华兹华斯与惠特曼诗歌诗歌比较Word文档格式.docx

华兹华斯与惠特曼诗歌诗歌比较Word文档格式.docx

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学院：

外国语学院

专业：

英语（师范）

班级序号：

2班22号

学号：

200***********

******

*******

2011年5月

AComparativeStudyofPoetrybyWordsworthandWhitman

WangHuan

AThesisSubmitted

InPartialfulfillmentforthe

RequirementsoftheDegreeof

BACHELOROFARTS

SchoolofForeignLanguages

LIAONINGNORMALUNIVERSITY

May,2011

Abstract

WilliamWordsworthandWaltWhitmanaretwogreatromanticpoetsofEnglandandAmericain19thcentury.Theybravelybreakuptherulesandprinciplesoftheformerpoetry,andmakeareformationinbothcontentandstyle.AsWordsworthsaysthatallgoodpoetryisfromthespontaneousoverflowofpowerfulfeelings,whichisaccumulatedfromtranquility.Wordsworthusuallychoosesthehumblestandcommonestobjectsashissubjectimages,andusesreallanguageclosetopeopletodescribethemallthetime.Likewise,WhitmanselectsthecommonleavesashisessentialimageinhismasterpieceLeavesofGrass,whichstandsfortheindividualselfandthe“en-masse”aswell.Whitmancriticizestheconceptof“artforart’ssake”,puttingforwardtheideathatliterarycompositionshouldbeforlife.

Livingunderthecircumstancesofsocialturbulenceandhigheconomicalandculturaldevelopment,Wordsworth’sandWhitman’spoemstakeondifferentcolorsofperiods.Inthispaper,throughanalyzingtheelementsinfluencingthealterationofWordsworth’sandWhitman’spoeticideasandcomparingtheirsimilaritiesanddifferencesinliterarythemes,wewillstrengthenourcomprehensionofthetruegreatpoetsofRomanticism,broadenouroutlookandenhanceourliteraryattainments.

Keywords:

Romanticism;

images;

literarythemes;

naturalism;

democraticideals

摘要

华兹华斯和惠特曼是19世纪英美浪漫主义诗歌史上伟大的诗人，他们不羁以往诗风的束缚，在诗的内容和形式上进行大胆革新。

正如华兹华斯所说,一切好诗都是强烈感情的自然流露，它源于宁静中积累起来的情感，华兹华斯的诗歌从来都是以自然和人类世界中最常见的事物和人作为主题意象，并自始自终竭力选用人们实际使用的语言去叙述和描绘它们。

类似地，惠特曼选择“叶子”作为他创作的核心意象，既指代了个别的人，也指代了全美国的大众。

惠特曼批判了“为艺术而艺术”的观念，提出了“为人生”的文学创作观。

由于身处社会动荡、经济文化又高度发展的时代，华兹华斯和惠特曼的诗歌也呈现出不同的阶段色彩。

通过本文中对影响华兹华斯和惠特曼创作思想转变因素的分析和主要的文学思想的比较，我们将加深对两位真正伟大的浪漫主义诗人的了解，开阔视野，提高自身的文学素养。

关键词：

浪漫主义；

意象；

文学主题；

自然观；

民主理想

TableofContents

I.Introduction…………………………………………………………………………….1

1.1Introduction…………………………………………………………………………….1

1.2LiteratureReview………………………………………………………………...……2

II.SimilaritiesinGeneral………………………………………………………………...……4

2.1Socialbackground……………………………………………………………………...4

2.1.1WilliamWordsworth………………………………………….…………………...4

2.1.2WaltWhitman…………..…………………………………………………………5

2.2Thepoetictheory………………………………………………………………….…...6

2.2.1Theromanticfeatures…………………………………………………………..…6

2.2.2“Artforlife’ssake”……………………………………………………………......8

III.Differences………………...………………………………………………………………11

3.1Differencesinthemes………………………………………………………………11

3.1.1Wordsworth’sviewofnature……………………………………………………11

3.1.2Whitman’sdemocraticideals……………………………………………….…...12

3.2Differencesinwritingskills…………………………………………………....13

3.2.1Languages……………………………………………………………………....14

3.2.2Styles……………………………………………………………………....15

IV.Conclusion……………...………………………………………………………………20

References…………………...………………………………………………………………21

Acknowledgements…………...………………………………………………………………23

I.Introduction

1.1Introduction

WilliamWordsworthfromEnglandandWaltWhitmanfromAmericaaretwogreatpoetsleadingtothenewageofRomanticism,whichisoneofthemostimportantperiodsineitherEnglandorAmerica,stretchingfromtheendofthe18thcenturytothemid-19thcentury.Wordsworthbreaksdowntherestrictionofclassicalism，focusinghisattentionontheupper-classnolonger,andWhitmanstrugglestogetridoftheinfluenceofEuropeanpoetry,realizingthetransitionfromtranscendentalismtorealism.Whattheyadvocateare“freedom,equalityandfraternity”,echoingthecoreofRomanticism.

Inthepastdecades,manyexpertshavedonetheresearchesaboutWordsworthandWhitmanseparately,suchasWordsworth’snaturalism,howheviewstherelationshipbetweenindividualsandnature,Whitman’spositioninthepoeticworld,howhisnationalismisembodiedinLeavesofGrass,theirinnovationinwringstyleandlanguageandsoon.Allofthesefacilitatethefurtherstudyontheirpoems.

ToaccomplishacomparativeanalysisofWordsworthandWhitman,twoaspectsarenecessary.First,severalsimilaritiesbetweenthetwowillbepointedinChaptertwo,includingtheirsocialbackground,theinfluentialfactorsforchangingtheirpoeticideas,thatis,theFrenchRevolutionandthewarbetweenEnglandandFrance,theCivilWarhappenedin1861-1865ofAmerica.Anothersimilarityisthepoetictheory,whichdescribesinbothfacialobjectsandmainliteraryconcepts.Bycontrast,Chapterthreeelaboratestheirdifferencesinthemes,whichincludesWordsworth’snaturalism,Whitman’spatriotismanddemocraticideals,andwritingstyles.

Atlast,theconclusionisthedistillationofthewholepaper.IttalksabouttherealisticmeaningofWordsworthandWhitman’sworks,whichnotonlyrepresenttheadvancementofEnglishandAmericanliterature,butalsobecomethesignificantpowerofpushingthehistoricalprogress.Therefore,basedonallmentionedabove,learningthepoetrybyWordsworthandWhitmanisveryimportant.

1.2LiteratureReview

AstheformerstudyonWordsworthandWhitmanortheirpoetryissomuchthathaveinterferedwithalmostallthefieldsinpoetics,whichhavepavedthewayforfurtherexploration.Theusualcomparativestudyoccursbetweentwoverysimilarpersonsormatters,suchastheEnglishromanticpoetWordsworthandthepoetofChineseDongjinDynasty,TaoYuanming,bothofwhombelongto“theGeorgianschool”,orcomparesWaltWhitman’spoemswiththoseofEmilyDickinson’s,whomcomefromthesamecountrywithanobviouslydistinguishedpoeticideas.ThispaperwilldealwiththebasicstudyofWordsworthandWhitman.

Wordsworth’slovetowardsnaturehasmadehimwell-knownas“aworshiperofnature”.Hisnaturalconceptattractedthelearnersmost.AspresentedinThePoeticsofLife,LvGaigaianalyzesWordsworth’spoetictheoryindetailthroughthemostbeautifulpoem—“theDaffodils”.Readingthewholepoem,youwillfindthatinthepoet’smind,thedaffodilsmeannotonlyakindofplant,butalsoasymbol,whichstandsforaspirit,orthevitalityandessenceofnature.Floatingpurposelesslywiththewind,thatis,theprocessofpursuingthenatureoflife,thepoetisexcitedwithdiscoveringthedaffodils.AndthisalsoimpliesWordsworth’seagernessforthevalueoflifeandhiswishoflivingahappylife.Wordsworthalsodescribestherelationshipbetweenindividualandnature.Itseemsthatnatureislikeagreattreasurehousewherepoetscanabsorbmanypreciousgifts.NaturecanbeahealertoWordsworthandateacherasheviewsit.（WuXiaomin,2010）

Thereisalsosomestudyonpoet’swritingstyles.Wordsworth’swritingsarewell-knownasfresh,smooth,simple,powerful,andmostsubjectsofhispoemsarenaturalandruralsceneryaswellasvillagelife.Theimagesofwomenareneitherheroicallysuccessfulnorphysicallyattractive,butthroughthispoem,weseeafemaleimageofafreshgeneral,thewomen’ssubtlebeauty,thebeautyoflonelinessandtenacity.（TaoSha,2007）ContrasttoWordsworth,Whitman’sPoetrylikeaman,whichmeansactuallyinhislifelongpursuitofartisticcreationtheuniquemasculinepersonalityandthemaximizationofthebeautyofmen.（WangLimei,2005）

LeavesofGrassisthecreationofWhitman’swholeliferepresentingthepeakofAmericanRomanticliteratureinthepoetichistoryoftheUnitedStates,abrilliantmilestone.Thiscollectionofpoemsiswellnamedbythemostextraordinarynature,themostcommonthickcrowds,andendlessthings.Itenthusiasticallypraisesthenaturalandordinarypeople.DifferentfromWordsworth,Whitmanhaspantheismofnatureworship.RegardingthenaturalworldasGod,thepoemstronglypraisesthemagnificentnature,itsgreatnessandmagic.Thefinenatureisneithertheoppositeofmankind,noristhenegativeventgiventotheirpains,butassomethingactiveandprogressive,istomakesenseofprideandsatisfaction.Whitman’spoetryalsoreflectsthestrongindividualismandnationalism,whichhasbeentalkedaboutinTheInfluenceofTranscendentalismonPoemsWrittenbyWhitman.Theperformanceofthepoet’sindividualismisthedeepcompassionandcaretowardsthelowerclass.ThecoreofWhitman’sliterarythoughtisthenationalspiritlifted.Whenheattemptstoputnewdemocraticideasintotheliteraryworks,heseeksinspirationfromworkers,farmers,mechanics,aswellastheheroesofvariouslandandsea.Therealprotagonistsinhisworksarecivilianswhocontributetobuildingthenewnation.

TherecordsoftheformerstudyonWordsworthandWhitmanaresomanythatwecannotlistallofthem.Asallstudiesneedtogoonallthetimeevenifthestudyareabecomesnarrowerandnarrower.Therefore,thiscomparativestudyofWordsworth’sandWhitman’spoetryisstillverynecessaryforitwillexploresomethingnewbasedontheformerones.

II.SimilaritiesinGeneral

2.1Socialbackground

WordsworthandWhitmancamefromdifferentclassesandcountries,buttheywerebothdevotedtopolitics.Thesocialchangeshadagreatimpactontheirmindandworks.Therefore,tounderstandtheirpoems,itisnecessarytoknowofthesocialbackgroundfirst.

2.1.1WilliamWordsworth

BornonApril,1770inCockermouth,Cumberland,WilliamWordsworthwasthesecondchildofaneminentlawyer.HewasfirsteducatedattheGrammarschoolofHaushead,nearhisbirthplace,andthenatSt.John’sCollege,Cambridge.Hedevelopedakeenloveofnatureasayouth.In1789