sarcastic

EdgarAllanPoe

Instructor:HuangJiajia

EdgarEllanPoe(1809-1849)

Poet:oneofthegreatestandunhappiestofAmericanpoets

Storywriter:amasterofthehorrortale;patronsaint(守护神)ofthedetectivestory.

Critic

GainedcriticalacclaiminFranceandEnglandfirst

MelodramaticandUnhappyLifeI

Motherdied,fatherdertedhimattheageoftwo

lan

constantdisagreementswithhisstep-father

StudiedbrieflyattheUniversityofVirginia

DrinkingandgamblingdifficultieskepthimfromcontinuingatUVA

MelodramaticandUnhappyLifeII

ReceivedanappointmenttoWestPoint,butprovokedhisowndismissal（除名）

Caudafinalparationbetweenhimlfandstep-father

In1836marriedhis13yearoldcousin,Virginia

Last12yearsoflifeworkedasjournalist,editor,andcreativewriter

Livedinpovertystrickenconditions

MelodramaticandUnhappyLifeIII

In1846wifediedafteralongillness

DiedinBaltimoreafterhavingbeenfoundinadrunkenstupor（昏迷）

Diedapoorman

★Poeworkedinavarietyofgenres(1827-1849)I

Poetry--Hewasanexperimentalpoet.(poetictheory)

Psychologicalfiction--Hewantedtoproducethegreatestpossiblehorrificeffectsonthereader.

(--fatherofpsychoanalyticcriticism)

DetectiveStory--Poecreatedthisformwhenhewas32,withallitsmajorconventions

complete(--fatherofdetectivestory)

Poeworkedinavarietyofgenres(1827-1849)II

Criticism--hegainedanationalreputationasavirulently（恶毒的）sarcasticcritic,aliterary

hatchetman（摧花手）.Thebulkofhiswritingconsistsofhiscriticism,andhismostabiding

ambitionwastobecomeapowerfulcritic.(--fatherofmodernshortstory)

ExcerptfromPoe’sThePhilosophyofcomposition

★Poe’sWorks:

Poems:

TheRaven

AnnabelLee

ToHelen

“Sonnet—ToScience”

Lenore

ShortStories

“TheMasqueoftheRedDeath”

“ThePurloinedLetter”

“MSFoundintheBottle”

“TheFalloftheHouofUsher”

★MajorThemes

en—乌鸦

-physicalandintellectual.

lLee

-asourceofhorror.

Poe'sFourTypesofShortStories

que(奇异故事)-strange;uofthesupernatural;symbolicfantasiesofthehuman

condition;(Example-"TheFalloftheHouofUsher").

que(怪诞故事)-heighteningofoneaspectofacharacter

inative[ræʃi-’ɔsineitiv](推理小说)-detectivefiction(Example"ThePurloinedLetter").

ptive

CharacteristicsofPoe’sdetectivestories

Poeplacesveiledcluesbeforethereader.

Thewriter/narratorstrivestoappearobjective.

Poewouldhavelikedtosolveeverythingbythemind.

Hewasdisturbedbywhathecouldnotsolvebyreason.

Theclimaxofthestoryisthenarrator’xplanationofthecrime.

PoeandtheGothic

Poedidnotwanttowritegothicstories;hestartedhiscareerspoofingtheGothic.

Hesaidthathewrote,“Talesofterror,notofGermany,butofthesoul.”

Hetransformedtalesofterrorintopsychologicalstories;hedelvedinto(探索)themysterious

recess（憩所）ofthehumanmind.

ElementsofGothicinPoe’sFictionI

Grim(可怕的)tting

Landscapesareoftenreflectionsofcharacter’smind.

Unusualbuildings,extremesofnature,eccentricworksofart

VeryfewofhisstoriestakeplaceinAmerica;mosttakeplaceinEuropeorNever-never-land.

TheFall…

Hiddenevil

Unspeakable,mysteriouscrimes,includingincest(乱伦)andparricide(弑父母者)

ElementsofGothicinPoe’sFictionII

ObssionwithDeath

Ghosts,blood,bodyparts

ManiacalLaughter(狂笑)

Thediscoveredmanuscript

givesresponsibilitytosomeoneel

Deformity(变形，畸形)

thegrotesque--peoplewhodon’tlookrightarecapableofactivitybeyondthenorm

BeautyofDeath

“thedeath,then,ofabeautifulwomanis,unquestionably,themostpoeticaltopicinthe

world--andequallyisitbeyonddoubtthatthelipsbestsuitedforsuchtopicarethoofabereaved(丧

失的)lover."–Poe,”ThePhilosophyofComposition”

Questiontoponder:Whatdoyouthinkhemeantbythis?

★TheoryforShortStoryI

AccordingtoPoe,theshortstorymustbeofsuchlengthastobereadatonesitting(brevity),soas

yfirstntenceoughttohelptobringoutthe“single

effect”shouldbeudwhichdoesnotcontributetothe“pre-established”design

ofthework(compression).

★TheoryforShortStoryII

Ataleshouldrevealsomelogicaltruthwith“thefullestsatisfaction,”andshouldendwiththelast

ntence,leavinganoffinality(终结)withthereader.

★TheoryforShortStoryIII

Poewasafascinatingmanofimaginationinterestedindeduction(演绎)andinduction（归纳）.On

theonehandhewasmuchgiventotheworldofimaginationandfancy,andontheother,hewasalsoa

fullrationalhumanbeing,logicaltoafault,withanintuitivefacultyandasixthnimpossibleto

define.

★TheoryforShortStoryIV

Poeplacesthesubconsciousconditionofthemindunderinvestigationandprobesbeneaththe

’sfictionalcharactersaremostlyneurotics(神经质的).Hewasthe

firstauthorinAmericanliteraturetomaketheneurotictheheroicfigure,theprotagonist,inhisstories.

★PoeticTheoriesI

Thepoemshouldbeshort,efaimisbeauty,namely,toproducea

aimsat“anelevatingexcitementofthesoul,”and“beautyof

whateverkind,initssupremedevelopment,invariably(总是)

melancholyisthemostlegitimate(正当)ofallthepoetictones.”

★PoeticTheoriesII

Poeisoppodto“theheresyofthedidactic”andcallsfor“pure”ingtoPoe,art

doesnotlieinitsmessage;poetrydoesnothavetoinculcate(教育)amoral;ithasonlytobe;the

artistryofthepoemliesnotinwhatisbeingsaidbutinthewayitissaid.

★PoeticTheoriesIII

Poestressrhythm,definestruepoetryas“therhythmicalcreationofbeauty,”anddeclaresthat

“musicistheperfectionofthesoul,oridea,ofpoetry.”

FurtherReading:ToHelen

HELEN,thybeautyistome

LikethoNicèanbarksofyore

Thatgently,o'eraperfumeda,

Thewearyway-wornwandererbore

Tohisownnativeshore.



Ondesperateaslongwon’ttoroam,

Thyhyacinthhair,thyclassicface,

ThyNaiadairshavebroughtmehome

TotheglorythatwasGreece,

AndthegrandeurthatwasRome.



Lo,inyonbrilliantwindow-niche

Howstatue-likeIetheestand,

Theagatelampwithinthyhand,

Ah!Psyche,fromtheregionswhich

Areholyland!

致海伦

海伦啊，你的美貌对于我，

就象那古老的尼赛安帆船，

在芬芳的海面上它悠悠荡漾，

载着风尘仆仆疲惫的流浪汉，

驶往故乡的海岸。

你兰紫色的柔发，古典的脸，

久久浮现在波涛汹涌的海面上，

你女神般的风姿，

将我带回往昔希腊的荣耀，

和古罗马的辉煌。

看，神龛金碧，你婷婷玉立，

俨然一尊雕像，

手提玛瑙明灯，

啊，普赛克，

你是来自那神圣的地方！

NotesonToHelen

Helen:海伦。希腊传说中最美丽的女人，特洛伊战争的间接起因。她是宙斯的女儿，是阿

迦门农的弟弟墨捏拉尔斯的妻子。当墨捏拉尔斯外出时，海伦同特洛伊王子帕里斯逃到特洛伊。

帕里斯死后，她又嫁给他的兄弟徳伊福波斯。特洛伊被攻陷后，她又把他出卖给墨捏拉尔斯。

墨捏拉尔斯和她于是重返斯巴达，在那里尽享天年。

Psyche：普赛克。原始貌美绝伦的公主，维纳斯嫉妒其美貌，令其子丘比特诱惑普赛克去爱

世界上最可鄙的男人，不料丘比特将普塞克安置在遥远的宫中，经常去同她幽会，告诫她不得

在光明处与他相见。一夜普塞克偷偷点灯，发现身边人竟是爱神本体。丘比特因被烛油所烫猛

然醒来，责备普塞克后潜去。普塞克各处寻找，不幸落入维纳斯手中，强令她做为难之事。丘

比特感于普塞克悔改诚心将她解救出来，并请求朱庇特使她成仙，嫁与丘比特。

NotesonToHelen

thoNicèanbarksofyore：古代尼西亚人的航船，意指具有古典的美。

hyacinth：风信子花。Hyacinthus海尔欣瑟斯

airs：音乐旋律和曲调。

agate：玛瑙。

Nicèan,perfumed,hyacinth,Naiad,grandeur,agate,Psyche均为拉丁语语汇，使诗意隽永，

回味无穷。

QuestionstoPonder

elen’sbeautyiscomparedto“thoNiceanbarksofyore?”

sbroughtthewayfaringspeakerhome?

sHelenappearinthelaststanza?Whydoesshecarryalamp?

waysdoesthepoemillustratePoe’stheoryofbeauty/aesthetics?