美国文学课件11The Literature of the Modernist Period教程文件.pptVIP

The Literature of the Modernist Period (1) 1. Historical Background WW I and the sense of life being dislocated and fragmented Bertrand Russell: to face life with “a despairing courage” 2. What is modernism? The term modernism is widely used to identify new and distinctive features in the subjects, forms, concepts, and styles of literature and the other arts in the early decades of the 20th century, but especially after World War (1914-1918). Modernism involves sudden and unexpected breaks with traditional ways of viewing and interacting with the world. Perception of language changes: Language is “thick” with multiple meanings and varied connotative forces. Stream of consciousness— portraying the character’s inner monologue T. E. Hulme: “The image must enable one “to dwell and linger upon a point of excitement, to achieve the impossible and convert a point into a line”. Richard Aldington: “The exact word must bring the effect of the object before the reader as it had presented itself to the poet’s mind at the time of writing. Three principles of Imagism Direct treatment of subjects or objects; Elimination of merely ornamental or superfluous words; As regarding rhythm, to compose in the sequence of the musical phrase, not in the sequence of a metronome. (直接处理主客观事物，删除一切无助于“表现”的词语，以口语节奏代替传统格律) ?Literary Sources of Imagism The Imagist Movement drew from a variety of poetic traditions— Greek, Provencal, Japanese and Chinese poetry. The ideographic and pictographic nature of Chinese language, and virile laconism and austere pregnancy which characterize ancient Chinese poetry fascinated the Imagists. A Chinese imagistic poetry: Autumn Thought (Cyril Birch译) ?????????Dry vine, old tree, crows at dusk.???Low bridge, stream running, cottages,?? Ancient road, west wind, lean nag,???The sun westering ???And one with breaking heart at the sky’s edge. 《天净沙·秋思》马致远 枯藤老树昏鸦， 小桥流水人家， 古道西风瘦马， 夕阳西下，断肠人在天涯。 4. Ezra Pound (188