Edwin-Arlington-Robinson

EdwinArlingtonRobinson(1869---1935)•Robinsonisthefirstimportantpoetofthetwentiethcentury•Poetoftransition•PulitzerPrizewinnerforthreetimesEdwinArlingtonRobinsonwasbornonDecember22,1869,inHeadTide,Maine.HisfamilymovedtoGardiner,Maine,in1870,whichrenamedTilburyTown,becamethebackdropformanyofRobinson'spoems.BiographyRobinsondescribedhischildhoodasstarkandunhappy.BornandraisedinMainetoawealthyfamily,hewastheyoungestofthreesonsandnotgroomedtotakeoverthefamilybusiness.Instead,hepursuedpoetrysincechildhood,joiningthelocalpoetrysocietyasitsyoungestmember.BiographyHeattendedHarvard,buthispersonallifewassoonbesetbyachainoftragediesthatarereflectedinhiswork.Hisfatherdied,thefamilywentbankrupt,oneofhisbrothersbecameamorphineaddict,andhismothercontractedandeventuallydiedfromblackdiphtheria.Biography•RobinsonspenttwoyearsstudiedatHarvardUniversityasaspecialstudentandhisfirstpoemswerepublishedintheHarvardAdvocate.•Robinsonprivatelyprintedandreleasedhisfirstvolumeofpoetry,TheTorrentandtheNightBefore,in1896athisownexpense.•Shortlyafter,hemetawoman,EmmaShepherd,withwhomhefelldeeplyinlove,buthewasalsoconvincedthatmarriageandfamilialresponsibilitieswouldhinderhisworkasapoet,soheintroducedhertohiseldestbrother,whomarriedher.Biography•Unabletomakealivingbywriting,hegotajobasaninspectorfortheNewYorkCitysubwaysystem.In1902hepublishedCaptainCraigandOtherPoems.•ThisworkreceivedlittleattentionuntilPresidentTheodoreRooseveltwroteamagazinearticlepraisingitandRobinson.•RooseveltalsoofferedRobinsonasinecureinaU.S.CustomsHouse,ajobheheldfrom1905to1910.•Robinsondedicatedhisnextwork,TheTownDowntheRiver(1910),toRoosevelt.Robinson'sfirstmajorsuccesswasTheManAgainsttheSky(1916).Forthelasttwenty-fiveyearsofhislife,RobinsonspenthissummersattheMacDowellColonyofartistsandmusiciansinPeterborough,NewHampshire.Robinsonnevermarriedandledanotoriouslysolitarylifestyle.Biography•HewonthePulitzerPrize(普利策奖)forPoetrythreetimes:in1922forhisfirstCollectedPoems,in1925forTheManWhoDiedTwice,andin1928forTristram.•Withhisevenstartingtodrinkagain,claimingthathewasdoingittoprotestProhibition.Hepublishedregularlyuntilthedayhedied,inNewYorkCityin1935.•HediedinNewYorkCityonApril6,1935.new-foundfameandfortune,hemadearadicalchangeinhislifestyletoo,tendingtohimself.BiographyHisWorksCollectionofpoetry•1896TheTorrentandtheNightBefore急流与昨夜•1897TheChildrenoftheNight夜之子•1910TheTownDowntheRiver河下游的城镇•1916TheManAgainsttheSky天边人影•TriologyofArthurianpoemMerlin墨林Lancelot朗塞洛Tristram特里斯丹poems•TheGloryoftheNightingales夜莺的荣耀1930年•KingJasper贾斯珀国王1935年•TheHouseontheHill山巅之屋•MiniverCheevy米尼弗·契维Robinson’sWritingStyleRobinson'spoetrywasstylisticallysimpleandneat,anditfitsthecommonpreconceptionthateveryoneseemstothinkofwhentheyhearthewordpoetry.Itrhymes,withbasicrhymeschemes,hassimplefeetandmeter,andhasaconsciouslylyrical,musicalconstruction.Itisdividedintosegments,usuallyofquatrainsorsomeotherpoeticconvention.Intermsofform,RobinsonowesmuchmoretohisEnglishpoeticalpioneerssuchShakespeare,BenJohnson,andJohnMiltonthantothosewhowerehisAmericanpoeticcontemporaries,writerssuchasWaltWhitmanandWallaceStevens,whowereintroducingnewstylesrootedinfreeverse.Robinson'swritingwasforevershapedbytheconflictsandproblemsofhislifeandthelivesofthosearoundhim.Mostofthesecharacters:DuringhisformativeyearsgrowingupinGardiner,mostofthemresideinfictionalNewEnglandareasinpersonalfailure,frustrateddesires,andsimplebadluck.ThebestexamplesoftheseburnedoutcharactersarethesubjectsofRobinson'stwomostoftenreprintedpoemsRichardCoryandMiniverCheevy.Thisveryreal-life,non-romantictakeatwriting,especiallyintherealmofpoetry,wasananomalyinthetimeofWhitmans,andEmersons.Thesewriterswrotepersonalpiecesthatweremoreidealisticandtheoreticalthantrulypersonal.,Robinson'swritingsweretrueexercisesinpersonalexpression.Hiswritingsweretryingtoexpressthingsandtruthsthathehadseen,ideasthathebelievedin,asopposedtosimplybeingavehicleforthinlydisguisedlifelessons.Robinson'sreal-lifealcoholisminMiniverCheevyandMr.Flood'sParty,weretherealoflife,notthepolishedcelebrationoflifethatwascommoninothers'works.RichardCory理查德·科里WheneverRichardCorywentdowntown,WepeopleonthepavementlookedathimHewasagentlemanfromsoletocrown,Cleanfavored,andimperiallyslim.Andhewasalwaysquietlyarrayed,Andhewasalwayshumanwhenhetalked;Butstillheflutteredpulseswhenhesaid,Good-morningandheglitteredwhenhewalked.理查德·科里一到街头，行人总要注目瞻望；一派君子风度，眉清目秀，伟岸颀长。举止谦和沉稳，谈吐文雅大方；一声“早安”令人怦然心动，他迈开步子溢彩流光。他有富可敌国的家产，他有全知全能的教养，他是万民效仿的标准，他是大众追求的榜样。人们不停劳作，苦苦盼望，一日三餐只有难吃的粗粮；可他在一个平静的夏夜回到家里，用一颗子弹打碎自己的脑浆。Andhewasrich—yes,richerthanaking,Andadmirablyschooledineverygrace:Infine,wethoughtthathewaseverythingTomakeuswishthatwewereinhisplace.Soonweworked,andwaitedforthelight,Andwentwithoutthemeat,andcursedthebread;AndRichardCory,onecalmsummernight,Wenthomeandputabulletthroughhishead.RichardCory（Arichchilde贵公子）Itwasfirstpublishedin1897,aspartofTheChildrenoftheNight,havingbeencompletedinJulyofthatyear,andremainsoneofRobinson'smostpopularandanthologizedpoems.Duringthecompositionofthepoem,theUSeconomywasstillsufferingfro