shakespears sister.docx

shakespears sister.docx

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shakespearssister

VirginiaWoolf学习参考资料

VirginiaWoolf（1882-1941）wasanovelist,essayist,editor,feminist,andinfluentialforceinEnglishlifeandletters.Shewasborninafamousintellectualfamily.Herfather,SirLeslieStephen,wasawell-knownliterarycriticandhistorian.ShewasoneofthecoreelementsoftheBloomsburyGroup,whichhadagreatinfluenceuponEnglishliteraryandintellectuallifebetweenthewars.On29May1912,VirginiaWoolfmarriedLeonardWoolf.Undertheencouragementofherhusband,Virginiadevotedherselftothecraftoffiction,publishingaseriesofnovelsthatmadeher,bythemiddletwenties,oneofthebest-knowninnovativeliteraryartistsinEngland.HermajorworksincludeTheVoyageOut（1915）,NightandDay（1919）,Jacob’sRoom（1922）,MrsDalloway（1925）,TotheLighthouse（1927）,Orlando（1928）,TheWaves（1930）,TheYears（1937）,BetweentheActs（1941）,ARoomofOne’sOwn（1929）,andThreeGuinese（1938）,etc.In1941,depressedaboutthewarandfearfuloftheattackofhermentalillness,VirginiaWoolfdrownedherselfintheOuse.

VirginiaWoolfisnowacclaimedasoneofthegreatinnovativenovelistsofthe20thcenturyandoneoftheprincipalexponentsofmodernism.HerskillfuluseoftheStreamofConsciousnessandinteriormonologueinMrs.Dalloway,TotheLighthouseandTheWaves,whichestablishedherreputationsecurely.Mrs.Dallowayisadaringlystructuredanalysisofpost-WorldWarILondonsocietythatshiftsfromonecharacter’smindtoanother’sevenwhileitfocusesonasingledayinthelifeofClarissaDalloway,awell-bornWestminsterhostess,andhermaddouble,SteptimusWarrenSmith,ashell-shockedveteran,whoparadoxicallyfunctionsasakindof“otherself”forher.TotheLighthouseispartlyanostalgicmemoirofWoolf’sownchildhoodsummersatTallandHouseandpartlyasardoniccritiqueoftheenvironment,especiallyforgirlsliketherebelliousVirginiaStephen.Insomeways,TheWavesrepresentsWoolfattheheightofheravant-gardeexperimentalpowers.Thisinnovativenovelconsistsofaseriesofmeditativelylyricmonologuesspokenbysixcentralcharacters,yetthebookisalreadynotablyelegiac:

eachfigureis,inonewayoranother,anaspectofthecentralhumanself,andallarehauntedbytheultimatedeathofanambiguouslyheroicyouthnamedPercival.

ARoomofOne’sOwnisaluminousextendedessayon“womenandfiction”whichis,asmostliteraryhistorianswouldagree,thefirstmajorachievementoffeministcriticismintheEnglishlanguage.

ARoomofOne’sOwn

Chapter3Shakespeare’sSister1

Itwasdisappointingnottohavebroughtbackintheeveningsomeimportantstatement,someauthenticfact.Womenarepoorerthanmenbecause—thisorthat.Perhapsnowitwouldbebettertogiveupseekingforthetruth,andreceivingonone’sheadanavalancheofopinionhotaslava,discoloredasdish-water.Itwouldbebettertodrawthecurtains;toshutoutdistractions;tolightthelamp;tonarrowtheenquiryandtoaskthehistorian,whorecordsnotopinionsbutfacts,todescribeunderwhatconditionswomenlived,notthroughouttheages,butinEngland,sayinthetimeofElizabeth.

Foritisaperennialpuzzlewhynowomanwroteawordofthatextraordinaryliteraturewheneveryotherman,itseemed,wascapableofsongorsonnet.Whatweretheconditionsinwhichwomenlived,Iaskedmyself;forfiction,imaginativeworkthatis,isnotdroppedlikeapebbleupontheground,assciencemaybe;fictionislikeaspider’sweb,attachedeversolightlyperhaps,butstillattachedtolifeatallfourcorners.Oftentheattachmentisscarcelyperceptible;Shakespeare’splays,forinstance,seemtohangtherecompletebythemselves.Butwhenthewebispulledaskew,hookedupattheedge,torninthemiddle,oneremembersthatthesewebsarenotspuninmidairbyincorporealcreatures,butaretheworkofsufferinghumanbeings,andareattachedtogrosslymaterialthings,likehealthandmoneyandthehouseswelivein.

Iwent,therefore,totheshelfwherethehistoriesstandandtookdownoneofthelatest.ProfessorTrevelyan’sHistoryofEngland.2OncemoreIlookedupWomen,found“positionof,”andturnedtothepagesindicated.“Wife-beating,”Iread,“wasarecognizedrightofman,andwaspracticedwithoutshamebyhighaswellaslow....Similarly,”thehistoriangoeson,“thedaughterwhorefusedtomarrythegentlemanofherparents’choicewasliabletobelockedup,beaten,andflungabouttheroom,withoutanyshockbeinginflictedonpublicopinion.Marriagewasnotanaffairofpersonalaffection,butoffamilyavarice,particularlyinthe‘chivalrous’upperclasses....Betrothaloftentookplacewhileoneorbothofthepartieswasinthecradle,andmarriagewhentheywerescarcelyoutofthenurses’charge.”Thatwasabout1470,soonafterChaucer’stime.Thenextreferencetothepositionofwomenissometwohundredyearslater,inthelimeoftheStuarts.“Itwasstilltheexceptionforwomenoftheupperandmiddleclasstochoosetheirownhusbands,andwhenthehusbandhadbeenassigned,hewaslordandmaster,sofaratleastaslawandcustomcouldmakehim.Yetevenso,”ProfessorTrevelyanconcludes,“neitherShakespeare’swomennorthoseofauthenticseventeenthcenturymemoirs,liketheVerneysandtheHutchinsons3,seemwantinginpersonalityandcharacter.”Certainly,ifweconsiderit,Cleopatramusthavehadawaywithher;LadyMacbeth,onewouldsuppose,hadawillofherown;Rosalind,onemightconclude,wasanattractivegirl.4ProfessorTrevelyanisspeakingnomorethanthetruthwhenheremarksthatShakespeare’swomendonotseemwantinginpersonalityandcharacter.Notbeingahistorian,onemightgoevenfurtherandsaythatwomenhaveburntlikebeaconsinalltheworksofallthepoetsfromthebeginningoftime—Clytemnestra,Antigone,Cleopatra,LadyMacbeth,Phedre,Cressida,Rosalind,Desdemona,theDuchessofMalfi,amongthedramatists;thenamongtheprosewriters:

Millamant,Clarissa,BeckySharp,AnnaKarenina,EmmaBovary,MadamedeGuermantes5—thenamesflocktomind,nordotheyrecallwomen“lackinginpersonalityandcharacter.”Indeed,ifwomanhadnoexistencesaveinthefictionwrittenbymen,onewouldimagineherapersonoftheutmostimportance;veryvarious;heroicandmean;splendidandsordid;infinitelybeautifulandhideousintheextreme;asgreatasaman,somethinkevengreater.Butthisiswomaninfiction.Infact,asProfessorTrevelyanpointsout,shewaslockedup,beaten,andflungabouttheroom.

Averyqueer,compositebeingthusemerges.Imaginativelysheisofthehighestimportance;practicallysheiscompletelyinsignificant.Shepervadespoetryfromcovertocover;sheisallbutabsentfromhistory.Shedominatesthelivesofkingsandconquerorsinfiction;infactshewastheslaveofanyboywhoseparentsforcedaringuponherfinger.Someofthemostinspiredwords,someofthemostprofoundthoughtsinliteraturefallfromherlips;inreallifeshecouldhardlyread,couldscarcelyspell,andwasthepropertyofherhusband.

Itwascertainlyanoddmonsterthatonemadeupbyreadingthehistoriansfirstandthepoetsafterwards—awormwingedlikeaneagle;thespiritoflifeandbeautyinakitchenchoppingupsuet.Butthesemonsters,howeveramusingtotheimagination,havenoexistenceinfact.Whatonemustdotobringhertolifewastothinkpoeticallyandprosaicallyatoneandthesamemoment,thuskeepingintouchwithfact—thatsheisMrs.Martin,agedthirty-six,dressedinblue,wearingablackhatandbrownshoes;butnotlosingsightoffictioneither—thatsheisavesselinwhichallsortsofspiritsandforcesarecoursingandflashingperpetually.Themoment,however,thatonetriesthismethodwiththeElizabethanwoman,onebranchofilluminationfails;oneisheldupbythescarcityoffacts.Oneknowsnothingdetailed,nothingperfectlytrueandsubstantialabouther.Historyscarcelymentionsher.AndIturnedtoProfessorTrevelyanagaintoseewhathistorymeanttohim.Ifoundbylookingathischapterheadingsthatitmeant—“TheManorCourtandtheMethodsofOpen-FieldAgriculture...TheCisterciansandSheep-Farming…TheCrusades...TheUniversity...TheHouseofCommons...TheHundredYears’War...TheWarsoftheRoses...TheRenaissanceScholars...TheDissolutionoftheMonasteries...AgrarianandReligiousStrife...TheOriginofEnglishSea-Power...TheArmada...”andsoon.Occasionallyanindividualwomanismentioned,anElizabeth,oraMary;aqueenoragreatlady.Butbynopossiblemeanscouldmiddle-classwomenwithnothingbutbrainsandcharacterattheircommandhavetakenpartinanyoneofthegreatmovementswhich,broughttogether,constitutethehistorian’sviewofthepast.Norshallwefindherinanycollectionofanecdotes.Aubrey6hardlymentionsher.Sheneverwritesherownlifeandscarcelykeepsadiary;thereareonlyahandfulotherlettersinexistence.Sheleftnoplaysorpoemsbywhichwecanjudgeher.Whatonewants,Ithought—andwhydoesnotsomebrilliantstudentatNewnhamorGirton7supplyit?

—isamassofinformation;atwhatagedidshemarry;howmanychildrenhadsheasarule;whatwasherhouselike;hadshearoomtoherself;didshedothecooking;wouldshebelikelytohaveaservant?

Allthesefactsliesomewhere,presumably,inparishregistersandaccountbooks;thelifeoftheaverageElizabethanwomanmustbescatteredaboutsomewhere,couldonecollectitandmakeabookofit.Itwouldbeambitiousbeyondmydaring.Ithought,lookingabouttheshelvesforbooksthatwerenotthere,tosuggesttothestude