-EDWIN-Arlington-Robinson-美国文学

Week9EdwinArlingtonRobinson埃德温·阿林顿·罗宾逊(1869-1935)ImigistInaStationoftheMetro,PoundattemptstoproducetheemotionhefeltwhenhewalkeddownintoaParissubwaystationandsuddenlysawanumberoffacesinthedimlight.Tocapturetheemotion,Poundusestheimageofpetalsonawet,blackbough.Theimageisnotdecoration:Itiscentraltothepoem’smeaning.Infact,it’sthepoem’smeaning.EdwinArlingtonRobinson:埃德温·阿林顿·罗宾逊borninDecember22,1869.RobinsonwasborninHeadTide,Maine.Describedhischildhoodlike“starkandunhappy.”Familyhadmanyalcoholproblems.Brotherdiesofalcoholpoisoning.Whenhewas21heenteredHarvard.HewantedtogetpublishedinoneoftheHarvardliteraryjournals.AfterhisfirstyearinHarvard,hisfatherdied.BiographyAfterhisfather’sdeath,heonlystayedonemoreyear.In1896hepublishedhisfirstbookbyhimself.TheTorrentandtheNightBefore《急流与昨夜》paying100dollarsfor500copies.Itwassupposedtobeasurpriseforhismother.But,afewdaysbeforethebookarrivedshediedofdiphtheria[dif‘θiəriə]白喉.HissecondbookTheChildrenoftheNight(1897)《夜晚的孩子》wasreadbyTheodoreRoosevelt.BiographyHegothimajobinCustomhouse,NewYork.HewonthePulitzerPrize(普利策奖)forPoetrythreetimes:1922,1925and1928.DuringthelastyearsofhislifehebecomearesidentinMcDowellColonyinNewHampshire.(stateintheNewEnglandregionofthenortheasternUS)Herehegottheattentionofseveralwomen.Yet,Healwaysmaintainedasolitarylifeandnevermarried.America'spoetlaureateofunhappinessdescendantofAnneBradstreet.workedinobscurityuntilgrantedajobintheNewYorkcustomhousebyPresidentTheodoreRoosevelt,anadmirerofhispoetrybestknownforwritingshortpoemsthattellastoryAnimportantpoetinthetransitionfromAmericantraditionalpoetrytoModernpoetry.RealisticpoetRobinson’sstyleRobinson'spoetrywasstylisticallysimpleandneat,anditfitsthecommonpreconceptionthateveryoneseemstothinkofwhentheyhearthewordpoetry.Itrhymes,withbasicrhymeschemes,hassimplefeetandmeter,andhasaconsciouslylyrical,musicalconstruction.Itisdividedintosegments,usuallyofquatrainsorsomeotherpoeticconvention.Intermsofform,RobinsonowesmuchmoretohisEnglishpoeticalpioneerssuchShakespeare,BenJohnson,andJohnMiltonthantothosewhowerehisAmericanpoeticcontemporaries,writerssuchasWaltWhitmanandWallaceStevens,whowereintroducingnewstylesrootedinfreeverse.themesRobinson'swritingwasforevershapedbytheconflictsandproblemsofhislifeandthelivesofthosearoundhim.mostofthesecharacters:duringhisformativeyearsgrowingupinGardiner.mostofthemresidinginfictionalNewEnglandareasinpersonalfailure,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.他们都已离去，只留下大门紧闭的老屋，冷冷清清，默默无语。断壁灰暗，往日的旧居，凄厉的寒风吹拂，他们都已离去。人迹渺茫，满目空虚，谁来把陈年是非讲述，冷冷清清，默默无语。我们为何踏着蹒跚的步履，围绕破败的门窗徘徊盼顾？他们都已离去。那梦幻般的嬉戏欢娱，太过久远，太过模糊，冷冷清清，默默无语。眼前唯有废墟，山上的这间老屋：他们都已离去，冷冷清清，默默无语TheHouseontheHillFormThevillanelle[,vilə’nel]维拉内拉诗(16世纪法国的一种19行诗)19linesEndrhyme:tworhymesRichardCoryPublication:1921inCollectedPoemsWhoIsRichardCory?RichChilde贵胄RobinsonislinkingRichardCorytoanEnglishking,sincepavementmeanssidewalkinBritishEnglish.RichardCory,atragicpoem,reflectsinitsspiritthetragediesinRobinson'sownlife:Bothofhisbrothersdiedyoung,hisfamilysufferedfinancialfailures,andRobinsonhimselfenduredhardshipbeforehispoetrygainedrecognition—thanksinparttopraisefromaninfluentialreaderofthem,TheodoreRoosevelt.RichardCorystructureissimpleandclassic.Therhymeschemeissetupinabasicababcdcdefefghghpattern,withthelinesdividedupintofourstanzas,quatrainstobeexact.Thefeetandmeterofthelinesarealsoclassic.iniambicpentameter,oneoftheoldestmetersusedinEnglishverse.RichardCorySecondStanzathespeakerisalittleobsessedwithRichardCory’sbehaviorandappearance,sowhilethespeakerwantsustorealizethatCorywasanicemanwhowouldchatwiththecommonfolk,stillhismannerandappearancehadaneffectonpeople.Verbalirony言语反讽CalmVerbalironyisastatementinwhichthemeaningthataspeakeremploysissharplydifferentfromthemeaningthatisostensiblyexpressed.Theironicstatementusuallyinvolvestheexplicitexpressionofoneattitudeorevaluation,butwithindicationsintheoverallspeech-situationthatthespeakerintendsaverydifferent,andoftenopposite,attitudeorevaluationVerbalironyoccurswhenwordsthatappeartobesayingonthingarereallysayingsomethingquitedifferent.Situationalirony场景反讽Whenanauthorsurprisesuswithawittyorshockingending,suchaswhenRichardCoryshothimself“onecalmsummernight.”theme(1)Appearancesaredeceiving—or,putanotherway,youcan’ttellabookbyitscover.(2)Youcan’tjudgepeoplebywhattheyhave,butonlybywhattheyare.Itturnsoutthatbeneath