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HermanMelville(1819~1891)Contents•Life•Works•EvaluationLife•Hewasborninaprestigiousfamily.(AmericanRevolution&theBostonTeaParty)•Hewaswelleducatedandlivedahappylifeuntilhisfatherwasdeadofdebt.Sohebegantoworkearly.Life•Hedidalotofjobs,suchasbankclerk,salesman,farmhand,andeventeacher.•Andwhentheseallfailedtoofferhimadecentlivelihood,hewenttoseawhenatabout20.•Hisexperienceandadventureontheseafurnishedhimwithabundantmaterialforfiction.Life•Therearethreethingswhichdeservetomentionabouthislife.•Goingouttoseaisoneofthem,theothertwobeinghismarriageandhisfriendshipwithHawthorne霍桑.FriendshipwithHawthorne•MeetingHawthorneinthesummerof1850.•Influencedbyhisblackvision.•RevisingMobyDick.•Theyallrepresentedapositionoftragichumanismintheirtime.MobyDick(1851)•thefirstAmericanproseepic.（散文体史诗）•anencyclopediaofeverything•(history,philosophy,religion,etc.)•Shakespeareantragedyofmanfightingagainstoverwhelmingoddsinanindifferentandhostileuniverse.ThemesofMobyDick•1.SearchfortruthThestorydealswiththehumanpursuitoftruthandthemeaningofexistence.•2.ConflictbetweenGoodandEvil.•3.ConflictbetweenManandNature.•4.Isolationbetweenmanandman;manandnature;manandsociety.•5.Solipsism(唯我论）SymbolismandallegoryinMoby-Dick1)Land:asymbolofsafety2)Sea:adventureanddanger3)ThePequod:thehumanworld4)Thevoyage：tendstoimplythevoyageofmindsearchingfortruthandknowledgeoftheforcesworkingintheuniversethatcontrolmenandtheirdestiny.5）Thewhitewhale•ToAhab,itrepresentsevil.•Moby-Dickislikeawall,hidingsomeunknown,mysteriousthingsbehind.•Ahabpursuedthewhalesoastopiercethewall,torootouttheevil,butonlytobedestroyedbyevil,inthiscase,byhisowndesire,hismadness.ToMelville,itsymbolizesnature,foritiscomplex,unfathomable（高深莫测的）,malignant（恶性的）,andbeautifulaswell.Totheauthor,thereaderandIshmael,thenarrator,MobyDickisamystery,amysteryofuniverse,inscrutable（难以了解的）andambivalent（矛盾的）,andthevoyageofthemindwillforeverremainasearch,notadiscovery,ofthetruth.Features•EarlierWorks—drawinguponhisseaexperiences—blackandwhite•LaterWorks—ReconciliationbetweenmanandGod—livingbytherulesofthisworldEvaluations•HermanMelvillewasanAmericannovelist,writerofshortstories,andpoetfromtheAmericanRenaissanceperiod.•Customsinspector&American’sShakespeare•OneofthegreatesttragediesintheNorthAmericanliteraryhistory.•OneofthegreatestlossestoAmericanliterature.sonsandloversD.H.Lawrence“Herecordsalso,almostbeyondpainorpleasure,theextremetransitionsoftheisolated,far-drivensoul,thesoulwhichisnowalone,withoutanyrealhumancontact.”Hawthorne“Hewillneverrestuntilhegetsholdofadefinitebelief.Itisstrangehowhepersists…Hecanneitherbelieve,norbecomfortableinhisdisbelief;.Andheistoohonestandcourageousnottotrytodooneortheother…Hehasaveryhighandnoblenature.”