12 美国文学ROBERT FROST

1、Main content1. Robert Frost2. His poem “ The Road not Taken”About Robert FrostPoet and playwrightHis Life Born in San Francisco in 1874 and died in Boston in1963 At 11 years old, his father died and his mother took him to Massachusetts Attended high school in Mass, entered Dartmouth College, but rem

2、ained less than one semester. In 1895, he got married. In order to support the family, he did odd jobs: teaching school and working in a mill and as a newspaper reporter From 1897 to 1899,attended Harvard College as a special student but left without a degree. Over the next ten years he wrote (but r

3、arely published) poems, operated a farm in Derry, New Hampshire, and supplemented his income by teaching at Derrys Pinkerton Academy. His Writing Robert Frost was the most popular American poet from 1914 to his death. His verse: at first terrifying later filled with more sunshine Frosts achievement

4、was fantastic. Frosts poems are New England in the setting, and are characterized by the familiar speaking voice. The subjects come from daily life of ordinary people. Frost wrote rural poetry in the pastoral tradition as a way to understand modern life.FeaturesProfound meanings are hidden underneat

5、h the plain language and simple form. (1) His poems mostly wrote about nature (influence from Wordsworth and Emerson) and New England landscape.(2) Deceptively simple style (reason for popular)(3) Symbolism (show his poems deep meaning)(4) He was likely to choose traditional forms for his poem, but

6、the themes of his poems are mostly modern. (In his poems, traditional elements and modern elements mingle together.) Thematic concernsGenerally Frost is considered a regional poet whose subject matters mainly focus on the landscape and people in New England. These thematic concerns include the terro

7、r and tragedy in nature, as well as its beauty, and the loneliness and poverty of the isolated human being. Frost wrote many poems that investigate the basic themes of mans life: the individuals relationships to himself, to his fellow-man, to world, and to his God.The Modern Period in American Liter

8、ature Strictly speaking, the modern period of American literature starts with the WWI, stretches through the Great Depression and ends with WWII. The 20th century began with a strong sense of social breakdown. The two World Wars, especially the First World War (1914-1918), became the emblem of all w

9、ars in the 20th century, which means violence, devastation, blood and death, and made a big impact on the life of the American people and their literary writings. With all these wars the whole world had undergone a dramatic social change, a transformation from order to disorder. America in this peri

10、od was characterized by economic boom and material prosperity but social chaos, spiritual waste and moral decay. The impact of Marxism, Freudianism and European modern art on American modern literature: Between the mid-l9th century and the first decade of the 20th century, there had been a big flush

11、 of new theories and new ideas in both social and natural sciences, as well as in the field of art in Europe, which played an indispensable role in bringing about modernism and the modernistic writings in the United States.Frosts poetic theory He emphasized on the dramatic qualities of poetry. He be

12、lieved that all poetry is essentially metaphorical. He insisted that poetry cannot be forced into being. He thought that poetry serves as a means of giving patterns to mans existence. The Road Not Taken 一条未走的路 又译为 未选择的路From his collection of poems Introduction This is a much quoted poem of Frost. It

13、 was included in Mountain Interval, the first collection of poems published after Frost returned to America. Actually it was written in February, 1915, just before he was about to go back. He has already won a high reputation in London whereas his friend, Edward Thomas, was involved in the first Wor

14、ld War. Frost was very sorrowful and thus recalled his experience four years age in a New Hampshire forest. Masculine mskjln 从押韵的诗行是以重读音节还是非重读音节结尾，英语诗歌的尾韵还可分为阳韵（masculine rhyme) 和阴韵(feminine rhyme)两类.阳韵：互相押韵的诗行都是以重读音节的词或单音节词结尾。阳韵：互相押韵的诗行都是以重读音节的词或单音节词结尾。阳韵在英语诗歌中最为常见。阳韵在英语诗歌中最为常见。阴韵：阴韵： 当押韵的诗行以非重读音节结

15、尾时，即为阴韵当押韵的诗行以非重读音节结尾时，即为阴韵1. Syllable slbl n. 音节 2. Iambic ambk n. 抑扬格3. Tetrameter tetrmt n. 四音步1. diverge dav:d vi. 分开，叉开分开，叉开; =separate, go in different directions2. undergrowth ndgr n. 矮树丛，灌木丛矮树丛，灌木丛 =bushTwo roads diverged in a yellow wood, 黄色的树林里分出两条路And sorry I could not travel both 可惜我不能同时

16、去涉足And be one traveler, long I stood 我在那路口久久伫立And looked down one as far as I could 我向着一条路极目望去To where it bent in the undergrowth; 直到它消失在丛林深处1. Fair adj. 公平的; 合理的; 晴朗的; 美丽的 2. claim=sayingThen took the other, as just as fair, 但我却选择了另外一条路And having perhaps the better claim, 它荒草萋萋，十分幽寂Because it was g

17、rassy and wanted wear;显得更诱人，更美丽Though as for that the passing there 虽然在这两条小路上Had worn them really about the same, 都很少留下旅人的足迹 or reason 3. wear we(r) vt. 磨损 n. 磨损 And both that morning equally lay 虽然那天清晨落叶满地In leaves no step had trodden black. 两条路都未经脚印污染Oh, I kept the first for another day! 呵，留下一条路等改

18、日再见Yet knowing how way leads on to way,但我知道路径延绵无尽头I doubted if I should ever come back. 恐怕我难以再回返I shall be telling this with a sigh 也许多少年后在某一个地方Somewhere ages and ages hence，我将轻声叹息把往事回顾Two roads diverged in a wood,and I一片森林里分出两条路I took the one less traveled by, 而我却选择了人迹更少的一条And that has made all the

19、 difference. 从此决定了我一生的道路 译本2 殊途（The Road Not Taken） 罗伯特弗罗斯特 原作晓峰 翻译金秋密林，展开二条小路，遗憾满怀，无法同时踏足，孤独旅人，良久伫立踟蹰。极目远眺，道路蜿蜒何处，弯弯曲曲，出没林间灌木。二择其一，选择这条小路，于我而言，或许就是坦途，杂草萋萋，期待旅人光顾。设想两途，皆是行者无数，人流如织，彼此有何异殊。 清晨林间，铺展二条小路，人迹杳茫，缤纷落叶密布，留下其一，期待来日再补。了然于胸，此路已向它途，扪心自问，能否回到当初。一声叹息，昨日历历在目，年复一年，不知身在何处，茂密林间，方向由我选出。向往孤旅，人烟稀少为主， 回首往

20、事，选择决定归宿！Types of poetry1. Narrative poetry 叙事诗2. Lyric poetry 抒情诗3. Dramatic poety 戏剧诗Other types of poetry1. Descriptive poetry2. Reflective poetry (meditative poetry)3. Didactic poetry4. Satirical poetyLiterary Devices in this poem1. Metaphor The poem revolves around the metaphor comparing the de

21、cisions we make on the journey of life to a fork in the road. Just as we must decide which road to take when traveling in order to arrive at a location, we must make decisions in our life that will greatly impact our destination.2. Symbolism Yellow- The yellow coloring of the woods is representative of the light, hope and promise that the speaker is standing before. Woods- The poem is set in the woods, we get an image of a quiet, deserted place where the speaker is left alone to decide. T