The-Merely-Very-Good

TheMerelyVeryGoodJeremyBernsteinOutlineBackgroundinformation----IntroductionofR.Oppenheimer,StephenSpender,W.H.AudenandPaulA.M.Dirac----IntroductionoftheauthorStructureanalysisTextAnalysisR.Oppenheimer---anAmericantheoreticalphysicistandprofessorofphysicsfatheroftheatomicbombStephenSpender---anEnglishpoet,novelistandessayistwhoconcentratedonthemesofsocialinjusticeandtheclassstruggleinhisworkW.H.Auden---anAnglo-Americanpoet,bestknownforlovepoemsPaulA.M.Dirac---anEnglishtheoreticalphysicistwhomadefundamentalcontributionstotheearlydevelopmentofbothquantummechanicsandquantumelectrodynamicsBackgroundinformationJeremyBernstein(1929-)1955,obtainedPhDfromHarvardU.1957-1961(?)workedattheInstituteofAdvancedStudiesatPrinceton,N.J.1962becameanassociateprofessorofphysicsatNewYorkUniversity.1967becameaprofessorofphysicsatStevensInstituteofTechnology&heldthepositionover30yearsonthestaffofTheNewYorkermagazineStructureanalysispartIPara1-3reasonsfornotgoingtotheconferencepartIIPara4-9reasonsforgoingtotheconferencePartIIIPara10-16theconferencePartIVPara17-20recentthoughts&reflectionsDetailedStudyoftheText:PartII(Para1-3):reasonsfornotgoingtotheconferenceWhydidn’ttheauthoraccepttheinvitationimmediatelytogivealectureatawriter’sconferenceintheyear1981?WhatarethesimilaritiesanddifferencesofDiracandOppenheimerasshowninParagraph3?LanguagePointsinPartIAstudyofthemapconvincesmethat…:afterstudyingthemap,I’msurethat…eg.Alookoftheroomassuresmethatnoonehascome.Myfirstinclination:我的第一反应didphysics:didsomeresearchinphysicsLanguagePointsinPartIcometomind:toberememberedbeawardedafellowship:begrantedasumofmoneytodosomeresearchassistance拿到奖学金nervousbreakdown:神经衰弱症besympathetictosb/sth:showfavororapproval对……表示好感Iwasconsciousof…ledtotroubleway:themannerofdoingsthbeconsciousof:possessknowledgeabout;knowOppenheimermadehisgreatintelligentpowerknowntoMaxBorninamannerthatembarrassesothersandcausestroubleforhimselfIknewthatOppenheimerwasamanofgreattalentbuthiswayofshowinghistalentatmyseminarscauseduneasinessandresentmentamongpeople,especiallyamonghisfellowstudents.LanguagePointsinPartIinsofaras…withDirac.TheirfriendshipwaslimitedtothekindoffriendshipthatispossibleforDirac,aneccentric古怪的人,self-centeredgenius,toestablishwithotherpeopleQuantummechanics:量子力学togooverwell:tobewellreceivedeg.Howdidherspeechgoover?LanguagePointsinPartIThisdidn’tseemtobethesortofanecdotethatwouldgooverespeciallywellataconferencedevotedtopoetry.—Theauthorwasaskedtotalkabouttheconnectionbetweenphysicsandpoetryattheconference.Thisanecdote,thoughinteresting,mightnotbeappreciatedbytheaudience,whoweredevotedtopoetry.Oppenheimervs.Dirac:similarity&differenceyoungtalentedphysicistusingquantummechanicstodobettercalculationtalkative,self-assertinginventedthetheoryofquantummechanicsmanoffewwords,eccentricDetailedStudyoftheText:PartIIII(Para4-9):reasonsforgoingtotheconferenceWhatwerethetwopowerfulreasonsfortheauthor’sgoingtotheconference?Accordingtotheauthor,what’sthedifferencebetween“beinggreat”and“beingmerelyverygood”?WheredidOppenheimer’ssmallcollectionofpaintingscomefrom?Inyouropinion,whydidn’theexpandthecollection?Whydidn’tDiracreallyhavecollaborator？HowdidDiracteachhisclassatCambridge?Whydidheteachinthatway?LanguagePointsinPartIIPittedagainst…carriedthedayThereweretworeasonsformygoingtotheconferencesetagainstthereasonsformynotgoingandtheybecamedecisiveinmyfinaldecision.topitagainst:tosetincompetitionagainsteg.Topitoneselfagainstthechampiontocarrytheday:towin.eg.Despitestrongopposition,therulingpartycarriedtheday.liveonone’ssavings:靠积蓄生活Shewasfindingitprettyroughgoing.—Shewasfindingthatitwasterriblyhardtomakeprogressinwriting.inthesameboat:sharingthesameadversecircumstanceeg.Theywereinthesameboat:theybothfailedtheexam.LanguagePointsinPartIIThisaside=Thisbeingputaside:apartfromthisrightoff:withouthesitationHeis,…thantheirwritingitselfInmymind,Spenderbelongstothegroupofwriterswhosewritingsabouttheirlivesandexperiencesholdmoreinterestthantheirowncreativeworkswhich,inSpender’scase,refertohispoemsAuden’sDiraclike…irresistible.lucidity:clarity,simplicitysheer:completeandnotmixedwithanythingelse;pureirresistible:sostrongthatitcannotbestoppedorresistedLikeDirac,Audenwrotewithremarkableclarity&simplicityanddisplayedtothereaderthegreatpoweroflanguageaswellasasenseofhumoraboutseriousissues,whichfascinatedmegreatly.establishmentfigure:有权有势的人perennialvisits:长期访问Spender’sjournalentry…notsay.Spender’saccountofhisvisitisinterestingnotonlybecauseofthethingshementionsbutalsobecauseofthethingshedoesnotmention.journalentry:日记的记载coveredingrime:满身尘土havethesunwrinkledlookofsomeonewhohadspentagreatdealoftimeoutdoors:因有长期的户外活动，脸上显出太阳曝晒的痕迹Siamesecats:暹罗猫Oppenheimerappears..ownlife.disembodyv.todivest…ofabody,ofcorporealexistence,orofreality肉体脱离;使脱离实体adisembodiedfigure:（本文）毫无生气的人物Inhisbook,Spenderfailstogiveaconnected,completepictureofOppenheimeranddoesnotmentionthatOppenheimer’sbackgroundandsituationhasquitealottodowithhimselfclearance:permissionforsbtoworkwithsecre