霍桑,美国浪漫主义小说和心理分析小说的开创者

纳渣友撒尼尔·霍桑(Nathaniel Hawthorne,1804—1864)是浪漫主义时期出色的小说家。霍桑的作品想象力丰富、结构严谨。他的小说非常重视心理描写。他曾把自己的小说称为“罗曼史”,来表现与现实主义小说的区别;而又进一步称为“心理罗曼史”,以突出心理描写的重要地位。为此,他被认为是美国浪团局漫主义小说和心理分析小说的开创者。

霍桑除了进行心理分析与描写外,还运用了象征主义手法。他构思的精巧的意象效果,增添了作品的浪漫色彩,加深了作品的寓意。长篇小说《红字》(The Scarlet Letter,1850)是他的代表作。小说以两百多年前的殖.民地时代的美洲为题材,但揭露的却是19世纪资如或槐.本主.义发展时代美利坚合众国社会典法的残.酷、宗.教的欺.骗和道.德的虚.伪。主人公海丝特被写成了崇高道德的化身。霍桑的伟大就在于他善用表面温和却实质锋利的笔法去揭露邪.恶、讽刺丑.恶、揭示真理。

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Hawthorne Writing Style
Nathaniel Hawthorne was a prominent early American Author who contributed greatly to the evolution of modern American li来自terature. A New England native, Hawthorne was born in Salem, Massachusetts on July 4, 1804 and died on May 19, 1864 in New Hampshire. An avid seaman, Hawtho造商最态最卫品临击rne's father died in 1808 when Nathaniel Hawthorne was only a young child. After his father's death, Hawthorne showed a keen interest in his father's worldwide nautical adventures and often read the logbooks his father had compiled from sailing abroad. Hawthor曾派研ne was a descendant of a long line of New England Puritans, which sparked his interest in the Puritan way of life. After he graduated from Bowdoin College in 1825, Hawthorne returned to his home in Salem were he began to writ祖e in semi-seclusion. Hawthorne published his first novel, Fanshawe in 1828. In 1839, Hawthorne was appointed weigher and gauger at the 360问答Boston Custom House. He later married Sop酒hia Amelia Peabody in 1径快护态842. In the fol每优绿歌当十关底结验养lowing years, Hawthorne wrote his more 用她望弦决含安毛住绝famous novels which shaped his own litera南ry style, as wel师高者升第形l as the genres of the romance novel and short story. Eventually, Hawthorne developed a 移地叶突style of romance fiction representative of his own beliefs. Althou掉贵gh Nathaniel H宁钟连依达飞图菜awthorne's w个酒元给拉界riting style wa升道s often viewed as outdated when compared to modern literature, Hawthorne conveyed modern themes of psychology a燃款么测团逐包达说用nd human nature through his crafty use of allegory and symbolism. To begin wi裂造据世究坏味收牛独鸡th, Hawthorne's style was com呢确后本的南然形成负笑monplace for a writer of the nineteenth century. During the time period in which Hawthorne wrote, printing technology was not yet advanced enough to easily reproduce photographs in books. Therefore, Hawthorne frequently wrote lengthy visual descriptions since his audience had no other means to see the setting of the novel. (Magill:1 840). One example of such descriptions was in The Scarlet Letter when Hawthorne intricately describes the prison door and its surroundings. Another aspect of Hawthorne's writing which was exclusive to his time period was the use of formal dialogue which remained fairly consistent from character to character (Magill:2 140). Such overblown dialogue was evident in The Scarlet Letter when the dialogue of Pearl, a young child, exhibited no difference from the dialogue of the other characters in the novel. Hawthorne adopted the use of overly formal dialogue partly from a British writer, Sir Walter Scott, whose works were popular in the United States and Great Britain (Magill:1 841). Although Hawthorne's dialogue was overly formal, it was an accurate tool in describing human emotion (Gale). Absence of character confrontation was another component of Hawthorne's literary style. Hawthorne frequently focused more on a character's inner struggle or a central theme than on heated encounters between characters (Gale). One example of this style can be found in The Scarlet Letter since the novel was almost solely based on the commandment 'Thou shall not commit adultery' (Magill:1 846). Despite dated dialogue and dated writing style, Hawthorne implied various modern themes in his works. One of Hawthorne's recurring themes throughout his works was his own view on human nature. Hawthorne explored an interesting human psychology through his exploration of the dark side of human consciousness (Magill:1 841). In The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne introduced 'a profound comment on the breakdown of human relationships in the society of the seventeenth century' (Harris 304). Hawthorne's theme that human nature is full of wickedness was also evident in 'Young Goodman Brown' when the title character encountered great difficulty in resisting temptation (Magill:3 1143). One outstanding aspect found in Hawthorne's writing was the concept of neutral territory. Hawthorne described this concept as 'a neutral territory, somewhere between the real world and fairy-land where the actual and imaginary may meet, and each imbue itself with the nature of the other' (Litz 145). The concept of neutral ground was most evident in the Custom House section of The Scarlet Letter and served as the area in which romance took place (Magill:1 1569). Hawthorne's modern themes were also modeled by Hawthorne's own religious beliefs. Although it was not the only reason Hawthorne wrote The Scarlet Letter, his Puritan background contributed greatly to his portrayal of a sinner in a strict Puritan community (Litz 157). Hawthorne also raised questions concerning the morality and necessity of Hester Prynne's exile in The Scarlet Letter. One reason for these inquires was Hawthorne's disbelief in heaven, hell, angels, or devils since modern science was undermining the Bible (Magill:2 847). Unlike the frankness commonly found in modern twentieth century literature, the nature of literature in the nineteenth century was more conservative. Therefore, Hawthorne implied more modern themes through the use of symbolism. One of Hawthorne's most obvious symbols in The Scarlet Letter was Pearl, the living product of the adulterous affair between Arthur Dimmesdale and Hester Prynne. Even though some of Hawthorne's symbols were fantastical, they represented an anachronistic moral standpoint of Hawthorne himself. (Gale) An example of this symbolism was Hester's moral sin of adultery symbolized by an overly ornate scarlet 'A' on Hester's breast. In fact, few authors who worked outside realism have been as concerned with morals as Hawthorne was. (Magill:2 1572). Hawthorne also employed allegory as a way of presenting themes. Hawthorne often achieved allegory by placing characters in a situation outside of the ordinary (Magill:2 1572). In The Scarlet Letter Hawthorne presented a highly complex variation on his usual theme of human isolation and the human community (Harris 304). Hester Prynne was a superb example of both these themes since she was isolated from a strict Puritan community. Possibly, Hawthorne's recurring theme of isolation stemmed from his own experience of seclusion (Gale). Hawthorne explored the themes of penance for sins and cowardliness when Arthur Dimmesdale struggled with himself to make his sin public. In conclusion, Hawthorne's literary style did indeed contain elements such as description and dialogue, which seemed out of place when compared to modern twentieth century literature. However, Hawthorne's style was typical of the literary style of the time. Nevertheless, Hawthorne addressed modern themes and expressed his own view on human nature and religion. In addition, Hawthorne's symbolism was an essential tool in addressing topics, which were too radical to be publicly addressed in the nineteenth century. Therefore, Hawthorne's symbolism an astute way to express his own beliefs. Hawthorne also achieved a unique form of allegory by placing characters in unusual situations. Hawthorne used various symbols to imply themes of adultery, sins, and human morality. All in all, Hawthorne deeply examined every facet of human nature and drew conclusions from the experiences of the characters in his work. WORKS CITED Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter.
Fitzgerald, Sheila ed. Short Story Criticism. vol.4.

霍桑象征主义英文简介

Detroit: Gale Research Company, 1989.

Gale ed. DISCovering Authors. Detroit: Gale Research Company , 1996.

Harris, Laurie Lanzen. Nineteenth Century Literature Criticism. vol. 54. Detroit: Gale Research Company, 1985.

Litz, Waltona ed. American Writers. New York: Charles Scriner's Sons, 1998.

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