OHenryandHisWritingStyle

1、欧亨利和他的写作风格O.Henry and His WritingStyleContentsAbstract.1Key words.1I.Introduction. .2II. O.Henry, Mouthpiece of the Lower People.21. Sympathy for the poor people.22. Reflection on the ordinary people.3III. The Characteristics of His Writi ng.51. Surprising ending.52. The vividness of details.63. Coi

2、ncidenee. .74. Humor and irony.85. Brilliant use of language. .9IV. Short Critical Comments on O.Henrys Writing Style.9V.Conclusion.10References.11O.Henry and His Writing Style第1页共11页O.Henry and His Writing StyleAbstract:O.Henry was a distinguished American storywriter. He wrote more than 300 shorts

3、tories in his life, and all of his stories were ingeniously conceived, with theendings always con trary to readers expectati ons, yet not bey ond reas on, forboth ways conform well to the logic of life. Actually, his style had a great in fluenee on moder n America n ficti on, especially stories prin

4、 ted in magazines.Therefore, some critics called him the founder of American stories. Being giftedwith humor and a keen awareness of details, he objectively shows us whatAmerica looks like. All his stories put together con stitute a true pano rama ofAmerica n life, or as some one said, the en cyclop

5、edia of America n life.Key words :short story；writing style摘 要：欧亨利原名威廉西德尼波特( William Sydney Porter ),是美国最著名的短篇 小说家之一，他一生中写了三百多部小说，曾被评论界誉为曼哈顿桂冠散文作家和美国现代短篇小说之父。他善于描写美国社会尤其是纽约百姓的生活。从艺术手法上看，欧.亨利善于捕捉生活中令人啼笑皆非而富于哲理的戏剧性场景，用漫画般的笔触勾勒出人物的特点。作品情节的发展较快，在结尾时突然出现一个意料不到的结局，使读者惊愕之余，不能不承认故事合情合理，进而赞叹作者构思的巧妙，被誉为“美国生活的

6、百科全书”。关键词:短篇小说；写作风格O.Henry and His Writing Style第2页共11页I. I ntroducti onO.He nry origi nally n amed William Sydney Porter is a dyn amic author and in dividual who establishedhimself among significant American authors by emerging from a troubled past, creating a vast uniquecollection of short stories

7、, and through the lasting popularity that he earned. Most of his 200 short storiesfollowed a pattern of character, plot, structure, and sett in g, ofte n cul min at ing with an O.He nry twist. Thiscon tin uity allowed him to garner considerable fame, added to by the persistent use of idealistic and

8、romanticized themes. William Saroya n stated, The people of America love O.He nry.He was a no body, but hewas a n obody who was also a somebody, everybodys somebody. Un derestimat ing the importa nce ofPorters backgro und would be doing in justice to his work and the true n ature of the author. Curr

9、e nt-Garciasupports this view in say in g, The Iandscapesof his stories were vastly enriched by his unique lifeexperiences,both as a convicted criminal who learned to write short stories while in jail and, later, as a literarycelebrity in New York City. William Sydney Porter has deservingly merited

10、his stature among the greatestAmerican authors. Stephen Leacock epitomizes this point in saying that the whole En glish-speak ing worldwill recog nize in one of his greatest masters of modern literature.II. O.He nry, Mouthpiece of the Lower People1. Sympathy for the poor peopleO.Henry wrote about th

11、e life of ordinary people in New York City. He is mouthpiece of the lower people.Many of his stories show sympathy for the lower people, such asThe Voice of the City and The Four Million .These works sympathize with the young poor couple, with the down and outer, the drifter, or the alien, withhis s

12、ympathy as the main feature of his works and is a projectio n of his pers on al l on eli ness. O.He nryoriginal feeling for the poor people has a great deal to do with his own experience full of frustrati on.O.He nry had a sad experie nce in his early years. His mother died whe n he was three years

13、old, the n hewas brought up by his aunt, and virtually became an orpha n. He worked in his uncle dsugstore with littleschooling. In 1887, O.Henry fell in love with a girl called Athol Estes, but her family didnetragreiecje thfthe young couple. As aresult, the two young people had no choice but to ru

14、n away together. In 1897, O.Henry was charged withembezzleme nt of funds from the Austi n, Texas bank. To avoid being arrested, he fled to New Orlea ns andHon duras. His wife became ill duri ng his abse nee, so he had to come back secretly. One trouble followedano ther. He was heart-broke n with gri

15、ef for his wifes death. Fin ally he was arrested and senten ced to fiveyears in the Ohio Pen tite ntiary .In pris on he thought of his own misery and humiliatio n, also the lowerpeople lises around him. He was determined to write diligently with his pen as a mouthpiece of the poorO.Henry and His Wri

16、ting Style第3页共11页people.As his experience shows, the majority people meet in his daily life are those in the lower class of thesociety such as clerks, policeme n, and waitresses. He ope ns The Four Millio n by observ ing that Some oneinven ted the asserti on that there were on ly Four Hundred people

17、 in New York City who were really worthnoticing. But a wiser man has arisen the cen sus takea nd his larger estimate of huma n in terest has been preferred in marking out the field of these little stories of the Four Million. But just becausehis observati onfor the poor and the ordi nary people made

18、 him the most famous author in his times and this is why his twistending can gain the sympathy and the tears of so many readers. They are the stories of four million people,but not the stories of four hundred people.In short, without O.Henrysmiserable experience, there would not be his deep sympathy

19、 for the lowerpeople in his stories and he would not form his own writing style.2. Reflect ion on the ordi nary peopleIn many of O.Henrys short stories, he wrote about the lives of the ordinary people in New York, as wellas in the other places.O.He nry was very familiar with com mon peoples life sty

20、le. He drifted through several occupatio ns: abookkeeper, a drugstore clerk, a Texas Ran ger, an acco untant, a draftsman, a bank teller and a newspapercolumnist. He himself had experieneed many failures and frustrations, such as his wifes death, some financialfailures in early literary ven tures an

21、d the failure of his own humorous weekly The Rolli ng Stone He was eve nin dicted on a charge of embezzli ng funds and was throw n into pris on. He could turn out many stories basedon his own life, and he himself might be the prototype of many of his characters. In addition, O.Henry used towander ab

22、out New York City, drifting into conv ersati ons with stra ngers on the streets or in the parks, observing with an acute eye and ear, sights and soun ds, nuan cesof soun ds, nuan ces of day or on Wall Street. Heknew ordinary people so well and the way he represents them in his stories gives the read

23、ers the impressionthat they meet these characters everyday. They have not any striking characteristics, not would they be easy tofind in a large multitude of people. In fact, every one of them was as ordi nary as a grain of sand, and the onlyword that could be used to describe them is common.O.He nr

24、ys stories were writte n to help people escape from their everyday problems. The author had been a skilled storyteller since he was a tee nager. He used to en terta in people in his un cles drugstore and onthe Texas ranch where he lived as a young man. He wan ted his stories to be en terta ining and

25、 enjoyable. Toachieve this, he uses lively dialogue, vivid and quickly drawn descriptions, humor, irony, chance happenings,and surprise endin gs.In 1908 critic Henry James Forma n wrote that No tale nt could be more orig inal or more delightful. Thecomb in ati on of tech ni cal excelle nce with whim

26、sical, sparkli ng wit, abundant humor and a fertile inventionis so rare that the reader is content without comparis on s.O.Henry and His Writing Style第4页共11页E. Hudson Long who writes the book O.Henry, the Man and His Work once said Poverty is so terribleand so com mon, we should all do more tha n we

27、 do-much more-to relieve it. There can be no doubt aboutO.He nrys sin cere sympathy for those who n eedehelp, but were un able to help themselves. Stories like Brickdust Row and An Unfini shed Story causedTheodore Roosevelt to say, It was O.He nry who started me on my campaig n for office girls. Bec

28、ause of thisinterest in the unfortunate, especially the victims of en vir onment, the stories of O.He nry take on sociologicalimport. He prese nted the shopgirl, the derelict, the woma n of the street, the gan gster, aga inst the background that produced them. He knew that environment could cause tr

29、agedy, and he realized the injustice of asystem which would permit an employer to pay a clerk only six dollars a week. Brickdust Row depicts thedamagi ng effects on the lives of those whose surro undings are in adequate and squalid. The Guilty Partyattempts to show that slum children, forced to play

30、 in the streets, are defeated in life before they start.It was on behalf of the shopgirl, however, that O.He nry fin ally dipped his pen in acid. An UnfinishedStory ends with the author, at the bar of judgment, being asked if he bel ongs with a certa in group: Who arethey? a journ alist asked. Why,

31、said he, they are the men who hired working-girls, and paid me five or sixdollars a week to live on. Are you one of the bun ch? Not on your immortality, said journ alist. Im on ly thefellow that set fire to an orpha n asylum, and murdered a bli nd man for his penni es.So O.Henry has been recognized

32、among the greatest American authors. Not only because of hisremarkable life story but also his good attitude towards life.O.Henry and His Writing StyleIII. The Characteristics of His Writi ngO.Henrys stories had many recognizable elements, some of which became distinctly his own. Some ofthese were p

33、oor, work in g-class characters, a humorous ton e, realistic detail, and a surprise ending. He wasso adapt and skilled in utilizing the unexpected endin g, it became know as the O.He nry twist. This becamethe sig nature ending to his short stories, compiled with repeating themes and structures. Many

34、 of his storieswere exceed in gly allegoric, express ing themes of love, compassi on, and poverty. Harold Bloom said, people find themselves in his stories, not more truly and more strange, but rather as they were and are, Thissen time ntal idealism expla ins his continu ous popularity, eve n throug

35、h the subsequent decline of hisreputation among literary critics. Many critics still view O.Henry in positive light, highlighting the trademarks,which became synonymous with his n ame.1. Surprising endingO.He nry stories are famous for their surprise endin gs. He was called the America n Guy De Maup

36、assa nt.Both authors wrote twist endin gs, but O.He nry stories were much more playful and optimistic. A surprise atthe end of the story can bring an enormous amount of pleasure to readers. The key to a surprise endin g-a ndit is one that O.He nry mastered early on-is that it has to be believable. T

37、he characteristics of O.Henry writingsare popular with the people. His surprise ending is especially liked by readers and makes all readers think of itlong after.The Gift of the Magi, O.Henry used the most famous trick ending. The story tells readers about how apoor young husba nd and wife buy each

38、other a Christmas prese nt, though they are both nearly penniless.They make up their minds to get a suitable Christmas gift for the other side for sin cere love. The wife has herbeautiful hair cut off and sells the tresses to buy the husba nd a gold watch cha in. He sells his watch to get aset of co

39、mbs. When he and she fin ally know what the matter is, both of them feel very surprised and at thesame time, they feel much disappo in ted, for the prese nts that they have bought have no use at this time.The conception of this is really ingenious clever. When the story is over, the readers become i

40、ntoxicatedin the minute arrangement of the writer, and meanwhile are deeply moved by this young affect ion ate couple.In The Cop and the An them, a vagra nt tries to be arrested by the police and put into pris on in order toget a shelter in the win ter. He has a meal in a restaura nt without pay ing

41、,第5页共11页O.Henry and His Writing Style第6页共11页breaks the glass of the window, takes liberties with a young pretty woman and robs a man of his umbrella, etc.But all the evil deeds dont get him arrested. At last Soapy is movedby the music coming from a small church. When he is determ ined to correct his

42、 errors and make a fresh start,he is caught by a policeman. The sad denouncement of the story surprises everyreader. When Soapy does badthings and wants to be arrested, he cantarrested. When he doesndo bad things and wants to turn over a new leaf, he is done wrong to become aprisoner. As every reade

43、r can see, O.Henry shows ingenuity and affords food for thought in this story.2. The vivid ness of detailsO.He nry ofte n observes the people and things around him, so he always gives a descripti on of vividdetails in his short stories. He does his best to make his portrayal exact and exquisite. The

44、 very style of thestories is absorbing. Such detailed description makes every reader in dulge him in the plots of the story. Themore people read such writi ngs, the more they are interested in the characters and plots in the stories.In The Gift of Magi, Della wants to buy Jim a Christmas present. Sh

45、e sells her beautiful hair because shehas only one dollar and eighty-seve n cen ts. As soon as she buys a platinum fob chain, she comes back home.When Della reaches home, O.Henry has a detailed descripti on:“WherDella reached home, her intoxication gave away a little to prudence and reason. She got

46、outher curling irons and lights the gas and went to work repairing the ravages made by gen erosity added to love.That is always a treme ndous task, dear friends -a mammoth task. Within forty minutes her head wascovered with tiny, close-lying curls that made her look won derfully like a trua nt schoo

47、lboy. She looked at herreflect ion in the mirror l ong, carefully and critically Della doubled the fob chain in her hand and sat on thecorner of the table n ear the door that he always en tered. Then she heard his step on the stair away down onthe first flight, and she turned white for just a moment

48、 andnow she whisperedPlease God, make himthink I am still pretty”Through the detailed description of this paragraph, O.Henry fully reveals Dellas cordial love towardsJim. It is for Jim that she cuts off her beautiful hair, but she thinks how he will like her when he sees she has losther long hair. T

49、herefore, she has been embellishing her own head for about forty minutes before the mirror.She wants to try her best to have Jim cheerful whe n he sees her. O.He nry praised love which lead ingcharacter chaste good heart and helped one another in difficult time. Della is the beautiful incarnation, s

50、henot only the human attractively, especially valuably is the heart chaste isgood who passi on ately devoted to the husba nd, in order to like being possible to sacrifice all. O.He nrypours in to sen time nt of the affectio n to on eself writi ng this character. He beautifully writes the portraitwhi

51、ch Della: Thin and small nimble, the stature slender, two crystal clear are bright.Also does not hesitate thewords to the utmost to exaggerate, strong point of the analogy, which extremely vividly describes the longhair flows swiftly and the utilization is expressive. Dellas long hair not only has u

52、nfolded leading charactersO.Henry and His Writing Style第7页共11页beautiful semblanee, refracts the heroine chaste good fine mind. The author also uses to stir turns a word toportrays Della buys the platinum watch chain. This moveme nt tran smits Della to Jim a piece of un reas oningpassi on. In the no

53、vel, Della each speech all is that gen tle and good inten ti on.The novel writes Della more than Jim but does not affect his lovable. He in order to takes away theholiday joy to the wife, his willi ng gold watch which sacrifices in herited, also is on eself most proud, in dicatesit is the sen time n

54、t which Jim to Della really. Outsta ndi ngly is, he does n ot like com mon man such sloppy,he sympathizes the huma n to the wife micro, he knows the wife to long for eve n in dreams is in thatBroadway road display window set of pure hawks-bill turtles sends combs, here appears Jim depth of the senti

55、me ntal which Jim to Della. No won der Jim saw to loses whe n the long hair Della is like that being in tran ce.In the last sect ion of the no vel, the author with the humorous writ in g, in the review story leadingcharacter, the gift which as well as they presents as a gift mutually, at the end of

56、promulgates the article topic:Della the platinum watch chain which bought with Jim and sends combs all cannot have an effect, the happydesire failed in light of this, but looked like in the author, this was not is contrary to what expects but theregrettable result, Dellas love which helped one ano t

57、her in difficult time with Jim. Not was each other mostprecious gift? No wonder the author names the novel topic as Gift of The Magi , because this is sacred, fillslikes, emitting the human nature beautiful brillianee, the implication profo und gift.3. Coin cide neeO.He nrys plots ofte n invo Ive co

58、in cide nee. Coin cide nee (cha nee or luck) also plays a key role in mostof O.Henrys stories. Very often, the strange coincidences that the charactersexperie nee add ano ther element of humor to the story. For example, in After Twenty Years, two old friends make plans to meet. But one hasjust learn

59、ed something about the other, and this leads to an un expected eve nt. InA Retrieved Reformation, itis a coin cide nee that Ben Price happe ns to be watch ing at the exact mome nt that Jimmy decides to save alittle girl. In these stories and others, the coincidenee acts as a kind of warm-up to the s

60、torys surprise ending.4. Humor and ironyO.Henry had a good sense of humor and liked to depict ironic situations. Some of his stories, such as TheRan som of Red Chief, are very funny throughout. Others deal with serious subjects and in clude only smallamounts of humor.He has an uncanny ability to por