Allen Poe

EdgarAllenPoe(1809—1849)ContentsPoe’slifePoe’smajorworks.LiterarycharacteristicsEvaluationBriefintroduction•Born:January19,1809Boston,Massachusetts,USA•Died:October7,1849(aged40)Baltimore,Maryland,USA•Occupation:Poet,short-storywriter,editor,literarycritic•Genres:Horrorfiction,Gothicromance,crimefiction,detectivefiction,comedy,satireLife(1809–1849)•(Helivedashortandtragiclife.)(1)Hischildhoodwasamiserableone.Helostbothofhisparentswhenhewasveryyoungandthenhewasadoptedbyawealthymerchant,JohnAllan.Poe’srelationwiththeAllanswasunhappy.(2)HeenteredUniversityofVirginiaandthenWestPointbutdidnotfinish.(3)Heworkedaseditorandwritermostofhislifeandhewasalwayspoor.(4)At27hemarriedhisthirteen-year-oldcousin,whosedeathin1847lefthiminconsolable.life•OnOctober7,1849,atage40,PoediedinBaltimore.•Thecauseofhisdeathisunknownandhasbeenvariouslyattributedtoalcohol,braincongestion脑溢血,cholera霍乱,drugs,heartdisease,rabies狂犬病,suicide,tuberculosis肺结核andotheragents.Poe’sMajorLiteraryWorks1)“TheRaven”《乌鸦》poems2)“AnnableLee”《安娜贝尔·李》atragictaleofloveandloss3)“ToHelen”《致海伦》4)“TheCityintheSea”《海中的城市》“ToHelen”•PoewrotethispoeminhonorofJaneStithStanard,themotherofhischildhoodfriendRobHelen,thybeautyistomeLikethoseNiceanbarksofyore,Thatgently,o'eraperfum'dsea,Thewearyway-wornwandererboreTohisownnativeshore.致海伦海伦，你的美貌对于我像古代奈西亚的那些帆船在芬芳的海上悠然浮起把劳困而倦游的浪子载还回到他故国的港湾Theagatelampwithinthyhand,Ah!Psyche,fromtheregionwhichAreHolyLand“ToHelen”•Ondesperateseaslongwonttoroam,Thyhyacinthhair,thyclassicface,ThyNaiadairshavebroughtmehomeTothebeautyoffairGreece,AndthegrandeurofoldRome.•惯于在惊险的海上流浪你风信子般的柔发，古典的面孔你女神的风姿召我回乡回到昨日希腊的光荣和往昔罗马的盛况Lo!inyonbrilliantwindowniche,Howstatue-likeIseetheestand,Theagatelampwithinthyhand!Ah,Psyche,fromtheregionswhichAreHolyLand!看，那明亮的窗龛中间我看见你像一座神像站立玛瑙的亮灯擎在你手里哦，赛琪，你所来自的地点原是那遥远的圣地！Thewearyway-wornwanderer•Poemayhaveintendedthenarratortobeadirectreflectionofhimself,whoasaboyfeltmorewelcomeinJaneStanard'shousethaninotherenvironments.Atthesametime,hemayhavesoughttodepictthenarratorasanarchetypalman,wholikeallothermenfoundanurturingsourceinawoman'shome.Otherwise,thenarratormightbeakintoavictoriousGreekwarriorwho,likeHomer'sOdysseus,hasreturnedfromsomestruggleoverseas.•herdepictionasstatue-likewithanagatelampcharacterizesherassteadfastanddependablerhythmandrhymescheme:•irregularbutmusicalinsound•firststanzaisABABB•secondisABABA•thethirdisABBAB•Poeusessoothing,positivewordsandrhythmstocreateafittingtoneandatmosphereforthepoem.ImageofHelen•Combinationofouterandinnerbeauty•thenurturingroleofalovingwomanTalesoftheGrotesqueandArabesque《怪异故事集》TheFalloftheHouseofUsher.“《厄舍古厦的倒塌》acollectionofshortstoriestalestwokindsHorrorRatiocination（推理）“TheMurdersintheRueMorgue”《莫格街谋杀案》“MS.FoundinaBottle”《瓶中手稿》works•ThePhilosophyofComposition《创作原理》•ThePoeticPrinciple《诗歌原则》LiterarytheoryPoe’sMajorLiteraryWorks“TheFalloftheHouseofUsher”•Thegothiccontextofthetale•Thedoublingmotifofthetale•Thefunctionofsettinginthetale•ThestructuralunityofthetaleTheGothicliterarytradition•BegunineighteenthcenturyEngland•Novelists–HoraceWalpole–AnnRadcliffe–Matthew“Monk”Lewis•PopularforminBritishliteraryjournals•ImportedintoAmericanshortstory-19thcentury•KeyingredientwassensationalismGothicArchitectureinAmerica•StartedinUSabout1840•Steeplypitchedroofs•Pointedarchwindows•Elaboratetrimaroundroofedges•Highdormers•Lancetwindows•Poe’s“houseofUsher”looksmorelikeamedievalcastleorEnglishcathedralinGothicstyle•Thehousemightlooksomethinglikethis(fromaphotographbySimonMarsdeninhisVisionsofPoe)ElementsofGothicWriting•Emphasisonsetting–Exterior:landscape–Interior:houses•Castle-likearchitecture•Charactersarebrooding,secretive•Buriedfamilysecrets•LonghistoryoffamilytiedtoplaceTheDoublingMotif•Inliterarycriticism,thisiscalleda“doppelganger,”fromtheGermanfor“double-goer”•Examplesare:–Dr.JekyllandMr.Hyde(RobertLouisStevenson)–TheSecretSharer(JosephConrad)Whatfunctiondoesthedoppelgangermotifserve?•Representsthedualnatureofman–InPoe,onesideofmanisreason,orthemind–Theotherisemotion,orthebody•RoderickandMadeleinearegeneticallytwins,butpsychologicallytheyarealsodoubles.WhoRepresentsWhat?•Roderick–Anartistfigure(509)–Nervousagitation(509)–Livesindarkupstairsapartment(511)–Cadaverouscomplexion(511)–“wantofmoralenergy”(511)–“excessivenervousagitation”(511-12)•Roderick’smentalconditionisaffectedbyhisenvironment•“Hewasenchantedbycertainsuperstitiousimpressionsinregardtothedwellingwhichhetenanted...Aneffectwhichthephysiqueofthegraywallsandturrets,andofthedimtarnintowhichtheyalllookeddown,had,atlength,broughtaboutuponthemoraleofhisexistence.”(512)•Here,“physique”referstosomethingphysical•And“morale”referstosomethingmental•Roderickisallmindinaweakbody•Herepresentsinonewaythelifeoftheisolatedartist–Paintings–Reading–GuitarplayingMadeleine–Illnesshasdebilitatedher–Alldescriptionsfocusonthebody–“gradualwastingawayoftheperson”(513)–Roderickandthenarratorscrewdownthelidofhercoffin(518)–Shereturnsfromthetombtoreclaimhertwinbrother,her“double”–“thehugeantiquepanels…threwback”(521)–She“fellheavilyinwardupon…herbrotheran