Lesson5-Love-Is-a-Fallacy

LoveisaFallacy---byMaxShulmanLessonFourMaxShulman(1919–1988)isa20thcenturyAmericanwriter.Hiswritingoftenfocusedonyoungpeople,particularlyinacollegiatesetting.Heistheauthorofseveralfairlywell-receivednovels,includingRallyRoundtheFlag,Boys!andSleepTillNoon.However,heisprobablybestrememberedforhiscreationofthecharacter“DobieGillis”,atypicalAmericanteenwhofrequentlysufferedfromromanticangst(苦恼).IntroductiontotheTextAbouttheStory“LoveisaFallacy”istakenfromMaxShulman’sTheManyLovesofDobieGillis,1951.ThenarratorofthestoryisDobie.Itisaboutalawstudentwhotriestomarrythegirlaftersuitablere-education,buthe’sbeentoocleverforhisowngood.IntroductiontotheTextAbouttheStoryThistextisapieceofnarrativewriting,astory.Thenarratorofthestory,DobieGillis,afreshmaninalawschool,istheprotagonist.Hestrugglesagainsttwoantagonists:PeteyBurch,hisroommatewhosegirlfriendheplanstosteal;andPollyEspy,thegirlheintendstomarryaftersuitablere-education.TheclimaxofthestoryisreachedwhenPollyrefusestogosteadywiththenarratorbecauseshehadalreadypromisedtogosteadywithPeteyBurch.IntroductiontotheTextThedenouementfollowsrapidlyandendsonaveryironictone.TheraccooncoatwhichhegavetoPeteyBurchfortheprivilegeofdatinghisgirl,theraccooncoatwhichthenarratordisliked,PollyEspypromisedtogosteadywithPeteyBurchbecauseheownedaraccooncoat,acoatthatallfashionablepeopleoncampuswerewearing.Themainthemeofthestory,however,isstatedbythewriterinthetitleofthestory:“Loveisafallacy.”RelationshipRaccooncoatpollyBurchDobieGilliswantBelongstoWantawifeBelongstoIntroductiontotheTextAbouttheTitleThetitleofthestoryishumorousandwell-chosen.Ithastwomeanings:1.When“fallacy”istakeninitsordinarysense,thetitlemeans:Thereisadeceptiveordelusivequalityaboutlove.2.When“fallacy”istakenasaspecificterminlogic,thetitlemeans:Lovecannotbededucedfromasetofgivenpremises.(“love”isanemotionthatdoesnotfollowtheprinciplesoflogic)IntroductiontotheTextAbouttheTitlePerhapsMaxShulmanwantsthereader,afterreadingthestory,toconcludethat“love”isanerror,adeceptionandanemotionthatdoesnotfollowtheprinciplesoflogic.Butthewriter,throughthisstoryhassucceededperhapsunwittingly(无意地)inrevealingwhatlovemaysometimesmeanintheaffluentsociety.Girlsdonotwantbrilliant,giftedoreducatedhusbands,butwanthusbandswhoarerichandwealthyenoughtoprovideallthethingsnecessaryinlife—home,clothes,cars,etcDetailedStudyoftheTextCharlesLamb,asmerryandenterprisingafellowasyouwillmeetinamonthofSundays,unfetteredtheinformalessaywithhismemorableOldChinaandDream’sChildren.CharlesLamb(1775-1834):Englishessayist,wasborninLondon.Heisnowbestknownforhis“EssaysofElia”.HecollaboratedwithhissisterMaryinadaptingShakespeare’splaysintostoriesforchildren.Hisfamousworksinclude“TalesfromShakespeare”and“SpecimensofEnglishDramaticPoets”.HedidmuchinrevivingthepopularityofElizabethandramaandestablishedhisreputationasacritic.DetailedStudyoftheTextenterprising:fullofenergyandinitiative；willingtoundertakenewprojects有事业心的；有胆量的；富于创业精神的AmonthofSundays:(colloquial)longtimee.g.:I’venotseenherinamonthofSundays.unfetter(v.):tosetfreefromrestraintofanykind；toliberate除掉…的脚镣；解放；使获得自由DetailedStudyoftheTextParaphrase:CharlesLambisanunusualpersonfullofmerryspirit,energyandinitiativethatyouwillmeetonlyonceinalongtime.HisremarkableessayOldChinaandDreamChildrenmadeitpossiblefortheinformalessaytobewellreceivedbythegeneralpublic.译文：查尔斯．兰姆是一个世所罕见的性情欢快、富有进取心的人，他那笔下的散文《古瓷器》和《梦中的孩子》无拘无束、自由奔放。DetailedStudyoftheTextTherefollowsaninformalessaythatventuresevenbeyondLamb’sfrontier.Metaphor:comparingthelimitationssetbyLambtoafrontier.Paraphrase:TheinformalessaythatfollowshereisfreerthantheoneCharlesLambwrote.DetailedStudyoftheTextIndeed,“informal”maynotbequitetherightwordtodescribethisessay;“limp”or“flaccid”orpossibly“spongy”areperhapsmoreappropriate.limp(adj.):notstifforfirm柔软的flaccid(adj.):hanginginloosefoldsorwrinkles：lackingfirmness不结实的；松驰的；松软的spongy(adj.):likeasponge；softandporous海绵(状)的；柔软有弹性的译文：实际上，用“自由奔放”的字眼来形容这篇文章并不十分恰当，或许用“柔软”、“轻松”、“轻软而富有弹性”更加合适。DetailedStudyoftheTextCouldCarlyledomore?CouldRuskin?Carlyle:ThomasCarlyle(1795-1881),Englishauthor,ScottishwriterHeinfluencedsocialthinkingaboutthenewindustrialworkingclassthroughhisessay“Chartism”andhisbook“ThePresentandthePast”.Heisbestknownforhisepichistoryof“TheFrenchRevolution”(1837)andhislectures“OnHeroesandHero-Workshop”(1841)DetailedStudyoftheTextRuskin:JohnRuskin(1819-1900),Englishcriticandsocialtheorist.Tworhetoricquestionsalsoforthesakeofemphasis.Implication:Mywritingisevenmoreinformal.Icandobetterthanthem.Hesaysthisonlywithhistongueincheek.DetailedStudyoftheTextRead,then,thefollowingessaywhichundertakestodemonstratethatlogic,farfrombeingadry,pedanticdiscipline,isaliving,breathingthing,fullofbeauty,passion,andtrauma.pedantic:payingtoomuchattentiontodetailsandunimportantrules迂腐的,书呆子气的trauma:anemotionalwoundorshockthatcreateslastingdamagetothepsychologicaldevelopmentofaperson心灵创伤；精神创伤Metaphorandhyperbole.Itisametaphorcomparinglogictoalivinghumanbeing.Itisahyperbolebecauseitexaggeratesforthesakeofeffect.DetailedStudyoftheTextPar