Lecture 14 (20世纪英国小说(1))

英国文学史及选读第十四讲英国20世纪小说（1）JamesJoyce(1882-1941)Hisstreamofconsciousness:Heattemptedtomakeafictionthatwouldreflectthewholelife,consciousandsubconscious,withoutbeinglimitedbyconventionsoflanguagePhilosophically,hecametofeelthattimeandspaceareartificial,thatallisrelated,andthatartshouldbeasymbolofthatrelationship.Psychologicallyheisforeverattemptingtore-seekunityinaworldthatisdisorganized.Hisworks•Dubliners(1914),APortraitoftheArtistasaYoungMan(1916),Ulysses(1922),Finnegan’sWake(1939Ulysses•InsteadofthewanderingsofHomer’sUlysses/Odyssesoverthegeographicalworld,JoyceshowsthementalwanderingsofacharacterinDublinforthespaceofabout20hours.•Thisformless,plotlessnovelrecordsthethoughts,shadesandfleetingflashesofthemind,suggestionsetc.,astheyrise,andiswritteninagreatvarietyofstyles,tocorrespondwiththemoodofthemoment,rangingfromthesimplesttothehighlypoetical,fromthevulgartothebeautiful.•Onthewhole,thebookiswritteninordinaryEnglishwhichmakessenselinebyline,yetdifferentinterpretationsifputtogether.Ulysses•Hisactions:completesentencesinpasttense/Hismind:incompletesentencesinanytenses;economyofpunctuation;ellipsisofwords.Ulysses•1.LeopoldBloom(modernUlysses),middle-agedIrishJew,abusinessman,heisan“Everyman”,symbolicofuniversalhumanexperience.•2.MollyBloom,Leopold’sunfaithfulwife,representstheearthyforcesoflifeandreproduction.•3.StephenDedalus,adedicatedwriterlikeJoyce.Dubliners•Acollectionof15shortstories;“towriteachapterofthemoralhistoryofmycountry…under4ofitsaspects:childhood,adolescence,maturityandpubliclife”Dubliners•My“deardirtyDublin”,thecity’sparalysis,moral,political,andspiritual;•frustrationordefeatofthesoulDubliners•Epiphany(顿悟）:asuddenrevelationoftruthaboutlifeinspiredbyaseeminglytrivialincidentDubliners•Epiphany(顿悟）:asuddenrevelationoftruthaboutlifeinspiredbyaseeminglytrivialincidentSomeuniversalityofexperiencemakesthestoryinterestingtoreadersofallages,fortheyrespondinstinctivelytoanexperiencethatcouldhavebeentheirown.Itispartoftheinstinctualnatureofmantolongforwhathefeelsisthelostspiritualityofhisworld.Inallagesmanhasbelievedthatitispossibletosearchforandfindatalisman,which,ifbroughtback,willreturnthislostspirituality.Thedevelopmentofthemein“Araby”resemblesthearchetypalmythofthequestforaholytalisman.In“Araby,”thequestitselfanditsconsequencessurpasstheunderstandingoftheyoungprotagonistofthestory.Hecanonly“feel”thatheundergoestheexperienceofthequestandnaturallyisconfused,andatthestory’sconclusion,whenhefails,heisanguishedandangered.His“contrastingworldoflightanddarkness”containsboththelostspiritualityandthedreamofrestoringit.Itistruethat“JoycealwaysviewstheorderanddisorderoftheworldintermsoftheCatholicfaithinwhichhewasreared.”In“Araby,”however,thereis,inaddition,anoverlayofEasternmysticism.Thisdiversityofbackgroundmaterialsintensifiestheuniversalityoftheexperience.Wecanturntothelanguageandtheimagesofthestorytoseehowtheboy’sworldisshownintermsofthesediversebackgrounds.Thereislittlethatis“light”inthecornerofDublinthatformstheworldofthestory,littlethatretainsitscapabilitytoevokespirituality.NorthRichmondStreetis“blind”;thehousesstareatoneanotherwith“brownimperturbablefaces.”Thetimeiswinter,withitsshortdaysanditsearlydusk.Onlytheboyandhislaughing,shoutingcompanions“glow”;theyarestilltooyoungtohavesuccumbedtothespiritualdecayoftheadultinhabitantsofDublin.Buttheboysmustplayin“darkmuddylanes,”in“darkdrippinggardens,”near“darkodorousstables”and“ashpits.”JoycehadsaidofDubliners,thecollectionofstoriesfromwhich“Araby”comes,thatheintendedto“writeachapterinthemoralhistoryofmycountryandIchoseDublinforthescenebecausethatcityseemedtomethecentreofparalysis.”Theimagesofthestoryshowusthatthespiritualenvironmentoftheboyisparalyzed;itismusty,dark.Everywhereinhisdarksurroundingstheboyseeksthe“light.”Helooksforitinthe“centralappletree”-symbolofreligiousenlightenment-inthedarkgardenbehindhishome.ThegardenshouldbelikeEden,butthetreeisovershadowedbythedesolationofthegarden,andthushasbecomethetreeofspiritualdeath.Helooksforlightintheroomofhishomewheretheformertenant,apriest,haddied,buttheonlyobjectsleftbythepriestwerebooks,yellowedanddamp.Here,too,thequesthasfailed.Noevidenceofspiritualliferemains.Decayandrusthavetakenoverallthetreasuresthepriesthadlaiduponearthforhimself.Intothisworldofdarknessappearsagirl,Mangan'ssister.Becauseofhertheboyfeelsasurgeofhopethatnowinherlovehewillfindlight.Eventhoughhehas“neverspokentoher,exceptforafewcasualwords,”hernameislikea“summonstoallhisfoolishblood.”Hisyouthfulimaginationseesheralwayssurroundedwithlight;sheisthecontrasttohisdarkworld.Shebecomesanimagetohimofallthatheseeks.Thatimageaccompanieshim“eveninplacesthemosthostiletoromance”:themarketandthestreets,amongthe“drunkenmenandbargainingwomen,”amid“thecursesoflabourers,theshrilllitaniesofshop-boys.”InthisunlikelyplaceoccurswhatJoycecallsan“epiphany,”whichtohimmeans“asuddenspiritualmanifestation,”whenobjectsormomentsofinconsequentialvulgaritycanbetransfiguredtosomethingspiritual.Theboysays,“IimaginedthatIboremychalicesafelythroughathrongoffoes.”Plainlyhe