Lesson 7 Lecture notes for ss.docx

Lesson 7 Lecture notes for ss.docx

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Lesson7Lecturenotesforss

ADVANCEDENGLISH

BOOK2

LESSON7

THELIBIDOFORTHEUGLY

BackgroundInformation

AbouttheauthorH.L.Mencken（1880–1956）

•Americancritic,journalist,essayist,andlinguist

•Inhisearlyyears,hewasinfluencedbythephilosophyofT.H.HuxleyandFriedrichNietzsche,thewritingstyleofplaywrightG.B.Shaw,andthejournalisticethosofJamesHuneker.

•Authorofmorethantwentybooksonsubjectsrangingfromreligionandwomen'srightstoathree-volumestudyofTheAmericanLanguage,Menckenisconsideredbymanytobetheforemostessayistofhisgeneration. 

•Refertothecoursewebsiteformoredetails.

BackgroundInformation

Abouttheessay“TheLibidofortheUgly”

Whatis“libido”?

•Aspecialtermusedinpsychoanalysismeaningpsychicenergygenerally;specifically,abasicformofpsychicenergy,comprisingthepositive,lovinginstinctsmanifestedvariouslyatdifferentstagesofpersonalitydevelopment.

•利比多,与本能的生物欲望有关的生理的或情感的能量

•【心理】“利比多”（弗洛伊德心理分析学说中的精神动力,实际即是性的本能）

TheLibidofortheUgly:

thestrongurgetolovethingsugly.

•Menckendeliberatelychoosestheword“libido”inordertogivehissubjectascientificcoloring.

BackgroundInformation

Readtheessay.Answerthefollowingquestions:

•Whatrhetoricalformdoestheessaytake?

•Howwouldyoudescribetheauthor’simpressionoftheplace?

Whatrhetoricalformdoestheessaytake?

▪TheLibidofortheUglyisapieceofsubjective,impressionisticoremotionaldescription.

▪Descriptioncouldbeeither

•objective,realisticorexpository

•orsubjective,impressionisticoremotional.

Howwouldyoudescribetheauthor’simpressionoftheplace?

▪InTheLibidofortheUgly,Menckenisverysubjectiveandpersonal.

▪Inthisstrongimpressionisticorhighlyemotionalpieceofdescription,ugliness,asthedominantimpression,standsoutvividlyandprominently.

Detailedstudyofthetext-Paragraph1

1.Onawinterday…county.

•Onedayinwintersomeyearsago,IstartedoutfromPittsburghandtraveledthroughthecoalandsteeltownsWestmorelandcountryinafastrailwaytrain.

Pittsburgh

•AcityinSouthwestPennsylvania.ItisoneofthemostimportantindustrialcitiesofAmerica,andacenterofrailandrivertransportation.

•Termedthe“SteelCity”or“SmokyCity”,itisthecenterofrichbituminous-coal（烟煤）region,producingalsonaturalgas,oilandlimestone;alargepartofU.S.steelandironisproducedhere.

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Westmorelandcounty:

•AcountyinSouthwestPennsylvania.Itscountryseat（县城，县政府所在地县）isGreensburg.Itisaminingandmanufacturingregion.

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2.Boyandman…before.

•AsaboyandlaterwhenIwasagrown-upman,Ihadoftentraveledthroughtheregion.

3.Butsomehow…desolation.

•ButsomehowinthepastIneverreallyperceivedhowshockingandwretchedthiswholeregionwas.

•Appallingdesolation:

荒凉得让人震惊

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4.Herewastheveryheart…joke.

Identifythefiguresofspeechusedinthislongsentence.

（1）metaphor:

▪comparingthismostimportantcenterofindustrialAmericatotheheartofahumanbody;

（2）hyperbole:

▪exaggeratingtherichnessandgrandeurofthisregionandofAmericaasawhole–theboastandprideoftherichestandgrandestnationeverseenonearth.

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（3）Antitheticalcontrast:

▪therichestandgrandestregioncontrastedwiththehideous,bleakandforlornscene.

5.Herewastheveryheart…activity.

•TheregionaroundPittsburgwasoneofthemostimportantindustrialcentersofAmerica.

•HerewasthecenterofthemostprofitableandcharacteristicAmericanactivity–industrialactivity（manufactureandproductionofgoodsasdistinguishedfromagriculture）.

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6.Theboastandpride…onearth:

Hyperbole,exaggeratingthewealthandgrandeurofUnitedStates.

TheUnitedStates,therichestandgrandestnationeverseenonearth,bothboastsaboutandfeelsproudofthiscenterofindustrialactivity.

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7.Andherewas…joke.

Hideous

•Repulsive,especiallytothesight;revoltinglyugly;令人讨厌的，尤指难看的；丑陋的

Bleak

•Exposedtotheelements;unshelteredandbarren;无遮蔽的；风吹雨打的和荒凉的：

Forlorn

•Appearingsadorlonelybecausedesertedorabandoned;孤独凄凉的由于被遗弃或抛弃而呈伤心或孤独状的

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Macabre

•Suggestingthehorrorofdeathanddecay;gruesome;恐怖的，阴森森的令人联想起死亡和衰败的恐怖景象的；令人毛骨悚然的：

Reducesb/sth（fromsth）tosth

•Bringsb/sthintoaspecified（usu.worse）stateorcondition.使某人某事物陷入某种（通常指更坏的）状态或状况中

Paragraph1

Paraphrase

Thescenethatmettheeyewasterriblyuglyandthewholeregionwassomiserableandgloomythatitwasunbearable.

Thisdreadfulscene（inaregionwhichproducesthroughitsindustrythewealthtomakeAmericatherichestandgrandestnation）makesallhumanendeavorstoadvanceandimprovetheirlotappearasaghastly,saddeningjoke.

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8.Herewaswealth…alleycats.

Thissentencefollowsthepatternoftheproceedingone.Thesamefiguresareused.

（1）hyperbole:

•exaggeratingthewealththatwasbeyondcomputationandimagination;andhabitationssoabominablethatevenhomelesscatswouldhavefeltashamedtoliveinthem;

（2）Antitheticalcontrastofwealthandabominablehabitations.

Abominable

•Unequivocallydetestable;loathsome;令人生厌的；厌恶的：

Paragraph1

Paraphrase

▪Peoplecouldnotimagineorcalculatetheamountofwealththatwastobefoundinthisregion.Andinthissameregionthereweresuchterribleanddisgustinghousesthatevenhomeless,mongrelcatswouldfeelashamedtoliveinthem.

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Paragraphoneisdevelopedbycontrasting____________to___________

•thegreatwealthofthisregiontotheabominablehumanhabitationsseeneverywhere.

Thereaderfailstounderstandwhysuchrichpeopleliveinsuchuglyhouses.Thecontrast,thus,helpsMenckentomakehispoint,whichis_________________.

▪UglinessisnotduetopovertybuttosomethinginnateintheAmericancharacter–aloveforuglinessforitsownsakeor,asthetitlesays,thelibidofortheugly.

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9.WhatIalludeto…insight.

Figureofspeechusedhereis____________.

•Hyperbole,anexaggerationthatishardtobelieve.Noteveryhousecouldhavebeenthatugly.

Unbrokenugliness:

•Uglinessthatwascontinuousanduninterrupted.Itwasuglynomatterwhereyoulooked.

Agonizingugliness:

•Uglinessthatcausedgreatpain（topeoplewhosawit）

Sheerrevoltingmonstrousness:

•Theabsolute（ordownright）,disgusting（orloathsome）hideousness

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10.FromEastLiberty…theeye.

EveryhouseapassengersawwhentravelingbytrainfromEastLibertytoGreensburg,adistanceoftwenty-fivemiles,wassouglythatitoffendedandhurthiseyes.

Greensburg:

CountycityofWestmorelandcounty,SouthwestcentralPennsylvania,25mileseastsoutheastofPittsburgh.

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11.Oneblinked…shotaway.

Asimile.

Theuglinessofthesehouseswasasgruesomeasafacethathasbeenshotandmangled.

Comments

Thepilingupofuglyandgruesomewordsandimageswithletupdefeatsthepurposeofthewriter.

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12.Afewlinger…there:

Someofthehousesremaininone’smemoryandlaterwhenonepicturestheminone’smindtheystillappeartobehorrible.

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13.Acrazy…leproushill.

Simile.

Crazy:

•（colloquial）foolish,wild,fantastic,etc.;notsensible

Jeanette

•AsmallcityinWestmorelandcounty,21milessoutheastofPittsburgh

Dormer-window

•Awindowsetuprightinaslopingroof

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Leprous

•Likeleprosyhavingulcersandwhitescalyscabs

Paraphrase

Afoolish（insensible）littlechurchjustwestofJeannettewasbuiltlikeadormer-widowonahillsidethatwasbareandlookedasrepulsiveastheskinofaleper.

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14.Asteelstadium…theline.

Simileandridicule.

Itwasalargeroundovalstructuremadeofsteelandlookedlikeabigrattrap.

ThisheadquartersoftheVeteranofForeignWarswasabitfurtherdownthelinethantheChurchatJeanette.

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15.Therewasnot…shabby.

Therepetitionofthesamestructuralpatternandtheuseofdoublenegativeshelptoemphasizethetwowords“misshapen”and“shabby”.

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16.Thecountryitself…mills.

notuncomely:

Litotes（understatement）间接肯定法,meaningquitecomelyorpleasantandfairtolookat

Thecountryitselfispleasanttolookat,despitethesootydirtspreadbytheinnumerablemillsinthisregion.

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17.Itisthickly…overcrowded.

Inthisareaagreatnumberofpeopleliveclosetogetherbutitdoesn’tgivetheimpressionofbeingovercrowded.

thick:

•Havingcomponentpartsinaclose,crowdedstateorarrangement;dense;密集的,稠的

▪athickforest.密密的丛林

settle:

•Toestablishasaresidentorresidents,定居

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18.Thereisstill…blocks.

room:

•space,esp.enoughspaceinwhichtodosth.

building:

•“building”isaverbalnounhere,meaningtheactorprocessofbuildinghouses.

solidblock:

•Agroupofbuildingswithnobreaksoremptyspaceseparatingthem

Paraphrase

Eveninthelargertownsthereareveryfewsolidblocksofhouses,sotherearestillmanyemptyspacesonwhichnewbuildingscanbeputup.

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19.Obviously…thehillsides.

Sarcasm.讽刺，挖苦

The“if”clauseisnotarealconditionalclause.Itsarcasticallyemphasizesthefactthat_____________________.

•therewerenoarchitectsworthyofitsnameinthisregion.Therewerenoarchitectsworthyofthehonororthehighstandardsdemandedofbyitsprofession.IftherehadbeensucharchitectstheywouldnaturallyhavebuiltSwiss-typehouseswhichwouldlielowandclingingtothehillsides.

Chalet:

•atypeofSwisshouse,builtofwoodwithbalconiesandoverhangingeaves.

Photoof