Topic-Two-New-Criticism-新批评

1TopicTwo:NewCriticismLookingBack:RussianFormalism–SomeExamplesBackgroundInfluentialTheoristsCloseReadingLookingBack:Defamiliarization–SomeExamplesExamplesinChineseExamplesinEnglish2ExamplesinChinese透过张爱玲的眼睛，我们在《封锁》第一段看到好些熟悉变为陌生的形象：在大太阳底下，电车轨道像两条光莹莹的、水里钻出来的曲蟮，抽长了、又缩短了；抽长了、又缩短了，就这么样往前移——柔滑的，老长老长的曲蟮，没有完、没有完……她的手臂，白倒是白的，像挤出来的牙膏。她的整个的人像挤出来的牙膏，没有款式。这些“险句”，成了张爱玲文体的“注册商标”，在《金锁记》中出现得更是多不胜收。那扁扁的下弦月，低一点，低一点，大一点，像赤金的脸盆，沉了下去。天是森冷的蟹壳青，天底下黑漆漆的只有些矮楼房，因此一望望得很远。地平线上的晓色，一层绿、一层黄、又一层红，如同切开的西瓜──是太阳要上来了。ExamplesinEnglishThroughthefence,betweenthecurlingflowerspaces,Icouldseethemhitting.TheywerecomingtowardwheretheflagwasandIwentalongthefence.Lusterwashuntinginthegrassbytheflowertree.Theytooktheflagout,andtheywerehitting.Thentheyputtheflagbackandtheywenttothetable,andhehitandtheotherhit.Thentheywenton,andIwentalongthefence.LustercameawayfromtheflowertreeandwewentalongthefenceandtheystoppedandwestoppedandIlookedthroughthefencewhileLusterwashuntinginthegrass.5WhiletheRussianFormalistmovementwasscientificandrational,theothermajorformalistschool–AmericanNewCriticism–wasanti-scientificandinterestedinthenon-rationaldimensionofart.Bothcriticalmovementsneverthelesssharedaninterestinwhatitisaboutliterarylanguagethatmakesitdifferentfromtheordinaryuseoflanguage,andbothconsideredtheproperobjectofliterarystudytobeliterarytextsandhowtheyworkedratherthanauthor’slivesorthesocialandhistoricalworldstowhichliteraturerefers.6Twowell-knowntermsthatarepartofaNewCriticallegacy–theintentionalfallacyandtheaffectivefallacy–namethisactofdelimitingtheobjectofliterarystudyandseparatingitfrombiographyorsociology.Accordingtotheintentionalfallacy,meaningresidesintheverbaldesignofaliterarywork,notinstatementsregardinghisorherintentionthattheauthormightmake.Accordingtotheaffectivefallacy,thesubjectiveeffectsoremotionalreactionsaworkprovokesinreadersareirrelevanttothestudyoftheverbalobjectitself,sinceitsobjectivestructurealonecontainsthemeaningofthework.7WhiletheRussianFormalistswereconcernedwithelucidatingthemodesofoperationofentiregenressuchasthenovel,theNewCriticsconcentratedtheirenergiesonindividualliteraryworks,especiallypoems.“Closereading”isthetermmostoftenusedtodescribetheirmethod.Thepurposeofsuchclosereadingwasnot,however,theanalysisofliterarydevicesormotifsconsideredasanendinitself.Itwasinsteadtheelucidationofthewayliteratureembodiesorconcretelyenactsuniversaltruth,whattheNewCriticscalled“concreteuniversals具象.”8ThoughtheNewCriticismhaditsoriginsinBritaininthecriticismofT.S.Eliot,thetheoryofI.A.RichardsandthepracticeofWilliamEmpson,itsmostpowerfulimpacthasbeeninAmerica.JohnCroweRansomwastheleadingAmericaninfluenceandheacknowledgeadebttoEliotandRichards.9TheothermajorAmericanNewCritics:C.Brooks,A.Tate,R.p.Warren;K.Burke,R.P.Blackmur.TheearlyNewCriticswerepoliticallyconservativeandtheirattitudestoliteraturewereshapedbytheiroppositiontocertain20thCenturytendenciesofthought,suchasMarxism10ThefundamentalaimofAmericanNewCriticismwastocreateacriticalalternativetoimpressionismandhistoricalscholarship,andthustherearesomeparallelswithRussianFormalism.Itadvocated“intrinsic”criticism–animpersonalconcernfortheliteraryworkasanindependentobject–andopposed“extrinsic”criticalapproaches,whichconcernedthemselveswithsuchmattersasauthorialintention,historical,moralorpoliticalconsiderations,andaudienceresponse.11TheearlierNewCriticismwasprimarilyinterestedinlyricpoetryandregardedmosthighlyformsofpoetryinwhichirony,tension,paradoxandambiguityinteractwiththesemanticsoflanguageinsuchaway,theybelieved,astorenderpoeticmeaninguniqueandunparaphrasable.12Theyclaimed,however,thatpoetrycouldimpartknowledgebutaformofknowledgeradicallydifferentfromknowledgeinthescientificsense.Theyparticularlyadmiredmetaphysicalpoetry(e.g.,JohnDonne).BecausetheNewCriticismarguedthatpoeticlanguageissemanticallydifferentfromnon-poeticlanguagesinceitdoesnotreferbeyonditselfbutonlyfunctionscontextuallywithinthestructureofthepoem,itissometimescalled,perhapsconfusingly,“contextualism”.13OtherNamesforNCOntologicalCriticismIronicalCriticismTensionalPoeticsTextualCriticismObjectivisticCriticismSemanticCriticismofPoetryNeo-ClassicalCriticismInfluentialTheoristsT.S.EliotI.A.RichardsWilliamEmpsonKennethBurkeJohnCroweRansomCleanthBrooksWilliamK.WimsattJr.&MonroeC.Beardsley14T.S.EliotT(homas).S(tearns).EliotisthecentralAnglo-Americanpoetandcriticofthe20thcentury.Inthehistoryofmodernliterarytheoryandcriticism,Eliotbelongs-withSAMUELJOHNSON,SAMUELT.COLERIDGE,andMATTHEWARNOLD-amongthepoet-criticwhohavedefinedthecriticalstandardsofanera,recasttheliterarytradition,andestablishingkeytermsforanalysisandevaluation.15ObjectiveCorrelativeandbeyondTradition:“TraditionandtheIndividualTalent”(1919)beginswith“InEnglishwritingweseldomspeakoftradition”.–F.R.Leavis’sRevaluation:TraditionandDevelopmentinEnglishPoetry(1936)andTheGreatTradition(1948);CleanthBrooks’sModernPoetryandtheTradition(1939).ForEliot,eachpoemexistswithinthetraditionfromwhichittakesshapeandwhichit,inturn,redefines.16Thustr