Edgar Allan Poe.docx
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Edgar Allan Poe.docx
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EdgarAllanPoe
EdgarAllanPoe(1809-1849)
埃德加艾伦坡
Generalintroduction:
EdgarAllanPoewasborninBostonin1809,thechildofstrugglingtravelingactors.Bothofhisparentsdiedwithintwoyearsafterhisbirth.EdgarwastakenintothehomeofJohnAllan,amerchantofRichmond,Virginia,whosenamePoelateraddedtohisown.
ForabriefperiodPoewashappywiththeAllanfamily,butfrictionsoonbegantodevelopbetweentheboyandhisfosterfather.PoeenteredtheUniversityofVirginia,butleftashorttimelaterbecausehewouldnotentertheprofessionoflawasAllanwished.Afterabriefenlistmentifthearty,PoeacceptedanappointmenttoWestPoint,whichAllanhadhelpedtoarrange.Poewasdischargedlessthanayearlater,in1831,forreasonsthatarestillnotcompletelyclear.ThisepisodemarkedthefinalbreakbetweenPoeandtheAllans.
ForatimehelivedinBaltimorewithhisfather’ssister,Mrs.MariaClemm,andherdaughterVirginia.Hehadalreadypublishedtwovolumesofpoemsathisownexpense,buthadmadenomoneyandlittlereputationfromthem.Whenhewonacontestwithhisstory“Ms.FoundinaBottle”in1833,theSouthernnovelistJohnPendletonKennedyhelpedhimgetajobaseditorwiththeSouthernLiteraryMessengerinRichmond.Poelostthepositionbecauseofexcessivedrinkingandaninabilitytomeetdeadlines,buthemanagedtoregainthejobin1835.Confidentofasecurepositionandasteadyincome,Poethenmarriedhisyoungcousin,VirginiaClemm.
InhispostontheMessenger,Poeshowedhistruetalentsasaneditor,apoet,aliterarycritic,andawriteroffiction.Heremainedforovertwoyears,improvingthemagazineandbuildingitscirculationenormously.Thenhequitsuddenlyin1837,partlybecausehefeltthathissalarywasfartoolow.WithhisfamilyhesetouttotryhisluckinNewYorkandPhiladelphia.
Forseveralyearshedrifted.HewaseneditoratvarioustimesofGraham’smagazine,twonewspapers,andBurton’sGentleman’sMagazine(where“TheFalloftheHouseofUsher”《厄舍大厦的倒塌》firstappeared).Theyearsfrom1837to1845werehard,yetinspiteofshiftingjobsandchronicpoverty,Poemanagedtowritesomeofhismostfamousstoriesduringthisperiod.Hisfirstcollectionofshortshotires,TalesoftheGrotesqueandArabesque,(述异集)apperedin1840.TheRavenwaspublishedin1845asthetitlepoemofacollection.Throughhisessaysandreviews,Poehadalsogainedstatureasaliterarycritic.Yetnoneofhissuccessesbroughthimsecurity.Misfortunespoiledeveryopportunityandfrustratedhisdreamofstartinghisownmagazine.
Ironically,whilePoewasstrugglinginAmerica,hisworkwascommandingmoreandmorepraiseinEurope,wherehewashailedasapioneerinpoeticandfictionaltechniques.HisinfluencewasespeciallystrongonmanyFrenchwriters.
HisEuropeanfamewasoflittlebenefittoPoe.Povertyremainedhistypicalcondition.Afteranagonizinglyslowdecline,hisyoungwifeVirginiadiedoftuberculosisinthewinterof1847,intheirbarecottageinNewYorkCity.Twoyearslater,atforty,Poehimselfwasdead.Likesomuchelseabouttheman,manyofthecircumstancessurroundinghisdeathremainamystery.HehadtraveledtoRichmondtomakearrangementsforhismarriagetoawidow,Mrs.A.B.Shelton.OnthereturntriptoNewYork,hestoppedinBaltimoretovisitsomefriends.Acommontheoryisthat,arrivinginthecityonElectionDay,hefellintothehandsofpoliticalhoodlumswhogothimdrunkandmadehimavoterindishonestelectionpractices.Whateverhadoccurred,onOctober3Poewasfoundinataverninadrunkenanddesperatelyillconditionhediedfourdayslater.
Poe’sviewsonnatureandrelationtoitliterature:
LikeEmerson,Poeadventuresintothehumanmind.Butthatiswheretheirsimilaritiesend.WhenEmersonseesnature,heseesemblemsofthedivinesecurity;heseesorder;andhisseeingisinspiredbyandisinstrumentaloftheOver-soul.Nature,toPoe,isdisorder,offeringnosecurity.WhereEmersondiscoversthecosmicforceoftheOver-soul,Poediscernsanelusivebeauty(飘忽不定,难以捉摸,难以言传,使人迷惑,elusiveness,)andwithit,theshadowofdeath,destructionanddisintegration.IfEmersonembracesRomanticaffirmation,PoeembracesRomanticagony.PoeticimaginationbecomesameanswithwhichPoeventuresintothelabyrinthineandhauntedhumanmind.(文学的目的在于探索那迷宫一般的,为焦虑所折磨的人的精神世界)。
Thisworldofpsychologicalcomplexity,familiartousinthepost-Freudianera,wasquiteforeigntopeopleinthe19thcentury.ThatisperhapswhyBaudelaireandFrenchsymbolistsfounditsofascinatinginPoe’sabilitytoimagedespondence,despair,decadence,decayandotherconditionsfamiliartopeopleinmodernlife.
PoeticimaginationforPoemeantanhonestexpositionofthehumanpsyche.(老老实实地展示人的精神).ButPoe’sunderstandingofthesecretsofthehumanmindwasnotmorallydriven,asitisthecasewithHawthorne.Poewasnotobsessedwithmorality.Infact,heassaultedtheunionoftheaestheticandthemoralistic,believingthatsuchaunionwouldobstructthefreeenterpriseoftheimagination.Hetransgressedmoraltaboosandturnedoverpolishedstonestorevealgrimundersides.
Hiscriticisms:
Forthesereasons,thereisasharpcriticaldisagreementonPoe’slegacy.TennysonthoughtthathewasthemostoriginalgeniusinAmericanbellesletters.Emersoncalledhim“thejingleman.”HeisregardedasagreatpoetinFrance.ButHenryJamesbelievedthatfavoringPoewas“themarkofadecidedlyprimitivestageofreflection.”YeatssawPoe“alwaysandforallladsagreatlyricpoet,”andPaulValerysuggestedthatPoehadmadeanunrivaledcontributiontoliterarymethodinproseandinverse.TheAmerican20thcenturywritersinwhomweseetheinfluenceofPoeincludeFrankNorris,TheodoreDreiser,WilliamFaulkner,VladimirNabokov,FlanneryO’Connor,andRaymondCarver.
Poeticprinciples.
ToPoe,poeticmeaningisinthepoem’sowncompositionandutterance,thusthereisnoexteriorortranscendentaltruthinapoem.Thisemphasisonthepoem’sownintegrityallowspeopletoassociatePoewiththeschoolof“artforart’ssake”andtoregardhimasaprecursortotheschoolofNewCriticisminthe20thcenturyAmerica.
Hisaccomplishmentinshortstories:
Poe,togetherwithHawthorne,modernizedAmericanshortstories.Poe’sstoriesarenotjustGothictalesbuttheyshow,throughcarefullycraftedsymbols,complexcharactersindeeppsychologicalstates.ThesymbolsareraysoflightthatPoecastsonthosehidden,deeprecessesofthehumanmind(人心之深处)。
Often,thestoriesgainaddedcomplexityandsophisticationbecauseofPoe’suseofcomplexnarrators.Thenarratorin“TheCaskofAmontillado”,forexample,hascommittedamurderandisconfessingthecrimetosomeonehetrusts,after50years.Anarratorwhoisacriminalimmediatelycomplicatesthetruthbeingtold.ThisabilitytomanipulatenarrativepointofviewwasquitenewinPoe’stime.
TheforceofPoe’sstoriescomes,inpart,fromhisabilitytoplacehischaractersIaspecialsituationsothattheirpsychologicalstatescanbedetailedandsharplydelineated.Alsomanyofhischaractershaveanalteregooradouble,thussignifyingtheincompletenessandtheself-loathingpartofanindividual.Sometimesthecharacterstrytoescapefromordestroyorburythepartoftheselfwhichisrepresentedasthedouble.Theannihilationofthedouble(halfofone’sself)leadstothedestructionoftheotherhalf,thustoself-destruction.
Ananalysisof“ThecaskofAmontillado”
Initially,wemightidentifywithMontresorthenarrator,tryingtounderstandhowhisplanedkillingofFortunatowasjustifiedandwascarriedoutwiththoseprinciplesheannounced.But,ifwereadcarefully,webegintobebotheredbyMontresor’swayofspeakingwhichrevealsaswellasconceals,bytheruthlessnessandgruesomenessofMontresor’slogicanddeeds.WethenalsobegintoseehowtheironyisallonMontresor.Heisfarfromtheinstrumentofjusticehepresentshimselftobe.InacomicscenewhenFortunato,amemberoftheMasons(theFreemasonsasasecretsociety),questionswhetherhetooisamason.Hequickly----unconsciously----takesouthistrowel,theweaponwithwhichheisgoingtobuildawallaroundFortunatotoburyhimaliveinit.ThisdetailindicatestheguiltinMontresor.ThefactthatMontresortellsthestoryafter50yearsshowsthathedoesnothaveaclearconscience.Eventhoughthemurderisnotdiscovered,heispunishednonetheless.Sowhenhesays“Inpacerequiescat!
”(Mayherestinpeace),ironicallyheiswishingthathehimselfcouldbeatpeace.Whenwerereadthestory,wenowrealizethathecatacombandMontresorsfamilyemblemareallsymbolsofapsychologicalstateinwhichacriminalthought,disguisedasjustice,isharboreddeepandispassedonthroughmanygenerations.
Asummery:
Poeisacritic,poetandshortstorywriter,andisimportantinallthreeaspects.HemadecontributionstoFrenchsymbolistpoetry.InfactheisregardedastheprecursortotheFrenchSymbolistmovement.HeAdventuresintothehumanmindwithcarefullycraftedsymbols,thinkingthatanovelistshouldendeavortodisplayman’sinternalworld,especiallythemorbidordarksideofthehumanpsychethathasoftenbeenignored.Hebelievesthatliterarynarrationshouldbeconcise,strivingforclimaxwithafasterrhythmsoastoachieveonesingleeffect.
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