英国诗歌研究.docx
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英国诗歌研究.docx
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英国诗歌研究
TheComparisonofDeathThemeinthePoetryofEmilyDickensonandWilliamCullenBryant
摘要:
本文作者以死亡为主题,将艾米丽·狄更斯和布莱恩特的作品进行对比。
本文从以下四个方面进行阐述:
两个诗人不同的人生经历影响着各自作品中关于死亡的看法;超验主义思想影响各自作品中对死亡的认识;通过对布莱恩特的《死亡之思考》与艾米丽·狄更斯的作品《我不停地死去》这两部具体的诗歌分析得出两位诗人对死亡的不同态度;
【关键字】:
死亡之思考;艾米丽·狄更斯;布莱恩特;《因我无法为死神停留》
Abstract:
ThispaperaimstoillustrateacomparativestudyofthedeaththemeinEmilyDickson’sandWilliamCullenBryant’sworks.Itillustratesfromthefollowingfouraspects:
Theirdifferentpersonalexperiencesthatinfluencedtheirdeathviewsofworks;theirworkswithdeaththemewereinfluencedbytranscendentalism;theanalysisofthetwopoets’mostpopulardeaththemedpoems“Thanatopsis”and“BecauseICouldnotStopforDeath”,whichrepresentstheirdifferentattitudetowardsdeath.
KeyWords:
Thanatopsis;EmilyDickinson;Bryant;“BecauseICouldNotStopForDeath”
Ⅰ.Introduction
EmilyDickinsonwasbornonDecember10,1830inthequietcommunityofAmherst,Massachusetts,theseconddaughterofEdwardandEmilyNorcrossDickinson.Beingthedaughterofaprominentpolitician,EmilyhadthebenefitofagoodeducationandattendedtheAmherstAcademy.Althoughshewassuccessfulatcollege,Emilyreturnedafteronlyoneyearattheseminaryin1848toAmherstwhere
shebeganherlifeofseclusion.ThelateryearsofDickinson'slifewereprimarilyspentinmourningbecauseofseveraldeathswithinthetimeframeofafewyears.OnJune14,1884Emily'sobsessionsandpoeticspeculationsstartedtocometoastopwhenshesufferedthefirstattackofherterminalillness.“Throughouttheyearof1885,Emilywasconfinedtobedinherfamily'shousewhereshehadlivedherentirelife,andonMay15,1886Emilytookherlastbreathattheageof56.”(BoltsMelody.90)Atthatmomenttheworldlostoneofitsmosttalentedandinsightfulpoets.Emilyleftbehindnearly2,000poems.
WilliamCullenBryanthasbeencalled"thefatherofAmericansong,"andtheyear1821,whenhisfirstvolumeappeared,wasrecordedasthenatalyearofAmericanpoetry.HewasborninthelittlevillageofCummington,inwesternMassachusetts.ThepoetgrewupnaturewithoutandPuritanismwithin.Intheshadowsofthetwoinfluenceshelivedanddied.Littleelseofconsequenceisreflectedinthepoemsthatarehisbestmemorial.ThevisiblelifeofBryantliesalmostentirelyoutsidetherealmofpoetry.Hisearly"Thanatopsis"washiddenawayforyearstillhisfatherfoundandpublishedit,andmadeBryantfamousinaday.AllthisatatimewhenEnglishcriticswereexalting"suddeninspiration,""sustainedeffort"andpoems"doneatonesitting."Hisfirstlittlevolume,Poems,containssomeofhisbestwork.Inthenextfiftyyearsheaddedtothesizebutnottothequalityofthatvolume;andthereislittletoindicateinsuchpoemsas"Thanatopsis"and"TheFloodofYears"thattheonewaswrittenbyaboyofseventeenandtheotherbyasageofeighty.Thispaperaimstoexamineondeathbycomparingthetwopoets’representativepoetriestofindouttheirdifferentattitudetowardsdeath.
Ⅱ.TheFactorsthatInfluencetheViewofDeathofEmilyDickensonandWilliamCullenBryant
2.1DifferentLifeExperiencesofEmilyDickensonandWilliamCullenBryant
Emily’slifeisfullofsolitudeandfanciful.InEmily'sentirelife,shetookonetriptoPhiladelphia,onetoWashington,andafewtripstoBoston.Otherthanthoseoccasionalventures,Emilyhadnoextendedexposuretotheworldoutsideherhometown,suchexperiencesinfluencedherworkswhichdependingonthoughtandillusion,forinstance,herworkwithdeaththemejustdependingonherthoughtsandfeelings,evenshecantouchthedeathfeeling.ThelateryearsofDickinson'slifewereprimarilyspentinmourningbecauseofseveraldeathswithinthetimeframeofafewyears.Emily'sfatherdiedin1874,SamuelBowlesdiedin1878,J.G.Hollanddiedin1881,hernephewGilbertdiedin1883,andbothCharlesWadsworthandEmily'smotherdiedin1882.Overthosefewyears,manyofthemostinfluentialandpreciousfriendshipsofEmily'spassedaway,andthatgavewaytothemoreconcentratedobsessionwithdeathinherpoetry,forexample,“ICouldnotStopforDeath”,whichreflectedhercreativityandimaginationaboutdeath.OnJune14,1884Emily'sobsessionsandpoeticspeculationsstartedtocometoastopwhenshesufferedthefirstattackofherterminalillness.Throughouttheyearof1885,Emilywasconfinedtobedinherfamily'shousewhereshehadlivedherentirelife,andonMay15,1886Emilytookherlastbreathattheageof56.
EmilyDickinson'slifeismiserableandsolitary;shewasabletofocusonherworldmoresharplythanotherauthorsofhertime.Becauseofherunusualandsufferingexperience,Emilywasoriginalandinnovativeinherpoetry,mostoftendrawingontheBible,inwhichtherearenowordshavesufferedmorethanthetwowords“life”and“death”.ThisinfluencedEmilyDicksondeeply.Manyofherpoemswerenotcompletedandwrittenonscrapsofpaper,suchasoldgrocerylists.Eventuallywhenherpoetrywaspublished,editorstookituponthemselvestogroupthemintoclasses—Friends,Nature,Love,andDeath.
However,thedifferentpersonalexperienceofBryantinfluenceshispoemdeeply.Helivedarealisticandcolorfullife.IntheboyhoodofBryantweshallfindtheinspirationinallhisenduringwork.Hisfatherwasaphysician,ascholarlymanwhodirectedhisson'sreading.HismotherwasaPuritan,oneofthosequiet,inspiringwomenwhodotheirworkcheerfully.TherewasalsointhehomeaPuritangrandfatherwholedthefamilydevotionseveryevening.Thewholefamilyinfluencedhimtotally;SoBryantattributedhisearliestimpulsetowritepoetry.
Betweenthesetwoinfluences,naturewithoutandPuritanismwithin,thepoetgrewup;intheirshadowhelivedanddied;littleelseofconsequenceisreflectedinthepoemsthatarehisbestmemorial.ThevisiblelifeofBryantliesalmostentirelyoutsidetherealmofpoesies,whichisdifferentwithEmilyDickson.Hisexperienceschangedhimtobefullofculturalknowledgereflectinginherworks.HewasfittedforWilliamsbycountryministers,aswascustomaryinthatday;butpovertycompelledhimtoleavecollegeaftertwobriefterms.Thenhestudiedlaw,andhewenttoNewYork,foundworkinanewspaperoffice.Hisworldlyaffairsprospered;hebecamea"leadingcitizen"ofNewYork,prominentinthesocialandliteraryaffairsofagreatcity;hevariedtheroutineofeditorshipbytripsabroad.Inhislateryears,asaliterarycelebrity,heloanedhisnamerathertoofreelytopopularhistories,anthologiesandgiftbooks.
Hispoemwasathingforeverapartfromhisdailylife,analmostsacredthing,tobecherishedinmomentswhen,hisday'sworkdone,hewasfreetofollowhisspiritandgiveoutlettothefeelingswhich,asastrongmanandaPuritan,hewaswonttorestrain.Hisearly"Thanatopsis"washisownviewofdeathwithoutmiserable.
Comparedwiththesetwopoets,WilliamCullenBryant’ssufficientexperiencesandcareersledhimtohavedifferentattitudetowardsdeath.Inhisworkswithdeaththeme,therearealways“sternagony,shroud,pall”,whichwererealisticandfullofpowertoillustratedeath.Therearemanyfactsinhisworkstoshowhisfeelingofdeath,butnotlikeEmily’sworkswithcreativityandimaginationofdeath.
2.2InfluenceofTranscendentalismonEmilyDickensonandWilliamCullenBryant
Thetranscendentalistviewofnaturewasthatmanwasonewithnature;thatman,Godandnatureshouldallcoexistandthatifmansimplifiedhislifeandlivedasonewithnature,hewouldbeatpeacewithhimselfandtheworldaroundhim.Itisapracticalviewofnature,thestarsawakenacertainreverence,becausethoughalwayspresent,theyareinaccessible;butallnaturalobjectsmakeakindredimpression,whenthemindisopentotheirinfluence.Hesaysthatwemaynotalwaysbeabletotouchnaturebutthatwedonothavetobeinaweofit,wejusthavetostrivetounderstandit.Hemakesthepointthatfewadultscanseenaturebecausetheyarenotintunewithit,whereaschildrencan."Thesunilluminatesonlytheeyeoftheman,butshinesintotheeyeandtheheartofthechild.”(PaulReuben74)
Hegoesontotalkabouttheexperienceofbeingonewithnature,ofbecomingthe"transparenteyeball;partandparticleofGod"(JohnsonLewis124)fardifferentexperiencethantheRomanticviewpoint,whereonlyindeathareyoutrulyallowedtoexperiencenaturetoitsfullest.
Unitariansatthattimeembracedtheideathatreasonandsciencehelpedpeopletodiscoverthepurposeoflifeandthespiritualworld.Thosewhoadoptedtranscendentalismfeltthatscholarshipdirectlyinterferedwithinnateknowing,andcloudedthesensesratherthanclearingthemforpersonalperceptionofthedivine.Thedivinewastheretobefeltratherthansomethingonehadtobeconvincedof.Somestraddledthefenceonthisissue.Emersonwasbothnaturalistandtranscendentalist.ManyUnitarianministersbecametranscendentalistsatthistime.
Thepoetsandwritersassociatedwithtranscendentalismespeciallyexpressedthesenseofawarenessthatcouldhavebeenfrombeing“innature.”ThiswascertainlyadirectreflectionoftheEnglishRomanticmovementinpoetry.Wordsworthandothersspecificallycelebratednatureasthesourceofthedivine,notjusttheoutdoorsandthenaturalmanifestationsofearth,butalsotheessenceornatureofthehuman.
FromEmerson’sworkNaturetheconceptsoftranscendentalismarewellexpressed:
“Standingonthebareground,—myheadbathedbytheblitheair,andupliftedintoinfinitespace,—allmeanegotismvanishes.Ibecomeatransparenteye-ball;I
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