一个英语生的文学导论课笔记

AnintroductiontoliteratureLiterature一、Whatisliterature?LiteraturecomesfromLatinlitterae,meaningletterinEnglish.Thewordliteratureliterallymeansacquaintancewithlettersandthetermlettersissometimesusedtosignifyliterature,asinthefiguresofspeechartsandlettersandmanofletters.Generalmeanings?①publishedwritingsinaparticularstyleonaparticularsubject(publications,books,brochuresandsoon)②creativewritingofrecognizedartisticvalue(artisticandliterarywritings)③theprofessionorartofawriter(vocation)④thehumanisticstudyofabodyofliterature(subject)⑤musicalproduct⑥knowledgeorlearning⑦reading(supplementaryliterature)ACrazyActLiteratureisaboutwritinginaparticularcountryofaperiod,allovertheworldingeneral.Literatureisawritingwhichhasclaimedtoconsiderundergroundofbeautyofform,andemotionaleffect.(Aestheticism)Literatureisallthewritingsthathavepermanentvalue,excellentformandgreatemotionaleffect.Literatureisawritinghavingexcellenceofformorexpression,andexpressingideasofpermanenceofuniversalinterest.(criticalmind)Adevelopingterm.AestheticismAestheticism(ortheAestheticMovement)wasa19thcenturyEuropeanartmovementthatemphasizedaestheticvaluesmorethansocio-politicalthemesforliterature,fineart,thedecorativearts,andinteriordesign.Generally,itrepresentsthesametendenciesthatsymbolismordecadencerepresentedinFrance,andmaybeconsideredtheBritishversionofthesamestyle.Itwaspartoftheanti-19thcenturyreactionandhadpost-Romanticorigins,andassuchanticipatesmodernism.Itwasafeatureofthelate19thcenturyfromabout1868toabout1900.TheartistsandwritersofAestheticstyleusedthesloganArtforArt'sSake(艺术是纯粹的),tendedtoprofessthattheArtsshouldproviderefinedsensuouspleasure,ratherthanconveymoralorsentimentalmessages.Instead,theybelievedthatArtdidnothaveanydidacticpurpose;itneedonlybebeautiful.TheAesthetesdevelopedacultofbeauty,whichtheyconsideredthebasicfactorofart.LifeshouldcopyArt,theyasserted.Theyconsiderednatureascrudeandlackingindesignwhencomparedtoart.InBritainthebestrepresentativeswereOscarWildeandAlgernonCharlesSwinburne,alsoincludingJohnKeatsandPercyByssheShelley,greatlyinfluencedbytheFrenchSymbolists.OscarWilde(1856-1900):a.anIrishplaywright,anaestheteadvocating“artforart’ssake”.b.Hislanguageisconcise,wittyandsharp.Hecriticizesthehypocrisyandcorruptionoftheupperclass.Hisattacksaremorelikejokes.c.LadyWindermere’sFan,AWomanofNoImportance,AnIdealHusbandandTheImportanceofBeingEarnestAdevelopingterm.Whatisliterature?1)Thedefinitionof14thcentury:Itmeanspolitelearningthroughreading.Amanofliteratureoramanofletters=amanofwidereading,“literacy”2)Thedefinitionof18thcentury:practiceandprofessionofwriting3)Thedefinitionof19thcentury:thehighskillsofwritinginthespecialcontextofhighimagination4)RobertFrost’sdefinition:performanceinwords5)Moderndefinition:Wecandefineliteratureaslanguageartisticallyusedtoachieveidentifiableliteraryqualitiesandtoconveymeaningfulmessages.Literatureischaracterizedbybeautyofexpressionandformandbyuniversalityintellectualandemotionalappeal.DifferentIdeasLiteratureisimitation.Literatureisfunction.Literatureisanexpressionofemotions.(imagism意象派)Literatureisliterature.（payattentiontoitsform）Imagism1)ItisaMovementinU.S.andEnglishpoetrycharacterizedbytheuseofconcretelanguageandfiguresofspeech,modernsubjectmatter,metricalfreedom,andavoidanceofromanticormysticalthemes,aimingatclarityofexpressionthroughtheuseofprecisevisualimages.2)ItgrewoutoftheSymbolistMovementin1912andwasinitiallyledbyEzraPound,AmyLowell,andothers.3)TheImagistmanifestocameoutin1912showedthreeImagistpoeticprinciples:directtreatmentofthe“thing”（nofuss,frill,orornament）,exclusionofsuperfluouswords（precisionandeconomyofexpression）,therhythmofthemusicalphraseratherthanthesequenceofametronome（freeverseformandmusic）.4)Pounddefinedanimageasthatwhichpresentsanintellectualandemotionalcomplexinaninstantoftime,andlaterheextendedthisdefinitionwhenhestatedthatanimagewas“avortexorclusteroffusedideas,endowedwithenergy.”5)GenerallyanImagist’simagerepresentsamomentofrevealedtruth,truthrevealedbyaphysicalobjectpresentedandseenassuch.AnImagistpoem,therefore,oftencontainsasingledominantimage,oraquicksuccessionofrelatedimages.Itseffectismeanttobeinstantaneous.Forexample:InaStationoftheMetroTheapparitionofthesefacesinthecrowd;Petalsonawet,blackbough.人群中幽然浮现的一张张脸庞，黝黑的湿树枝上的一片片花瓣。6)Abouttheabovepoem:The“Metro”istheundergroundrailwayofParis.Inthisbriefpoem,Poundusesthefewestpossiblewordstoconveyanaccurateimage,accordingtotheprinciplesofthe“Imagists”.Hetriestorenderexactlyhisobservationofhumanfacesseeninanundergroundrailwaystation.Heseesthefaces,turnedvariouslytowardlightanddarkness,likeflowerpetalswhicharehalfabsorbedby,halfresisting,thewet,darktextureofabough.Theword“apparition”,withitsdoublemeaning,bindsthetwoaspectsoftheobservationtogether:Apparitionmeaning“appearance”,inthesenseofsomethingwhichappears,orshowsup;somethingwhichcanbeclearlyobserved.Apparitionmeaningsomethingwhichseemsrealbutperhapsisnotreal;somethingghostlywhichcannotbeclearlyobserved.ThisisperhapsthemostfamouspoemwrittenbyEzraPoun