霍桑-与梅尔维尔复习课程

1、霍桑-与梅尔维尔vYoung Hawthorne was intensely aware of the misdeeds of his Puritan ancestors, and this awareness led to his understanding of evil being at the core of human life, to “that blackness in Hawthorne,”as Herman Melville put it.Hawthorns view on lifevHaunted by the sense of sin and evil in life.v

2、For him human beings are evil natured and sinful and this sin or evil is ever present to human heart and will pass on from one generation to another. Besides, Hawthorne believes that human beings continuously sin and sin will get punished one way or another. v2). Hawthorne vs. Emersonian Transcenden

3、talism: Hawthornes black vision of human nature proves to be antipathetic to Emersonian Transcendentalism. vFor Hawthorne, as for Emerson, external reality, nature, objects, tangible forms are merely symbols of a deeper, more inward, ultimately spiritual reality, and Hawthornes language, like Emerso

4、ns, is an attempt to extract the secret meaning from reality, to render the sense of life in visible terms.2). Hawthorne vs. EmersonianvBut while for Emerson, the result of such a quest is nearly always positive, a joyous revelation or rather a confirmation; for Hawthorne it is far more frequently a

5、 revelation of evil, of death in life, of the mystery and ambiguity which surround us.Hawthorns literary theoryv- Theory of RomancevHawthorne favors romance as a suitable form of writing:3v3).Theory of RomancevHawthornes theory of romance is an ideal combination of facts and fancy, realistic details

6、 and fanciful things, or the reality and imagination. And his narratives have thus become a neutral territory, somewhere between the real world and the fairyland, where the actual and the imaginary may meet, and each imbues itself with the nature of the other. vNovel, in Hawthornes opinion, aims at

7、a very minute fidelity to reality, not merely to the possible, but to the probable and ordinary course of mans experience.vHe thinks romance should be able to present the truth with the writers own creative imagination.vHe should be able to combine reality with his own imagination, to make real look

8、 unreal, or the unreal real. Thats why he took great interest in history and antiquity, which he believed enabled him to dream strange things and make them look like truth.v3.Important Works:vMosses from an Old Manse(1646);v古屋青苔vhis masterpiece:vThe Scarlet Letter(1850); 红字v The House of the Seven G

9、ables(1851)v有七个尖角阁的房子vThe Blithedale Romance(1852) v福谷传奇vThe Marble Faun(1860) 玉石雕像3.Important Works:vYoung Goodman Brown vThe Bosom Serpent胸中之蛇vHowes Masquerade豪的伪装vDr. Heideggers Experiment赫德格的医生v4.Analysis of The Scarlet LettervMain characters: Hester Prynnev Dimmesdalev Roger Chilingworthv Pearl

10、Plot:vAt Salem, a small town of New England in the colonial times, Hester Prynne, the heroine, was found out to have commited an adultery. She was published before the public and condemned to wear the scarlet letter “A”in front of her bosom throughout her life time. Minister Dimmesdale, the adultere

11、r dared not admit openly the sin he commited but was constantly tortured by a sense of guilt. Plot:vDoctor Chilingworth, Hestera husband, discovered who was the adulterer and made up a cruel plan of revengeto torture the Minister mentally and physically till his death. In the end, Hester regained he

12、r dignity and even respect from the community. Dimmesdale was mentally tortured to death by his own sense of guilt plus Chilingworths vicious plan and only in the last minute of his life he revealed his sin.vCharacter AnalysisvHester Prynnethe heroine of the novel. She was found guilty of adultery a

13、t the beginning of the story and was completely cut off from the community.However, Hesters response to the scarlet letter A is a positive one. An Analysis of Hester PrynnevThough living on the fringe of the community, she does her best to reestablish her fellowship with her neighbors on a new, hone

14、st basis. She helps her fellow creatures as a sister of mercy of sorts or as a skilled embroideress in an undemanding manner, and finally wins their love and admiration.An Analysis of Hester PrynnevTo the self-rightious community which outlaws her, she manages to move ever closer. She does her best

15、to keep her vhold on the magic chain of humanity. Her life eventually acquires a real significance when she reestablishes a meaningful relationship with her fellowmen. vAn Analysis of Hester Prynne:vShe didnt accept her fate and gradually won back acceptance and respect from the villagers of various

16、 background through honest and hard working. An industrious, brave, and unbending woman, she was once a sinner and later turned to a figure of high virtue.An Analysis of DimmesdalevDimmesdalethe unrevealed and hidden adulterer. In a sharp contrast, Dimmesdale banishes himself from society. Deeply pr

17、eoccupied with himself, he lives a stranger among his admirers. The result is that, whereas Hester is able to reconstruct her life and win a moral victory, Dimmesdale undergoes the tragic experience of physical and spiritual disintegration becaust he has not the enough courage to confess his sin as

18、an all-admired minister. Dimmesdalethe unrevealed and hidden adulterer.vHe dies an honest man, it is true, but in part of his own hand. Only at the end of his life was he delivered from his sin and sense of guilt.vFrom the final different fates of Hester and Dimmesdale, we can see that the best poli

19、cy for man is to be true, honest, and ever ready to show ones worst to the outside world. Hester does it all his life; Dimmesdale does it finally.vAn Analysis of Roger Chilingworth:vRoger Chilingworthhusband of Hester Prynne, and the real villain of the story.v He is a doctor and scholar, the embodi

20、ment of pure intellect, who commits v“the unpardonable sin”the violation of the human heart.An Analysis of Roger ChilingworthvA cuckolded husband, he was the victim of the adultery at the beginning of the story and liable to pity and sympathy. As a cold-natured physician, however, he designed an inh

21、uman scheme of cold revenge by constantly tormenting the sinning soul of the minister until his death. So at last, he became the most hardened sinner, an embodiment of merciless revenge, vicious schemes and cold-blooded hatred.vThe end of Chilingworth is also tragic. vDimmesdale declares Gods judgem

22、ent on him before he breathes his last: “Thou, too, hast deeply sinned”. And Chillingworth simply shivels. The last time we see him, he is kneeling down beside Dimmesdale, “with a blank, dull countenance, out of which the life seemed to have departed.An Analysis of PearlvPearlmore of a symbol than a

23、 character. She was the innocent daughter of Hester and the minister. To hester, she was the fruit of human love and physical passion; to Dimmesdale, she was a reminder of his sin and to Chillingworth an unforgettable shame and the motivation to take his revenge.Symbolism in the NovelvThe meaning de

24、velopment of AvSymbolic of Hesters moral development is the gradual, imperceptible change which the scarletvletter A undergoes in meaning: at first it is a token of shame, punishment and guilt “Adultery”; but then the genuine sympathy and help Hester offered to her fellow villagers changes it to “Ab

25、le”, which represents intelligence and hard working; at the end of the story, the letter A appears in the sky, signifying “Angel”, which represents the high virtues of Hester Prynnev5.theme: what Hawthorne was predominantly concerned with was the moral, emotional and psychological effect of the sin

26、on the people in general and those complicated in it in particular.In the strong character of Hester Prynne we see the tension between society and solitude which lies near the center of all Hawthornes art. This novel is not a praise of a Hester Prynne sinning, but a hymn on the moral growth of the w

27、oman when sinned against.Though the novel does not directly attack the Puritan theology, it severely criticizes the injustice and cruelty of the Puritan way of life.v point of viewv(1) Evil is at the core of human life, “that blackness in Hawthorne” v(2) Whenever there is sin, there is punishment. S

28、in or evil can be passed from generation to generation (causality). v(3) He is of the opinion that evil educates. v(4) He has disgust in science. aesthetic ideas v(1) He took a great interest in history and antiquity(ancient times). To him these furnish the soil on which his mind grows to fruition.

29、v(2) He was convinced that romance was the predestined form of American narrative. To tell the truth and satirize and yet not to offend: That was what Hawthorne had in mind to achieve. style typical romantic writer (1) the use of symbols： Hawthorne is a master of symbolism, which he took from the Pu

30、ritan.(2) revelation of characters psychology He analyzes the inward tensions or internal conflicts of his characters.(3) the use of supernatural mixed with the actual(4) his stories are parable (parable in form) to teach a lessonvAllegory : allegory in Hawthornes works is an outcome of the Puritan

31、inheritance of Gods will in everything and the 19th century Romantic idea that the natural world is endowed fully with meaning. Hence the abstract meaning is compressed into one flashing concrete image, loaded with much more than its surface value.v(5) use of ambiguity to keep the reader in the worl

32、d of uncertainty multiple point of view Herman Melville Herman Melville (1819-1891)(1819-1891)WorksWorks 1. Redburn 1849 2. Typee 1846 3. Omoo 1874 4. Moby Dick 1851 5. Mardi 1849 6. White Jacket 1850 7. Pierre 1852 8. Billy Budd 1924 LifeLife Melville was born in New York City. Both his parents cam

33、e from well-to-do families, but later their family business failed. Melvilles childhood was happy to the age of 11, when his father died in debt.vHerman Melville was born August 19, 1819 into a slightly eccentric, established New England family. vHis father Alan imported clothes and other goods from

34、 France, providing Herman with a comfortable and happy childhood in New York. vAfter Hermans father died in 1832, the family relied on financial assistance from his mothers wealthy family and Herman left school to go to work. vHerman educated himself while working a variety of jobs throughout teens.

35、 vIn 1839, Melville began his affair with sea when he joined the crew of the St. Lawrence and set sail for Liverpool England. vIn 1840, Melville set sail aboard the Acushnet, a whaling ship headed for the South Pacific. The rough conditions of the sea toughened the romantic New Englander and he took

36、 such a liking to sea life that he sailed around the globe four years aboard various ships. vNavy. Melville was welcomed home by his family who was entertained by his tales of the high seas and encouraged him to write them down. Herman wrote Typee quickly in 1845, and published it the next year. Typ

37、ee became a critical and financial success vin 1847, Melville married Elizabeth Shaw, daughter of the Chief Justice of Massachusetts. vTo make himself more financially stable for his impending marriage, Melville sought a position with the U.S. Treasury and took on extra work writing book reviews. vM

38、oby Dick published in November 1851, received poor reviews and did not sell. vDespite this continued output and the fact his earlier novels continued to be reprinted and sold fairly well, Melvilles literary reputation was in rapid decline. vHis death from a heart attack on September 28, 1891 went en

39、tirely unheeded by the general public. vMelvilles literary reputation remained in decline until he was rediscovered in the 1920s, when a generation, disillusioned by the Great War began to appreciate the depth of Melvilles spiritual struggles and the modern experimental style of his stories. Moby Di

40、ckvType of work: symbolic novelvFirst publication: 1851vAuthor: Herman MelvillevSetting :Most of the book takes place on various oceans, such as the Atlantic, the Indian, and the Pacific, in the early to mid 1800s. However, a good deal of the first part of the novel takes place in New England inside

41、 and around Nantucket. vPrincipal CharactersPrincipal Characters :vIshmael schoolteacher and part-time sailor; schoolteacher and part-time sailor; a Presbyterian, like Melville, he a Presbyterian, like Melville, he projects Calvinistic thinking projects Calvinistic thinking tempered by his backgroun

42、d in tempered by his background in literature and philosophy. He literature and philosophy. He discusses such issues as free will, discusses such issues as free will, predestination, necessity, and predestination, necessity, and damnation. He is the sole survivor damnation. He is the sole survivor o

43、f the of the PequodPequod. . vCaptain Ahab A man who is obsessed with the killing of a white whale that has maimed him. He has a scar which extends from his head to his leg. Starbuck He the first mate, is bold enough to criticize Ahabs vengeance, considers mutiny but fails. Stubb He is the second ma

44、te who is carefree, indifferent, and fatalistic. vMoby Dick It is the White Whale; the worlds largest creature. It is powerful, legendary image of nature. It swims peacefully in the sea until disturbed by humans, then shows a terrible fury and anger. For Ahab, Moby Dick is the symbol of evil. Themes of Moby Dickv1. Search for truth The story deals with the human pursuit of truth and the meaning of existence. 2. Conflict between Good and Evil. 3. Conflict between Man and Nature. 4. Isolation between man and man; man and nature; man and society. 5. Solipsism.Symbols v1 1. . The PequodThe Pequod