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1、Moby DickHerman Melville1. Overview One of the half-dozen major American literary figures of the 19th century. An American novelist, short story writer, essayist and poet. His longest novel, Moby Dicklargely considered a failure during his lifetime, was recognized in the 20th century as one of the c
2、hief literary masterpieces of both American and world literature.2. Life Experience Was born in 1819 in Lansingburgh Left school at the age of 15 Worked as a bank clerk, a salesman, a farmer, a school teacher Went to sea at about 20 Good friend with Hawthorne Melville was born in New York City. Both
3、 his parents came from well-to-do families, but later their family business failed. Melvilles childhood was happy to the age of 11, when his father died in debt. He had little education. He had to leave school at the age of 15, and began to work. He worked as a clerk, a farmer and a teacher, before
4、becoming a cabin boy on a ship at about twenty. -There are three things which deserve mention about his life: going out to sea, his marriage and his friendship with Hawthorne.-Melville was a whaler, the lowest of sailors. He went to Liverpool, England and the South Pacific, spending most of his youn
5、g manhood undergoing one of the most brutalizing experiences for a man. His experiences and adventures on the sea furnished him with abundant material for fiction. - The married life of Melville was more like that of Scott Fitzgerald than Mark Twains. Melville married Elizabeth Shaw, the daughter of
6、 a wealthy judge. To support her and their growing family, he had to write for money. -During the summer of 1850, Melville and Hawthorne met. They exchanged visits, meeting at least nine times, and wrote to one another often. -Melville saw in Hawthorne the one American who was expressively aware of
7、the evil at the core of American life. He found Hawthornes understanding of evil, that blackness of vision, unusually fascinating.3. Major worksHis novels: Typee (1846); Omoo (1847) Mardi (1849); Redburn (1849) White Jacket (1850) Moby Dick (1851) Pierre (1852); Confidence Man (1857) Billy Budd (unf
8、inished) His poetic work: Clarel His short stories: “Bartleby”, “Benito Cereno”Moby Dick抹香鲸 抹香鲸的英文是Spermwhale，二名法为 Physeter macrocephalus。抹香鲸又称之 为巨抹香鲸、卡切拉特鲸。隶属齿鲸亚目 、抹香鲸科，是世界上最大的齿鲸。由于 其头部特别巨大，故又有“巨头鲸”之称呼， 主要栖息于南北纬70之间的海域中。 身体粗短，行动缓慢笨拙，易于捕杀，故 现存量由原来的85万头下降到20万头。抹 香鲸的长相十分怪，头重尾轻，宛如巨大 的蝌蚪，庞大的头部约占体长的1/4-1
9、/3， 整个头部仿佛是一个大箱子。它的鼻子也 十分奇特，只有左鼻孔畅通，而且位于左 上方，右鼻孔堵塞，所以它呼吸的雾柱是 以45角向左前方喷出的。 抹香鲸图片4.白鲸写作背景 麦尔维尔的个人经历 麦尔维尔随捕鲸船漫游了世界许多地方，开阔了 眼界，同时也为创作小说积累了丰富的素材。 年曾被南太平洋马克萨恩群岛上泰皮尔族 俘后逃脱，辗转到一条澳大利亚商船上当水手， 又因违反纪律被囚在塔命提群岛。越狱后，他又 重新回到捕鲸船上当投叉手，年正式投 入美国军舰“美国“号上服役，至年退役 后，才结束了自己的海上生涯。此间，对麦尔维 尔的思想产生了极大的影响，坎坷的经历、丰富 的生活、强烈的愿望，奠定了麦尔
10、维尔写作的丰 厚基础。 5.The novel on the whole can be understood from three levels:(1)It is a novel of journey and whale catching; (2)it is a conflict between Captain Ahab and Moby Dick; (3)It is a story of Ishmael, his thought about human bodys ego realization, the relationship between man and nature, man an
11、d God, man and man, etc.6 .Character List Ishmael - The narrator, and a junior member of the crew of the Pequod. Ishmael doesnt play a major role in the events of the novel, but much of the narrative is taken up by his eloquent, verbose, and extravagant discourse on whales and whaling. Moby Dick - T
12、he great white sperm whale. Moby Dick, also referred to as the White Whale, is an infamous and dangerous threat to seamen, considered by Ahab the incarnation of evil and a fated nemesis(克星). Ahab - The captain of the Pequod. Ahab lost his leg to Moby Dick. He is single-minded in his pursuit of the w
13、hale, using a mixture of charisma and terror to persuade his crew to join him. As a captain, he is dictatorial but not unfair. At moments he shows a compassionate side, caring for the insane Pip and musing on his wife and child back in Nantucket. Analysis on the text1.互文性 后 结构 主义认 为“ 互 文性描述 的是 文本 问
14、的互 涉 关 系 ， 任 何作 品都存 在 对过 去文化 和文本 的模仿和 改变 互文 性描 述 强 调 的是文本空 间的交汇与对话 。互文 性 暗示是 通过 “ 共存 关系”的互 文策略来 进行 暗示 的一 种 方 式 ， 引用 通 常是互 文性 暗示的主要手段 。烘 托性 暗示主要 是运 用语 汇或场景 的不断叠加 来 强化 暗 示 的一 种 方式 ， 渲染 铺 陈 通 常是烘 托 性暗示 的主要手段 。 白鲸 中的互文 性 暗示 主要体 现 为 白鲸 文本 与 圣经 文本 之间 的互 文性 。引用是这 两 种文本 的互文关 系的 主要手段 。 自鲸 与 圣经 之 间 的互文 性引 用主要
15、体现在 经 文 、 典 故 引用 与人 名 引用 两 个方 面 。 “ 白鲸 的 白色”关于对上帝 的 白色 的描 写 来 看 ， 就能 更正 确 地认 识 白鲸的象征意 义 。“ 虽则在 圣徒 约翰 的 启示 录 中 ， 白袍是专给二十 四个 穿 着 自衣 、 站 在 伟大 的 白色 宝 座前 的长老穿 的 ， 而且 坐在那里的上帝也像羊 毛一样 白。 ” 这段描 写源 于 新 约 启 示 录 第 四章 第 四节A、典故互文 “ 宝 座 的周围， 又有二 十 四个 作为 ， 其 上坐 着 二十 四位 长 老 ， 身穿白衣 ， 头 戴着金 冠冕” 和第一 章第十 四节 ： “ 他 的 头 与发皆白， 如 自羊 毛 、 如雪 。眼 目 如 同火焰 。 ” 麦尔 维 尔将神秘而又庄严 的基 督 教 的象 征 色 “ 白色 ” 披 在 大 鲸 的身上 ， 使 白鲸 自然 而然 地 与“ 像 羊 毛一 样 白” 的上 帝 建立了直接联 系 ， 即 暗示 了白鲸是上帝 的神灵 。B、人名的互文性 白鲸 中有亚哈 、 以实马利 等二十三 个人 源 于 圣经 。这 些人 物与 原型 人物 的互 文性 暗示 了故 事 的过 程与 结 局 ， 其 中 最具 代 表性 的是亚哈的互 文 性 暗示 。 白鲸 中的“ 裴廓 德号” 船长亚 哈的原 型来 自于 旧
