《英語短篇小說選讀》講義(第十三周)

PhotobyZitona-CreativeCommonsAttributionLicense/photos/zitonaCreatedwithHaikuDeckInstructor:EstherLv25thNovember,2014Week13Photoby55Laney69-CreativeCommonsAttributionLicense/photos/42875184@N08CreatedwithHaikuDeckToday’sAgenda—Chapter6Theme—TheUnicornintheGardenContents:I.DefinitionofthemeII.DifferencebetweenthemeandsubjectIII.WaysofexpressingthemeIV.FindingthethemeI.DefinitionofthemeGenerallyspeaking,themeisdefinedasthecentralordominatingideainaliterarywork.Itisalsotheunifyingpointormovingforcearoundwhichtheplot,characters,pointofview,symbols,andotherelementsofastoryareorganized.Inanarrowsense,thethemeinfictionisitsgeneralizedviewoflifeandhumannature.PlotandstructureCharacter/characterizationLanguagePointofviewSymbolIrony…themecauseeffectFactorstobeconsidered:Itcanbeabroadidea,message,orlessonthatisconveyedbyawork.Themessagemaybeaboutlife,society,orhumannature.Themesoftenexploretimelessanduniversalideasandmaybeimpliedratherthanstatedexplicitly.Themeisnottheissue,butacommentorstatementtheauthormakesaboutthatissue,problem,orsubject.II.Differencebetweenthemeandsubject1Subject:Thefocalpointofthestory.Suchasfate,love,war,death,growth,racialprejudice,etc.(specific)2Theme:Thestatementaboutitsdistinctviewoflife.ItisanabstractconceptThemeVersusSubjectSubject:

whataworkisabout.Itcanusuallybeexpressedinoneword.

Forexample,“Love”isasubjectofRomeoandJulietTheme:Whatdoestheworksayaboutthesubject?Itshouldbeacompletesentenceorstatement.Forexample,“InRomeoandJuliet,welearnthatadolescentromancecanbeastrongerforcethanfamilyties.”RequirementsforstatingathemeAthememustbeexpressedintheformofastatementwithasubjectandapredicate.Thethemeisageneralizationaboutlifebasedonthenovelandthestatementofthemeshouldbetruealsoofotherpeopleorlifesituation.Over-generalizationshouldbeavoided.(Wordslike“always”,“never”,“all”and“every”shouldbeavoided.)Requirementsforstatingatheme4.Thethememustaccountforallthemajordetailsandmustnotbecontradictedbyanydetailsinthenovel.5.Oneshouldavoidreducingathemetoacliché

orplatitudelike“beautyisonlyskin-deep.”Thememustgobeyondthework!Tobeatruetheme,thetruthorcommentmustapplytopeopleortolifeingeneral,notjustthecharactersinthebook.Forexample,“InBeautyandtheBeast,Bellelearnsthattruebeautycomesfromwithin,”onlyappliestothestory.Instead,expressthethemelikethis:“InBeautyandtheBeast,we

learnthroughBelleandthebeastthattruebeautycomesfromwithin.”

III.WaysofexpressingthemeThemesmustbesupported!Justbecauseworkscanhavemultiplethemes,itdoesnotmeanthatthethemecanbeanythingthatyouwant.Inorderforathemetobejustified,theremustbespecific,concrete

evidencefromthetext.Forexample,ifyourpotentialthemestatementisthat“Povertycreatestough,self-reliantpeople,”thenthebookshouldcontainexamplesofpoorcharacterswhodeveloptoughnessandself-reliance.

SometimesimpliedThroughmetaphorThroughsimileThroughpersonificationAThemeis…Lifeisayo-yo.It'saseriesofupsanddowns.ImpliedthroughmetaphorsAThemeis…DreamDeferredWhathappenstoadreamdeferred?Doesitdryuplikearaisininthesun?Orfesterlikeasore—andthenrun?Doesitstinklikerottenmeat?Orcrustandsugarover—likeasyrupysweet?MaybeitjustsagslikeaheavyloadOrdoesitjustexplode?

-LangstonHughesImpliedthroughsimileAThemeis…被延遲的夢(蘭斯頓·休斯)

夢被延遲以后，會怎么樣呢？

它會變干

像太陽下的葡萄干？

或者像傷口一樣潰爛——

然后蔓延開來？

它會像腐肉一樣發(fā)出惡臭？

或者長出硬皮，并灑上糖——

就像一塊果汁糖？

也許它只會往下陷，

就像負了重荷。

或者它會爆炸嗎？SleepingintheForest

byMaryOliverIthoughttheearthrememberedme,shetookmebacksotenderly,arrangingherdarkskirts,herpocketsfulloflichensandseeds.我以為大地記得我，她如此溫情地接納我，理順她深色的裙裾，口袋裝滿苔蘚和種籽。ImpliedthroughpersonificationAThemeis…IV.FindingthethemeAskingquestions1.Whatisthesubject?2.Whatdoesthebooksay,orteachus,aboutthesubject?3.

Howdoestheworkcommunicatethetheme?Inotherwords,whatspecificdetails,characters,actions,incidents,etc,suggestthetruthofthethemestatement?PossibleThemeQuestionsQuestionsaboutthenatureofhumanityDoestheauthorthinkthathumansaregoodorflawed?Whatgoodthingsdopeopledo?Howarepeopleflawed?Towhatextentarepeopleflawed?Questionsabout

SocietyDoesthesocietyhelppeopleorhurtthem?Arecharactersinconflictwithsociety?Docharacterswanttoescapethesociety?Isthesocietyflawed?Ifso,how?Questionsabout

humansandtheworldDocharacterscontroltheirlives?Dotheymakefreechoices?Arecharactersdrivenbyforcesbeyondtheircontrol?Doestheworldhavesomegrandscheme,orisitrandomandarbitrary?Questionsabout

EthicsWhatarethemoralconflictsinthework?Arerightandwrongclearcutinthestory?Doesrightwinoverwrong,orviceversa?Towhatextentarecharacterstoblamefortheiractions.SampleThemeStatementsThethemeofTheOldManandtheSeaisthatstriving,struggling,andsufferingaretheonlywaystoachievevictory.Summaryofchapter6DefinitionofthemegeneralizedviewoflifeandhumannatureDifferencebetweenthemeandsubjectThemeabstract,viewonlife,astatementSubjectfocalpoint,awordIII.WaysofexpressingthemeThroughmetaphorThroughsimileThroughpersonificationIV.Findingthethemethenatureofhumanity;society;humansandtheworld;EthicsMisconceptionsaboutthemeEachnovelhasatheme;E.g.novelsofhorror:entertainthereader;notimprovethereaders’understandingoflifeThemeexistsonlyinthenovelthatseriouslyattemptstoreflectlifefaithfullyorintendstorevealtruthaboutlife.MisconceptionsaboutthemeOnenovelhasonlyonethemeE.g.MobyDick(HermanMelville)Insomecases,thereareseveralsub-themestothemaintheme.Inreality,somenovelsareappreciatedfortheirthematicambiguity.Differentreadersmanyhavedifferentinterpretationsofthesamenovel.TheUnicornintheGardenJamesThurber1894—1961

HeisanAmericanauthor,cartoonistandcelebratedwit.Hewasbestknownforhiscartoonsandshortstories.JamesGroverThurber

詹姆斯?瑟伯JamesGroverThurber

詹姆斯?瑟伯Genres:

shortstories,cartoons,essaysOccupation:Humorist,writer,cartoonistNationality:AmericaValuation:ThurberisgenerallyacknowledgedasthegreatestAmericanhumoristsinceMarkTwain.JamesGroverThurber

LifeexperienceThurberwasbornin

Columbus,Ohio.Bothofhisparentsgreatlyinfluencedhiswork.Hisfather,anemployedclerkandminorpoliticianwhodreamedofbeingalawyeroranactor,issaidtohavebeentheinspirationforthesmall,timidprotagonisttypicalofmanyofhisstories.Thurberdescribedhismotherasa"borncomedian"and"oneofthefinestcomictalentsIthinkIhaveeverknown."JamesGroverThurber

Lifeexperience

Thurberhadtwobrothers,WilliamandRobert.Once,whileplayingagame,hisbrothershotJamesintheeyewithanarrow,andThurberlostthateye.Thisinjurywouldlatercausehimtobecomealmostentirelyblind.Unableinhischildhoodtopartakeinsportsandotheractivities,heelaboratedacreativemindwhichhethenusedtoexpresshimselfinwritings.JamesGroverThurber

LifeexperienceFrom1913to1918,Thurberattended

TheOhioStateUniversity.Henevergraduatedfromtheuniversitybecausehispooreyesightpreventedhimfromtakingamandatory

course.In1995hewasposthumouslyawardedadegree.JamesGroverThurber

LifeexperienceIn1925,Thurbermovedto

NewYorkCity,gettingajobasareporterforthe

NewYorkEveningPost.Hejoinedthestaffof

TheNewYorker

in1927asaneditor,withthehelpof

E.B.White.Hiscareerasacartoonistbeganin1930afterWhitefoundsomeofThurber'sdrawingsinatrashcanandsubmittedthemforpublication;Thurbercontributedbothhiswritingsandhisdrawingsto

TheNewYorker

untilthe1950s.

Thurberwroteoverseventy-five

fables,someofwhichwerefirstpublishedin"TheNewYorker”(1939),thencollectedinFablesforOurTime&FamousPoemsIllustrated

(1940)and

FurtherFablesforOurTime

(1956).Thesewereshort,featuredanthropomorphicanimals(e.g.

TheLittleGirlandtheWolf,hisversionof

LittleRedRidingHood)asmaincharacters,andendedwithamoralasatagline.JamesGroverThurber

writingcareerAnexceptiontothisformatwashismostfamousfable,

TheUnicornintheGarden(1940),whichfeaturedanall-humancastexceptfortheunicorn,whichdoesn'tspeak.Thurber'sfableswere

satirical,andthemoralsservedas

punchlines

aswellasadvicetothereader,demonstrating"thecomplexityoflifebydepictingtheworldasanuncertain,precariousplace,wherefewreliableguidelinesexist."JamesGroverThurber

writingcareerModernism

isaphilosophicalmovementthat,alongwithculturaltrendsandchanges,arosefromwide-scaleandfarreachingtransformationsin

Westernsociety

inthelate19thandearly20thcenturies.AmongthefactorsthatshapedModernismwerethedevelopmentofmodernindustrialsocietiesandtherapidgrowthofcities,followedthenbythehorrorof

WorldWarI.1940inLiteratureModernismcontinuedtoevolveduringthe1930s.In1939

JamesJoyce

pushedtheboundariesofthemodernnovelfurtherwith

FinnegansWake.Alsoby1930modernismbegantoinfluencemainstreamculture,sothat,forexample,

TheNewYorkermagazinebeganpublishingwork,whichwasinfluencedbymodernism,byyoungwritersandhumoristslike

DorothyParker,E.B.White,

andJamesThurber.1940inLiteratureDuringthe1930s,theriseofFascisminEuropeWorldWarII(1939-1945)Postwarcrisesastheanti-CommunistMcCarthyhearingsandtheColdWar