英语诗歌鉴赏论文

英语诗歌鉴赏论文

PoemsofW.B.Yeats:TheRoseThemes

1.Introduction

Asisknowntoall,Yeats’spoeticthinkingisacomplexityoutofavarietyofinfluencesandoutofhisownoriginality.Therefore,thisstudyoftheYeatsianpoeticthinkingwouldfocusonafewdistinguishedaspects～inordertomakethem

coherentlyinterrelated,Iemploythemetaphoricalmeaningsoftherose,akeyYeatsiansymbol,torepresentthosechosenaspects.

2.AnalysisoftheRoseThemes

2.1AgeandDeath

2.11Age

ThoughayoungpoetatthetimeofthecompositionofTheRose,Yeatsisquitepreoccupiedwiththemesofagingandmortality.ImagininghisoldageservedasanescapefortheyoungYeats,whofoundhimselfunsuccessfulinloveandimaginedthatlaterinlifehewouldeitherhavewonhisbelovedorhisbelovedwouldhavecometoregretherrejectionofhim."InOldAge"isparticularlymarkedbytheimageofanolderMaudGonne(thewomanwithwhomYeatswasinlove)becomingwiserinoldage.

2.12Death

Yeatsalsohadananxietyaboutdeathwhichwasunusualinsomeonesoyoung.Hecontemplateddeathlessintermsofhimselfthanintermsofhislovedones.WhenMaudGonnetraveltoFranceasaconvalescent,aworriedYeatswrote"ADreamofDeath."ThismeditationonGonne'spossibledeathislessofanightmarethanadreamcomestrue,asYeatsenvisionshimselfbeingusefultoherindeathashecouldnotbeinlife.Yeats,therefore,viewsbothaginganddeathasmoreorlesspositiveforces.

2.2IrishMythology

TheRoseisrifewithmythologicalreferences,fromKingFergustoConchubartoDiarmuid.Indeed,suchmythicIrishfigurespopulatenearlyeverypoeminthe[1]collection.

Mythologyoperatesasathemeinthiscollectioninanumberofways.FirstandforemostitseparatesYeats'poetryfromBritishwriting.BritishwritersdrewonRomanandGreekmythology-themythology,infact,ofother(albeitancient)imperialists.InchoosingIrishmythologyashissourceofallusionsandsubjects,YeatscreatespoetrydistinctfromthatofIreland'slong-timeoppressors.ThiscomplimentsYeats'desiretocultivateapoeticlanguagesuitabletoIrelandalone.

Moreover,Yeats'useofIrishmythologicalsubjectsallowshimtoavoidthepoliticalclimateofhisownday.Yeats,amoderatecomparedtohisbelovedMaudGonne,foundhispoliticalbeliefstobeaburdeninhispursuitoflove.Intreatinglegendaryfigures,Yeatsavoidstheproblemofreferencingthecomplicatedpoliticalenvironmentthatsotormentedhim.

2.3IrishNationalism

NationalisminIrelandinthe1890swasinacomplicatedstage.Manydie-hardFenians(Republicans),includingMaudGonne,weremorethanwillingtotakearms

againsttheBritishtogaintheirindependence.Anothergroup,includingYeats,tookthemorecautiousparliamentaryapproach.Thispoliticalparty,calledtheHomeRuleParty,wasledbyJohnRedmundandheldthatIrelandcouldgainindependence[2]throughlegalmeans.

BecausethiscollectionfocusessomuchonMaudGonne,Yeatsinevitablytouchesuponhispoliticaldifferenceswithhisbeloved.Thesedifferences,needlesstosay,affectedtheirrelationshipnegatively.YeatsfearedthatGonnewasmorerepulsedbyhismoderatepoliticsthanbyhisperson.

Thus,insomepoems,suchas"ToIrelandintheComingTimes,"Yeatsseemstobewillfullydisassociatinghimselffromthecomplexpoliticalfabricofhisownera,insteadhearkeningtoasimplerpoliticsofancientkings.UndoubtedlyYeatswasdrawntotheseancientmythictimesanyway,buthisinteresttakesonasadnessinthecontextofhisrelationshipwiththepoliticsofhisownday(andthusofhisrelationshipwithGonne).Nationalistpoliticsexistnegativelyinthesepoems,asthesubjectthatYeatsdoesn'twanttoaddress.

2.4MaudGonne

“Aroseoflove”referstotheroseasasymboloflove,Loveplayedall

importantpartinYeats’spersonallifeaswellasinhiswritingcareer,Inreturnitis

reflectedinhispoetryandphilosophy,Ononehand～hisunrequitedloveforMaud

Gonnefillshispoetry,especiallythoseofhisearlyphase～withardentpassion,The

unattainabilityofhisfrequentlyrejectedcourtship～however,setsamelancholytone

tohislovepoetry,Alsoinhisearlylovepoemsthereadercouldfindinfluenceofthe

[3]courtlylovetradition～whichhereceivedinitiallyfromthepre—Raphaelism,On

theotherhand～hisromanticobsessiontoGonnecontributedconsiderablytothedevelopmentofhissymbolism,AsYeatshimselfmentioned～Gonnewasthekeyto

hisprivatesymbolism,Sheiscomparedtoappleblossomduetotheircommon

beautyandvitality,Sheistacticallyreferredtobymeredescriptionofherhair,herface～hereyes～herlips～orher“pilgrimsoul”,Sheisthearchetypeofmost

womenimagesinYeats’spoetry,suchastheCountessCathleen～HelenofTroy,

[4]Aengus’sdreamlover～Oisin’swife～Leda～etc,Sheisalsopresentinmany

othernonhumansymbols～includingtherose～thetree～theswan～the

phoenix～theeagle～etc,Furthermore～notonlydothosesymbolspresentYeats’s

belovedinhisownpoeticway,buttheyaresufficienttohavetheirownlifewithregardtotheirartisticvalue.

TheRoseoftheWorld

WHOdreamedthatbeautypasseslikeadream?

Fortheseredlips,withalltheirmournfulpride,

Mournfulthatnonewwondermaybetide,

Troypassedawayinonehighfuneralgleam,

AndUsna'schildrendied.(Adapted)

YeatswrotethispoemtoMaudGonne,withwhomhewasdeeplyinlove.HeoftencompareshertoHelenofTroy,arguingthatherbeauty,likeHelen's,iscapableofwreckingturmoilbetweennations.Indeed,asGonneisarepresentativeofIreland,thiscomparisonsuggeststhatherbeautyembodiesthestrifebetweenIrelandandEngland,whichisespeciallyfittinggiventhatGonnewasafierceIrishnationalist.ThereferencetoUsna'schildreninthesamestanzalikenshertoDeirdre,anIrishheroinewhowasdestinedtobringsufferingontheareaofUlster,[5]becausetoomanymenfellinlovewithher.

3.Conclusion

Bymakinguseofthemetaphoric