美国文学史第六讲.docx
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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