美國文學期末復習

AmericanLiterature美國文學史及選讀HermanMelville--everlastingnayLifeexperienceLiteraryCareerThemeandStyleAppreciationofMobyDick

HisLife

1.BorninNewYorkCity,HermanMelvillewasthesonofaprosperousmerchantwhodiedwhenHermanMelvillewasonlytwelve.(happychildhoodto11;littleeducation)2.workedearly:bankclerk;salesman;farm-hand;schoolteacher;3.Theboywasforcedtoleaveschool.Unabletofindaprofession,hebecameasailor.Hewenttoseaatabout20asawhaler;Lifeexperience

(2)4.Threethingsdeservementionabouthislife:

a.goingouttoseab.marriagec.friendshipwithHawthorneHissailingtearsgavehimthebackgroundOfshipsandislandsthatservedhimwellinhisearlysuccesses,Typee(1846).HismasterpieceMobyDick,awhalingstorytookalmostacenturybeforethenovelwasrecognizedbyreaders.HermanMelvillesoonbecameknownasthe“manwholivedamongcannibals.”Hiscommercialfailureoftheworksmadehisdeathunnoticedbythepublicin1891.Lifeexperience(3)5voraciousreader;prolificfor8yearsafterhisreturnfromthesea;6laterinhislifewroteotherbooksandsomelongstories;7workedintheCustomHouseinNewYorkforthelast20yearsofhislife;8diedat72inoblivion.LiteraryCareerNovelsabouttheseaareextremelypopularintheearly1840s.Bywritingthesenovels,Melvilleestablishedhisreputationasanadventurewriter.Melville'swritingscanbedividedintotwogroups:1)Earlyworks2)LaterWorks3)CommentonhisworksEarlyworksNovels:Typee(1846)《泰比》(madehimfamous)Omoo(1847)《奧穆》Mardi(1849)《瑪第》--adventuresamongthepeopleofSouthPacificRedburn(1849)《萊德伯恩》--avoyagetoEnglandWhiteJacket(1850)《白衣》--lifeonaUnitedStatesman-of-warMobyDick(1851)《莫比.迪克》TheWhiteWhale(masterpiec)

Pierre(1852)《皮埃爾》LaterWorksNovels:TheConfidence-Man

(1857)《騙子》BillyBudd

(1924)《比利.巴德》Longstories:BenitoCereno

(1856)

《貝尼托.西萊諾》Bartleby

(1856)

《巴比妥》Poem:

Clarel(1876)《克萊爾》CommentonhisworksInhisearlyonesMelvilleismoreenthusiasticaboutsettingoutonaquestforthemeaningoftheuniverse,hencetheyaremoremetaphysicalandthemaincharactersareardentandself-dramatizing"I",defyingGod,asbestreflectedinMobyDick.Inthelaterworks,Melvillebecomesmorereconciledwiththeworldofmaninwhichonemustlivebytherules.

ThemeandStyle

1)Alienationbetweenmanandman,manandsociety,andmanandnature.CaptainAhabseemstobethebestillustrationofitall.2)rejectionandquest.ThenarratorIshmaelisagoodexample.3)symbolism.Thevoyageitselfisametaphorfor“searchanddiscovery,thesearchfortheultimatetruthofexperience”.4)ambiguity.Throughemployingthetechniqueofmultipleviewinhisnarratives.AppreciationofMobyDickGeneralIntroductionPlots(P83)StyleQuestionfordiscussionGeneralIntroduction

Melvilleisbestknownastheauthorofonebook,MobyDick,whichisoneoftheworld'sgreatestmasterpieces.Itisanencyclopediaofeverything,history,philosophy,religion,etc.inadditiontoadetailedaccountoftheoperationsofthewhalingindustry.ButitisfirstaShakespeareantragedyofmanfightingagainstoverwhelmingoddsinanindifferentandevenhostileuniverse(P83).Itisasymbolicvoyageofthemindinquestofthetruthandknowledgeoftheuniverse,aspiritualexplorationintoman'sdeeprealityandpsychology.Itrevealsthebasicpatternof19th-centuryAm.life:lonelinessandsuicidalindividualisminaself-styleddemocracy.(P85)MainCharactersinMobyDickPequod:theshipofthestoryCaptainAhab:themaincharacterStarbuckandStubb:twoofthematesMobyDick:thegreatwhitewhaleIshmael:theyoungsailorwhonarratesthebookStylea.Theuseofallegoryandsymbolism

b.TheproductionofthefirstAmericanproseepic.c.Language

Theuseofallegoryandsymbolism

InsteadofputtingthebattlebetweenAhabandthewhaleintosimplestatements,heusedsymbols,thatis,objectsorpersonswhorepresentsomethingelse.ThePequodisamicrocosmofhumansocietyandthevoyagebecomesasearchfortruth.Thewhitewhale,MobyDick,symbolizesnature.Itiscomplex,unfathomable,malignant,andbeautifulaswell.ForthecharacterAhab,thewhalerepresentsevil.AhabwillsthewholecrewonthePequodtojoinhiminthepursuitofthebigwhalesoastorootouttheevil,butonlytobedestroyedbyevil,byhisownconsumingdesire,hismadness.Hebecomesevilhimselfinhisthirsttodestroytheevil.Forauthor,aswellasthereaderandIshmael,thenarrator,MobyDickisstillamystery,anultimatemysteryoftheuniverse,inscrutableandambivalent,andthevoyageofthemindwillforeverremainasearchofthetruth.TheproductionofthefirstAmericanproseepicAnepicisgenerallyalongpoemonanimportanttheme.Althoughthebookispresentedintheformofanovel,attimesitseemslikeaprosepoem.

LanguageMuchofthetalkinthenovelissailortalk,andmuchofthelanguageispurposelyold-fashioned,foreffect.Differentlevelsoflanguageuseandstylesturnthewholebookintoasymphonywithallmusicalinstrumentsgoingontoformamelody.Questionsfordiscussion

1)symbolicmeaningofMobyDick(P86)

eviltosome;goodnesstoothers;bothtostillothers;2)portraitofAhab(P84-85)①atypicalMelvilleanisolator;②anEmersonianself-reliantindividual;③avictimofsolipsism;StudyQuestions1.Whatkindofnovelis