美国文学史第六讲.docx

美国文学史第六讲.docx

《美国文学史第六讲.docx》由会员分享，可在线阅读，更多相关《美国文学史第六讲.docx（34页珍藏版）》请在冰点文库上搜索。

美国文学史第六讲

2008年美国文学史第六讲

April1,2008

NathanielHawthorne（1804-1864）

HisLife:

TounderstandHawthornethereadermustsetasideanattractivelegend.Onlyaccidentalcircumstancessupportthetraditionoftheshyrecluse,broodinginsolitudeuponthegloomieraspectsofPuritanNewEngland,whosewritingsareakindofspiritualautobiography.Instead,duringmostofhislife,Hawthornewasdecidedlyapublicfigure,capable,whennecessary,ofcertainurbanity.AsawriterhesetoutquiteconsciouslytoexplorehisantiquarianenthusiasmsandhisunderstandingofthecolonialhistoryofNewEngland.Hewasabsorbedbytheenigmasofevilandofmoralresponsibility,interwovenwithman’sdestinyinnatureandineternity;butinthisinteresthewasnotunusual,forhesharedwithsuchcontemporariesasPoe,Melville,andwithothersmoreremote,suchasMiltonandShakespeare.

ItistruethatforsomeyearsafterhisgraduationfromcollegehelivedquietlyinquietSalem,butayoungmanengrossedinhistoricalstudyandinlearningthewriter’scraftisnotnotablyqueerifhedoesnotseeksocietyormarriage,especiallyifheispoor.InlateryearsHawthornesuccessfullymanagedhisofficialduties,madealargecircleoffriends,andperformedtheextrovertfunctionsofaforeignconsulwithcompetence,ifwithoutjoy.ThetrueHawthorneisrevealedjustasmuchby“TheOldManse,”anessaylight-spiritedandaffectionate,asby“Rappaccini’sDaughter,”“EthanBrand,”orTheScarletLetter.

BorninSalem,Massachusetts,July4,1804,HawthornewasfivegenerationsremovedfromhisPuritanAmericanforebears.Whentheboywastwelve,hiswidowedmothertookhimtolivewithherbrotherinMaine,butoldSalemhadalreadyenkindledhisantiquarianinclination.ToSalemhereturnedtoprepareforcollege.AtBowdoinCollege（1821—1825）,wherehewas,hesaid,“anidlestudent,”but“alwaysreading,”hemadeafriendwithLongfellow,hisclassmate,andlifelongintimateswithHoratioBridgeandofFranklinPierce,laterthepresidentoftheUnitedStates.

Thenesttwelveyears,ofso-called“seclusion,”inhismother’sSalemhouse,wereyearsofliteraryapprenticeship.Hereadwidely,preparinghimselftobethechroniclersoftheantiquitiesandthespiritualtemperofcolonialNewEngland.Hawthornegatheredhismaterialsbyobservingandlisteningtoothers.Heroamedaroundthetown,movingamongoldsailorsonthedocks,farmersfromthecountry,menclusteredintaverns,andtheoldwivesofthetownatmarket.Helistenedtoallofthem.TheirtalkwasfilledwithNewEnglandlore,legend,andsuperstition.HealsoreadtheannalsandchroniclesofthePuritanworld.Hefilledhisnotebooksandhisthoughtswiththesescrapsofinformationandmemories,andafterafewyearsbeganpouringoutasmarvelouslywroughttales.

Hisfirstbookonhiscollegelife,wasacompletefailureand,thesecondbookwasnotasuccess.In1837,Twice-ToldTales,acollectionofshortstories,wasamasterpiece,butonlyafewdiscerningcritics,suchasPoe,thenunderstoodwhathewasdoing.

HehadbecomesecretlyengagedtoSophiaPeabodyin1838,andsincehisstorieswerenotgainingpopularsupport,hesecuredenumerativeemploymentinBostonCustomHouse,sevenmonthsatBrookFarm,asocialisticco-operative.Hawthornegotmarriedin1842andsettledinConcord,attheOldManse,Emerson’sancestralhome..Therehespentfouridyllicyears,duringwhichthestoriesofMossesfromanOldManse（1846）werepublishedseriallyandasavolume.

Hisaleswerestillmeager,andhereturnedtoSalemassurveyorintheCustomHouse（1846-1849）.Helosthisposition,withotherdemocrats,atthenextelection.In1850,hepublishedTheScarletLetter,whichmadehisfame,changedhisfortune,andgavetotheAmericanliteratureitsfirstsymbolicnovel,ayearbeforetheappearanceofMelville’sMoby-Dick.InthisnovelwereconcentratedtheentireresourcesofHawthorne’screativepersonalityandexperience.

AfterashorttimeintheBerkshires,Hawthornesettledin1852attheWayside,Concord,whichbecamehispermanenthome.Hewasattheheightofhiscreativeactivity.TheHouseofSevenGables（1851）,agreatnoveloffamilydecadence,wasfollowedbyTheBlithedaleRomance,（1852）,aminornovelontheBrookFarmexperiment.

HewastheUnitedStatesconsulinLiverpool（1853-1857）whenhisfriendFranklinPiercebecamePresidentoftheUnitedStates.AfterthathewenttoliveinRomeandtherefoundtheinspirationforhisnovelTheMarbleFaun（1860）.In1860HawthorneandhisfamilyreturnedtoWayside.HediedonMay18,1864,atPlymouth,NewHampshire,onawalkingtour.

HisWorks:

1.     Twice-ToldTales（1837），《重讲一遍的故事》

2.     MossesfromanOldManse（1846），《古屋青苔》

3.     TheScarletLetter（1850），《红字》

4.     TheHouseofSevenGables（1851），《七个尖角的房子》

5.     TheBlithedaleRomance,《福谷传奇》

6.     TheMarbleFaun（1860），《玉石雕像》

著名的短篇故事

1.     YoungGoodmanBrown;

2.     MyKinsman,MajorMolineux;

3.     Birthmark,

4.     TheMinister’sBlackVeil;

5.     Rappaccini’sDaughter;

6.     EthanBrand;

7.     TheBurialOfRogerMalvin

Lecture7WaltWhitmanandEmilyDickenson

:

1.     TointroduceWhitmanandDickinson,twogreatAmericanpoetsinnineteenthcenturyAmericanliterature;theirpositionsintheliteraryhistory;

2.     Tocompareandcontrastthedifferencesofthesetwopoetsintermsoftheirviewtowardnatureandhumanworld.

3.     AfocusonthelanguagecharacteristicsofWaltWhitman.

Teachingprocedures

1.     PresentingtwopoemsfromWaltWhitman,“ISawinLouisianaaLive-oakGrowing,”ThereWasaChildWentForth”and,towpoemsfromDickinson,“ABirdCameDowntheWalk,”and“BecauseICouldnotStopforDeath.”toillustratethebeautyandlanguagecharacteristicsofthesetwopoets;

2.     TheimportanceofWhitmaninAmericanhistoryandhiswideinfluence,hislifeexperience,thewaytoreadthepoemsofWhitman;

3.     ThelifeandtheimportanceofDickensoninAmericanliteraryhistory.

Procedure1

1）     TwopoemsofWhitman,picturesofLouisianaoaktrees,picturesofLouisianalandscape

2）     Thepoems:

“ISawinLouisianaaLive-oakGrowing,”ThereWasaChildWentForth”

ISawinLouisianaaLive-oakgrowing

IsawinLouisianaalive-oakgrowing,

Allalonestooditandthemosshungdownfromthebranches,

Withoutanycompanionitgrewthereutteringjoyousleavesofdarkgreen,

Anditslook,rude,unbending,lusty,mademethinkofmyself,

ButIwonder’dhowitcouldutterjoyousleavesstandingalonetherewithoutitsfriendnear,forIknewIcouldnot,

AndIbrokeoffatwigwithacertainnumberofleavesuponit,andtwinedarounditalittlemoss,

Andbroughtitaway,andIhaveplaceditinsightinmyroom,

Itisnotneededtoremindmeasofmydearfriends,

（ForIbelievelatelyIthinkoflittleelsethanofthem,）

Yetitremainstomeacurioustoken,itmakesmethinkofmanlylove;

Forallthat,andthoughthelive-oakglistensthereinLouisianasolitaryinawideflatspace,

Utteringjoyousleavesallitslifewithoutafriendalovernear,

IknowverywellIcouldnot.

1860,1867

ThereWasaChildWentForth

Therewasachildwentfortheveryday,

Andthefirstobjecthelookeduponandreceivedwithwonderorpityorloveordread,thatobjecthebecame,

Andthatobjectbecamepartofhimforthedayoracertainpartoftheday….orformanyyearsorstretchingcyclesofyears.

Theearlylilacsbecamepartofthechild,

Andgrass,andwhiteandredmorningglories,andwhiteandredclover,andthesongofthephoebe-bird,

AndtheMarch-bornlambs,andthesow’spink-faintlitter,andthemare’sfoal,andthecow’scalf,andthenoisybroodofthebarnyardorbythemireofthepondside…andthefishsuspendingthemselvessocuriouslybelowthere…andthebeautifulcuriousliquid...andthewater-plantswiththeirgracefulflatheads...allbecamepartofhim.

Andthefield-sproutsofAprilandMaybecamepartofhim….wintergrainsprouts,andthoseofthelight-yellowcorn,andoftheesculentrootsofthegarden,

Andtheappletreescoveredwithblossoms,andthefruitafterward….andwoodberries...andthecommonestweedsbytheroad;

Andtheolddrunkardstaggeringhomefromtheouthouseofthetavernwhencehehadlatelyrisen,

Andtheschoolmistressthatpassedonherwaytotheschool...andthefriendlyboysthatpassed…andthequarrelsomeboys…andthetidyandfreshcheekedgirls…andthebarefootnegroboyandgirl,

Andallthechangesofcityandcountrywhereverhewent.

Hisownparents…hethathadpropelledthefatherstuffatnight,andfatheredhim....andshethatconceivedhiminherwombandbirthedhim….theygavethischildmoreofthemselvesthanthat,

Theygavehimafterwardeveryday….theyandofthembecamepartofhim.

Themotherathomequietlyplacingthedishesonthesuppertable,

Themotherwithmildwords….cleanhercapandgown….awholesomeodorfallingoffherpersonandclothesasshewalksby:

Thefather,strong,selfsufficient,manly,mean,angered,unjust,

Theblow,thequickloudword,thetightbargain,thecraftylure,

Thefamilyusages,thelanguage,thecompany,thefurniture….theyearningandswellingheart,

Affectionthatwillnotbegainsayed

（1）….Thesenseofwhatisreal….thethoughtifafterallitshouldproveunreal,

Thedoubtsofdaytimeandthedoubtsofnighttime…thecuriouswhetherandhow,

Whetherthatwhichappearssoisso….Orisitallflashesandspecks?

Menandwomencrowdingfastinthestreets….iftheyarenotflashesandspeckswhatarethey?

Thestreetsthemselvesandthefacadesofhouses….Theg