论埃德加_乌鸦_一诗中的象征性_英文_

第22卷第2期 咸 宁 师 专 学 报 Vol.22,No.2 JournalofXianningTeachersCollege Apr.2002ArticleID:1006-5342(2002)02-0097-03

Multi-symbolicQualityinPoe.sRaven

SHIWei-hua

(DepartmentofEnglish,XianningTeachersCollege,Xianning437005,China)

X

Abstract:EdgarAllanPoeisanimportantAmericansouthpoetduringtheRomanticperiod.Heisbest-knownforhiswritingtechniques,especiallyskilledinusingsymbolismandmetre.Thispaperex-ploresPoe.smulti-symbolicqualityinhisrepresentativework-/TheRaven0andanalysesthispoemfrommanyangles-content,structure,rhetoric,prosodyetc.Bythisanalysis,anobjectiveimpartiale-valuationonEdgarAllanPoeisgiven.

Keywords:melancholy;aesthetics;decadent;symbolism;literarycreation

CLCnumber:I10612 Documentcode:A:

EdgarAllanPoe(1809-1849)acreativepoetoftheAmericanRomanticperiod,pioneeroftheterribledetectivestory,originatoroftheso-calledWesternFindesiecleliterature,forerunnerofaestheticliterature,anexplorerofhumanmetamorphosispsychologyaswellasaLiterarycritic,whowasneglectedbyhisnativecountrymenduringhiswoefullifetimehowever,wasironicallyhailedasapioneerinpoeticandfictionaltechniquesoutsidetheAmerica,hissymbolicpoetryinparticularheededbycriticsinEuropeandhehimselfwashonoredastheforefatherofpoeticsymbolism.EdgarAllanPoewasaprolificwriterinliteraturekingdom,thesymbolicwritingtechniqueswerereflectedinhispoemsandnov-els.Hisbest-knownexquisitepoem-/TheRaven0isworthdiscussingconcentratedlyduetoitsgreatinflu-enceuponhiscontemporariesandposteriorsbothathomeandabroad.SuchwritersthatfollowedPoeasC.P.Baudelaire(French),D.A.ChristieConanDoyle(British),WilliamFaulkner(American)etcmodelafterEdgarAllanPoe.Thesymbolicimage)))ravenhasbeenbestowedbydifferentcriticswithavar-ietyofinterpretationsfromdifferentvantagepointsever

sinceithadbeenpublishedin1845.Yetitdoesnotmeanaterminationofexplorationonthistopic,themoreyoudeepinmeditationonthepoem,themoreyouwilldigout.Thispaper,foundedonthebasisofpriorresearchfruitsoffersanewapproachtoprobetentativelyintothemulti-symbolicqualityof/TheRaven0fromanglesofitscontent,structure,rhetoricandprosody.Thus,wecanestablishacomprehensivemodetointer-pretsomeotherPoe.spoems,andgraspPoe.sph-ilosophyofcomposition,hisprincipalideasandthoughtsinartandliterature,hisattitudetowardshumanlifeandrealismaswell.

Firstofall,thecombinationofterribledeathandpathosloveisadoptedasaneternalthemenearlyinallofEdgarAllanPoe.sliterarycreation./TheRaven0isbynomeansexcluded.Thenarrativepoem/TheRaven0isinterspersedwithlyricismanddescription.Themournfulwordsarememoriamofthehero.slostLenorethroughthedialoguemadebetweentheebonybirdand/I0and/my0psychologydescriprion.Thepersonifiedraven,asthesecondmostimportant/char-acter0hauntsaroundmysteriouslyonceuponadreary

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theraven,andwarnedrepeatedlybytheraven,thatisthelost/nevermore0revives.Theelaborateconstruc-tionintechniquesandexquisiteoperationinrhetoricmakesthefancyinmindturnintotheexistenceinreal-ity,theuntouchablecanbemadetouchable,thoughtsdeeplyinsideheartmadesurface,bythiscombinationofscenicdescriptionandlyricconversationcanweseethroughfromthelinesthatindyingemberaheartbrokenyouth.seternalmemoriamofhislostlover.ThatiswherethecharmofPoe.sworksglittersinart.AnevilbirdwhichisominousofungainlydoomtrampsA-thena)))Goddessofscienceandorder,downitspawarrogantly,itissuggestiveofirrationalityinacertainsense.AnalysisofPoe.spoemsmanifestosthataso-calledmelancholybeautythroughtheirrationaldreamv-ision-likescenebespeaksin/TheRaven0.EdgarAllanPoe,amanwhoispartialtodelvinghispeninhumanfancy,notreality,practiceshisaestheticthoughtsandpoeticalprinciples.Thelaboriousdiggingintohumansoulinhisshort-timelifeprovesthatPoedeservesthetitle-Romanticpoet.Seetheoriginalpoem,

/Never

more0,theraven.squotationappearsrepeatedlyinthelines,itsuggeststhathumanfatewhichisfollowedim-mediatelybyunmercifuldisasterremainsshattered./Nevermore0,thevoicefromthenight.splutonianshorecriesoutthepoet.sdeepdesperationanddisillu-sion.Intheeyesofmodernpoets,theobjectiveworldisnothingbutacoldrock.TheraveninPoe.slinesseemstosymbolizecrueltyandmercilessnessofhissur-roundings.Thepoetseemstobeincompatiblewithhissurroundings,andsoheisleftlonelyandfindcomfortin/aquaintandcuriousvolumeofforgottenlore0aspossibleashecan.Thisunbrokenlonelinessplungesmuchmoreeasilythepoetintomeditation,meditationofpsychologicalprogressesandcreativeexperience,espe-ciallyinaworldofdarkness,and,makePoeapproachmuchtherealmofpoety.

Thetoneofthepoemisundoubtedlydesolatetingedwithsombrecolourandmysteriousatmosphere,butthestyle,magnificent.EdgarAllanPoeisskilledinusingmetaphor,alliteration,climaxandanti-climax,inmidnightinthebleakDecemberatwhich/I0plungeintothesorrowforthelostlover-Lenore.Thepoetfromthejustbeginninglinescreatesanatmosphereofterrorominousgrimmystery.Theghastlygloomyworldcondensesintoimageofastatelyraven,asiffromthesaintlydaysofyore,rapping,fluttering,steppingin-to,thenrestinguponabustAthena,theGreekGod-dessofwisdomandthearts.Theraven,whichisde-pictedasasortof/blackbird0intheoriginalpoemappearinginthefirsttwostanzasperhapssymbolizesdis-asteranddoomlikeChinesetraditionalliterature.Moreimportantthanthisistheauthor.sendlessdespairre-sultedfromthepassawayofhissweetlover.TheRavenmaybeasub-consciousfancy,anillusoryimage,notarealoneourhero.soverplungingintothemissingofhisloverresultsintheappearanceoftheimage,theauthor.strueintentionishisexpressionofmelancholysorrowbythisimage.Thencomesanothersymboloftheravenimmediatelyafterthebeginninglines,namelyitsymbolizestheghostofLenore.Thedeadwhoattachestohumanworldusuallyturnsintoembodimentofaravenand,appearsatnigthinaccordancewithAmericanfolklores,socanwedrawtheconclusionverbally.Butoncedeepintotheverse,theravenisactuallythesym-bolofthepoet.ssub-consciousactivity.Theravenmightbeasub-consciousfancy,animaginativecre-ationexistedinmind,throughthisimage,eithersuchhumaneverlastingfeelingsandmoodsasmelancholy,sorrowlamentation,despairorthepainfullife,medita-tionsontheproblemsofdeathandimmortalityofhumansoularereflected.Withhelpofthisimage,theinvis-ibleismadevisible,theuntactiletactile,subjectivefeelingsfindexpressionsandreflectionsintheimageofthisunkemptdoomedunexpectedvisitor--theblackraven,whichreallyexistsintheobjectiveworld.Theraventhusconcretelyturnsintotheembodimentofthepoet.sabstractconsciousnessand,thisconsciousnessisendowedwithsubstantiality.Thepoet.scomplicatedpsychologyfindsexpressionbymeansofdialoguebe-tween/I0andtheraven.raven,egoconsciously,

/I0meansinstinct,the/my0strongdesireandim-

第2期 SHIWei-hua Multi-symbolicQualityinPoe.sRavenmerelytheproductionofwriter.simagination,notthatofreality.Thewritingpurposeofpoemcreationliesinarousingthereadingpublic.spassionandimpulse.IdealisticwritingattitudeservesasPoe.sartisticcre-ationingeneral.WecannotdenythatPoe.spoemsremain/purepoetry0,namelyhispoetrycreationorig-inatesfrompurelysubjectivethinkinginmind.Muchmoreattentionispaidtotheform-thediction,metre,tone,rhymescheme,rhetoricdeviceinhispoetry,lit-tleofitscontentconcernswithsocialreality.Butper-fectharmoniousmetrestrengthensthepowerofexpres-sion.

/TheRaven0servesasPoe.srepresentative

workwhichhaswonhimreputationasawell-knownpoet.EdgarAllanPoeinhisversecreatesamelancholybeautythroughexquisiteformandmovingmelody,fan-tasticcontent,withwhichdemonstrateshispoeticprin-ciples.Themelancholyin/TheRaven0isanultimatepoeticalbeauty,itisradicalandcynicbutnoconserva-tiveanddecadentatcore.Itisnotanelegyofwishofhumansoulalthoughthewholepoemendswiththepathosline.

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Columbia:

论埃德加5乌鸦6一诗中的象征性

石卫华

(咸宁师范高等专科学校 英语系,湖北 咸宁 437005)

摘 要:埃德加#爱伦#坡(EdgarAllanPoe1809-1849)是美国文学史上一位颇有影响的南方作家。5乌鸦6一诗集中体现了他的诗歌创作原则,本文从该诗的形式及创作技巧方面,侧重分析了象征主义手法的运用,从而为解读该诗及他的其他诗作找到了一把钥匙,进而重新评估了这位与众不同美国浪漫主义作家的文学地位。

关键词:忧郁;美学;颓废;象征主义;文学创作