弗里曼与小说英文.docx

1、弗里曼与小说英文 Mary Wilkins Freeman ( 1852_1930 ) I Brief Introduction of the Writer In the years following the Civil War, decaying villages and abandoned farms marked the landscape of rural New England. Cheap land in the West and the lure of jobs in growing industrial centers to the south drew off strong

2、er, younger and more adventuresome. Those who remained behind often lacked the chance or the will to leave. A substantial portion were unmarried women. They were so numerous that the strong-willed New England spinster, the stern old maid, became a public institution , the object of poems, jokes song

3、s and newspaper cartoons. It was just such women , waiting tidily in fading New England villages, who became the subjects of Mary Wilkins Freemans best stories. Mary E. Freeman lived in Randolph, Massachusetts, and in Brattleboro, Vermont, small towns in decline, with empty stores along the main str

4、eet and silent mills along the river. She was in frail health as a girl, and in her solitude she turned naturally to reading. As a teenager she wrote and published a number of poems for children, but her decision to make writing her career came when she was in her early twenties . Her love of books

5、was equaled by a curiosity about the towns of Vermont and Massachusetts. She studied their history, their distinctive buildings and the dialect and character of their people. In 1881 she received ten dollars for a poem published in a childrens magazine, her first book was a collection of childrens v

6、erse, Decorative Plaques（1883）. Her first success in writing fiction for adults came in 1882 with “ A Shadow Story . two years later, when Harpers Bazaar accepted “ Two Old Lovers” for publication, her career was launched, and her stories were soon in demand by editors of major magazines. Since then

7、 she drew the admiration of literary notable writers and her stories were published in England . Many novels were translated into French. In all she published 39 volumes. Her best were A Humble Romance and Other Stories, and A New England Nun and Other Stories(1892) , stories of stolid village and f

8、arm people in remote New England. Mary Wilkins Freeman aimed “ to preserve in literature the old and probably disappearing ways of New England character. Her stories mix elements of romance, realism, and naturalism. She wrote of strong-minded people whose individualism earns the wrath of friends and

9、 village neighbors. She depicted the pinched and stagnating lives of hesitant lovers whose endless prolonged courtship are destined never to conclude in marriage. Her work is frequently compared to that of Sarah Jewett. Both wrote as spinster ladies, describing the lives of the men and women of smal

10、l town New England . Both have been identified with the local color tradition in American literature writers whose stories and sketches emphasized the character types, customs, settings , and speech of regions that 19th century America still preserved their unique identity. Yet Mary Freemans writing

11、 was less concerned with local , more concerned with character. And her writing had a sharp ironic edge to it that Sarah Orne Jewett never attempted. Freemans stories are written with greater detachment, less sympathetic musing at the dilemmas of her characters. Her view could be sharp, critical, un

12、sparing. Lacking the soft tenderness, Freeman could achieve a realism that to modern eyes more clearly portrays the strength and follies of the people she lives among, a realism that justifiably brought her recognition as “ the most truthful recorder in fiction of New England life. ” II. A New Engla

13、nd Nun Summary As a local color writer, Freeman attempted to capture the distinct characteristics of regional America. A recognizable regional setting plays an important part in most of Freemans stories. The details in her stories tend to have symbolic significance, and most critics agree that her t

14、hemes are more universal than those commonly found in much local color writing of the time. She is admired for her simple, direct prose and her insight into the psychology of her characters. A New England Nun has a very simple, perhaps even contrived plot. Yet Freeman manages to depict skillfully th

15、e personalities involved in this small drama and the time in which they lived.Plot summaryA New England Nun is the story of Louisa Ellis, a woman who has lived alone for many years. Louisa is somewhat of an eccentric, as she likes to keep her house meticulously clean, wear multiple aprons, and eat f

16、rom her nicest china every day. She has an old dog named Caesar who she feels must be kept chained up because he bit a neighbor fourteen years ago as a puppy. Louisa promised Joe Dagget fifteen years ago that she would marry him when he returned from his fortune-hunting adventures in Australia, and

17、now that he has returned it is time for her to fulfill her promise. When Joe arrives, however, it becomes obvious that Louisa sees him as a disruption of the life that she has made for herself. When Joe arrives, Louisa attempts to have a conversation with him, but is distracted when he tracks dirt o

18、n the floor, re-arranges her books, and accidentally knocks things over. The two have a cool and slightly awkward conversation when Louisa inquires after Joes mothers health and Joe blushes and tells Louisa that Lily Dyer has been taking care of her. Clearly, she is only planning on marrying Joe bec

19、ause she promised that she would, since it would mean that Louisa would have to give up the life that she has made for herself.Later that night, as Louisa is enjoying a moonlit stroll, she happens to overhear a conversation between Joe and Lily. Through this conversation, Louisa learns that Joe and

20、Lily have been seeing each other in the short time that Joe has been back, and that Joe is in love with Lily but refuses to break his promise to Louisa. Lily supports Joes decision, and though Joe encourages her to find someone else, Lily says, Ill never marry any other man as long as I live. The ne

21、xt day, when Joe comes to visit, Louisa releases Joe from his promise without letting him know that she is aware of his relationship with Lily. Joe and Lily then part tenderly, and Louisa is left alone to maintain her present lifestyle.III. General Comments:Considered a regionalist writer, like Kate

22、 Chopin and fellow New Englander Sarah Orne Jewett, Mary E. Wilkins Freeman began writing at a time in Americas history when literature was becoming the first culture industry, and she found a growing market for her work in popular magazines. This collection shows Freemans many modes romantic, gothi

23、c, and psychologically symbolic as well as her use of pathos and sentimentality, of dry reserve, and of humor, satire, and irony. These last are most vividly expressed in The Jamesons, a series of sketches about village life reprinted for the first time since the turn of the century. Also included h

24、ere are stories that center on questions of womens integrity, courage, and, often, privation; that explore cultural constructions of masculinity; and that dramatize the interconnection of rural New England with modern culture and commerce. 1 Choice and ConsequencesOne important theme in Freemans “ A

25、 new England Nun “ is that of the consequences of choice. Louisa is faced with a choice between a solitary and somewhat sterile life of her own making and the life of a married woman. 2 Courage and CowardiceAnother important and related theme in “A New England Nun” is the relationship between courag

26、e and cowardice. Mary Wilkins Freeman shows us that it is often difficult to make decisions. Through the course of the storys action, we see Louisa Ellis moves toward self _search by making her own choice without hesitation. The choice of remaining alone shows her self will and her own vision of lif

27、e. 3 Duty and Responsibility Duty and responsibility are important themes in this story. People were expected to be self-sacrificing and to put responsibility to family or community, ahead of personal happiness. Freeman shows us that too rigid a definition of duty can be dangerous. Adhering to this

28、rigid notion of duty and responsibility, the three people Louisa , Joe, Lily would be miserable and had nothing worthwhile at the end. 4 Flesh and SpiritThe conflict between flesh and spirit is a theme that runs through “ A New England Nun” and is depicted through a variety of striking images. Louis

29、as solitary life is largely a life of the spirit, or as she says, of sensibility.” It is contrasted with the life of the flesh as represented by marriage . IV Style A New England Nun is told in the third person, omniscient narration. Freeman was skillful at using symbolism I her short stories. But h

30、er touch is lighter than Hawthornes. There were many symbols in A New England Nun . There is a great deal of symbolism associated with nature and plant life in this story. For her writing style, Freeman has frequently been praised by critics for her economical , direct writing way. She uses short ,

31、concise sentences and wastes little time on detailed descriptions. Her characters are sketched with a few strong , simple strokes of the pen. For example, the reader never really learns what Louisa looks like, but it does matter to the story. We know what we need to know to keep us interested and to

32、 keep the story moving. Freeman is also known for her dry , often ironic sense of humor. V. Questions for discussion：1 What are the main themes in A New England Nun? 2 What kind of person is Louisa Ellis in this story?3 What are the symbols ? and how do they communicate the storys overall theme?4 What kind of writing style does Freeman show in this story?5 How do you view on the main characters in this story? Requirement: Read the following short story of A New England Nun , then discuss the above questions orally in class. Write your view or comment on this story after r