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1、Unit2TheCaskofAmontilladoEdgarAllanPoe 1809 1849 高等教育出版社 Contents AbouttheAuthorandHisWritingUnderstandingtheText Theme Characterization LanguageandWritingstyleQuestionsforFurtherThinkingFollow UpAssignment AbouttheAuthorandHisWriting EdgarAllanPoe 1809 1849 anAmericanpoet novelist shortstorywriter
2、essayist playwright editor literarycriticandaleadingAmericanRomanticist Bestknownforhispoetryandshortstories particularlyhistalesofmysteryandthemacabre Poewasoneofthecountry searliestpractitionersoftheshortstoryandisgenerallyconsideredtheinventorofthedetectivefictiongenreandisfurthercreditedwithcont
3、ributingtotheemerginggenreofsciencefiction Hewasthefirstwell knownAmericanwriterwhotriedtoearnalivingthroughwritingalone butthisengagedhimintoafinanciallydifficultlifeandcareer AbouttheAuthorandHisWriting HeisoneofthefirstAmericanauthorsofthe19thcenturytobecomemorepopularinEuropethanintheUnitedState
4、sandparticularlyrespectedinFrance inpartduetoearlytranslationsbyCharlesBaudelairewhosetranslationsbecamedefinitiverenditionsofPoe sworkthroughoutEurope AbouttheAuthorandHisWriting Asaliterarycritic hehasthereputationofbeinga tomahawkman FellowcriticJamesRussellLowellcalledhim themostdiscriminating p
5、hilosophical andfearlesscriticuponimaginativeworkswhohaswritteninAmerica whichsuggestrhetoricallythatheoccasionallyusedprussicacidinsteadofink PoeinPopularCulture ManyofPoe sshortstorieshavebeenadaptedintofilms andPoehimselfalsohasappearedasafictionalizedcharacterinthemovies oftenrepresentingthe mad
6、genius or tormentedartist andexploitinghispersonalstruggles Manysuchdepictionsalsoblendinwithcharactersfromhisstories suggestingPoeandhischaractersshareidentities Poe sDeath OnOctober3 1849 PoewasfoundonthestreetsofBaltimoredelirious hewastakentotheWashingtonMedicalCollege wherehediedonSunday Octobe
7、r7 1849 Allofhismedicalrecords includinghisdeathcertificate havebeenlost NewspapersatthetimereportedPoe sdeathas congestionofthebrain or cerebralinflammation commoneuphemismsfordeathsfromdisreputablecausessuchasalcoholism Buttheactualcauseofhisdeathremainsamystery Poe sWell knownShortStories TheMurd
8、ersintheRueMorgue Morella TheFalloftheHouseofUsher Ligeia Metzengerstein Berenice TheBlackCat ThecaskofAmontillado TheMysteryofMarieRoget TheGoldBug ThePurloinedLetter Poe sGenre Poe sbestknownfictionworksareGothic agenrehefollowedtoappeasethepublictaste InhisGothicstories hefirstdestabilizestheread
9、erbyusingunreliablenarrators madmenandliars initiallyrationalmenwhohavetheirrationalismthoroughlysubverted menwhobyallcommonsensicalstandardsbedead Poe sGenre InPoe sstories thesourceofmysteryandanxietyissomethingthatremainsinexplicable PoetearstheGothictaleoutoftherationalistframeworkitpreviouslyin
10、habited andhemakesitamediumforexploringtheirrational evenflirtingwiththeanti rational Assuch hemakesitascentralandvitaltotheRomantictraditionas say thelyricpoemorthedreamplay Poe sGenre ElementsofGothicnovel UsuallysetinMedievaltimesDark mysterious eviltoneDarkcastles palaces chambers hauntedmansion
11、sBlood pain death crueltyEroticismandcharacterswithaberrantpsychologicalstates Eventswhichareuncanny macabre ormelodramaticallyviolentborderingbetweenrealityandunrealityTheseelementsalwayscometogethertoemphasizethesenseofevil toevoke terror versus horror inthereaderbecauseofsituationsborderingrealit
12、y unreality SometimesGothicnovelmaylackaMedievalsettingbutwilldevelopanatmosphereofgloomandterror Thiskindofnovelisoftenusedtoteachamessage Poe sGenre Beyondhorror Poealsowrotesatires humortales andhoaxes Forcomiceffect heusedironyandludicrousextravagance ofteninanattempttoliberatethereaderfromcultu
13、ralconformity Healsoreinventedsciencefictionandisrecognizedastheoriginatorofdetectivestory Poe sTheme Mostrecurringthemes questionsofdeath includingitsphysicalsigns theeffectsofdecomposition concernsofprematureburial thereanimationofthedead andmourning disintegrationoftheselfOtherthemes Popularpseud
14、osciencessuchasphrenologyandphysiognomy whichaimedspecificallyatmass markettastes subconsciousconditionofthemindbeneaththesurfaceofnormalexistence Thedeepabyssoftheunconsciousmentalactivityofthepeople Poe sLiteraryTheory Poe sliterarytheoryismainlypresentedinhisessay suchas ThePoeticPrinciple and Th
15、ePhilosophyofComposition etc Hebelieved workswithobviousmeaningsceasetobeart Brevity compressionandfinalityareessentialforthequalityofshortstories Poe sLiteraryTheory Thewritershouldcarefullycalculateeverysentimentandideatoachievesingleeffect Theveryfirstsentenceoughttohelptobringoutthe singleeffect
16、 ofthestory Nowordshouldbeusedwhichdoesnotcontributetothe pre established designofthework compression Theshortstorymustbeofsuchlengthastobereadatonesitting soastoensurethetotalityofimpression Ataleshouldendwiththelastsentence leavingasenseoffinalitywiththereader Poedislikeddidacticismandallegory thoughhebelievedthatmeaninginliteratureshouldbeanundercurrentjustbeneaththesurface Healsostronglydislikedtranscendentalideas UnderstandingtheTextSummary TheCaskofAmontillado isoneofPoe smostwell knownhor
