The-Raven中英文賞析

1、哥特式文學 首先盛行于 18 ，19 世紀的西方世界，旨在描述發(fā)生在 充滿神秘與恐怖氛圍中的傳奇經(jīng)歷。許多學者認為， “哥特元素大都運用于小說 創(chuàng)作，而詩歌則由于受到情節(jié)、 節(jié)奏與韻律的限制而缺少敘述哥特故事的基礎條 件” （Tzvetan 25-26） 。但部分學者則堅信 “哥特元素不僅存在于小說中， 在詩歌當 中亦可以分外活躍”（劉守蘭：55）。作為美國哥特文學大師與先驅(qū)， 埃德加 愛 倫坡的短篇小說以及他的詩作都充滿了哥特式的神奇色彩 。但是大多數(shù)學者僅將 研究聚焦于其短篇小說中的哥特研究，而忽視了該元素在其詩歌中也存在的現(xiàn) 實。 一、愛倫坡所持的哥特式文學理論 愛倫坡對美好事物的凋零有

2、著強烈的迷戀。 追根究底， 這還源于他兒時的喪親之 痛，與中年的喪妻之痛。 而已逝女子的影子常在他腦海里盤旋， 引領他在詩歌王 國里翱翔。哥特式風格又恰如其分地被其用于詮釋他心底深處的恐懼與壓抑。 眾多作家在描寫恐怖情節(jié)時， 常對外部環(huán)境進行大力渲染， 而他則更注重對人內(nèi) 心世界的雕琢 。他深信 “詩歌的最好主題是死亡，尤其是美麗尤物的死亡，將毫 無疑問是世界上最具詩意的主題 （Poe： 133-140 ） ”。他用詩歌踐行了自己的寫 作原則，并將一生都奉獻給了這種哀傷的美麗。 為更清晰地展現(xiàn)愛倫坡的哥特式 寫作風格，本文將以烏鴉為例并詮釋其中所蘊含的 死亡之美與哥特式元素 。 二、意象塑造

3、1、人與物的塑造 烏鴉 塑造了兩個重要形象： 年輕男子與烏鴉。 悲傷的男子剛失去他最愛的女 子，他企圖沉浸于書以忘卻傷痛，但一切都是徒勞，他越看書，越被寂寞與悲痛 侵蝕；而象征死亡與不祥的烏鴉卻在午夜， 飛入這間男子曾常與故去情人蕾諾相 會的小屋。此外，詩人還塑造了兩個對詩的主旨起重要作用的意象。 其一為黑色， “純色調(diào)可使人產(chǎn)生快樂或抑郁之感 ”（朱立元： 489-490 ）。詩中所連續(xù)采用的 黑色背景，可使讀者感到壓抑，從而感受男子心底的恐懼與悲痛。 詩中反復出現(xiàn)的 “永遠不再 ”亦可看作一種特殊形象。除該詞的原意外，它還具有 象征意義。在烏鴉出場時，悲傷的男子問它叫什么名字，烏鴉的回答就

4、是 “永遠 不再”，但當主人翁向烏鴉詢問是否有良藥以消除他心中對蕾諾的思念時，當他 想知道是否能與蕾諾在遙遠的天堂再次相會時，以及最后要求烏鴉離開小屋時， 烏鴉都是通過 “永遠不再 ”作答，也正是這個詞，使得男子陷入永恒的悲痛深淵。 2、場景設置 讀者可在開篇看 到一幅夜半三更的凄厲畫卷 ： 陰森的氣氛，令人毛骨悚然的場景，神秘而憂郁的男子，不祥的烏鴉在陰郁 而寒冷的午夜， 除寒風的呼嘯聲與男子翻動書頁的聲音， 周圍的一切均可謂萬籟 俱寂，屋外的世界在夜的面紗籠罩之下， 而屋內(nèi)的狹小空間在昏暗的光線下顯得 忽明忽暗， 突然一陣短暫的敲門聲在他房門上叩響， 但當他打開房門查看時， 卻 不見敲門人

5、，只有無情的黑夜與肆虐的狂風。然而，當他回到屋內(nèi)，之前的敲門 聲卻再次響起，烏鴉在這時飛入他的房間，并棲息于他房門之上。 但為何選擇午夜作為故事發(fā)生的時間？午夜意味著恐怖與神秘， 各種幽靈與魔鬼 總在此時出沒。 這種令人發(fā)怵的氛圍， 為烏鴉的出場奠定了基調(diào)。 詩人將故事設 置在一所幽僻而狹小的屋子里也是別有一番用心。 首先，狹小而封閉的空間對構 建孤僻而隔世的哥特式恐怖氣氛有著絕對的幫輔作用。第二，小屋正是兩位情侶 的愛巢，這個屋子依舊如此，然而曾經(jīng)的歡笑卻隨著女主人的香消玉殞而一去不 返。男子守著物是人非的屋子，睹物思人，是何等的悲傷 。如此設置場景會在讀 者心中引起共鳴，使讀者對男子的同情

6、之心油然而生。 烏鴉，作為一首以抑揚格八音部構建下完成的敘事體詩歌，讀起來朗朗上口 ： 具有極強的音感。全詩在愛倫坡極具個性的語言風格營造中，描繪出一個非現(xiàn)實 環(huán)境下的超自然氛圍。它講述的是一個關于男主人翁痛失所愛的故事。一個會說 人類語言的烏鴉，來到一個剛剛失去心上致愛的男子身邊。男子正竭盡全力使自 己走出這情感的陰霾，但烏鴉的到來卻更加加重了男子的無限傷感。任憑男子一 再地反復詢問,烏鴉的回復冷酷而讓人絕望：永不復焉。 烏鴉（英語：The Raven，又譯渡鴉），是美國作家埃德加愛倫坡所著 的一首敘事詩，于1845年1月首次出版。它的音調(diào)優(yōu)美，措辭獨具風格，詩句并 有著超自然的氛圍。它講述

7、了一只 會說話的渡鴉對一名發(fā)狂的戀人的神秘拜訪，描 繪了這個男人緩慢陷入瘋狂的過程。這名戀人，普遍被認為是一名學生12，因失去 他的所愛麗諾爾而深感悲痛。渡鴉坐在 帕拉斯胸像上，似乎在進一步煽動著他的憂 傷，不斷重復著話語：永不復焉。”此詩作并使用了眾多 民間與古典的文獻。 愛倫 坡自認此詩寫得十分有邏輯與條理。 他的目的是創(chuàng)作一首能皆在評論與大眾兩 方引起共鳴的詩，同他在他 1846年的后續(xù)評論創(chuàng)作哲學中所解釋的。此詩說 話渡鴉的部分的靈感來自于 查爾斯 狄更斯的巴納比 拉奇：八零年代暴動的故事 3。愛倫坡亦模仿了勃朗寧的詩作杰拉丁女士的求婚的復雜 節(jié)奏與韻律。全詩 并使用句中韻以及頭韻法。

8、 烏鴉 于1845年1月29日進行首次印刷，由紐約鏡像晚報發(fā)行。它的出版 使得愛倫坡終身受到歡迎，盡管這并沒有為他帶來巨大的財富。此詩不久后便再版、 受諧仿及加上插圖。盡管評論對其地位的見解并不一致，它仍是史上最著名的詩作 之一。 The Raven is a narrative poem by American writerEdgar Allan Poe . First published in Jan uary 1845, the poem is often no ted for its musicality, stylized lan guage, and super natural a

9、tmosphere. It tells of a talk ing rave ns mysterious visit to a distraught lover, tracing the mans slow descent into madness. The lover, often identified as being a student, 12L is lamenting the loss of his love, Lenore. Sitting on a bust ofPallas , the raven seems to further instigate his distress

10、with its constant repetition of the word Nevermore The poem makes use of a number offolk and classical references. Poe claimed to have writte n the poem very logically and methodically intending to create a poem that would appeal to both critical and popular tastes, as he explained in his 1846 follo

11、w-up essay The Philosophy of Compositi on. The poem was in spired in part by a talk ing borrows the complex rhythm and meter of Elizabeth Barretts poem Lady Geraldi nes Courtship, and makes use of internal rhyme as well as alliteration throughout. The Rave n was first attributed to Poe in pri nt in

12、theNew York Eve ning Mirror on Jan uary 29, 1845. Its publication made Poe widely popular in his lifetime, although it did not bring him much financial success. Soon reprinted, parodied , and illustrated, critical opinion is divided as to the poems status, but it n evertheless rema ins one of the mo

13、st famous poems ever writte n. 4 Syno psis The Rave n follows an unn amed n arrator on a ni ght in December who sits read ing forgotte n lore里 as a method to forget the loss of his love, Lenore. A rapping at his chamber door6 reveals nothing, but excites his soul to burning.7 A similar rapping, slig

14、htly louder, is heard at his win dow. Whe n he goes to in vestigate, a rave n steps into his chamber. Pay ing no attention to the man, the raven perches on a bust of Pallas . Amused by the rave ns comically serious dispositi on, the man dema nds that the bird tell him its name. The ravens only answe

15、r is Nevermore. 7 The narrator is surprised that the raven can talk, though at this point it has said nothing further. The narrator remarks to himself that his friend the raven will soon fly out of his life, just as other friends have flown before 7 alo ng with his previous hopes. As if answering, t

16、he raven responds again with Nevermore. 7 The narrator reasons that the bird learned the word Nevermore from some unhappy master and that it is the only word it kno ws.7 Even so, the narrator pulls his chair directly in front of the raven, determined to learn more about it. He thinks for a mome nt,

17、not say ing anything, but his mind wan ders back to his lost Lenore. He thinks the air grows den ser and feels the prese nee of an gels. Con fused by the associati on of the an gels with the bird, the n arrator becomes an gry, call ing the rave n a thi ng of evil and a prophet. As he yells at the ra

18、ven it only resp on ds, Nevermore.8 Fin ally, he asks the raven whether he will be reunited with Lenore in Heaven. When the raven responds with its typical Nevermore, he shrieks and comma nds the rave n to return to the Pluto nian shore, 8 though it never moves. Presumably at the time of the poems r

19、ecitation by the narrator, the raven still is sitting8 on the bust of Pallas. The narrators final admission is that his soul is trapped ben eath the rave ns shadow and shall be lifted Nevermore.8 An alysis Poe wrote the poem as a n arrative, without inten ti on ally creati ng anallegory or falli ng

20、into didacticism .2 The main theme of the poem is one of undying devotion.9 The narrator experie nces a perverse con flictbetwee n desire to forget and desire to remember. He seems to is the rave ns only stock and store, and, yet, he con tin ues to ask it questi ons, knowing what the an swer will be

21、. His questi ons, the n, are purposely self-deprecat ing and further in cite his feelings of loss. 11 Poe leaves it unclear if the raven actually knows what it is saying or if it really intends to cause a reacti on in the poems n arrator.些 The n arrator beg ins as weak and weary, becomes regretful a

22、nd grief-stricke n, before pass ing into a frenzy and, fin ally, madness. 13 Christopher F. S. Maligec suggests the poem is a type of elegiac paraclausithyro n , an an cie nt Greek and Roma n poetic form con sisti ng of the lame nt of an excluded, locked-out lover at the sealed door of his beloved.1

23、4 Allusio ns Poe says that the n arrator is a you ng scholar .15 Though this is not explicitly stated in the poem, it is men ti oned in The Philosophy of Compositi on .It is also suggested by the n arrator readi ng books of lore as well as by the bust of Pallas Athe na, goddess of wisdom.1 He is rea

24、di ng ma ny a qua int and curious volume of forgotte n lore.巴 Similar to the studies suggested in Poes short story Ligeia , this lore may be about the occult or black magic . This is also emphasized in the authors choice to set the poem in December, a month which is traditi on ally associated with t

25、he forces of dark ness. The use of the rave n-the devil bird- also suggests this. 迥 This devil image is emphasized by the n arrators belief that the raven is from the Nights Plutonian shore, or a messenger from the afterlife, referring toPluto , the Roman god of the underworld 10 (also known as Hade

26、s in Greek mythology ). Poe chose a rave n as the cen tral symbol in the story because he wan ted a non-reas oning creature capable of speech. He decided on a rave n, which he con sidered equally capable of speech as a parrot, because it matched the inten ded tone of the poem.17 Poe said the rave n

27、is mea nt to symbolize Mournful and Never-e nding Remembra nee.18 He was also in spired by Grip, the raven in Barn aby Rudge: A Tale of the Riots of Eightyby Charles Dicke ns _竺 One sce ne in particular bears a resembla nee to The Rave n: at the end of the fifth chapter of Dicke nss no vel, Grip mak

28、es a no ise and some one says, What was that-him tapp ing at the door? The response is, Tis some one knocking softly at the shutter.20 Dicke nss raven could speak many words and had many comic tur ns, in clud ing the popp ing of a champag ne cork, but Poe emphasized the birds more dramatic qualities

29、. Poe had writte n a review ofBarn aby Rudge for Grahams Magazine saying, among other things, that the raven should have served a more symbolic, prophetic purpose. 20 The similarity did not go unno ticed:James Russell Lowell in his A Fable for Critics wrote the verse, Here comes Poe with his raven,

30、likeBarnaby Rudge / Three-fifths of him genius and two-fifths sheer fudge.21 Poe may also have bee n draw ing upon various refere nces to rave ns inmythology and folklore . In Norse mythology , Odin possessed two rave ns n amedHuginn and Muninn , represe nting thought and memory. 22 According to Heb

31、rew folklore, Noah sends a white raven to check con diti ons while on theark .17 It lear ns that the floodwaters are beg inning to dissipate, but it does not immediately retur n with the n ews. It is puni shed by being tur ned black and being forced to feed on carrion forever. 22 In Ovids Metamorpho

32、ses , a raven also begins as white before Apollo puni shes it by tur ning it black for deliveri ng a message of a lovers un faithfu In ess. The rave ns role as a messe nger in Poes poem may draw from those stories.22 Poe also mentions the Balm of Gilead , a referenee to the Book of Jeremiah (8:22) i

33、n the Bible: Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered?23 In that con text, the Balm of Gilead is ares in used for medici nal purposes (suggesting, perhaps, that the narrator needs to be healed after the loss of Leno re

34、). Healso refers to Aide nn, ano ther word for the Garden of Ede n , though Poe uses it to ask if Lenore has been accepted intoHeaven . At ano ther point, the n arrator imagi nes thatSeraphim (a type ofan gel) have entered the room. The narrator thinks they are trying to take his memories of Lenore

35、away from him using nepenthe , a drug mentioned in Homers Odyssey to in duce forgetfu In ess. Poetic structure The poem is made up of 18sta nzas of six lines each. Gen erally, the meter istrochaic octameter - eight trochaic feet per line, each foot hav ing one stressed syllable followed by one 3 un

36、stressed syllable. The first line, for example (with/ represe nti ng stressed syllables and x represe nti ng un stressed): Syllabic structure of a verse Stress / x / x / x / x / x / x / x / x Syllable Once up- on a mid- ni ght drear- y, while I pon- dered weak and wear- y Edgar Alla n Poe, however, claimed the poem was a c