美國(guó)文學(xué)EmilyDickinson迪金森

1、Emily Dickinson (1830 1886)The Belle/Nun of AmherstDickinson quotes“Hope is the thing with feathers, that perches in the soul, and sings the tune without words, and never stops at all.”“If I can stop one heart from breaking, I shall not live in vain.”“Dogs are better than human beings, because they

2、know but do not tell.”“Forever is composed of nows.”“Success is counted sweetest, by those who neer succeed.” “We meet no Stranger, but Ourself”This is my letter to the world,That never wrote to me,- The simple news that Nature told, With tender majesty. Her message is committed To hands I cannot se

3、e; For love of her, sweet countrymen,Judge tenderly of me! 這是我寫給世界的信 因?yàn)樗鼜膩聿辉鴮懡o我 自然帶來簡(jiǎn)單的訊息 既溫柔又崇高的存在 她的訊息是寫給那雙 我看不見的手 為了對(duì)她的愛,親愛的同胞 請(qǐng)溫柔地把我評(píng)判“If I read a book and it makes my whole body so cold no fire ever can warm me I know that is poetry. If I feel physically as if the top of my head were taken off,

4、 I know that is poetry.”-Emily DickinsonLife story Born into a Calvinist family December 10, 1830 in Amherst, MA. Educated at Amherst Academy for 7 years. At 17, began college at Mount Holyoke Female Seminary; she became ill the spring of her first year and did not return. She would leave home only

5、for short trips for the remainder of her life, leading scholars to speculate she may have been agoraphobic(曠野恐懼癥). Until 1855, Dickinson had not strayed far from Amherst. That spring, accompanied by her mother and sister, she took one of her longest and farthest trips away from home. First, they spe

6、nt three weeks in Washington, where her father was representing Massachusetts in Congress. Then they went to Philadelphia for two weeks to visit family. Between 1858 and 1862, it was later discovered, she wrote like a person possessed, often producing a poem a day. It was also during this period tha

7、t her life was transformed into the myth of Amherst. Withdrawing more and more, keeping to her room, sometimes even refusing to see visitors who called, she began to dress only in whitea habit that added to her reputation as an eccentric.Weird Recluse? She would sometimes send her poems to people as

8、 gifts for valentines or birthdays, along with a pie or cookies. She often lowered snacks and treats in baskets to neighborhood children from her window, careful never to let them see her face. Dickinson wanted to live simply as a complete independent being, and as a spinster. Dickinsons poetry writ

9、ing began in the early 1850s. Altogether she wrote 1,775 poems, of which only seven had appeared during her lifetime. Most of her poems were published after her death. Her fame kept rising. She is now recognized not only as a great poetess on her own right but as a poetess of considerable influence

10、upon American poetry of the 20th century.Dickinsons Legacy Dickinson died May 15, 1886 of nephritis (kidney disease). Along with Walt Whitman, Dickinson is one of the two giants of American poetry of the 19th century.Emily Dickinsons tombstone in the family plot She is, in a sense, a link between he

11、r era and the literary sensitivities of the turn of the century. She never married, and she led an unconventional life that was outwardly uneventful but was full of inner intensity. She loved nature and found deep inspiration in the birds, animals, plants, and changing seasons of the New England cou

12、ntryside. We find no mention of the war or any other great national event in her poetry. Of all the great writers of the 19th century, she had the least influence on her times. Yet, because she was cut off from the outside world, she was able to create a very personal and pure kind of poetry. Since

13、her death, her reputation has grown enormously and her poetry is now seen as very modern for its time.Dickinsons Publishing Career Sent poems to Thomas Wentworth Higginson, a literary critic and family friend. Although Higginson was astounded by Dickinsons originality and encouraged her literary asp

14、irations, he advised her not to publish. Dickinsons decided to follow the advise. If fame belonged to me, she told Higginson, I could not escape her; if she did not, the longest day would pass me on the chase. My barefoot rank is better. The twentieth century lifted her without doubt to the first ra

15、nk among poets. At the time of her death, only seven of her poems had been published. Before her death, she asked her sister to burn all her poems. After her death, her poems were heavily edited and published by Higginson and friend Mabel Loomis Todd. In 1955, Thomas H. Johnson finally published a c

16、ollection of her poems that had not been “corrected.” These are the versions we read today. Whats the Difference?BECAUSE I could not stop for Death,He kindly stopped for me;The carriage held but just ourselvesAnd Immortality. We slowly drove, he knew no haste,And I had put awayMy labor, and my leisu

17、re too,For his civility.We passed the school where children played,Their lessons scarcely done;We passed the fields of gazing grain,We passed the setting sun.Because I could not stop for DeathHe kindly stopped for meThe carriage held but just ourselvesAnd Immortality.We slowly droveHe knew no haste,

18、 And I had put awayMy labor and my leisure too,For his civilityWe passed the school, where children stroveAt recessin the ringWe passed the fields of gazing grainWe passed the setting sunAn excerpt of poem 712, or “Because I could not stop for Death”, called “The Chariot” by Higginson and Todd. On t

19、he left is the edited version; on the right, the original. Note the major changes in lines 9 and 10.Dickinsons religious poems She wrote about her doubt and belief about religious subjects. While she desired salvation and immortality, she denied the orthodox(正統(tǒng)的) view of paradise. Although she belie

20、ved in God, she sometimes doubted His benevolence.248Whydo they shut Me out of Heaven? Did I singtoo loud? ButI can say a little Minor Timid as a Bird! Wouldnt the Angels try me Justoncemore Justseeif I troubled them But dontshut the door! Oh, if Iwere the Gentleman In the White Robe And theywere th

21、e little Handthat knocked CouldIforbid? Her poems concerningdeath and immortality These poems are closely related to her religious poetry, ranging over the physical as well as the psychological and emotional aspects of death. She showed her ambiguous attitude towards death and immortality. She looke

22、d at death from the point of view of both the living and the dying. She even imagined her own death, the loss of her own body, and the journey of her soul to the unknown. Her love poems Love is another subject Dickinson dwelt on. One group of her love poems treats the suffering and frustration love

23、can cause. These poems are clearly the reflection of her own unhappy experience, closely related to her deepest and most private feelings. Many of them are striking and original depictions of the longing for shared moments, the pain of separation, and the futility of finding happiness. Her Love Poem

24、s The other group of love poems focuses on the physical aspect of desire, in which Dickinson dealt with, allegorically, the influence of the male authorities over the female, emphasizing the power of physical attraction and expressing a mixture of fear and fascination for the mysterious magnetism be

25、tween sexes. However, it is those poems dealing with marriage that have aroused critical attention first and showed Dickinsons confusion and doubt about the role of women in the 19th century America.I HIDE myself within my flowerI HIDE myself within my flower,That wearing on your breast,You, unsuspe

26、cting, wear me tooAnd angels know the rest. I hide myself within my flower,That, fading from your vase,You, unsuspecting, feel for meAlmost a loneliness249Wild NightsWild Nights!Were I with theeWild Nights should beOur luxury!Futilethe WindsTo a Heart in portDone with the CompassDone with the Chart!

27、Rowing in EdenAh, the Sea!Might I but moorTonightIn Thee!Her nature poems More than 500 of her poems are about nature, in which her general skepticism about the relationship between man and nature is well-expressed. On the one hand, she shared with her romantic and transcendental predecessors who be

28、lieved that a mythical bond between man and nature existed, that nature revealed to man things about mankind and universe. On the other hand, she felt strongly about natures inscrutability(神秘莫測(cè)) and indifference to the life and interests of human beings.Her nature poems Dickinson managed to write ab

29、out nature in the affirmation of the sheer joy and the appreciation, unaffected by philosophical speculations. Her acute observations, her concern for precise details and her interest in nature are pervasive, from sketches of flowers, insects, birds, to the sunset, the fully detailed summer storms,

30、the change of seasons; from keen perception to witty analysis.TWO butterflies went out at noonAnd waltzed above a stream,Then stepped straight through the firmamentAnd rested on a beam; And then together bore awayUpon a shining sea,Though never yet, in any port,Their coming mentioned be. If spoken b

31、y the distant bird,If met in ether seaBy frigate or by merchantman,Report was not to me.A Bird came down the WalkHe did not know I saw He bit an Angleworm in halvesAnd ate the fellow, raw.And then he drank a DewFrom a convenient Grass And then hopped sidewise to the WallTo let a Beetle pass He glanc

32、ed with rapid eyesThat hurried all around They looked like frightened Beads, I thought He stirred his Velvet HeadLike one in danger, Cautious,I offered him a CrumbAnd he unrolled his feathersAnd rowed him softer home Than Oars divide the Ocean,Too silver for a seam Or Butterflies, off Banks of NoonL

33、eap, plashless as they swim.Themes Dickinsons poems are usually based on her own experiences, her sorrows and joys. But within her little lyrics Dickinson addresses those issues that concern the whole human beings, which include religion, death, immortality, love, and nature.Artistic features Her po

34、etry is unique and unconventional in its own way. Her poems have no titles, hence are always quoted by their first lines. In her poetry there is a particular stress pattern, in which dashes are used as a musical device to create cadence(韻律) and capital letters as a means of emphasis. Most of her poe

35、ms borrow the repeated four-line, rhymed stanzas of traditional Christian hymns（圣歌）, with two lines of four-beat meter alternating with two lines of three-beat meter. A master of imagery that makes the spiritual materialize in surprising ways.Artistic features Simple form: She used imperfect rhymes,

36、 subtle breaks of rhythm, and idiosyncratic（特殊癖好的） syntax and punctuation to create fascinating word puzzles, which have produced greatly divergent interpretations over the years. Dickinsons irregular or sometimes inverted sentence structure confuses readers. Her poetic idiom is noted for its laconi

37、c（用字簡(jiǎn)潔的） brevity, directness and plainness. Her poems are usually short, rarely more than twenty lines, and many of them are centered on a single image or symbol and focused on one subject matter. Remarkable for its variety, subtlety and richness.Im NobodyIm Nobody! Im Nobody! Who are you? Are you-N

38、obody-too? Then theres a pair of us! Dont tell! theyd banish us-you know! 我是無名之輩，你是誰？ 你,也是,無名之輩？ 這就有了我們一對(duì)！可是別聲張！ 你知道，他們會(huì)大肆張揚(yáng)！ Im Nobody!How dreary-to be-Somebody! How public-like a Frog- To tell your name-the livelong June To an admiring Bog! 做個(gè)，顯要人物，好不無聊！像個(gè)青蛙，向仰慕的泥沼在整個(gè)六月，把個(gè)人的姓名聒噪何等招搖?。ń瓧髯g）1. Who ar

39、e the “they” in line 4? The “admiring bog” in line 8?2. Do you prefer solitude to public life? Give your reasons.QuestionsMetaphor/Simile Metaphor: A comparison.Example: “A frog is a celebrity.” Simile: A comparison using like or as.Example: “How publiclike a frog” 我是無名之輩，我是無名之輩，我是無名之輩，你是誰？你也是無名之輩？那

40、么，咱倆是一對(duì)且莫聲張！你懂嘛，他們?nèi)莶坏迷蹅z。做個(gè)名人多無聊！象青蛙到處招搖向一洼仰慕的泥塘把自己的大名整天宣揚(yáng)?。?（汪義群譯 孫梁校；英美名詩一百首，北京：中國(guó)對(duì)外翻譯出版公司，1987） Translation Theres a Certain Slant of Light Theres a certain slant of light, On winter afternoons,That oppresses, like the weightOf cathedral tunes.某個(gè)陽光斜射的時(shí)刻在冬日的下午讓人抑郁，像沉重的教堂的旋律 In the first stanza, the

41、 speaker claims that on winter afternoons, the light that shines through her window has a “certain Slant” to it that “oppresses, like the Heft / Of Cathedral Tunes.” Something as weightless as “l(fā)ight” feels heavy to the speaker. The weight of “Catheral Tunes” would be quite profound, sound being hea

42、vier than light, but to the speaker that “certain Slant” causes the light to be as heavy as that heavy sound coming from the gigantic organs that deliver church music. Because church music is meant to be uplifting, the speakers words become paradoxical: how can an inspirationally uplifting hymn be o

43、ppressive? Heavenly hurt it gives us;We can find no scar,But internal differenceWhere the meanings are. 玄妙地傷害我們沒有任何傷口和血跡卻在意義隱居的深處留下記憶 Second Stanza: “Heavenly Hurt, it gives us” The profundity of the “Cathedral Tunes” causes the speaker to experience a “Heavenly Hurt.” She confirms, however, that th

44、e “hurt” leaves no scar, because it is inside; it is the soul that is affected by the oppression or “Heavenly Hurt.” The speaker says that the pain is on the inside “Where the meanings are.” “Meaning” is very important to all human beings, whether they are yet aware of that fact or not. The speaker

45、is keenly aware of the souls sensitivities to the “meanings” of physical things and events, and she is aware that they are internal not external. None may teach it anything,Tis the seal, despair,-An imperial afflictionSent us of the air. 沒有人能夠傳達(dá)任何人它是絕望的印章不可抗拒的折磨來自虛空 Third Stanza: “None may teach itAny” The speaker declares that no one can teach another how to become aware of the mystical attributes of the yearning for meaning. While“Despair”leads one in that direction, and the desire is universal, it comes to each one as simply as breathing. Ones spir