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1、Sinclair-Lewis(-Sinclair-Lewis(-辛克莱辛克莱刘易斯刘易斯) )Born in the town of Sank Center, Minnesota;Graduated from Yale;Became an editor and a writer;Published Main Street in 1920 and won the Nobel Prize in literature;Published Babbitt in 1922.Our Mr. Wrenn (1914)The Trial of the Hawk (1915)Main Street (1920)
2、 Babbitt (1922) Arrowsmith (1925) The Man Who Knew Coolidge (1928) It Cant Happen Here (1935) Main StreetwMain Street was a study of idealism and reality in a narrow-minded small-town. wMain Street is the continuation of main Streets everywhere. wIt meant cheap shops, ugly public buildings, and citi
3、zens who were bound by rigid conventions. wThe book had parallels with the authors own early life. The protagonist also has skin problems. Lewis claimed that Main Street was read with the same masochistic pleasure that one has in sucking an aching tooth. Photographs of “Main Street”Photographs of “M
4、ain Street”Illustrations of the photographsWhen Sinclair Lewis wrote “Main Street”, it was generally believed that his home town, Sauk Center, Minnesota, was the locale although he called his fictional town Gopher Prairie. Though the heroine of “Main Street” Lewis expressed his own feelings, particu
5、larly his dissatisfactions. Sinclair Lewis Nobel Prize Address(After praising Ernest Hemingway, Thomas Wolfe and other contemporary American writers:)I solute them, with a joy in being not yet too far removed from the determination to give to the America that has mountains and endless prairies, enor
6、mous cities and lost farm cabins, billions of money and tons of faith, to an America that is as strange as Russia and as complex as china, a literature worthy of her vastness. 美国有许多名山大川，有无尽的草原，建造了许多庞大的城市，同时也丢掉许多边远的茅屋村舍，丢掉了亿万财富，也丢掉了许多信念，美国像俄国一样陌生新奇、像中国一样错综复杂，这些年轻的美国作家们，决心给美国带来与美国的伟大浩瀚相称的文学，我很高兴我个人与他们
7、的决心相去还不甚远。我就是怀着这样的喜悦，向他们表示我的敬意的。 对美国文学的未来，我充满了希望，也满怀着各种热切的信念。我认为，我们正在从四平八稳、迟钝沉闷的地方主义的束缚中挣脱出来。现在有许多年轻的美国人，正满腔热情，稳健可靠地工作着，以致使我因年迈不能与他们为伍而感到有点淡淡的哀愁。其中有欧内斯特海明威，一位严格、有拚命工作精神的年轻人，受过严酷经历的熏陶，用高标准严格锻炼自己，是一位真正的艺术家，一直投身于现实生活的浪潮之中；还有托马斯沃尔夫，是位30岁或者不到30岁的小伙子。他的惟一一部长篇小说天使，望故乡，堪与我们文学创作中最优秀的作品相媲美，是一部散发着浓郁生活气息的巨著. 还有
8、桑顿怀尔德，处在现实主义时代的他，却缅怀梦想着不朽的浪漫主义往昔的良辰美景，还有约翰多斯帕索斯，他憎恶巴比特那四平八稳的标准观，及其他那堂而皇之的所谓革命；还有斯蒂芬贝尼特，他用自己那对老约翰布朗的光彩夺目的回忆，给单调乏味的美国文坛恢复了叙事诗的生气，还有迈克尔戈尔德和威廉福克纳，前一位揭示了犹太东区文学的新疆界；后一位将南方各州的文学从女人的裙子那儿解脱出来；还有许多其它年轻的诗人和小说家，他们现在大多住在巴黎，大多数对詹姆斯乔伊斯的传统表现出某种狂热。然而，无论多么狂热，他们都已拒绝装腔作势摆架子，拒绝墨守陈规，拒绝迟钝呆滞的文风。 美国有许多名山大川，有无尽的草原，建造了许多庞大的城市
9、，同时也丢掉许多边远的茅屋村舍，丢掉了亿万财富，也丢掉了许多信念，美国像俄国一样陌生新奇、像中国一样错综复杂，这些年轻的美国作家们，决心给美国带来与美国的伟大浩瀚相称的文学，我很高兴我个人与他们的决心相去还不甚远。我就是怀着这样的喜悦，向他们表示我的敬意的。 Main Street (1920)Lewis criticized at times the American way of living, but his basic view was optimistic.His central characters are the pioneer, the doctor, the scientis
10、t, the businessman, and the feminist. The appeal of his best fiction lies in the opposition between his idealistic protagonists and an array of fools, charlatans(假装内行的骗子）, and scoundrels - evangelists, editorialists, pseudo-artists, cultists, and boosters.Babbitt -a Miniature of the American Middle
11、Class in the 1920s The decade of the 1920s is often characterized as a period of American prosperity and optimism. It is the decade of the speakeasies, movie, and flappers. The Roaring Twenties, from the end of WWI to the stock market crash in 1929, did usher in an era of great social change, genera
12、l prosperity, and what historians refer to as “modernity“(现代派). However, in Lewiss Babbitt, the decade of the 1920s is described as shallow, corrupt, and materialistic period in American history.Babbitt Babbitt is set in the modern Midwestern city of Zenith, it is not like older cities whose buildin
13、gs are citadels devoted to war or cathedrals devoted to religion, Zeniths shining towers are devoted to business, devoted to the new. It is a miniature of the twentieth-century America. In Babbitt, Lewis shows the reader a city prevailed upon with commercialism and pragmatism, which is the epitome o
14、f the whole-country-America. Babbitt In such a perfectly standardized money society, money and richness are most important, to which beauty, passion, wisdom, joy, and sanctity give place. A persons social status is measured by the sum of money he owns and his possessions. Being wealthy, he will have
15、 high social and be admired and respected by others are so eager to have with him. BabbittConsequently, everyone is ruled by the desire to get rich. Booming business is regarded as the best way to reach this aim. Stimulated by this motive, businessmen accumulated wealth by incontestable means as bri
16、be, cheat, threat, conspiracy, completely discarding business morals. Babbitt (1922)The prevalence of commercialism and pragmatism inevitably bring about material showiness. The citizens like Babbitt are wild about mechanical devices and convenient facility for showing ones own possessions as the ma
17、in way to prove his social status. Therefore, the citizens of Zenith not only their rack their brains to accumulate wealth or social prestige but also take pains to show wealth in order to gain and keep the respect of others for material showiness is the proof of your being respected or not by other
18、s. Money erodes every holy thing. Either priests or artists change their roles to serve the businessmen and the real estate brokers. The holy religion is debased, becoming just another marketable commodity. Babbitt has enormous admiration of all mechanical devices which are his symbols of truth, bea
19、uty, wisdom, and the substitutes for joy and passion.A money-minded materialist George F. Babbitt, the forty-six-year-old realtor, is a figure so vivid that he has come to represent the typical prosperous, middle-aged American businessman of the 1920s-conservative, uncultured, smug, conforming, and
20、loud. Just as people worship religions, Babbitts community worships business and material success. That is the hypocritical and ignorant values of his class. Babbitt represents the Zeniths materialistic values by treating everything like a business, and he is motivated only by the desire for superfi
21、cial things. Babbitts worship of Zeniths landscape shows that his mind is preoccupied with materialistic values. Babbitts home is a miniature representation of the American middle-class worship of material objects. Lewis states that Babbitts house lacks the aura of a home, which is as impersonal as
22、a hotel room. He compares it to an advertisement in a magazine for “ Cheerful Modern Houses for Medium Incomes”, further emphasizing Zeniths empty commercialism. When the scene shifts to Babbitts office, Lewis adds further material for his accusations against middle-class values. Zenith is ignorant
23、and intolerant of genuine art and literature. Great poets like Dante and Shakespeare go unread, while business letters, advertisements and newspaper poetry columns are hailed works of genius, Lewis vividly condemns Zeniths upside-down cultural values, and parodies it so effectively. Business letters
24、 are Zeniths literature and art, and this is “a tragedy familiar to the world of art”. Lewis states that Babbitt engages in a morning of “artistic creation”. However, this mornings “masterpiece”is advertisement for cemetery plots. A hollow-minded idealistMost of the characters of Sinclair Lewis live
25、 in a world of illusion. Lewis tries to expose the modern American society, which compels men to wear masks in order to establish their identity. Therefore, men like Babbitt make futile business deals, become members of snobbish clubs, throw wastefully lavish parties, give shallow speeches and lead
26、staid lives. There is a lonely strain of romantic idealism within Babbitt that marks him as human and typical. But in this materialistic society, the idealized images only exist on the basis of his superficiality and in his spiritual vacuum, and his ideal is ruined by the monotonous, conventional re
27、al life he is fated to live. When his escapes end with failure, he must face his dreadful destiny as a hollow-minded idealist. 纵观全书，我们看到作者集中笔墨塑造了巴比特这个“普通人中的一个”形象。在全书的一开始，我们就看到了作为普通人的巴比特身上所具备的双重性格：在睡梦中，他正和一位飘逸的“仙女”幽会，此时的他是一位不囿于习俗的真正的男子汉，可是转眼间他却不得不被喧嚣的城市生活所唤醒，立刻就变身成了泽尼斯市的“标准公民”，成了一位循规蹈矩的崇拜美国商业文明的标准商人。
28、巴比特一睁开眼，立刻就被商业化的美国所包围：唤醒他的是一个造价不菲的最新式样的闹钟，闹铃的声音甚至模仿美妙的教堂钟声，富有讽刺意味的是它并不是提醒巴比特去敬拜神圣的上帝，而是催他起床去挣钱，或敬拜财神。“如果把工厂比作庙宇，把工人比作其中的香客，那么柯立芝总统就犯了一个粗心的错误，即纵容人们将上帝和财神混为一谈。” 在他这个时代，精神已被物质所取代。接下来巴比特陷入了尘世间一个又一个烦琐的决定中：戴眼镜，穿衣梳头，洗脸。这些本是人人每天经历的最简单不过的过程却让巴比特煞费脑筋：他的装扮必须符合他的“殷实公民的身份，必须体现他是一个体面的标准公民。而他的洗漱过程，则仿佛是对他所拥有的豪华浴室的展
29、示，以及他对全靠自己养活的不知感激的一家人的抱怨。看到这里，巴比特琐碎的、精神空虚的生活状态简直到了令人同情的地步。 四十六岁的富裕商人巴比特在生意上小有成就，起初他还对通过奋斗多年所获得的经济地位很是自得，然而随后隐隐觉得他的生活中缺了点什么，他本能地想去寻找：他发现本应为人们提供精神食粮的教会竟沦落成 “商会”，已不能给他精神上的安。巴比特试图从他的社交生活和朋友中获得乐趣，末了却对他那些和他一样平庸自满的商人朋友不胜厌烦。此时的他还可以向挚友商人保罗宣泄内心的不满：“我也不知道今天到底怎么了有时候我寻思，我现在该有的都有了，有能力养家，有幢好屋和一辆好车，有家像样的公司，没什么不良嗜好，
30、除了抽抽烟我信教，还打高尔夫球保持体型，我只和体面的好人打交道。可是，我还是不知道自己是不是完全满意！” 巴比特毕竟只是一个平庸的普通人，他无力走出自己内心的空虚，他的反叛也显得那样软弱和可笑。他企图用“婚外恋” 来逃避乏味的家庭和生活，企图退隐到大自然中去，这些都注定不会成功。而在政治上，当他企图为反叛他的阶级争取正当权益的罢工组织说了几句公道话时，他的叛逆立刻就让“商业同盟”感到了恐惧。巴比特一个人的力量无力抵抗 “商业同盟” 对他的围攻，在面临被驱逐出那个阶层的威胁时，他别无他路，只好重新返回他原来的商业圈，继续扮演商业社会的 “标准公民” 的角色。瑞典学院在授奖辞中称赞作品中的主人公巴
31、比特是一个 “光彩夺目的人物”,并指出 “刘易斯先生能够塑造出这个人物来,是他在艺术上的一个胜利,也几乎是文学上一个独特的胜利” 的确,作者运用现实主义典型化现实主义典型化的手法,塑造了一个活灵活现的中产阶级典型巴比特,将他作为房地产商人逐利与追名的本质属性淋漓尽致地展现在读者面前。为了追名逐利, 巴比特极力涉足政治, 因为政治是权力的主宰, 也是权力的载体。他不放过任何一个巴结权贵的机会,希望借此抬高自己的社会地位。他也不放过任何一个赚钱的机会, 大量敛财。为了追名逐利, 他不择手段: 派自己的雇员去偷偷地抄下其他房地产公司租房户的名单, 以便把那些客户挖过来。过一段时间就打印一些广告式的信
32、函, 将自己的房源吹得天花乱坠,不惜以虚假信息吸引客户，想方设法 “获取土地的出售权, 把某位业主的土地弄到手还不让他周围的人知道, 按他的好友保罗的话说就是“我们所做的, 就是卡竞争对手的脖子, 而迫使消费者付钱”。 这些行径今天读来仍是那么真实、可信, 我们的房地产开发商们仍然在重复着巴比特当年的伎俩。 刘易斯并没有将巴比特概念化,而是赋予他丰满而又复杂的性格。巴比特身上交织着商人的逐利与狡黠,中产阶级的卑琐与傲慢,保守者的守旧与懦弱,朋友的忠实与虚假,丈夫的忠诚与别恋,意志薄弱者的坚决与动摇,被压抑者的忍耐与间或的放纵等。 巴比特并不爱自己的妻子,觉得她庸俗,婚后一直没怎么热乎过,但他却
33、一直忍受着这样的生活凡23年。但是,他也并非从无二心,只不过是传统的道德约束了情感和欲望。即使如此,他也始终没有离弃自己的妻子,在妻子因阑尾炎开刀的过程中,他不遗余力地服侍她,关爱她,并决心以后忠实于她。他与人交往无不以利益为最高准则,瞧不起奥弗布鲁克（overbrookoverbrook）这样寒酸的同学,但对挚友保罗却是情深谊长,似乎超然物外。他一向以“优秀市民”的规范要求自己,热心于各种协会的活动,注意穿戴整齐,在公开场合谨言慎行,对自己的业务总是兢兢业业,绞尽脑汁,投机钻营,但又常常厌恶自己的房地产生意,总想找机会放纵一下,发泄一番。 他自满自得于自己的业务成就,但比起那些富翁来心里又自
34、惭形秽。他看着自己花岗山庄的宅第,看着室内各种现代陈设和家具,洋洋自得,但对自己的家人又一肚子不满。他有一个吸烟的习惯,总想把它戒掉,为此也下了极大的决心,也做了各种各样的努力,在交易所里将雪茄烟连同火柴都锁起来,将钥匙藏在很难找到的地方,在旅途就靠借烟抽来抑制烟瘾,但最后仍然没有把烟戒掉。 巴比特为人处事一向谨小慎微,对权贵阔佬巴结逢迎,对同事平辈虚与应酬,对下属和普通人虽瞧不起却也不露声色,对离经叛道之举,敢想但不敢明做,对看不惯的事,敢怒而不敢直言。可是,在作品的结尾处,他终于以“英雄”的面目出现在家人、朋友和未来的亲家面前。儿子特德和女友尤妮斯尚未结婚就公开地同居一室,致使两家大小哗然
35、,引起一片指责。巴比特却对儿子说: “别害怕家里人。不要怕,即使是整个泽尼斯也不要怕。也不要害怕你自己,不要像我以前那个样子。勇敢地干吧,小伙计!世界是属于你们的。” 然后与儿子 “臂膀相互挽着肩膀”大步地走进客厅,去面对虎视眈眈的家人。 有的批评家称刘易斯的艺术手法为“照相式的现实主义”(photographic realismphotographic realism )。的确,为了使巴比特的形象真实可信,刘易斯铺陈了大量逼真而略带夸张的细节,塑造了一个活生生的巴比特,无论是对巴比特外形、行为,还是对巴比特矛盾心理状态的描写,无不入木三分。 刘易斯还“是一位善于嘲讽的自然主义小说家,像斯威夫
36、特和马克吐温一样发出 “呐喊”。巴比特中弥漫着一种深深的嘲讽,渗透于情节、人物、主题等诸多方面。 作品的情节很简单,只有一条围绕主人公巴比特生活经历的情节线索,但这看似简单的情节也包含着深刻的嘲讽意味。故事的开端是睡在睡廊上的巴比特刚从与仙女幽会的美梦中朦胧醒来,极力想再返回那甜美的梦境,而睡在卧室里的巴比特太太则快活地喊着“该起床啦”。故事的结尾是巴比特唯一的儿子和他的女友在床上醒来,面对着大惊失色的父母,坦然自若地说 “我们昨天晚上结婚啦”。刘易斯的讽刺经过精心的安排，往往能切中要害。他发展了记录细节和日常生活用语的能力。他用这些而不是用自己的议论去谴责笔下的人物和他们的世界。 发生在第十
37、五章的两次宴请极具嘲讽意味:巴比特夫妇为了巴结大富翁麦凯尔维（McKelveysMcKelveys）好几次想宴请他们夫妇,在麦凯尔维几次推辞又几次推迟日期后,他们夫妇终于来赴宴了,只是 “迟到了十五分钟”,晚餐后没多久就找一个理由走掉了,让原本想好好聊一聊的巴比特大失所望,而巴比特太太还偷偷地哭了一场,好在麦凯尔维临走前随口说了一句 “哪天请你们吃午餐”,让巴比特夫妇得到一些安慰,可是一等再等,就是等不到麦凯尔维回请他们的消息。 有意思的是,就在他们等待麦凯尔维夫妇回请期间,巴比特的大学同学埃德奥弗布鲁克（OverbrookOverbrook）一再力邀他们夫妇去吃晚饭,他们从心里瞧不起这位同学
38、,因为他毕业后“一向事业无成”,人也“很不显眼”,但经不住他“再三苦苦相邀”,只好在一再推迟以后,夫妇俩去“应付了事”,还“迟到了十几分钟”,晚餐后就推说第二天有事要走了,临走时巴比特也敷衍地说“哪天请你们吃午餐”。可是拖了很长时间后,“他们就不再说起奥弗布鲁克夫妇了”,回请的事也就不了了之。还有,巴比特批评好友保罗移情外恋行为来振振有辞,可自己后来一段时间与朱迪克太太频频幽会。 作品中人物安排与描写同样充满嘲讽。对主人公巴比特所作所为、所思所想的刻画满是嘲讽就不必说了,对其他人物的描画也是如此。先看他的邻居:“喝的是走私威士忌”,“从他家房子里经常传出夜半音乐和猥亵的笑声”的多普尔布劳夫妇;
39、除去“育婴、烧菜和开车”以外无所不知,并且“能借助历史、经济、甚至被改造好了的激进分子的自白书” 来证明商业精神价值的利特菲尔德博士。再看他的朋友:膀阔腰圆但满嘴粗话脏话的煤炭经销商弗吉尔冈奇。每天 “通过稿件辛迪加每天在六十七种主要报纸上发表”诗作,但写出来的东西错字连篇的诗人兼编辑的T乔姆利弗林克。夫妇俩在巴比特家的宴会上都争吵不休、太太当着丈夫的面跟别人眉来眼去的汽车代理商卢埃迪斯旺森夫妇。再看所谓上层富翁和大腕: 建筑承包商查尔斯麦凯尔维靠承包赚了几百万的票子,却言而无信。一边把对巴比特的承诺丢至脑后,一边又设法去巴结从英国来的冶金大王。冶金大王多克爵士名为英伦贵胄,实际上名不副实,在
40、芝加哥街头闲逛时碰见巴比特,就拉着他去看电影,又到破旧的旅馆里去喝酒,喝得兴起时满嘴的俚俗,把鞋袜都脱了。泽尼斯第一州立银行行长伊桑道貌岸然,暗中给巴比特提供贷款,捞取好处。 其次,价值观上的实用主义被广泛接受并行之有效。巴比特当然是实用主义的身体力行者,他明确主张:“咱们国家需要的,既不是一个从大学来的总统,也不是一大批糊弄外交事务的人,而是一个出色、明智、精干、高效的政府。那样就能给我们提供一个机会,使经营成交量有一个大提高”;他帮助普劳特竞选市长的目的也很明确,因为普劳特“代表诚实的工业界”,得到“泽尼斯金融界商界支持”;他坚持要让儿子上大学,上法学院,就是因为“我是不想让你掉出这绅士阶
41、层”,他不愿意女儿维罗娜去参加那些公益活动,也是因为他觉得“要设法从那昂贵的大学教育中赚些好处,然后再去准备结婚安家” 。 这种实用主义价值观流行于巴比特那一代人中,“对他们来说,传奇英雄已经不再是武士、吟游诗人、西部牛仔、飞行员,也不是年轻勇敢的地方检察官,而是大营销商,他们玻璃台面的办公桌上放着一份商品营销问题分析,其高贵头衔是有冲劲和进取心的人。这样的价值观在巴比特的儿女们那一代也同样流行。他的儿子特德就直截了当地说:“看不出上法学院有什么用或是读完高中有什么用。尤其是不想上大学。说真的,好多大学毕业的小伙子一开始挣的钱,就没有早就去工作的挣得多。”所以,他就宁可读函授而不去上大学。 再
42、次,物质主义或商品崇拜几乎成为潮流时尚。作品中对于物质主义的表现是全方位的,几乎涉及社会生活的方方面面:从建筑到交通,工业,到商业,到教育,到旅游业,到报业,无不物质主义所主宰;大到城市建设,小到住宅装修,大到摩天大楼,小到汽车上的电动点烟器,全都弥漫着商品崇拜的气息。巴比特当然是物质主义的积极推崇者:他一切都欣赏高大,所以他推崇泽尼 斯最高的大楼第二国民大厦,把它看作物质的象征大约就相当于后来纽约的世贸大厦之于美国吧;他有着深深的电器崇拜:有一次买了一只车用电动点烟器,兴奋中都主动让人搭便车,正好碰上这人也是一个商品崇拜者,“他们把电动点烟器的每一个细节都讨论了个够,接着又去谈电熨斗和电暖床
43、炉。对所有的机械装置,他虽然不大懂,但却有着巨大而诗意化的崇拜。 对他来说对他来说, ,这些装置就是真理和美的象征。巴比特的儿女这些装置就是真理和美的象征。巴比特的儿女们对物质的崇拜程度自然不亚于他们的父辈们对物质的崇拜程度自然不亚于他们的父辈, ,而崇拜的对而崇拜的对象比他们父辈的更加高级象比他们父辈的更加高级, ,更加时尚。他们是典型的追车更加时尚。他们是典型的追车一族一族, ,一谈到车一谈到车, ,他们就浑身是劲他们就浑身是劲, , 进行了热烈而详尽的进行了热烈而详尽的讨论讨论, ,谈到了车身的流线型谈到了车身的流线型, ,车的爬坡能力车的爬坡能力, ,车的幅条轮车的幅条轮, ,车的铬钢
44、车的铬钢, ,车的点火系统车的点火系统, ,乃至车身的颜色。这已经远不乃至车身的颜色。这已经远不止是对一个运载工具的探究止是对一个运载工具的探究, ,而是对一种骑士地位的向往。而是对一种骑士地位的向往。在泽尼斯在泽尼斯, ,在粗俗张狂的二十世纪在粗俗张狂的二十世纪, ,拥有家庭小汽车就标拥有家庭小汽车就标志着一个家庭的社会地位志着一个家庭的社会地位, ,就像贵族头衔能决定一个英国就像贵族头衔能决定一个英国家庭的社会地位一样。家庭的社会地位一样。 Levis is a realistic satirist noted for his ability to capture characterist
45、ic details. The scenes, the colors, and the appearances and actions of the characters in his novels are so minutely delineated that they achieve photographic verisimilitude. Moreover, he has a keen ear for actual American speech and a marvelous gift of mimicry. The conversations are filled with the
46、colloquialisms and the cliches of American language. But he is not a mere imitator. He chooses these details that reveal the ludicrousness of a character or the absurdity of a situation, and touches them up by exaggeration, thus turning them into effective satires.Realistic Satire Another notable te
47、chnique of Lewiss is the satiric Another notable technique of Lewiss is the satiric monologue,which he uses widely in his novels. The monologue,which he uses widely in his novels. The ironical effect is often produced by emphasizing the ironical effect is often produced by emphasizing the inconsiste
48、ncy between a characters words and his inconsistency between a characters words and his actions. The character would preach a sacred principle actions. The character would preach a sacred principle in a pompous and solemn speech, but would contradict in a pompous and solemn speech, but would contrad
49、ict it in his own practice. Therefore, when he is babbling it in his own practice. Therefore, when he is babbling on triumphantly, that would be the moment the author on triumphantly, that would be the moment the author makes him appear most ridiculous. makes him appear most ridiculous. Characteriza
50、tionLewis is inclined to create types that embody the representative qualities of particular classes. Babbitt is a typical provincial businessman, because Lewis synthesizes the characteristics of Babbitts own class to build up his image. But Lewis does not neglect to portray their individual traits.
51、 By describing their specific responses to all sorts of challenges, Lewis makes them appear unique and lifelike, and thus he avoids the defects of stereotypes. The two dinners are described in detail. The invitations, The two dinners are described in detail. The invitations, the hectic preparations,
52、 the conversations over the the hectic preparations, the conversations over the dinner table and the post-dinner talks of the Babbitts are dinner table and the post-dinner talks of the Babbitts are presented in neat order. Many similarities between presented in neat order. Many similarities between
53、them are obvious, but the readers attention is drawn to them are obvious, but the readers attention is drawn to the change in Babbitts position and attitude, first as a the change in Babbitts position and attitude, first as a fawning host and later as a distinguished guest. Babbitt fawning host and
54、later as a distinguished guest. Babbitt feels humiliated when he is looked down upon by Mc feels humiliated when he is looked down upon by Mc Kelvey, but he never hesitates to treat Overbrook with Kelvey, but he never hesitates to treat Overbrook with distain. Although the resemblances between the d
55、etails distain. Although the resemblances between the details might seem a bit. They are successful in making the might seem a bit. They are successful in making the contrast and the irony all the more striking, artificial, contrast and the irony all the more striking, artificial, When he depicts ev
56、erything Babbitt says or does, his intention is always to mock Babbitts snobbery. Babbitt is “enormously busy” during the class dinner trying to renew his friendship with Charles McKelvey. While entertaining the McKelveys at house, he is “extremely laudatory” in order to please his guests. But when
57、it is obvious that he will never get a return-invitation from them, he tells his wife: “Folks that really tend to business havent got the time to waste on a bunch like the McKelveys”. His boisterous gaiety and his ludicrous self-justification when he is thwarted, all show that he is a clownish snob.
58、 Charles McKelvey is another snob that Lewis satirizes. At the class dinner, he is “warming his admirers like a furnace”. This one-word simile shows to his full scorching power and the cringing servility of his admirers. He never really intends to entertain the Babbitts, yet he gives Sir Gerald Doak
59、 an expensive Singhalese dinner, because the British aristocrat is “one of the biggest iron-men in England”. His hospitality to Doak is in sharp contrast to his neglect of Babbitt. Realistic techniquesNo writer before Lewis had given readers so close and so comprehensive a picture of the commercial
60、world and its inhabitants. With Babbitt Lewis began the method he was to follow in his later books. This method includes full familiarization with the field and the setting of the book-through carefully recorded interviews, reading,listening to speeches, attending conversations,and preparing full su
61、mmaries of the plot and the structure of story. Realistic techniquesIn writing Babbitt, Lewis also adds detailed maps of the imaginary Zenith, the city in which the novel is set, and even the floor plan for Babbitts house. Babbitt is more than merely realistic, but its success as a novel is anchored
62、 in its depiction of a real world of Floral Height suburbia, of Ford automobiles, of dismal obligatory dinners, of realtors conversations, and the cash nexus that holds them all together. 讽刺是最能代表刘易斯艺术技巧的表现手法,在文学史上,他被誉为成功的讽刺艺术家, 他的所有成功力作中, 反讽和讽刺语言比比皆是, 而他的讽刺目标又极其广泛, 小到人物生活细节, 大到人类道德败坏,无不包括在他的讽刺笔锋之下。 为了达到讽刺的饿目的,刘易斯应用了不少艺术技巧, 令人难忘的是那丰富的细节描写, 矛盾修饰法,夸张手法以及典型人物的形象刻画等。 要讽刺生活就得描写生活。被嘲笑的东西必须同时被显露出来。于是，细节描写成了刘易斯进行讽刺的显著技巧。在他书中，成段的细节描写把某些地方的许多生动，具体的画面以及某些人物的习惯，行动及语言展示给读者，所描述的声音及所说的饿语言都令人信服，没有任何矫饰与伪造，一切似乎都是真实的。 刻画典型的人物肖像刻画典型的人物肖像结束结束
