搜索
Lecture4AmericanRomanticismandNewEnglandLiterature:HermanMelvilleHermanMelville(1819-1891)2.1GeneralIntroduction●HermanMelvilleandhiscontemporaryauthorsexperiencedsuchthingsthattheyarehardtoberecognizedbytheirfellowmen.ThoreauandDickinsonhadfewornocontemporaryreaders.PoeandWhitmanweremisunderstood.AndMelvillesufferedanagonizingneglectparticularlypainfultohissoul,andhesufferedlikeWhitmanwithoutthekindofcompensationthatthelatterlivedtoenjoy.(P79)●Althoughneglectedformanyyears,hewasrediscoveredaround1920andhasbeenenthusiasticallystudiedbycriticsandscholarseversince.Soonafterhisdeath,therewasashortrevivalofinterestinMelville’swork.Manyofhisworkswerepublishedagainandsoweremanyappreciativescholarlyevaluations.AsecondMelvillerevivaltookplaceabout1919.By1930sMelvillescholarshipbecameprominent(HughHetheringtoncompletedthefirstdoctoraldissertationonMelvilleattheUniv.ofMichiganin1933),and,soonafterthesecondworldwar,aMelvillesocietywasorganized.ThroughthenexttwodecadesMelvilleandhiswritingattractedmoreresearchandscholarshipthananyotherAmericanauthor.2.2Mastersinfluencinghim●Hawthorn’sinfluence◆Wasdeeplyimpressedbyhisbook◆Hisessay“HawthorneandHisMosses,”indicatesthechangeHawthorne’sMossesfromanOldMansebroughtaboutinhisoutlookonlifeandontheworld.Hawthorne’sunderstandingofevilimpactedMelville’soriginaldesignofMobyDick,aboutone-thirdofwhichhehadcompletedwhentheymet.Hehadastrongdesiretorevealtheevilinlifeandhumansoulthroughatragedy.◆ForMelville,heneededbadlysb.tounderstandandsympathizewithhisliterarywork,especiallythecompanionshipoftheolderwritercouldreawakenhiscreativeenergy,asneitherunderstandingnorsympathywasforthcomingfromhisownfamily.◆Theywerephilosophicallycloselyrelated,andtheyrepresentedapositionoftragichumanismintheirtime.(P80-81)●Others’influence◆Melvillewasaprolificwriter.Inhiswholelifeheenjoyedreading(avoraciousreader:Emerson,Hawthorne,ThomasCarlyle,Shelley,ThomasBrowne,Lyell’sGeology,andShakespeare;aseriousreader:wroteglossesandcommentariesasheracedthroughthevolumesthatcamehisway)◆HisdiscoveryofShakespearestirredhimtothedepthsofhisbeing.CarlyleandHawthorne’ssymbolismfascinatedhim.ForEmersonhehadmixedfeelingsofrespectandrepulsion.2.3Hisworks●Typee:APeepatPolynesianLife,1846(conveyingtheironythatacivilizedmancannotreturntoparadise.)●Omoo:ANarrativeofAdventuresintheSouthSeas,1847.●Mardi,1849●Redburn,1849●White-Jacket,orTheWorldinaMan-of-War,1850(relatinghislifeonaUnitedStatesman-of-war)●Moby-Dick,orTheWhale,1851(nowheraldedasalandmarkworkinAmericanliterature,receivinglittleacclaimuponitsrelease,thecoolresponseofthepublictoitdisgustinghimsothathealmostleftoffnovelwritinginhislateforties)●PierreorTheAmbiguities,1852●IsraelPotter,1855●HislateworksincludethevolumesofpoetryBattle-PiecesandAspectsoftheWar(1866)andJohnMarrandOtherSailors(1888);thelongpoemClarel(1876);andtheposthumouslypublishednovellaBillyBudd,Foretopman(1924),thetragedyofaninnocent.2.5MobyDickSomehistoricalnotesonMelville’seraThemes(P84-85)Characterization(P84-85)Specialfeature:symbolism(P86)SomehistoricalnotesonMelville’sera●Theoptimisticattitude●Thespiritofexpansion●Puttinghighvalueonindustriousness●TheradicalindividualismThemes(P84-85)●Selfvs.thehostileworld●Alienation●SymbolicquestoftruthandknowledgeCharacterization(P84-85)●Ahabasatragichero(P84-85)●Ishmaelasawanderer(P85)Specialfeature:symbolism(P86)●ThePequod:thehumanworld●ThePequod’svoyageonthesea:thevoyageofmindsearchingfortruthandknowledgeoftheforcesworkingintheuniversethatcontrolmenandtheirdestiny●MobyDick◆ToAhab◆Toreaders◆ToIshmaelanevilcreatureitself/theagentofanevilforcethatcontrolstheuniversephysicallimitsthatlifeimposesuponman/nature/aninstrumentofGod’srevengeuponevilmananastonishingface/aimmensepower/thetremendousorganicvitalityoftheuniverse