生命美学观视角下的草叶集诗歌主题 毕业论文.docx
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生命美学观视角下的草叶集诗歌主题毕业论文
浙江理工大学科技与艺术学院
本科毕业论文
论文题目:
生命美学观视角下的《草叶集》诗歌主题研究
EnglishTitle:
ThematicAnalysisonLeavesofGrassfromthePerspectiveofLifeAesthetics
班级:
09英语3班
学号:
Xn09710316
作者姓名:
彭加宁
指导教师:
戚婕
完稿时间:
_2013年1月8日
Abstract
ThepeakofAmericanRomanticismLiterature,LeavesofGrass,isregardedastheepicpoemofAmerica,whosepoetrysubjectspermeatewithvibrantlifebeauty.Somesucceedtothesubjectofmarvelingattheupheavalinsocietyandodetohumanpersonality,somehighlightmoreontheintuitionandemotionofman.Theseaestheticobjectsimplythesolutefromthepoet’sdeephearttothestrongerAmericanandstillintunewithourcontemporaryeravalue.ResearchachievementofWhitmanisalwaysfruitful.Whileoveryears,littleresearchonmacroviewstoelaboratethesubjectthroughmacrovieworaesthetics.Aimingatthis,thethesisreviewsthepoetrythemesbymeansofLifeaesthetics.Besides,byapplyingtothecorrespondingdimensionsofsomaesthetics,practiceaesthetics,eco-aesthetics,theauthorwillmakeaselectiveanalysistoexploretheelementoflifeaestheticsonthemainthemeofself,democracyandnature.
KeyWords:
Lifeaesthetics;poetrysubject;Whitman;LeavesofGrass
摘要
美国浪漫主义文学巅峰之作《草叶集》,被誉为美国史诗,其诗歌主题充满生命美:
有些发展了前期文学惊叹社会巨大变革、赞美人格力量的题材,着重强调了人的直觉和情感;有些大胆地开拓了鲜有人涉及的主题,如歌颂同志间的友好等。
这些审美对象至今引领着当今世界的价值观,超越了时代的限制,一直以来,惠特曼研究成果颇丰,研究深入到了他创作及思想的方方面面,然而纵观历年研究,鲜有从宏观角度归结其诗歌主题,更勿论从美学赏析其诗歌思想。
故本文针对此死角,从惠特曼原本就已存在却常被忽视的生命美学,重新赏析惠特曼宏伟生机的诗歌主题。
通过与生命美学恰好相对应的三个维度,身体美学,实践美学,生态美学,重点分析自我、民主、自然这三大主题中的生命美学因子。
关键词:
生命美学;诗歌主题:
惠特曼;草叶集
Contents
Introduction
InalettertoWhitman,Emersonannouncedwithecstasy,“IfinditthemostextraordinarypieceofwitandwisdomthatAmericahasyetcontributed”(1855).Indeed,Emerson’sinsightwassomewhatsotranscendentthatfewscholarslikehimappreciatethevalueofLeavesofGrass.Suchcasewasnotcoincidence.Itseemstobeabnormalthatfartoomanytalentedcelebritiesintheirlivingdayswononlyscornfromtheircontemporaries,whilereputationwhentheywererestinginpeace.Fortheirthoughttranscendstheircontemporaryera,waitingfortheepiphanyinthefuture.Whitmanissuchone.Goldwillshineoneday,sohisvigorousthemeinunconventionalstylewaseventuallyworshipedbyhisownnationandeventhewholeworld.
BeforeWhitman’stime,theNewWorldhasbeengreatlyattachedtoEuropeantraditionssodoesitsliterature.However,theimmortalbardturnedhisfocusonAmerica’sownlife,tocreateanepicworkthatwouldgroworganicallyfromthenativelandscapesandpeoplesoftheAmericas.Allhisenergydevotedtothiscollectionofpoems,hewantedtoestablishauniquenationalliteraturetopromotetheAmericanculture.Readinghisenergeticlines,noonewillnotfelthisproudforseeingAmericaexperiencetremendouschangeseconomically,culturallyandintellectually;noonewillnotbemovedbythosevividaestheticimageofslaves,abolitionistsandwomenwhostrugglepositivelyforliberation,forabetterlife.PeopleofeverynationalityandbelieffindhisstrivingtodemonstratethenewlyformedAmericancharacteristicsinlifebeauty.
ThisthesisaimstoanalyzeWhitman’sgrandiosethemesinLeavesofGrassthroughexampleanalysisfromtheperspectiveoflifeaestheticsandtofindoutthesignificanceofWhitman’slifeaesthetics.
1.AnOverviewofLifeAesthetics
Poemsarealwaysintimatelyassociatedwithphilosophy.Oneofthelifeaestheticsmasters,MartinHeideggerputitthat,poemsandphilosophyarecloseneighbors.AndmanycriticshaveprobedthephilosophyinWhitman’spoemsbutfewthroughaesthetics,theemergingphilosophysubsidiary(YanBo,2009).
WesternaestheticsconfrontedwiththefamousDescartes’dilemmaafteritsspiritualphase.Lifeaestheticstherebywasbornattherightmoment.Focusingonlifeactivities,lifeaestheticslinkthemantotheworldwithnatureandsociety,soothingthepsychicpainofemptinessanddespair.Therefore,notonlydidthenewlyfoundedaestheticsmakeahitintheoccidentalcultures,butalsointheoriental.Asabranchofaesthetics,lifeaestheticssharesthecommonalitiesofaesthetics,namely,focusingonthefundamentalissueofhumanbeing,thedistinguishabledifferencesshallbeanincliningemphasisontheresearchoforganiclivingthroughlifeactivities(WangXiaohua,2004).
ModernwesternaestheteslikeSchopenhauer,HeideggerandNietzscheallfounditnecessarytointerpretthesignificanceoflife,andprobedunderlyingissuesoflifeaestheticsinmanyoftheirworks.Herethepapermainlyadoptsitsthreedimensionsofsomaesthetics,practiceaestheticsandeco-aestheticstoappreciateWhitman’spoems.
Somaestheticsisdifferentwithbodyaesthetics,thelattertakethehumanbodyasanaestheticobject,buttheformerasasubject.Thedilemmaofpsychologicalaestheticliesinmistakenlytakingtheessenceofhumanasspirit,sothatitcan’tfindtherealcontactbetweenmanandworld.Somaesthetics,quiteonthecontrary,isabletoovercomethisweakness.Contemporaryaestheticsareallbasedonthefactimplicitlyorexplicitlythattheessenceofmanisbody.Nietzschesaidthatmanismadeofbody,andthesoulisnothingbutapartofthebodywithaname.Marxholdsthat,beingadynamicbody,manverifyhisessentialstrengthinpractice,expressinganaestheticappreciationofdirectreality.Therefore,ProfessorWangXiaohua(2004)deemsthat,thebodyshallnotonlytakeastheaestheticsubject,buttheaimofaesthetics.Whatsomaestheticsfocusishowtoshapetheirselves’ownbodyaccordingtothescaleofbeauty,soastobecomeaself-madeart.Itsuggeststhatthebody’sbeauty,especiallytheoppositesex’s,reachesaconsensusbymankind,becausebodyisthelivingorganic,thedirectobjecttopursuitlifebeauty.
Aestheticappreciationcanbecompletedonlybybiologicallivings,andpracticeiswhatthelivingsreallydealwith.Sincethehumanbodyisbeautiful,thenthebody’spracticeisbeautiful.Manfeelsfreeinthevisualworld,forheinheritedothers’practicestructureandcreatespracticestructureofhisown.Eventually,hisimaginationscomeintobeing,andtheworldoperatesaswhathehopes.Itholdsthatjudgingthehuman’spracticedoutproductisbeautyornot,dependsonthepracticeproductwhethersatisfytheirlifeneeds.
Eco-aestheticsistheextensionoflifeaesthetics.Livingintheworld,man’spracticeresultinaninevitableconnectswithoutermaterials.Manmarkthemwithhisownemotion,andthenmakethemtobehisownwork.Inaway,itexplainswhynaturecanbetouchedasenseofbeauty,becausenaturalelementssatisfiedhuman’sneedtopursuitofabetterlife.Butsometimes,manregardsnatureasuglywhenhethoughtnaturehinderedhiswayoflifepursuit.Thatistosay,eco-aestheticsmakesitsattentionforpeople’slifeandthewholeecologicalsurroundings.Theconstructionofeco-aestheticsisstillonthebasisofpeople’sperceptuallifeactivities,orrathertosay,survivalpractice,anditfollowsthebasicrulesofpracticeaesthetics(PanZhichang,2001).
LeavesofGrassisapaeanoflife.IttakesnobothertofindWhitman’ssubstantialandsignificantrepresentoflifeactivitieshappenstofitthisaesthetictheory.
2.ABriefAppreciationofLeavesofGrass
AnotherRomanticismrepresentativepoetWordsworthoncepresentedinhisLyricalBalladsthatpoetsneedwritingthelifeofordinarypeoplewithimaginationandnovel,insteadofsingle-facetelyhonoringgreatpersonages.SodoesWhitmanwhoputthisaestheticconsciousnessinhispoetry.Whitmanisfamousforhisimmensesubjects.Hisrecordsofthefundamentalfactsofhumanexistence:
birth,growingup,love,family,triballifeanddeathintoarchetypesoftheimages,andhisincreasingattentiontothemesofreligion,patriotism,andtechnologicalprogress,coupledwithhisselflessserviceasavolunteernurseintheCivilWarhospitals,resultedinhisbeingwidelyveneratedasAmerica’s“GoodGrayPoet”.Whereas,opinionsarediverseondefiningthesethemes.Somesaythethemeoflove,death,theothersaythethemeoflabor,mystery,etc.,exceptfortheconsensusonthegeneralthemesofdemocracy,natureandself.Hesingsthedemocracyfortheordinary,forPresidentLincoln,tonatureandtoself.
2.1MajorCharacteristics
Whitman’spoetryitemedwithdistinguishedcharacters,whichinawayalsoreinforcedhisthemes.Themostnotableofall,foremostisfreeverse.IthasbeenknownbyhouseholdsthatWhitman’sgroundbreakingadoptionoffreeversecausedagreatsensationamongtheliteratureintellectualists.Virtually,applyingthisanti-traditionalformdoesbenefittoexpresshisthemesfreelywithoutfetter.Inanotheraspect,asthenomenclaturesuggests,poemformofthiskindreflectedafreedom,democraticAmerica.
Thenthefrequentlyused“I”.InWhitman’spoetry,“I”doesnotstandforthepoetalone.ItsymbolizesthemodernAmerican,themodernman,oreveneveryman.Itsymbolizesthenaturalpropensitiesinman,andthusitstandsforall.Asthepoethasanoverwhelmingfeelingoftheonenessofall,the“I”mayevensymbolizeasoldieronthebattlefield,oracometrushingthroughtheheavens.
Andtheconsiderableutilizedslang.Whitmaninscribesawholenewkindofspeaking,awildattempttovoicethefullrangeofselvesinhiscontradictorynation.GreatasThoreauwas,heregardsLeavesas“beasttalk”toshowhisdiscontenttowardsWhitman’srudedailyexpression.Whereas,it’stheverydesignedwaytodemonstratehisroughscuff-centraledequality.Nomanisnobleorhumble,fromWhitman’spointofview,analogy,languageknowsnoclassdistinction.
Lastbutnotleast,Whit