《英语短篇小说选读》讲义(第十三周)

1、Photo by Zitona - Creative Commons Attribution License http:/ with Haiku DeckInstructor: Esther Lv25th November, 2014Week 13Photo by 55Laney69 - Creative Commons Attribution License https:/ with Haiku DeckTodays AgendaChapter 6 ThemeThe Unicorn in the GardenContents: I. Definition of theme II. Diffe

2、rence between theme and subject III. Ways of expressing theme IV. Finding the themeI. Definition of theme Generally speaking, theme is defined as the central or dominating idea in a literary work. It is also the unifying point or moving force around which the plot, characters, point of view, symbols

3、, and other elements of a story are organized. In a narrow sense, the theme in fiction is its generalized view of life and human nature. Plot and structure Character/ characterization Language Point of view Symbol Irony themecauseeffectFactors to be considered: It can be a broad idea, message, or le

4、sson that is conveyed by a work. The message may be about life, society, or human nature. Themes often explore timeless and universal ideas and may be implied rather than stated explicitly. Theme is not the issue, but a comment or statement the author makes about that issue, problem, or subject.II.

5、Difference between theme and subject1Subject:The focal point of the story.Such as fate, love, war, death, growth, racial prejudice, etc. (specific)2Theme:The statement about its distinct view of life. It is an abstract conceptTheme Versus Subject Subject: what a work is about. It can usually be expr

6、essed in one word. For example, “Love” is a subject of Romeo and Juliet Theme: What does the work say about the subject? It should be a complete sentence or statement. For example, “In Romeo and Juliet, we learn that adolescent romance can be a stronger force than family ties.”Requirements for stati

7、ng a themeA theme must be expressed in the form of a statement with a subject and a predicate.The theme is a generalization about life based on the novel and the statement of theme should be true also of other people or life situation.Over-generalization should be avoided. (Words like “always”, “nev

8、er” ,“all” and “every” should be avoided.)Requirements for stating a theme4. The theme must account for all the major details and must not be contradicted by any details in the novel.5. One should avoid reducing a theme to a clich or platitude like “beauty is only skin-deep.”Theme must go beyond the

9、 work! To be a true theme, the truth or comment must apply to people or to life in general, not just the characters in the book. For example, “In Beauty and the Beast, Belle learns that true beauty comes from within,” only applies to the story. Instead, express the theme like this: “In Beauty and th

10、e Beast, we learn through Belle and the beast that true beauty comes from within.” III. Ways of expressing theme Themes must be supported! Just because works can have multiple themes, it does not mean that the theme can be anything that you want. In order for a theme to be justified, there must be s

11、pecific, concrete evidence from the text. For example, if your potential theme statement is that “Poverty creates tough, self-reliant people,” then the book should contain examples of poor characters who develop toughness and self-reliance. Sometimes implied Through metaphor Through simile Through p

12、ersonificationA Theme is Life is a yo-yo. Its a series of ups and downs. Implied through metaphorsA Theme is Dream DeferredWhat happens to a dream deferred?Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?Or fester like a soreand then run?Does it stink like rotten meat?Or crust and sugar overlike a syrupy sw

13、eet?Maybe it just sagslike a heavy load Or does it just explode? - Langston HughesImplied through simileA Theme is 被延迟的梦被延迟的梦 ( (兰斯顿兰斯顿休斯休斯) 梦被延迟以后，会怎么样呢？ 它会变干 像太阳下的葡萄干？ 或者像伤口一样溃烂 然后蔓延开来？ 它会像腐肉一样发出恶臭？ 或者长出硬皮，并洒上糖 就像一块果汁糖？ 也许它只会往下陷， 就像负了重荷。 或者它会爆炸吗？Sleeping in the Forest by Mary Oliver I thought the

14、earth remembered me,she took me back so tenderly,arranging her dark skirts, her pocketsfull of lichens and seeds.-我以为大地记得我，我以为大地记得我，她如此温情地接纳我，她如此温情地接纳我，理顺她深色的裙裾，理顺她深色的裙裾，口袋装满苔藓和种籽。口袋装满苔藓和种籽。 Implied through personificationA Theme is IV. Finding the theme Asking questions1. What is the subject?2. Wha

15、t does the book say, or teach us, about the subject?3. How does the work communicate the theme? In other words, what specific details, characters, actions, incidents, etc, suggest the truth of the theme statement?Possible Theme Questions Questions about the nature of humanity Does the author think t

16、hat humans are good or flawed? What good things do people do? How are people flawed? To what extent are people flawed?Questions about Society Does the society help people or hurt them? Are characters in conflict with society? Do characters want to escape the society? Is the society flawed? If so, ho

17、w?Questions about humans and the world Do characters control their lives? Do they make free choices? Are characters driven by forces beyond their control? Does the world have some grand scheme, or is it random and arbitrary?Questions about Ethics What are the moral conflicts in the work? Are right a

18、nd wrong clear cut in the story? Does right win over wrong, or vice versa? To what extent are characters to blame for their actions. Sample Theme Statements The theme of The Old Man and the Sea is that striving, struggling, and suffering are the only ways to achieve victory.Summary of chapter 6 Defi

19、nition of themegeneralized view of life and human nature Difference between theme and subjectTheme abstract, view on life, a statementSubject focal point, a word III. Ways of expressing themeThrough metaphorThrough simileThrough personification IV. Finding the themethe nature of humanity; society; h

20、umans and theworld; EthicsMisconceptions about themelEach novel has a theme; E.g. novels of horror: entertain the reader; not improve the readers understanding of lifelTheme exists only in the novel thatseriously attempts to reflect life faithfullyor intends to reveal truth about life.Misconceptions

21、 about themelOne novel has only one themeE.g. Moby Dick (Herman Melville)In some cases, there are severalsub-themes to the main theme. In reality,some novels are appreciated for theirthematic ambiguity. Different readersmany have different interpretations of thesame novel.The Unicorn in the GardenJa

22、mes Thurber 18941961 He is an American author, cartoonist and celebrated wit. He was best known for his cartoons and short stories.James Grover Thurber詹姆斯詹姆斯瑟伯瑟伯James Grover Thurber詹姆斯詹姆斯瑟伯瑟伯 Genres: short stories, cartoons, essays Occupation:Humorist,writer, cartoonist Nationality:America Valuation

23、: Thurber is generally acknowledged as the greatest American humorist since Mark Twain.James Grover ThurberLife experience Thurber was born inColumbus, Ohio. Both of his parents greatly influenced his work. His father, an employed clerk and minor politician who dreamed of being a lawyer or an actor,

24、 is said to have been the inspiration for the small, timid protagonist typical of many of his stories. Thurber described his mother as a born comedian and one of the finest comic talents I think I have ever known. James Grover ThurberLife experience Thurber had two brothers, William and Robert. Once

25、, while playing a game, his brother shot James in the eye with an arrow, and Thurber lost that eye. This injury would later cause him to become almost entirely blind. Unable in his childhood to partake in sports and other activities, he elaborated a creative mind which he then used to express himsel

26、f in writings.James Grover ThurberLife experience From 1913 to 1918, Thurber attendedThe Ohio State University. He never graduated from the university because his poor eyesight prevented him from taking a mandatorycourse. In 1995 he was posthumously awarded a degree.James Grover ThurberLife experien

27、ce In 1925, Thurber moved toNew York City, getting a job as a reporter for theNew York Evening Post. He joined the staff ofThe New Yorkerin 1927 as an editor, with the help ofE.B. White. His career as a cartoonist began in 1930 after White found some of Thurbers drawings in a trash can and submitted

28、 them for publication; Thurber contributed both his writings and his drawings toThe New Yorkeruntil the 1950s. Thurber wrote over seventy-five fables, some ofwhich were first published in The New Yorker”(1939), then collected in Fables for Our Time &Famous Poems Illustrated (1940) and FurtherFab

29、les for Our Time (1956). These were short,featured anthropomorphic animals (e.g. TheLittle Girl and the Wolf, his version of Little RedRiding Hood) as main characters, and endedwith a moral as a tagline. James Grover Thurberwriting careerAn exception to this format was his mostfamous fable, The Unic

30、orn in the Garden (1940),which featured an all-human cast except for theunicorn, which doesnt speak. Thurbers fableswere satirical, and the morals servedas punch lines as well as advice to the reader,demonstrating the complexity of life bydepicting the world as an uncertain, precariousplace, where f

31、ew reliable guidelines exist. James Grover Thurberwriting careerModernism is a philosophical movementthat, along with cultural trends andchanges, arose from wide-scale and farreaching transformations in Westernsociety in the late 19th and early 20thcenturies. Among the factors that shapedModernism w

32、ere the development ofmodern industrial societies and the rapidgrowth of cities, followed then by thehorror of World War I. 1940 in LiteratureModernism continued to evolve during the1930s. In 1939 James Joyce pushed theboundaries of the modern novel furtherwith Finnegans Wake. Also by 1930modernism

33、began to influence mainstreamculture, so that, for example, The New Yorkermagazine began publishing work, which wasinfluenced by modernism, by young writersand humorists like Dorothy Parker, E. B.White, and James Thurber. 1940 in Literaturel During the 1930s, the rise of Fascism in Europel World War II (1939-1945)l Postwar crises as the anti-Communist McCarthy hearings and the Cold War with the Soviet Union;l A period o