英国诗歌研究.docx

英国诗歌研究.docx

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英国诗歌研究

TheComparisonofDeathThemeinthePoetryofEmilyDickensonandWilliamCullenBryant

摘要:

本文作者以死亡为主题，将艾米丽·狄更斯和布莱恩特的作品进行对比。

本文从以下四个方面进行阐述：

两个诗人不同的人生经历影响着各自作品中关于死亡的看法；超验主义思想影响各自作品中对死亡的认识；通过对布莱恩特的《死亡之思考》与艾米丽·狄更斯的作品《我不停地死去》这两部具体的诗歌分析得出两位诗人对死亡的不同态度；

【关键字】：

死亡之思考；艾米丽·狄更斯;布莱恩特；《因我无法为死神停留》

Abstract:

ThispaperaimstoillustrateacomparativestudyofthedeaththemeinEmilyDickson’sandWilliamCullenBryant’sworks.Itillustratesfromthefollowingfouraspects:

Theirdifferentpersonalexperiencesthatinfluencedtheirdeathviewsofworks;theirworkswithdeaththemewereinfluencedbytranscendentalism;theanalysisofthetwopoets’mostpopulardeaththemedpoems“Thanatopsis”and“BecauseICouldnotStopforDeath”,whichrepresentstheirdifferentattitudetowardsdeath.

KeyWords:

Thanatopsis;EmilyDickinson;Bryant;“BecauseICouldNotStopForDeath”

Ⅰ.Introduction

EmilyDickinsonwasbornonDecember10,1830inthequietcommunityofAmherst,Massachusetts,theseconddaughterofEdwardandEmilyNorcrossDickinson.Beingthedaughterofaprominentpolitician,EmilyhadthebenefitofagoodeducationandattendedtheAmherstAcademy.Althoughshewassuccessfulatcollege,Emilyreturnedafteronlyoneyearattheseminaryin1848toAmherstwhere

shebeganherlifeofseclusion.ThelateryearsofDickinson'slifewereprimarilyspentinmourningbecauseofseveraldeathswithinthetimeframeofafewyears.OnJune14,1884Emily'sobsessionsandpoeticspeculationsstartedtocometoastopwhenshesufferedthefirstattackofherterminalillness.“Throughouttheyearof1885,Emilywasconfinedtobedinherfamily'shousewhereshehadlivedherentirelife,andonMay15,1886Emilytookherlastbreathattheageof56.”（BoltsMelody.90）Atthatmomenttheworldlostoneofitsmosttalentedandinsightfulpoets.Emilyleftbehindnearly2,000poems.

WilliamCullenBryanthasbeencalled"thefatherofAmericansong,"andtheyear1821,whenhisfirstvolumeappeared,wasrecordedasthenatalyearofAmericanpoetry.HewasborninthelittlevillageofCummington,inwesternMassachusetts.ThepoetgrewupnaturewithoutandPuritanismwithin.Intheshadowsofthetwoinfluenceshelivedanddied.Littleelseofconsequenceisreflectedinthepoemsthatarehisbestmemorial.ThevisiblelifeofBryantliesalmostentirelyoutsidetherealmofpoetry.Hisearly"Thanatopsis"washiddenawayforyearstillhisfatherfoundandpublishedit,andmadeBryantfamousinaday.AllthisatatimewhenEnglishcriticswereexalting"suddeninspiration,""sustainedeffort"andpoems"doneatonesitting."Hisfirstlittlevolume,Poems,containssomeofhisbestwork.Inthenextfiftyyearsheaddedtothesizebutnottothequalityofthatvolume;andthereislittletoindicateinsuchpoemsas"Thanatopsis"and"TheFloodofYears"thattheonewaswrittenbyaboyofseventeenandtheotherbyasageofeighty.Thispaperaimstoexamineondeathbycomparingthetwopoets’representativepoetriestofindouttheirdifferentattitudetowardsdeath.

Ⅱ.TheFactorsthatInfluencetheViewofDeathofEmilyDickensonandWilliamCullenBryant

2.1DifferentLifeExperiencesofEmilyDickensonandWilliamCullenBryant

Emily’slifeisfullofsolitudeandfanciful.InEmily'sentirelife,shetookonetriptoPhiladelphia,onetoWashington,andafewtripstoBoston.Otherthanthoseoccasionalventures,Emilyhadnoextendedexposuretotheworldoutsideherhometown,suchexperiencesinfluencedherworkswhichdependingonthoughtandillusion,forinstance,herworkwithdeaththemejustdependingonherthoughtsandfeelings,evenshecantouchthedeathfeeling.ThelateryearsofDickinson'slifewereprimarilyspentinmourningbecauseofseveraldeathswithinthetimeframeofafewyears.Emily'sfatherdiedin1874,SamuelBowlesdiedin1878,J.G.Hollanddiedin1881,hernephewGilbertdiedin1883,andbothCharlesWadsworthandEmily'smotherdiedin1882.Overthosefewyears,manyofthemostinfluentialandpreciousfriendshipsofEmily'spassedaway,andthatgavewaytothemoreconcentratedobsessionwithdeathinherpoetry,forexample,“ICouldnotStopforDeath”,whichreflectedhercreativityandimaginationaboutdeath.OnJune14,1884Emily'sobsessionsandpoeticspeculationsstartedtocometoastopwhenshesufferedthefirstattackofherterminalillness.Throughouttheyearof1885,Emilywasconfinedtobedinherfamily'shousewhereshehadlivedherentirelife,andonMay15,1886Emilytookherlastbreathattheageof56.

EmilyDickinson'slifeismiserableandsolitary;shewasabletofocusonherworldmoresharplythanotherauthorsofhertime.Becauseofherunusualandsufferingexperience,Emilywasoriginalandinnovativeinherpoetry,mostoftendrawingontheBible,inwhichtherearenowordshavesufferedmorethanthetwowords“life”and“death”.ThisinfluencedEmilyDicksondeeply.Manyofherpoemswerenotcompletedandwrittenonscrapsofpaper,suchasoldgrocerylists.Eventuallywhenherpoetrywaspublished,editorstookituponthemselvestogroupthemintoclasses—Friends,Nature,Love,andDeath.

However,thedifferentpersonalexperienceofBryantinfluenceshispoemdeeply.Helivedarealisticandcolorfullife.IntheboyhoodofBryantweshallfindtheinspirationinallhisenduringwork.Hisfatherwasaphysician,ascholarlymanwhodirectedhisson'sreading.HismotherwasaPuritan,oneofthosequiet,inspiringwomenwhodotheirworkcheerfully.TherewasalsointhehomeaPuritangrandfatherwholedthefamilydevotionseveryevening.Thewholefamilyinfluencedhimtotally;SoBryantattributedhisearliestimpulsetowritepoetry.

Betweenthesetwoinfluences,naturewithoutandPuritanismwithin,thepoetgrewup;intheirshadowhelivedanddied;littleelseofconsequenceisreflectedinthepoemsthatarehisbestmemorial.ThevisiblelifeofBryantliesalmostentirelyoutsidetherealmofpoesies,whichisdifferentwithEmilyDickson.Hisexperienceschangedhimtobefullofculturalknowledgereflectinginherworks.HewasfittedforWilliamsbycountryministers,aswascustomaryinthatday;butpovertycompelledhimtoleavecollegeaftertwobriefterms.Thenhestudiedlaw,andhewenttoNewYork,foundworkinanewspaperoffice.Hisworldlyaffairsprospered;hebecamea"leadingcitizen"ofNewYork,prominentinthesocialandliteraryaffairsofagreatcity;hevariedtheroutineofeditorshipbytripsabroad.Inhislateryears,asaliterarycelebrity,heloanedhisnamerathertoofreelytopopularhistories,anthologiesandgiftbooks.

Hispoemwasathingforeverapartfromhisdailylife,analmostsacredthing,tobecherishedinmomentswhen,hisday'sworkdone,hewasfreetofollowhisspiritandgiveoutlettothefeelingswhich,asastrongmanandaPuritan,hewaswonttorestrain.Hisearly"Thanatopsis"washisownviewofdeathwithoutmiserable.

Comparedwiththesetwopoets,WilliamCullenBryant’ssufficientexperiencesandcareersledhimtohavedifferentattitudetowardsdeath.Inhisworkswithdeaththeme,therearealways“sternagony,shroud,pall”,whichwererealisticandfullofpowertoillustratedeath.Therearemanyfactsinhisworkstoshowhisfeelingofdeath,butnotlikeEmily’sworkswithcreativityandimaginationofdeath.

2.2InfluenceofTranscendentalismonEmilyDickensonandWilliamCullenBryant

Thetranscendentalistviewofnaturewasthatmanwasonewithnature;thatman,Godandnatureshouldallcoexistandthatifmansimplifiedhislifeandlivedasonewithnature,hewouldbeatpeacewithhimselfandtheworldaroundhim.Itisapracticalviewofnature,thestarsawakenacertainreverence,becausethoughalwayspresent,theyareinaccessible;butallnaturalobjectsmakeakindredimpression,whenthemindisopentotheirinfluence.Hesaysthatwemaynotalwaysbeabletotouchnaturebutthatwedonothavetobeinaweofit,wejusthavetostrivetounderstandit.Hemakesthepointthatfewadultscanseenaturebecausetheyarenotintunewithit,whereaschildrencan."Thesunilluminatesonlytheeyeoftheman,butshinesintotheeyeandtheheartofthechild.”（PaulReuben74）

Hegoesontotalkabouttheexperienceofbeingonewithnature,ofbecomingthe"transparenteyeball;partandparticleofGod"（JohnsonLewis124）fardifferentexperiencethantheRomanticviewpoint,whereonlyindeathareyoutrulyallowedtoexperiencenaturetoitsfullest.

Unitariansatthattimeembracedtheideathatreasonandsciencehelpedpeopletodiscoverthepurposeoflifeandthespiritualworld.Thosewhoadoptedtranscendentalismfeltthatscholarshipdirectlyinterferedwithinnateknowing,andcloudedthesensesratherthanclearingthemforpersonalperceptionofthedivine.Thedivinewastheretobefeltratherthansomethingonehadtobeconvincedof.Somestraddledthefenceonthisissue.Emersonwasbothnaturalistandtranscendentalist.ManyUnitarianministersbecametranscendentalistsatthistime.

Thepoetsandwritersassociatedwithtranscendentalismespeciallyexpressedthesenseofawarenessthatcouldhavebeenfrombeing“innature.”ThiswascertainlyadirectreflectionoftheEnglishRomanticmovementinpoetry.Wordsworthandothersspecificallycelebratednatureasthesourceofthedivine,notjusttheoutdoorsandthenaturalmanifestationsofearth,butalsotheessenceornatureofthehuman.

FromEmerson’sworkNaturetheconceptsoftranscendentalismarewellexpressed:

“Standingonthebareground,—myheadbathedbytheblitheair,andupliftedintoinfinitespace,—allmeanegotismvanishes.Ibecomeatransparenteye-ball;I