1、Edgar Allan Poe(1809-1849),Status,Father of detective story Master of horror fiction Pioneer of science fiction Forerunner of symbolism Advocator of aestheticism,Positive Comments,萧伯纳：坡的小说不仅仅是一篇篇小说，而完全是一件件艺术品。 柯南道尔 ：每一部坡的侦探小说都是整个文学发展的根源所在。 希区柯克 ：很有可能是因为我拜读坡的作品时太投入了，以至于后来我自己也创作了许多悬念故事影片。 辜鸿铭 ：美国除了爱伦坡
2、的一首诗安娜贝尔李（Annabel Lee）外，没有出现过一首好诗。,Negative Comments,艾略特：我们似乎只能发现敷衍马虎的写作。 詹姆斯：以某种程度的严肃对待坡本身就是一种不严肃。 惠特曼：每一页的后面都有恶魔般的底色。 劳伦斯：坡向我们讲他的病情，甚至想使这病变得美丽诱人。他甚至成功了。这不可避免导致虚伪，是欺骗，美国的艺术尤其如此，是欺骗的艺术。 卡夫卡：坡有病，他是一个面对世界而无力自卫的可怜虫。,Life Experiences,1809: born in Boston, adopted by John Allan after his parents early de
3、ath 1826: University of Virginia, addicted to gambling 1830-1831: West Point, kicked out for violating regulations on purpose 1835: editor of The Southern Literary Messenger 1836: married to his cousin, Virginia Clemm, 27/13 1847: his wife died, a heavy blow 1849: died in Baltimore, still a myth,Poe
4、s Ending,一八四八年九月，坡到普罗维敦斯向一个比他大五岁的寡妇莎拉海伦怀特曼求婚，她对文学也很感兴趣，他在一八四五年认识她以后，不时互通诗文。但女方家庭竭力反对，坡追求未遂，十一月间他买了鸦片，到波士顿企图自杀，没有死成反而大病一场。复元后他继续追求，怀特曼太太答应只要他戒酒就同他结婚。谁知临近喜日，他听了几个青年怂恿，又喝得烂醉，怀特曼太太受到多方面的压力，只得取消婚约。坡气愤之下发誓今后不再同任何爱好文学的女人来往。曾几何时，又向另一位有夫之妇南茜里奇蒙太太（安妮）和纽约一个女诗人莎拉安娜刘易斯表示爱意，都未成功。不久，他到里奇蒙和诺福克讲课，不想竟遇到少年时代的情人莎拉爱弥拉罗埃
5、丝特，当时她已成富孀。他丧偶之后十分苦闷，急需异性安慰，便向她求起婚来，她也欣然同意。九月二十七日，他回纽约准备婚事，并决心戒酒。不料到了十月三日，他又喝得酩酊大醉，倒卧巴尔的摩街头，人家把他送往华盛顿大学医院，他一直人事不省，等他苏醒过来，就对空胡言乱语，挣扎了四天，在一八四九年十月七日清晨五时结束了坎坷的一生。,Major Works,Four collections of poems: Tamerlane and Other Poems; Al Araaf; Poems; The Raven and Other Poems Two collections of short stories
6、: Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque; Tales Critical works: “ The Philosophy of Composition”, “The Poetic Principle”,Poetry,“To Helen” “Annabel Lee” “The Raven”,Theories for Poetry,The sound (musical) of poetry instead of content matters. The aim of poetry is beauty (the death of a beautiful woman
7、). The tone of poetry should be melancholy, gentle and sad. The length of poetry should be short, readable at one sitting (“The Raven”),Annabel Lee (First Stanza),It was many and many a year ago, In a kingdom by the sea, That a maiden there lived whom you may know By the name of ANNABEL LEE; And thi
8、s maiden she lived with no other thought Than to love and be loved by me.,Annabel Lee (Last Stanza),For the moon never beams without bringing me dreams Of the beautiful Annabel Lee; And the stars never rise but I feel the bright eyes Of the beautiful Annabel Lee; And so, all the night-tide, I lie do
9、wn by the side Of my darling- my darling- my life and my bride, In the sepulchre there by the sea, In her tomb by the sounding sea.,Annabel Lee,Sound: echo of sea Aim: the death of Annabel Lee Tone: deep sadness Length: shorter than “The Raven”,To Helen,Background,He wrote this as a reflection on th
10、e beauty of Mrs. Jane Stith Stanard, the mother of Poes classmate. When invited to his classmates home in 1823, 14-year-old Poe was greatly taken with the 27-year-old woman, who was later described as his first real love.,Greek and Roman Mythology,Helen: the girl with great physical beauty, who caus
11、ed the War of Troy. Hyacinth: it derives from Hyacinthus, the handsome boy admired by Apollo; it may refer to the flower itself or its color. Naiad: fairies who are in charge of streams and lakes. Psyche: the girl with great spiritual beauty, who married Eros.,Helen,墨涅拉奥斯 /帕里斯英雄一怒为红颜,Hyacinthus,太阳神阿
12、波罗邂逅正在运动的少年海尔欣瑟斯,惊艳他那玉树临风的绝色而深深地爱上他。阿波罗以一个神明之尊,紧紧陪伴在他的身边。但是另外一个神明,西风神浙洛思也非常喜爱海尔欣瑟斯,却始终得不到少年的青睐。西风神浙洛思妒火中烧, 于是想法破坏他们的相爱。一日, 阿波罗与海尔欣瑟斯玩掷铁饼的游戏。阿波罗奋力把铁饼高高掷向空中,海尔欣瑟斯赞不绝口,迫不及待也想一显身手。当铁饼快要落地时,他立即跑去。这时, 西风神浙洛思暗地里施法将铁饼飞速砸向少年,正中他的前额,当场血流如注, 阿波罗大惊失色,再怎麼样止血,都没有效果,终究无法挽回一个年轻的生命。就在阿波罗哀叹的同时,海尔欣瑟斯留在地上的鲜血消失了,从地里慢慢长出
13、一枝馥郁纤长的花，取名风信子。 水仙花(narcissus)的来历？,Psyche,普赛克（希腊神话转入罗马神话中的人物），一国王膝下三女儿中的小女儿，因外表和心灵都美丽无双而遭到美神维纳斯（阿弗洛狄特）的妒忌。维纳斯让儿子爱神丘比特（厄洛斯）用爱情之箭设法让普赛克嫁给世界上最丑陋凶残的野兽，但丘比特对普赛克一见钟情并娶她为妻。由于普赛克乃凡人，所以丘比特令其承诺永远不看丈夫的面目，普赛克欣然应允。后来，普赛克的两位姐姐因嫉妒妹妹的幸福生活，遂怂恿她去看丈夫的面目以证实对方是否面容狰狞的野兽。,Psyche,普赛克按捺不住，一天夜里趁丈夫入睡后便手持油灯来到他床前。她惊异地发现自己见到的竟然是
14、一张如百合般完美的脸庞，激动之下，油灯滑落，严重烧伤了丘比特的臂膀。丘比特惊醒，面对妻子的背叛，他伤心离去。普赛克懊悔不已，决心挽回丈夫的爱，于是向维纳斯求情。维纳斯为惩罚她，设计了一系列刁钻的任务，但都被普赛克圆满完成。终于，伤愈后的丘比特开始思念妻子，他恳求宙斯将普赛克封为蝴蝶仙子，这样便能与她永远相伴。宙斯应允，维纳斯也为此高兴，一来儿子有了般配的伴侣，二来普赛克升为女神后世人便不会再敬仰她的美貌。,Psyche and Cupid,破镜重圆重修旧好,To Helen,Helen，thy beauty is to me Like those Nican barks of yore Tha
15、t gently, oer a perfumed sea, The weary way-worn wanderer bore To his own native shore. 海伦哦，我眼里你的美丽 就像昔日尼西亚的小船， 轻柔地在飘香的海面， 将那旅途劳顿的游子 带回他故乡的海岸。,Odysseus,On desperate seas long wont to roam, Thy hyacinth hair, thy classic face, Thy Naiad airs have brought me home To the glory that was Greece, And the
16、grandeur that was Rome. 在绝望的海面、亘古波涛无边， 你蓝紫色的秀发，你典雅的脸庞， 你水中仙女般的丰姿让我感受到 希腊的荣光、 罗马的庄严。,Lo, in yon brilliant window-niche How statue-like I see thee stand, The agate lamp within thy hand, Ah! Psyche, from the regions which Are holy land! 看哪！在远方的华丽窗龛， 我见你如雕像玉立， 手里擎着玛瑙灯盏！ 啊，普赛克，你来自哪里， 哪里就是圣地！,Theme,Admira
17、tion of Mrs. Jane Stith Stanard Admiration of Helen Admiration of Greek and Roman culture,Rhyme,end rhyme: a b a b bhead rhyme: weary, way-worn, wanderer end rhyme: c d c d chead rhyme: glory, Greece, grandeur end rhyme: e f f e f,Answer to the Questions,A: This simile aims to stress Helens classic
18、beauty. A: The beauty in Helens hair, face and airs, namely, Greek glory and Roman grandeur brought the wayfaring speaker home. A: Helen appears as Psyche in the final stanza, whose lamp in hands may signify light on desperate seas or great hardships before lovers reunion.,Short Stories,Horror tales
19、 (gothic terror novels)“The Fall of the House of Usher”, “The Tell-Tale Heart”, “Ligeia”, “The Masque of the Red Death”“The Black Cat” What interests Poe most is the deep abyss of the unconscious and subconscious mental activity of the people. Detective stories“The Murders in the Rue Morgue”; “The P
20、urloined Letter”, “The Gold Bug”,Theories for Short Stories,Totality: “ in almost all classes of composition, the unity of effect or impression is a point of the greatest importance.” 统一 Brevity: “this unity cannot be thoroughly preserved in productions whose perusal cannot be completed at one sitti
21、ng.” 简短 Compression: “ there should be no word written, of which the tendency, direct or indirect, is not to the one pre-established design.” 浓缩,The Fall of the House of Usher,During the whole of a dull, dark, and soundless day in the autumn of the year, when the clouds hung oppressively low in the
22、heavens, I had been passing alone, on horseback, through a singularly dreary tract of country; and at length found myself, as the shades of the evening drew on, within view of the melancholy House of Usher.,The Fall of the House of Usher,During the whole of a dull, dark, and soundless day in the aut
23、umn of the year, when the clouds hung oppressively low in the heavens, I had been passing alone, on horseback, through a singularly dreary tract of country; and at length found myself, as the shades of the evening drew on, within view of the melancholy House of Usher.,感悟坡的艺术主张,他一向主张“为艺术而艺术”。他的艺术主张几乎
24、贯穿于他的所有作品中，包括诗歌、短篇小说和论文。在这些作品中，他声称“一切艺术的目的是娱乐，不是真理。”他认为“在诗歌中只有创造美超凡绝尘的美才是引起乐趣的正当途径。音乐是诗歌不可缺少的成分，对诗人力求表现超凡绝尘的美尤其重要。而在故事写作方面，艺术家就不妨力图制造惊险、恐怖和强烈情感的效果。而且每篇作品都应该收到一种效果。” 一切艺术都毫无（实际的）用处。 （奥斯卡王尔德）,Cultural Background,Carnival Palazzos catacombs,Carnival is a secular holiday, but it evolved from the Christi
25、an observance known as Lent, a solemn forty-day period of fasting prior to Easter.,In anticipation of the solemnity of Lent, the celebration of Carnival evolved. Participants engage in excessive and extreme behavior to bid farewell to meat-eating (and merriment). 最后的放纵,Palazzos (Italian mansions),ca
26、tacombs, underground burial chambers, characterized by extensive tunnels leading to chambers or recesses where the dead repose for eternity.,The wealthy could opt for family catacombs beneath their estates in European history.,地下墓穴,Analysis,Characterization: Montresor(monster) Vs. Fortunato(fortunat
27、e) Setting: carnival season (a contrast between ecstasy and horror; a time for the abandonment of social order) Point of view: Montresors point of view intensifies the effect of moral shock and horror (“The Tell-Tale Heart”)“Endless Night” Agatha Christie,Ending:,The murderer escapes punishment, so,
28、 justice is not done.Recommended movie: Wolf Creek,Irony: verbal irony and dramatic irony Verbal Irony: A character says one thing but means another. Fortunato: “I drink to the buried that repose around us.” Montresor: “And I to your long life.” Dramatic Irony: When audience knows what will happen b
29、efore a character knows. Fortunato does not know that he will soon die.,Symbols: Underground travel, a trip to hell Arms(家徽): “A huge human foot dor, in a field azure; the foot crushes a serpent rampant whose fangs are imbedded in the heel.”“偌大一只脚,金的,衬着一片天蓝色; 把条腾起的蟒蛇踩烂了,蛇牙就咬着脚跟。” Motto(家训): “Nemo me
30、 impune lacessit.”“No one can attack me without being punished.” Mason(泥瓦工): “It is this,” I answered, producing from beneath the folds of my roquelaire a trowel(泥刀).我边说边从短披风的褶皱下拿出把泥刀。,Answer to the Questions,A: Montresor. He wants to murder Fortunato, a wine expert who often insults him. A: A cask of Amontillado, a rare and valuable sherry wine. A: He is walled up alive behind bricks in a wine cellar. A: Poe uses color imagery to characterize them. Montresors face is covered in a black silk mask, while Fortunate is dressed in motley-colored costume of the court fool.前者隐忍，后者张扬；前者阴险，后者愚钝。,
