美国文学欣赏EdgarAllanPoe.ppt

Edgar Allan Poe坡(18091849),E.A.Poe(18091849),Poes mother,Edgar Allan Poe（18091849）埃德加.爱伦.坡,Part I.Life ExperiencePart II Literary PositionPart III.Major Works Part IV.Point of ViewPart V.StylePart VI.AppreciationThis daguerreotype of Poe was taken in 1848 when he was 39,a year before his death,Life Experience,A miserable childhood:born in Boston,both parents died within two years after his birth,taken into the home of John Allan in Virginia,had an unhappy relationship with his foster father,An unhappy youth:at 17 went to the University of Virginia but did not finish,an appointment to West Point but was dismissed less than a year laterA struggling life:in 1833,became an editor of Southern Literary Messenger in Richmond,lost the position because of excessive drinking and an inability to meet deadlines,managed to regain the job in 1835,at 27,married his 13 year-old cousin,Virginia Clemm,drifted for several years as editors in different magazines but remained poor all his life,Edgar Allan Poe(1809-1849),“我经常沉湎杯中物，但喝 酒并没使我感到半点儿乐 趣。我不惜生命和名声，不顾理智，一味喝酒，并 非追求乐趣，而是竭力逃 避令人痛苦的回忆，逃避 无法忍受的孤寂，逃避迫 在眼前的大限。”,A bitter and mysterious death:in 1847,wife died of tuberculosis,in 1849,died in mysterious circumstances,Life Experience,a miserable childhood,was adopted by John Allan,an unhappy relationship,entered the University but didnt finish went to West Point but was dismissed,at 27 he married his 13-year-old cousin,her death in 1847 left him a bitterer life,died in mysterious circumstances,in 1849,Part II.Poes literary position,Forerunner of western decadent literatureForerunner of aesthetic literatureExplorer of abnormal psychologyFather of psychoanalytic criticismPath-breaker of American detective novelFather of modern short story,His position,Poes position in world literature is secure.His influence is world-wide in modern literature.His aesthetics and conscious craftsmanship,his attack on“the heresy of the didactic”and his call for“the rhythmical creation of beauty”have influenced French symbolism and the devotees of“art for arts sake”.Poe is father of many things,one of which is psychoanalytic criticism,the other being the detective story.,Edgar Allan Poe,Poes literary contributionAestheticismPrinciple of beautyPrinciple of unity and concentrationCareful choice of diction for desired effect(the musical effect of words themselves)Negligence of so-called truth and social,political and moral suggestions“Pure poetry”or“pure art”Unity of effect and atmosphere;content in service of artistic effect,Comments on Poe,Edgar Allan Poe is the most controversial and the most misunderstood literary figure in the history of American literature.“我不在乎我的作品是现在被人读还是由子孙后代来读。我可以花一个世纪来等待读者。”,Edgar Allan Poe,Emerson dismissed him in three words“the jingle man”(打油诗人)，Mark Twain declared his prose to be unreadable.And Whitman was the only famous literary figure present at the Poe Memorial Ceremony in 1875.Not accepted before French symbolists like Charles Pierre Baudelaire(1821-1867)and Mallarm.,In America,Emerson:“the jingle man”(noisy)Mark Twain:His prose is unreadable.Henry James:“an enthusiasm for Poe is the mark of a decidedly primitive state of development”,Whitman:admit Poes genius,but it was“its narrow range and unhealthy,lurid quality”(terrible)T.S.Eliot:a critic of the first rank,but with“slipshod writing”(careless),Reasons for Misunderstanding,1)As a perceptive critic,he wrote some scathing criticisms on distinguished literary figures.2)His literary executor sullied his reputation after his death.,In Europe,George Bernard Shaw:“the greatest journalistic critic of his time”His poetry is“exquisitely refined”.His tales are“complete works of art”.Baudelaire:“Edgar Poe,who isnt much in America,must become a great man in France.”,柯南道尔：“一名侦探小说家只能沿这条不宽的主道而行，所以他时时都会发现前方有坡的脚印。如果他偶尔能设法偏离主道，独辟蹊径，那他就可以感到心满意足了。”凡尔纳：“他肯定会有模仿者，有人会试图超越他，有人会试图发展他的风格，但许多自以为已经超过他的人其实永远也不可能与他相提并论。”肖伯纳：“它们不仅仅是一篇篇小说，而完全是一件件艺术品。”,Poe enjoyed respect and welcome in Europe,His reputation was first made in France,Today,his works are read with appreciation and understanding.,Poes influence was considerable in Spain,Italy,Germany and Russia.,Poe was the first American writer who formulized the technique of the short story.In pursuit of the totality of effect through compression,immediacy and finality,Poe invented the genre of the detective story and developed a new fiction of psychological analysis.Poe has thus often been considered as the father of the modern short story.,Part III.Major Works,Famous American poet,short-story writer,and literary criticMost controversial and misunderstood in AmericaWell received in Europe,England,Spain,esp.in France Literary output:some seventy short stories and a dozen poemsA:Poems B:Short storiesC:literary theoryD:one full-length novel:The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym(1838)亚瑟.戈登.皮姆的故事,Shaws evaluation of Poes achievement,a critic,a poet，a short story writer,the greatest journalistic critic of his time,his poetry is“exquisitely refined“(精致优雅),his tales are complete works of art,a great writer of fiction,a poet of the first rank,and a critic of insight,a.A short story writer,stories:two kinds,Horror,Ratiocination（推理）,“The Fall of the House of Usher”,“The Black Cat”,“The Cask of Amontillado”,“Ligeia”（莉盖亚）,“The Purloined Letter”（被窃的信件）,fifty poems,typically Romantic,in both form and content,Poes poetictheories,Poetry should be short and readable at one sitting,should appeal only to“beauty”(aiming at“an elevating excitement of the soul”)True poetry is“the rhythmical creation of beauty”,“The Philosophy of Composition“The Poetic Principle”,b.A poet,c.A literary critic,Poems,1 The Raven(1844)乌鸦2 Annabel Lee 安娜贝尔丽3 The Sleeper 睡美人4 A Dream Within a Dream 梦中梦5 Israfel伊斯拉菲尔6 The Bells 钟7 Sonnet To Science 十四行诗-致科学8 To Helen 献给海伦9 The City in the Sea 海中的城市,made Poe famous as a poet,symbol of his dark doubtsand frustrated longing,“Nevermore”永不再,Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque 述异集,a collection of short stories,tales,two kinds,Horror,Ratiocination（推理）,“The Murders in the Rue Morgue”莫格街谋杀案,“The Gold Bug”金甲虫,“The Black Cat”黑猫,“The Cask of Amontillado”（红色死亡假面舞会）,“Ligeia”莉盖亚,“The Fall of the House of Usher”a story in Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque,“The Purloined Letter”被窃的信件,“The Mystery of Marie Roget”玛丽罗杰谜案,Short Stories,1.Horror Fiction（死亡恐怖小说）The Fall of the House of UsherThe Masque of the Red DeathLigeiaThe Black CatThe Cask of AmontilladoThe Tell-Tale Heart,2.Detective Novel（推理侦探小说）Murders in the Rue MorgueThe Purloined LetterThe Gold Bug3.Science Fiction（科幻小说）4.Satirical Novel（幽默讽刺小说）,Short stories,1 MS.Found in a Bottle(1833)瓶中手稿2 Tales of the Grotesque and the Arabesque(1839)荒诞奇异的故事3 The Murders in the Rue Morgue(1841)毛格街血案4 The Fall of the House of Usher 厄舍古屋的倒塌5 The Cask of Amontillado 一桶白葡萄酒6 Ligeia 丽姬亚7 The Purloined Letter 窃信案8 The Man of the Crowd 人群中的人9 The Tell-Tale Heart 泄密的心10 William Wilson威廉.威尔逊11 Black Cat黑猫12 The Imp of the Perverse变态的小鬼13 The Gold Bug金甲虫14 The Mystery of Marie Roger 玛丽.罗热疑案15 The Masque of the Red Death 红色死亡的化妆舞会,literary theory,The Poetic Principle The Philosophy of Composition Review of Twice-Told Tales 评霍桑的,His theory for short story-clarity,1.The short story must be of such length as to be read at one sitting(brevity),so as to ensure the totality of impression.2.The very first sentence ought to help to bring out the“single effect”of the story.3.No word should be used which does not contribute to the“pre-established”design of the work(compression).4.A tale should reveal some logical truth with“the fullest satisfaction”and should end with the last sentence,leaving a sense of finality with the reader.(a certain decision 某种结局）,Poes theory for short story,Short story should be of brevity,totality,single effect,compression(压缩)and finality.,His theory of poetry,1.His poetic theories are remarkable in their clarity.2.The poem should be short,readable at one sitting(or as long as“The Raven”).3.Its chief aim is beauty,namely,to produce a feeling of beauty in the reader，to pure ones soul.4.Melancholy is the most legitimate of all the poetic tones.5.Poetry does not have to inculcate a moral.6.The artistry of the poem lies not in what is being said but in what way it is said.(form is superior to content)7.stresses musical quality of verse and defines true poetry as“rhythmical creation of beauty.”,Poes theory for poetry,poems,short but achieve maximum effect,produce a feeling of beauty in the reader,pure“,not to moralize,He stresses rhythm,insists on an even(规则的)metrical flow,真实能够满足人的理智,感情能够满足人的心灵,而美则能激动人的灵魂,Themes,1.death predominant theme,2.horror,“Poe is not interested in anything alive.Everything in Poes writings is dead.”,3.negative thoughts of science,Edgar Allan Poe,Literary features of PoeMotifs of Poes poems and stories:LoveBeauty(supernatual beauty)Death(often of a woman,a lover)TerrorNeurotic disorder,Edgar Allan Poe,Poes gothicismDecadent contentGrotesque imagesAbnormal psychesMelancholy Supernatural elementsOther gothic elements(deserted castle,old temple,dark and gloomy cellar;stone coffin;dead woman;hero of abnormal psyche),Style,1)He was good at generalizing.2)His style was traditional.3)He insisted on an even metrical flow in versification.,Annabel Lee,By Allen Poe,Setting The narrator(persona)writes about a fictional kingdom along the ocean shore.It is an idyllic,beautiful,land of enchantmenta paradise on earthwhere he and Annabel Lee fell in love as adolescents.One can imagine that they strolled the beaches,hand in hand,in gentle breezes while the sun went down and the tide rushed in.This kingdom,where love ruled their hearts,remains dear to the memory of the poet after Annabel Lee dies,for his soul remains united with hers.,Characters Narrator(persona):A man of deep sensibility who extolls a young maiden with whom he fell deeply in love.Annabel Lee:Beautiful young maiden loved by the poet.She was of noble birth,as Line 17 of Stanza 1 suggests when it says she had“highborn”relatives.Annabel Lee probably represents Poes wife,who died at a young age.Seraphs:Members of the highest order of angels around the throne of God.According to the Bible,they each had three pairs of wings.In the poem,the seraphs are so envious of the love between the narrator and Annabel Lee that they cause Annabels death.Relative of Annabel Lee:A“highborn kinsman”(Line 17,Stanza 1)who carries away and entombs her body.,Familiar Motif:Romeo and Juliet Like Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet,the narrator and Annabel Lee are both very young when they fall deeply in love.In addition,like Shakespeares“star-crossed”lovers,Poes lovers become victims of forces beyond their control.Finally,the narrator and Annabel Leelike Romeo and Julietexperience a love beyond the understanding of older persons.(See the opening lines of the second stanza.)The Real Annabel Lee The model for Annabel Lee was probably Poes wife,Virginia Clemm,whom he married when she was only 13.Their marriage was a very happy one.Unfortunately,she died of tuberculosis in January 1847 when she was still in her twenties.Poedied two years and nine months lateron October 7,1849.“Annabel Lee”was his last poem.Rhyme,Rhythm,Repetition:Poe uses three Rsrhyme,rhythm,and repetitionin“Annabel Lee”to create a harmony of sounds that underscore the exquisite harmony of the narrators relationship with his beloved.,Theme Eternal love.The love between the narrator and Annabel Lee is so strong and beautiful and pure that even the seraphs,the highest order of angels in heaven,envy it.They attempt to kill this love by sending a chilling wind that kills Annabel Lee.However,the love remains aliveeternalbecause the souls of the lovers remain united.The death of a beautiful woman is a common theme in Poes writing.,Poe repeats this rhythmic pattern throughout the poem,perhaps to suggest the rise and fall of the tides.He also repeats key phrasessuch as in this kingdom by the sea and my Annabel Lee(or my beautiful Annabel Lee)to create haunting refrains.In addition,Poe sometimes repeats words or word patterns within a single line,as in(1)many and many a year ago,(2)we loved with a love that was more than love,and(3)my darlingmy darling.Poe further enhances the rhythm of the poem with the repetition of consonant sounds(alliteration).Notice,for example,the repetition of the“w”and“l”sounds in this line in Stanza 2:But we loved with a love that was more than love.Poe sometimes couples repetition of consonant sounds with repetition of vowel sounds,as in many and many,love and be loved,and those who were older than we.,Word Choice:Poe carefully chose the words of the poem to evoke a dreamland or fairytale atmosphere.It was many and many a year ago,for example,echoes the traditional fairytale opening of once upon a time.The words kingdom,maiden,and child then lead the reader into the never-never land,with kingdom suggesting chivalry and romance,maiden suggesting innocence,and child suggesting the wonderment of youth.Although he first uses sepulchre(Stanza 3)to refer to Annabel Lees burial chamberthen repeats it in the seventh line of Stanza 6he uses tomb in the last line of the poem to refer to her resting place.Tomb has a more ominous connotation,suggesting finality.It also has a more deathly ring,like the cavernous toll of a funeral bell.,ImageryDarkness and Light:Implied and explicit images of darkness and light occur throughout the poem.Poe implies that the kingdom by the sea is a bright,cheerful place where the sun shines on two young lovers,the narrator and Annabel Lee.Ironically,in another realm of dazzling lightheaventhe highest order of angels,the Seraphim,grow dark with envy of the young couple.Under cover of night,they send a cold wind that kills Annabel Lee:The wind came out of the cloud by night,/Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee.But the narrator says he remains in a realm of light,for his soul and the soul of Annabel Lee are one.In the last stanza,Poe emphasizes this point with light imagery,I hope you wont mind when I go without you for a nice chat with a close friend of mine.You are my bosom friend,but you can not take the place of other friends any more than they can do yours.I need their care,encouragement and sobering criticism just as I do yours.A starless sky with a solitary moon would be dull and cheerless,why not let there be a moonlit night resplendent with twinkling stars.,may occasionally want to make a tour of far away places.Please dont hold me back when I start packing for it.You are the center of my life,but certainly not the whole of it.I yearn to see the mysteries and wonders of the world miles away beyond the mountains;So let me have a chance to explore my“Alices Wonderland”as a“lone ranger”.Some time later when I come back to you with exotic experiences and fresh insights,Im sure you will look at me in a new light.My dear husband,so long as you let me have such a little,little world,Ill be very much indebted to you.,Use of Alliteration:Poe relies heavily on alliteration in Annabel Lee