Unit12 SocialCriticwithNerve.docx

Unit12 SocialCriticwithNerve.docx

《Unit12 SocialCriticwithNerve.docx》由会员分享，可在线阅读，更多相关《Unit12 SocialCriticwithNerve.docx（9页珍藏版）》请在冰点文库上搜索。

Unit12SocialCriticwithNerve

Unit12SocialCriticwithVerve

充满活力的社会批评家

verve：

anenergeticstyle；vitality

Thatmagazinehasalotofverve.

那个杂志办得很有生气。

Theaudiencerosetohisverveandwit.

观众们对他生气勃勃和富于机智的表演热烈喝彩。

BackgroundInformation

SusanSontag（1933~2004）

Novelist,essayistandcritic.

Ahighlyvisiblepublicfiguresincethemid-1960's,Ms.Sontagwrotefournovels,dozensofessaysandavolumeofshortstoriesandwasalsoanoccasionalfilmmaker,playwrightandtheaterdirector.Forfourdecadesherworkwaspartofthecontemporarycanon作品,discussedeverywherefromgraduateseminarstothepagesofpopularmagazinestotheHollywoodmovie.

Ms.Sontag'sworkmadearadicalbreakwithtraditionalpostwarcriticisminAmerica.Sheadvocatedanaestheticapproachtothestudyofculture,championingstyleovercontent.

"ThethemethatrunsthroughSusan'swritingisthislifelongstruggletoarriveattheproperbalancebetweenthemoralandtheaesthetic,"LeonWieseltier,literaryeditorofTheNewRepublicandanoldfriendofMs.Sontag's,said

Ms.Sontag'sbest-knownbooks,allpublishedbyFarrar,Straus&Giroux,includethenovels"DeathKit"（1967）《死亡匣子》,"TheVolcanoLover"（1992）and"InAmerica"（2000）;theessaycollections"AgainstInterpretation"（1966）,"StylesofRadicalWill"（1969）《激进意志的样式》and"UndertheSignofSaturn"（1980）《在土星的标志下》;thecriticalstudies"OnPhotography"（1977）and"AIDSandItsMetaphors"（1989）;andtheshort-storycollection"I,Etcetera"（1978）《我，及其他》.Oneofhermostfamousworks,however,wasnotabook,butanessay,"NotesonCamp,"publishedin1964andstillwidelyread.

WidelyregardedasoneoftheleadingAmericanintellectuals,SusanSontaghelpedshapemodernAmericanthinkingfornearlyhalfacentury.ReadthefollowingandknowmoreaboutMs.Sontag.

Ms.SontagwasbornSusanRosenblattinManhattanonJan.16,1933,thedaughterofJackandMildredRosenblatt.HerfatherwasafurtraderinChina,andhermotherjoinedhimthereforlongperiods,leavingSusanandheryoungersisterinthecareofrelatives.WhenSusanwas5,herfatherdiedinChinaoftuberculosis.HermothermovedthefamilytoTucson[tu:

'sɔn]图森[美国亚利桑那州南部城市],spendingthenextseveralyearsthere.InArizona,Susan’smothermetCapt.NathanSontag,aWorldWarIIveteransenttheretorecuperate[ri'kju:

pəreit]v.恢复,使恢复健康,使恢复精神

Heisstillrecuperatingfromhisoperation.

他动手术后仍在恢复中。

Thecoupleweremarried—Susantookherstepfather’smane—andthefamilymovedtoLosAngles.

ForSusan,whograduatedfromhighschoolbeforeher16thbirthday,thephilistinism['filistinizəm]平庸ofAmericanculturewasatormentshevowedearlytoescape.“Mygreatestdream,”shelaterwrote,“wastogrowupandcometoNewYorkandwriteforPartisanReview《党派论坛》andbereadby5,00people.”

Shewouldgetherwish—Ms.Sontagburstontothescene一举成名with“Noteson‘Camp’,”《坎普札记》whichwaspublishedinPartisanReview—butnotbeforesheearnedabachelor’sandtwomaster’sdegreesfromprestigiousAmericanuniversities;studiedatOxfordonafellowship;andmarried,becameamotheranddivorcedeightyearslater,allbythetimesheturned26.aftergraduatingfromhighschool,Ms.SontagspentasemesterattheUniversityofCalifornia,Berkeley,beforetransferringtotheUniversityofChicago,fromwhichshereceivedabachelor’sdegreein1951.AtChicagoshewanderedintoaclasstaughtbythesociologistPhilipRieff,thena28-year-oldinstructor,whowouldwritethecelebratedstudyFreud:

TheMindoftheMoralist《弗洛伊德：

道德主义地头脑》（Viking,1959）.Hewas,shewouldsay,thefirstpersonwithwhomshecoldreallytalk;theyweremarried10dayslater.Ms.Sontagwas17andlookedevenyounger,clad应该是过去分词habituallyinbluejeans,

Shewaswellclad.

她穿得很考究。

herblackhairspillingdownherback.WordsweptaroundcampusthatDr.Rieffhadmarrieda14-year-oldAmericanIndian.

MovingwithherhusbandtoBoston,Ms.Sontagearnedhermaster’sdegreesfromHarvard,thefirstinEnglish,in1954,thesecondinphilosophythenextyear.SebeganworkonaPh.D.,butdidnotcompleteherdissertation.In1952sheadDr.Rieffbecametheparentsofason.

AfterfurtherstudyatOxfordandinParis,Ms.SontagwasdivorcedfroDr.Rieffin1958.inearl1959shearrivedinNewYorkwith,asshelaterdescribedit,“$70,towsuitcasesanda7-year-old.”SheworkedasaneditoratCommentaryandjuggledteachingjobsatCityCollege,SarahLawrenceandColumbia.Shepublishedherfirstessays,criticalcelebrationsofmodernistssheadmired对自己欣赏的现代主义者的评论和赞美,aswellasherfirstnovel,TheBenefactor（1963）《恩人》,anexplorationofconsciousnessanddreams.

With“Noteson‘Camp’”Ms.SontagfiredashotacrossthebowoftheNewYorkcriticalestablishment,whichincludedeminenceslikeLionelandDianaTrilling,AlfredKazinandIrvingHowe.Ifthatessayhastodaylostitscapacitytoshock,itisareflectionofhowthoroughlyMs.Sontagdidherjob,servingasaguidetoanundergroundaesthetic[i:

s'θetik]美学thatwasnotthenwidelyknown.“Shefoundin‘camp’anaestheticthatwasverydifferentfromwhatthestraightworld正统世界hadacknowledgeduptotatpoint,andshemanagedtomake‘camp’‘straight’inaway,”ArthurC.Danto,theJohnsonianprofessoremeritus[i（:

）'meritəs]荣誉的ofphilosophyatColumbia哥伦比亚大学约翰逊名誉哲学教授andtheartcriticforTheNation,saidyesterdayinatelephoneinterview.“Ithinkshepreparedthegroundforthepoprevolution流行文化革命,whichwasinmanywaysessentiallyagayrevolution,throughWarholandothers.通过…的努力Shedidn’tmakethatart,butsheboughtittoconsciousness.Shegavepeopleavocabularyfortalkingaboutitandthinkingaboutit.”

ThearticlemadeMs.Sontaganinternationalcelebrity,showeredwithlavish大方的、浪费的、奢侈的,ifunintentionallyridiculous,titles（“aliterarypinup”文学名人,“thedarkladyofAmericanletters,”美国文坛的黑色女人,“theNatalieWoodoftheU.S.avant-garde”美国前卫派的娜塔莉·伍德）

In1966Ms.Sontagpublishedherfirstessaycollection,AgainstInterpretation《反对释义》.Thatbook’stitleessayhelpedcementherreputationasachampion拥护者ofstyleovercontent风格高于内容.

Thoughshethoughtofherselfasanovelist,itwasthroughheressaysthatMs.Sontagbecameknown.Asaresultshewasfatedtowritelittleelseforthenextquarter-century.Shefoundtheformanagony她发现形式是一种痛苦:

alongessaytookfromninemonthstoayeartocomplete,oftenrequiring20ormoredrafts.

“I’vehadthousandsofpagesfora30-pageessay,”shesaidina1992interview.“OnPhotography《论摄影》,whichissixessays,tookfiveyears.AndImeanworkingeverysingleday.”

Thatbook,whichwontheNationalBookCriticsCircleAwardforcriticismin1978,exploredtheroleofthephotographicimage,andtheactofpicture-takingincontemporaryculture.TheWashingtonPostBookWorldcalledOnPhotography“abrilliantanalysis,一个杰出的分析”addingthatit“merelydescribesaphenomenonwetakeasmuchforgrantedaswaterfromthetap,只是描述了我们看来像水龙头出水这样的习以为常的一个现象andhowthatphenomenonhaschangedus—aremarkableenoughachievement全然了不起的成就,whenyouthinkaboutit.”

Inthemid-1970'sMs.Sontaglearnedshehadbreastcancer.Doctorsgavehera10percentchanceofsurvivingfortwoyears.Shescoured查询theliterature文献foratreatmentthatmightsaveher,underwentamastectomy乳房切除术andpersuadedherdoctorstogiveheratwo-and-a-half-yearcourseofradiation.

OutofherexperiencecameIllnessasMetaphor《疾病的隐喻》,whichexaminedtheculturalmythologizingofdisease关于疾病的文化神话（tuberculosisastheillnessof19th-centuryromantics,canceramodern-dayscourge灾难）.Althoughitdidnotdiscussherillnessexplicitly,itcondemnedtheoftenmilitaristiclanguage充满火药味的语言aroundillness（"battling"disease,the"war"oncancer）thatMs.Sontagfeltsimultaneouslymarginalizedthesick病患者andheldthemresponsiblefortheircondition.让他们为自己的处境负责

InAIDSandItsMetaphors《艾滋病的隐喻》Ms.Sontagdiscussedthesocialimplicationsofthedisease,whichsheviewedasa"culturalplague"文化瘟疫thathadreplacedcancerasthemodernbearerofstigma.作为现代污点的承担者取代了癌症ShewouldreturntothesubjectofAIDSinheracclaimedshortstory受到好评的故事"TheWayWeLiveNow,"originallypublishedinTheNewYorkerandincludedin"TheBestAmericanShortStoriesoftheCentury"（HoughtonMifflin,1999）.

In1992,wearyofessays,Ms.SontagpublishedTheVolcanoLover,《火山情人》herfirstnovelin25years.Thoughverymuchanovelofideas-itexplored,amongotherthings,notionsofaestheticsandthepsychologyofobsessivecollecting嗜好收藏的心理-thebookwasalsoabig,old-fashionedhistoricalromance.IttoldthestoryofSirWilliamHamilton威廉汉·密尔顿爵士,the18th-centuryBritishenvoy公使tothecourtofNaples;hiswife,Emma（"thatHamiltonwoman"）;andherlover,LordNelson尼尔森勋爵,thenavalhero.ThebookspenttwomonthsonTheNewYorkTimesbest-sellerlist.

ReviewingthenovelinTheTimes《时代杂志》,MichikoKakutani角谷美智子wrote:

"Onethingthatmakes'TheVolcanoLover'suchadelighttoreadisthewayitthrowsoffideasandintellectualsparks迸发出思想和智慧火花,likeaRomancandleorCatherinewheelblazinginthenight.Miniatureversions微型画像of'DonGiovanni'（唐·乔瓦尼）莫扎特夜曲唐·乔瓦尼是一部关于情欲的侦探歌剧。

歌剧描述了一个不知羞耻、放荡成性的男子形象，他毫无顾忌地追寻情欲及死亡and'Tosca'（托斯卡）lieembedded,likejewels,inthemainnarrative;andwearegivenaswellsomecharminglyacutecameos（浮雕）['kæmiəu]令人神往而精确地精彩画面ofsuchhistoricalfiguresasGoethe歌德andtheKingandQueenofNaples."

Ms.Sontag'sfinalnovel,InAmerica《在美国》,waslooselybasedonthelifeofthe19th-centuryPolishactressHelenaModjeska,whoimmigratedtoCaliforniatostartautopiancommunity乌托邦社区.ThoughInAmericareceivedaNationalBookAward,criticalreceptionwasmixed.批评界毁誉参半

Ms.Sontag'sotherworkincludes