofmanfightingagainstfatesinanindifferentandhostileworld.HisfriendshipwithHawthorne

Melville’sMajorWorks1)Novels(1)PolynsieTrilogy“波里尼西亚三部曲”

fromhisadventuresamongthepeopleoftheSouthPacificislands

Typee1846«泰皮»Omoo1847«欧穆»Mardi1849«玛地»(2)Redburn1849«雷得本»anaccountofhisvoyagetoEngland(3)WhiteJacket1850«白外衣»hislifeonaUnitedStatesman-of-war军舰(4)Melville’sMasterpieceMoby-Dick

1851«白鲸»，«莫比•狄克»“theworld’sgreatestseanovel”.(5)Pierre《皮埃尔》(1852):Adarklyallegoricalexplorationofthenatureofevil,whichispsychologicallycomplexandelaborate.(6)IsraelPotter《伊斯雷尔•波特》(1855):Ahistoricalromance(7)TheConfidenceMan《骗子的化装表演》(1857):SatirizestheselfishnessandcommercialismofMelville’stime.(8)BillyBudd《比利•巴德》(1891)Anovellaaboutayoungsailor,personifyinginnocence,doomedbythemalevolenthatredofaship’sofficer,personifyingevil.

Melville’sMajorWorks

2)ShortstoriesThePiazzaTales《广场故事》(1856):ContainssomeofMelville’sfinestshorterworks(1)Bartleby,theScrivener

书记员巴特尔比ThestoryofBartlebyissimplyaboutamanlosinghiswilltolive.(2)BenitoCereno《贝尼托•塞莱诺》Thestorycente