henryjames.pptx

Henry JamesHenry James英教英教141 童小晨童小晨 26(1843-1916)Contents1.Personalinformation2.Majorworks3.Writingstyle4.ContributionPersonal informationHewasborninawealthyculturedfamily.Hisfatherwasaneminentphilosopherandreformer,hisbrotherwasafamousphilosopherandpsychologist.In1862HenryattendedHarvardLawSchool,butrealizedthathewasnotinterestedinstudyinglaw.HepursuedhisinterestinliteratureandassociatedwithauthorsandcriticsWilliamDeanHowellsandCharlesEliotNortoninBostonandCambridge,formedlifelongfriendshipswiththem.Major works1.International themeIninternationaltheme,hetoldstoriesofAmericaninnocenceinfaceofEuropeansophistication.InHenrystexts,EuropeandAmericaaretwodifferentsocietiesandculturalforcesboughtintocontact.Europeisthekindofsocietywherethevitalimpulsehasrunoutandallitsmeaningsareexpressedthroughitsconventionsandrefinements.Americaisthekindofsocietywheretheoriginaldrivingforceshavenotyetmaturedintoconventions.Americanpersonalities:innocence,freshness,ignorance,vulgarity（粗俗）,enthusiasm,simplicityandindividualityEuropeanpersonalities:sophistication,highlycultivated,over-refinement,degeneration（衰退、堕落）,complexity2.Emotion-of-life themeToexpresshismoralvisionandhisoutrage,hebroughtsuchsocietyorpeoplewhoweredecayingandsterilewhilelivingonconventionswithoutanyforceofconventionunderhisfictivemicroscopeandshowedushowtheemotionunderliningtheconventionsisabouttoexplode.3.Artist themeItsustainsHenrysviewofartandartistishisfidelitytolife.Writing styleHenryJamesisgenerallyacknowledgedasaforerunnerofmodernisminfictionintheEnglishlanguageandhighlyvaluedforhispsychologicalandmoralrealism,hismasterfulcreationofcharacter,hislow-keybutplayfulhumor,andhishighly-refined language,andintricate(错综复杂的)construction.Jamess literary techniques 1).“Pointofview”视角Explainthesituationandcharacterthroughoneorseveralminds.Readersobserveeventsandpeoplethroughtheconsciousnessofcharactersandparticipateintheirexperience.2）PsychologicalanalysisEmphasizestheinnerawarenessandinwardmovementofcharacters-thefounderofpsychologicalrealism-theforerunnerof“stream-of-consciousness”(意识流)novels.The Art of FictionInordertoresponseSirWalterBesantsspeech,HenryJamesproducedhisessayTheArtofFiction.Inthisessay,heemphasizesthattheliteratureartistorepresentlife;thatthenovelistsshouldhavetheabsolutefreedomtoconducttheircreation,begoodatexperiencinglife,guesstheunseenfromtheseenandknowtheflexibilityofnovel.Healsohighlightstheimportanceofpsychologicaldescrip-tionanddiscussesthequestionofanovelsmorality.Atlast,heputsforwardsomesuggestionsfortheyouthfulwriters.Onenotedfeatureofthisessayistheuseofmanyexamplestoillustratetheauthorsideaandthecompound-complexsentencesrepeatingthesameconcept.The aim of the novel is to present life.Art must be related to life.The artist should write about anything that concerns him,even the ugly and the commonplace.The only reason for the existence of a novel is that it does attempt to represent life.ContributionHenryJameswasthefirstAmericanwriterwhodevelopedhisliterarycareermostlyinEurope.HisprincipleinterestwastheconfrontationofAmericanandEuropeancultures.Henotonlybridgedthe19thand20thcenturiesbutconnectedAmericaandEurope.HecontributedtoliterarycreationandnoveltheoryinEnglishworldandopenaneweraofmodernnovels.Withtwenty-twonovels,overahundredshortstoriesandhiscriticalcommentaries,hecontributedgenerouslytothedevelopmentofmodernfictionbothbypreceptandbyexample.Thank you!