美国文学课件Herman Melville

HermanMelville(1819~1891)Date：2013-11-12ContentsOccupation,Lifestory1Works2AnalysisofMobyDick3Evaluation4OccupationBankclerkSalesmanFarm-handTeacherSailorCustomsinspectorNovelistPoetAmerican’sShakespeare1.OneofthegreatesttragediesintheNorthAmericanliteraryhistory2.OneofthegreatestlossestoAmericanliteratureLifeStoryOfMelvilleHischildhoodwashappytotheageofelevenwhenhisfatherdiedindebtThemarriedlifeofMelvillewasmorelikethatofScottFitzgeraldthanMarkTwain’sForaperiodofsomeeightyearsafterhisreturnfromsea,hewasathismostprolificForthelasttwentyyearsofhislifeMelvilleworkedintheCustomHouseinNewYork,goingoffinthemorningandcominghomelaterintheday.ThreeimportantthingsGoingouttoseaMarriageFriendshipSeaExperiencesHewasaWhaler,aboutthelowestofsailors.Hisexperiencesandadventuresonthesea,stoodhiminrichstead.Theyfurnishedhimwithabundantmaterialforfiction.Marriage(1847)ElizabethShaw(daughterofChiefJusticeofBoston)ExtravagantlifestyleWritingformoneyFriendshipwithHawthorneMeetingHawthorneinthesummerof1850InfluencedbyhisblackvisionRevisingMobyDickTheyallrepresentedapositionoftragichumanismintheirtimeMelville’sgraveFeaturesEarlierWorks—drawinguponhisseaexperiences—blackandwhiteLaterWorks—ReconciliationbetweenmanandGod—livingbytherulesofthisworldMelville’sMajorWorksTypee«泰比»1846Omoo«欧穆»1847波里尼西亚三部曲Mardi«玛地»1849Pierre«皮埃尔»1852哲学性小说Redburn«雷得本»1849WhiteJacket«白外衣»1850BillyBudd《比利•巴德》1891Clarel《克拉莱尔》(apoem)1876Moby-Dick«白鲸»，«莫比•狄克»1851MobyDick(1851)Hisbestworkandmasterpiece;thefirstAmericanproseepic.（散文体史诗）;anencyclopediaofeverythingShakespeareantragedyofmanfightingagainstoverwhelmingoddsinanindifferentandhostileuniverse小说梗概小说叙述一位名叫埃哈帕的捕鲸船船长率领全体船员和捕鲸水手，追捕一条叫莫比迪克的白鲸，莫比迪克是一条令人心惊胆颤，凶残狡猾的海中怪物，凡是捕鲸的渔民无不闻声丧胆，谈虎色变。埃哈帕的一条腿就是被它吞噬的，因此，他决心捕杀白鲸报仇雪恨。捕鲸船在大海中日夜搜捕，终于和白鲸相遇，经过三天的追踪，白鲸终于被鱼叉标枪所击中。发狂的白鲸撞翻了渔船，船长被鱼叉标枪上的绳索缠住，一起卷入海中，最后两败俱伤，船沉人亡。只有船员伊什梅尔生还，向我们讲述这个悲壮的故事。人物分析Pequod:“皮阔德”号捕鲸船被称为人类世界的缩影，既是一个设备齐全的人类配备充足的生产中心同时也是个小社会。在这个社会中，管理机密，人人各司其职，操作程序有条不紊。Ahab:埃哈帕船长是根据《旧约全书》中十分刻毒的同名复仇国王的原型塑造的。是人类征服自然的代表，有着普通人所没有的坚毅，刚强，近乎神明。但却有自私，刚愎自用，疯狂等阴暗面。是社会的生产中心和至高无上的主宰。MobyDick:自然的代表，自然力量的象征。Ishmael:伊什米尔是一名教师，希望摆脱平庸的生活，投入了大海怀抱。他是小说的叙述者，是唯一的幸存者。ThemesofMobyDick1.SearchfortruthThestorydealswiththehumanpursuitoftruthandthemeaningofexistence.2.ConflictbetweenGoodandEvil.3.ConflictbetweenManandNature.4.Isolationbetweenmanandman;manandnature;manandsociety.5.Solipsism(唯我论）作品理解通过《白鲸》向人们指出，人必须承认自己灵魂中的“恶”；人虽然可以观察世界，或者对世界有一定的影响力量，但从根本来说，人不能左右自然征服自然；人只要不冒失的自取灭亡，大自然便乐于让他平静的生活。《白鲸》是作者对社会和人生的认识的全面总结，它描写了捕鲸工人的辛勤劳动和智慧，解释了资本主义的残酷剥削。但它的文字有事冗长，艰涩，给人一种借题发挥，离题跑偏的感觉。梅尔维尔超越了时代的认知能力，这是他在世时收到冷落的根本原因，直到绝望弥漫的20世纪，他的小说才被大家认可。SymbolismandallegoryinMoby-Dick1)Land:asymbolofsafety2)Sea:adventureanddanger3)ThePequod:thehumanworld4)Thevoyage：tendstoimplythevoyageofmindsearchingfortruthandknowledgeoftheforcesworkingintheuniversethatcontrolmenandtheirdestiny.5）Thewhitewhalemeansmanythings:ToMelville,itsymbolizesnature,foritiscomplex,unfathomable（高深莫测的）,malignant（恶性的）,andbeautifulaswell.ToAhab,itrepresentsevil.Moby-Dickislikeawall,hidingsomeunknown,mysteriousthingsbehind.Ahabpursuedthewhalesoastopiercethewall,torootouttheevil,butonlytobedestroyedbyevil,inthiscase,byhisowndesire,hismadness.Totheauthor,thereaderandIshmael,thenarrator,MobyDickisamystery,amysteryofuniverse,inscrutable（难以了解的）andambivalent（矛盾的）,andthevoyageofthemindwillforeverremainasearch,notadiscovery,ofthetruth.EvaluationsD.H.LawrenceonH.Melville“Herecordsalso,almostbeyondpainorpleasure,theextremetransitionsoftheisolated,far-drivensoul,thesoulwhichisnowalone,withoutanyrealhumancontact”Hawthorne“Hewillneverrestuntilhegetsholdofadefinitebelief.Itisstrangehowhepersists…Hecanneitherbelieve,norbecomfortableinhisdisbelief;andheistoohonestandcourageousnottotrytodooneortheother…Hehasaveryhighandnoblenature.”