O Henry.docx
- 文档编号:1729190
- 上传时间:2023-05-01
- 格式:DOCX
- 页数:17
- 大小:35.40KB
O Henry.docx
《O Henry.docx》由会员分享,可在线阅读,更多相关《O Henry.docx(17页珍藏版)》请在冰点文库上搜索。
OHenry
OHenry(1862-1910)
Generallyspeaking,sinceshortstoriesaresmall-sized,theauthorsarerequiredtotrytheirbesttowin“many”by“few”,thatistosay,writeasfewwordsaspossiblewhilegiveadequateinformation.Theydescribecharactersfromjustoneortwoaspects.Thedifficultyofwritingshortstoriesis,ifnotmore,thesameaswritingmedium-lengthorlongnovels.However,asaspecialliterarystyle,ithasmanyuniquecharacteristicswhichmakeitdifferentfromotherstyles:
itisthriftyandrejectsextravaganceandwaste;thebasicmeasurementofshortnovelisdensityandqualityinsteadofnumberandvolume;whentimeisimaginedtobeaflowofwaterrushingforwardhurriedly,itwantsthetimetoslowdownandgraduallystop,tillaflashorafragmentthoroughlyexposesitscomplexstructure.OHenry,knownasthefatherofAmericanshortnovels,isskillfulinusingallkindsoflanguageinhisexcellentshortnovels.ThelanguageartsofshortstoriesarededucedthoroughlyinOHenry’sworks.
OHenryuseslanguageaccordingtothedevelopmentofthestories,whicharecharacterizedwithhumorouswords,vividcharactersandstrongregionalfeatures.Heisalsoskilledatproducingfigurativelanguage.Besides,heoftenquotesthosepopularallusionsformBibleandOneThousandandOneNights,usesallkindsoffiguresofspeechflexiblely,suchasslang,euphory,metaphor,pun,irony,exaggerationandsoon,andevencreatessomenewwords.Inaword,thelanguageofOHenry’sshortnovelsisamusingandhumorousandmakeshimacquireworldwidefame.Athisbest,O.Henryisterrific.Heisgrosslyunderratedasastylist;hisuseoflanguageisskillful,oftengorgeous.andheisamasterofcharacteranddialogue.Eventhespeechofhis‘streetpeople’isRomantic,wittyandhumorous─notthewaypeopletalk,butthewaytheyoughttotalk.
ThepurposeofthisthesisistoillustratethelanguageofOHenry’sshortnovelsandgivereadersamoreprofoundandcomprehensiveunderstanding.Inthefollowingchapters,theauthorwilldemonstrateeachofthefeatureswithexamplesandexplanations.
SimplicityandClarity
Inalimitedarticle,thewritermustrevealtheprocessofthementalactivitiesandpersonalitydevelopmentofthecharactersandprovidecompleteandperfectartialenjoymentforthereaders.Thisisauniquecharacteristicofshortnovel.Asamasterofshortstories,OHenryknowsverywelltheimportanceofsimplicityandclarityoflanguageinashortnovel.Shortnovels,duetothesmallsize,requiretheauthortocuteverywordthatcanbecutwhileatthesametimecontainasmuchimplicationaspossible.Thatmakeswritingashortnovelahardandlaboriousjob.SimplicityandclarityisanimportantfeatureofOHenry’slanguage.Especiallyinthematterofdescribingcharacters,OHenryhassetagoodexample.InthefamousTheCopandtheAnthem,Henrydoesnotusemanywordstodescribethoselittlecharacters,instead,hejustdoessomesimpledescriptiontosuccessfullycatchthemainfeaturesofthecharacters.Forexample,whenhedescribestheheadwaiterofarestaurant,heshowsusthewaiterfromtheeyesofSoapy.“ButasSoapysetfootinsidetherestaurantdoortheheadwaiter’seyesfelluponhisfrayedtrousersanddecadentshoes.”Justonesentenceisenoughtodescribethefaceofasnob.AnotherexampleisthewomanwhomSoapytriestoassailwithobscenities.
…Theyoungwomanmovedawayafewsteps,andagainbestowedherabsorbedattentionupontheshavingmugs.Soapyfollowed,boldlysteppingtoherside,raisedhishatandsaid:
“Ahthere,Bedelia!
Don’tyouwanttocomeandplayinmyyard?
”
Thepolicemanwasstilllooking.ThepersecutedyoungwomanhadbuttobeckonafingerandSoapywouldbepracticallyenrouteforhisinsularhaven.Alreadyheimaginedhecouldfeelthecozywarmthofthestation-house.Theyoungwomanfacedhimandstretchingoutahand,caughtSoapy’scoatsleeve.
“Sure,Mike,”shesaid,joyfully,“ifyou’llblowmetoapailofsuds.I’dhavespoktoyousooner,butthecopwaswatching.”
WiththeyoungwomanplayingtheclingingivytohisoakSoapywalkedpastthepolicemanovercomewithgloom.Heseemeddoomedtoliberty.
Thisnoble-lookingwomanstickstoSoapyassoonashecomesnearher.Thereaderseasilyimaginethefaceofawomanwhoputsonanactyetwantstoseducemen.AsSoapygoesontorealizehisgoal,thereadershaveageneralviewofthesocietythroughSoapy’seyes.
InTheLastLeaf,OHenryusesonesentencetoportrayoldBehrman:
“HewaspastsixtyandhadaMichaelAngelo’sMosesbeardcurlingdownfromtheheadofasatyralongthebodyofanimp.”Butitisenoughforthereaderstoimaginethelooksoftheoldpainter.Theauthorsthinksthatthereisamarefantasticexample.“ImustcallBehrmanuptobemymodelfortheoldhermitminer.”ThissentenceissaidbySue.Here“theoldhermitminer”perfectlytellsushowBehrmanlookslike.
ThesimplicityandclarityofOHenry’sshortnovelsisnotonlyshowninthewayhedescribesthecharactersbutalsoinmanyotherplaces.Thecommonlyacceptedfactisthat“OHenry’sEnding”isverysurprising.Theauthorthinksthattheendingsofhisstoriesarealsoverysimpleandclear.Againlet’slookatthefamousTheCopandtheAnthem.Itendsupas:
“Whatareyoudoin’here?
”askedtheofficer.
“Nothin’,”saidSoapy.
“Thencomealong,”saidthepoliceman.
“ThreemonthsontheIsland,”saidtheMagistrateinthePoliceCourtthenextmorning.
BesidetheunexpectedfateofSoapy,thelanguageisalsonoticeable.OHenrydoesnotdescribehowSoapywasarrestedandconvicted.Butthereadersknoweverythingbytheshortconversation,especiallythewordsoftheMagistrate.
ManyoftheendingsofOHenry’sstoriessharethischaracteristic.AnotherexampleisinTheMarionettes:
……Thephysician’ssilenceencouragedhertocontinue.ThehistorythathegleanedfromCindy’sdisorderedmonologuewasanoldone,ofillusion,willfulness,disaster,crueltyandpride.Standingoutfromtheblurredpanoramaofhergabblewerelittleclearpictures—anidealhomeinthefarSouth;aquicklyrepentedmarriage;anunhappyseasonfullofwrongsandabuse,and,oflate,aninheritanceofmoneythatpromiseddeliverance;itsseizureandwastebythedog-wolfduringatwomonths’absence,andhisreturninthemidstofascandalouscarouse.Unobtruded,butvisiblebetweeneveryline,ranapurewhitethreadthroughthesmudgedwarpofthestory—thesimple,all-enduring,sublimeloveoftheoldnegress,followinghermistress
unswervinglythrougheverythingtotheend.
Inthisshortparagraph,theauthordescribesthestory’sbackground:
whotheyare?
whatcausestheirtrouble?
Whydidthemangetdrank?
what’stheirrealrelationship?
Wecanseethesimplicityandclarityhere.Andwecanalsofindmanyothersimilarexamplesinhisotherworks.
AswestudyOHenry’sshortstories,weamazeatthegreatquantityofinformationthenovelscontain.Otherwritersmaywritemillionsofwordstodepictawholeviewofthesociety.OHenryusesonlyseveralthousandtoachievethesameeffect.ThestoriesthemselvesareagoodexampleofthesimplicityandclarityofOHenry’slanguage.
HumorandIrony
InOHenry’snovels,wecansmelltheharshsarcasmofMarkTwainandheartherevoltingvoiceofJackLondonaswell.What’smore,heisadeptathidingsarcasmbehindhumor,concealingaccuseunderwrysmileandmeltingtouchinghumorandsharpirony.
TheCopandtheAnthemisanoutstandingexample.Itisatypical“OHenrystory”,whichusesmanyelegantfiguresofspeechandshowsthewriter’suniquestyleandwritingskill.Itisafunnystory.Asthewintercamenear,thehero,Soapy,avagrant,struggledtoenterhisapartment---Blackwell’sjail.Hetriedeverymeanstolurethepolicetoarresthim.However,everytimehetried,hefailed.Then,ashewasdeeplytouchedandwasdeterminedtogivingupthepresentwayoflivingandstartinganewlifeafterhearingthesacredanthemfromoutsideachurchbyaccident,hewasarrestedbythepoliceandsenttoprisonashehadwished.O.HenryusesarelaxingandhumorouswaytodescribehowSoapymadefunnyattemptstoachievehisfunnygoal,suchasstealingthings,assailingawomanwithobscenities,smashingwindowsofashop,creatingconfusion,andsoon.Toeveryone’ssurprise,themoreridiculouspolicemanshowedakindof‘tolerance’,insteadofpunishingSoapyforhisillegaldeeds.Itwasaningenioussarcasmwhenthe‘tolerant’policemenarrestedSoapywhohadalreadygivenuphisinitialthought.Let’slooksomeexamplesfromthisnovel.
ForyearsthehospitableBlackwell’shadbeenhisminterquarters.JustashismorefortunatefellowNewYorkershadboughttheirticketstoPalmBeachandtheRivieraeachwinter,soSoapyhadmadehishumblearrangementsforhisannualhegiratotheIslandandnowthetimewascome.OnthepreviousnightthreeSabbathnewspapers,distributedbeneathhiscoat,hesleptonhisbenchnearthespurtingfountainintheancientsquare.SotheIslandloomedbigandtimelyinSoapy’smind.Hescornedtheprovisionsmadeinthenameofcharityforthecity’sdependents.InSoapy’sopiniontheLawwasmorebenignthanPhilanthropy.Therewasanendlessroundofinstitutions,municipalandeleemosynary,onwhichhemightsetoutandreceivelodgingandfoodaccordantwiththesimplelife.ButtooneofSoapy’sproudspiritthegiftsofcharityareencumbered.Ifnotincoinyoumustpayinhumiliationofspiritforeverybenefitreceivedatthehandsofphilanthropy.AsCaesarhadhisBrutuseverybedofcharitymusthaveitstollofabath,everyloafofbreaditscompensationofaprivateand
- 配套讲稿:
如PPT文件的首页显示word图标,表示该PPT已包含配套word讲稿。双击word图标可打开word文档。
- 特殊限制:
部分文档作品中含有的国旗、国徽等图片,仅作为作品整体效果示例展示,禁止商用。设计者仅对作品中独创性部分享有著作权。
- 关 键 词:
- Henry